13 iMovie Alternatives for Video Creators

Best for: editing professional videos and movies for creators with a budget

Price: $239.88/year

PCMag rating: 4.5 out of 5

When it comes to alternatives to iMovie, Adobe^® Premiere^® Pro is almost always the first program that comes to mind. It has long been seen as the standard in professional video editing. It includes all major video-editing features and tools, including trim functions, chroma key, color correction, animations, and unlimited tracks for video and audio editing. With all that in mind, users looking for a free iMovie alternative might be shocked at the price. While it is a very robust program, Adobe^® Premiere^® Pro comes with a very professional price at more than $200 per year with no lifetime license option. It may be worth the money for pro video editors, but amateur creators and video makers on a budget might find it hard to justify spending so much money on an editing tool. Likewise, some users have pointed out that Premiere^® Pro has not seen a lot of updates over the last few years, and it may feel outdated.

Key features:

• Advanced trimming and clipping functions

• Chroma key for green screen videos

• Animation capabilities

• Color correction for consistency between clips

• Text-based editing to help make rough cuts

Best for: enhancing video on the fly while livestreaming

Price: about $174/year

Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5, 128 reviews

VEGAS Pro is a dynamic video-editing app similar to iMovie that also includes livestreaming functionality. This program includes high-quality sound-editing tools, color correction capabilities, screen capture, color grading, and most popular video-editing tools and features. The interface is fairly easy to learn, though it may not be quite as intuitive as iMovie and some other alternatives.

Key features:

• Advanced audio-editing tools

• Livestreaming capability

• Royalty-free stock video and image content 

• Color correction and grading

Best for: editing videos for free on Windows, macOS, or Linux

Price: free

Kdenlive is a free, open-source iMovie alternative for a Mac, Windows, and some versions of Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, Ubuntu PPA). The program includes multi-track video and audio editing, titles and captions, visual effects and transitions, and a customizable interface. The timeline preview makes it easy to visualize your editing progress and where you may still have work to do on your video. Keyframe capabilities give a smooth, seamless look without a lot of extra editing work, and you can import and export files in almost any audio or video format. The only drawback is that Kdenlive may be a little advanced for beginners. You can find some help online through the developer’s online resources or through community message boards, but – like many open-source programs – Kdenlive doesn’t have a very robust customer support system.

Key features:

• Keyframe capabilities for polished visual effects with little manual work

• Customizable interface with multiple theme options

• Timeline preview for enhanced editing efficiency

• Titles, transitions, and captions

Best for: video editing with color correction and motion graphics

Price: $295/lifetime

TechRadar rating: 4.5 out of 5

DaVinci Resolve is a professional video-editing platform that boasts an intuitive interface and numerous features and functionalities. While this software is like iMovie, it enables users to do more than just edit their movies and clips. Color correction is a big advantage for DaVinci Resolve, as it gives videos a more consistent look and feel. While the software is more expensive than some of the other iMovie replacement programs we’ve reviewed here, it also acts as multiple types of software in one. Along with color correction (which a lot of editors leave out, making users download a separate third-party app), DaVinci Resolve also includes collaboration tools like multi-user timelines, clip and bin locking capabilities, and notifications for team members. If you’re working with multiple people on a video-editing job, DaVinci Resolve might be a good option for you. If you’re working solo, however, you might find that a lot of the features that make DaVinci Resolve stand out aren’t really that useful to you.

Key features:

• Multi-user timelines and clip/bin locking for collaborative teams

• Color correction features for consistent look and feel

• Separate audio- and video-editing tracks

Best for: editing videos for free in Windows 10 or Windows 11

Price: free

Microsoft Store Apps rating: 4 out of 5, 612 reviews

If you’re a Windows user, and you’re wondering, “What can I use instead of iMovie?” Movie Maker may be a good option for you. This app is designed to be a simple, user-friendly platform to edit videos or create video slideshows with still images. While there is a paid version of Movie Maker, amateur users may find all of the popular video-editing features they need in the free version. Paid features include project management tools, support for higher-resolution videos (4K and 60 FPS), and green screen capabilities. If you’re looking for more advanced editing capabilities, the paid version is available in the app and starts at $15 per month.

