Best Video Editing Software for Mac in 2026: Free, Professional and Screen-Recording Editors

The best video editing software for Mac depends on how far you want to take a project. iMovie is Apple's free editor for everyday movies, Final Cut Pro is Apple's professional editor, and DaVinci Resolve, Kdenlive and Shotcut are the cross-platform choices with a free route and a Mac build.

Enlisted lists many editors that run on a Mac, so this guide groups them by job: Apple's own editors, professional cross-platform tools, free open-source editors, consumer editors and screen-recording editors. Mac details such as macOS versions and Apple silicon support come from each vendor's own pages and are stated only where those pages confirm them.

What should a Mac user check before choosing a video editor?

Two things decide most Mac choices: your macOS version and chip, and how you want to pay.

Requirements differ more than you might expect. Apple's specifications say Final Cut Pro for Mac requires macOS 15.6 or later and runs on both Intel and Apple silicon, though some features need Apple silicon. Kdenlive's