Key features:

• Video file format conversions

• Trim, rotate, and flip functions

• Voice-over and soundtrack capabilities

• Photo slideshow video feature

Best for: creating quick video clips and social posts with templates

Price: $0-39/month (billed annually)

Capterra rating: 4.3 out of 5, 176 reviews

Animoto delivers a video-editing app similar to iMovie, with options to edit on your Mac desktop or iOS device. Animoto’s video templates make it easy to create stylish videos on the fly, which is a big differentiator for influencers and content creators focused on social media videos. It also integrates with multiple cloud storage tools, which is useful for creators on the go. If you have your media files saved to Google Drive, for example, you’ll have no problem editing videos on your phone, laptop, or desktop with Animoto. The free version comes with several standard features, including unlimited social sharing, screen recording, webcam recording, and three standard fonts. However, videos are watermarked and limited to 720p resolution. At $8 per month, the basic subscription has the same standard features as the free subscription, but videos are no longer watermarked and can be up to 1080p resolution. Premium packages, ranging from $15-39 per month (billed annually) include features like customized video branding, 3,000+ music tracks (compared with 50 for the basic version), saved templates, and voice-over capabilities.

Key features:

• Stock photo and video library

• Music library

• Video templates

• Text and font tools

Best for: creating and editing videos for educators and businesses

Price: $4.99-36.99/month (billed annually)

G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5, 40 reviews

If you’re an educator or entrepreneur, you may be wondering what is similar to iMovie that works really well for schools, learning environments, and small and medium businesses. WeVideo is an online video-editing platform that was designed with teachers and students in mind. It’s system-agnostic, meaning that you can use it on a PC, Mac, or any mobile device (iOS or Android). Plus, it integrates with other popular remote teaching tools, like ClassLink, Canva, and Schoology. WeVideo includes a free trial version, and subscriptions start at $4.99 per month. At this level, users are limited to 20 GB of cloud storage, 30 minutes of published videos per month, and video resolution is capped at 720p. Upgrading to the next level, at $7.99 per month, gets you significantly more value, with unlimited cloud storage and monthly published videos, 4K resolution video exports, as well as webcam and screen-recording capabilities. Premium subscriptions include all of the features of the lower-end subscriptions, with additions like customized video branding, unlimited stock media, and direct social media uploads.

Key features:

• Video editing from anywhere on any device

• Green screen capabilities

• Motion titles and templates

• Collaboration tools (premium subscriptions only)

Best for: making short explainer videos online

Price: $49-99/month (billed annually)

Capterra rating: 4.3 out of 5, 36 reviews

As we look at programs similar to iMovie, Biteable is a popular option for professional video creators who focus on explainer videos. This platform is designed to help corporations and professionals communicate clear, educational, and entertaining messages through videos. Biteable excels at helping users create HR training videos, marketing videos, and explainer videos for sales, learning and development, recruitment, and education purposes. It boasts a lot of great features, including text-based editing, advanced templates, and collaboration tools, but all that comes at a price. While it’s a fun tool to use with a lot of benefits, Biteable is one of the most expensive online video editors on the market today.

Key features:

• Text-based video editing

• Advanced explainer video templates

• Collaboration tools

• Video-to-GIF converter

• Direct video publishing

Best for: mobile video editing for beginners

Price: $0-29.95/month, $39.95/year, $59.95-209.95/lifetime

App Store rating: 3 out of 5, 231 reviews

BeeCut is a simple mobile video-editing app designed to be accessible to beginners. It offers timeline-based editing with multiple layers. It includes all of the most popular video-editing tools and features, including picture-in-picture, titles and captions, transitions, adjustable video speed, trimming, and cropping. While it’s easy to use and is available for both iOS and Android devices, BeeCut is a bit pricier than some of the other options available. It does offer a month-to-month subscription at $29.95 per month, but users will get more value out of an annual subscription at $39.95 per year. Individual lifetime licenses are available at $59.95, which is reasonable, but if you have more than one user, you’ll need to opt for the more expensive family lifetime license at $209.95.

Key features:

• Trim, crop, and rotate tools

• Picture-in-picture capabilities

• Multiple video timeline layers

• Multiple transition options

Best for: mobile editing for short video clips

Price: $0-29.99/month

App Store rating: 4.6 out of 5, 122K reviews

Google Play rating: 4.3 out of 5, 1.16M reviews

Magisto is a mobile video-editing app with some impressive pro-level features and tools. It offers multiple subscription options. The basic license is free with watermarked video exports, limited features, and limited video lengths. At $6.99 per month, users can drop the watermark, access premium features, and export videos up to 10 minutes long. The professional subscription level gets users all of those benefits, plus premium templates, customizable fonts and colors, and Vimeo Pro hosting (valued at $20). 

Key features:

• AI-driven editing tools

• Ready-made video templates

• Customizable text and colors (with the premium subscription)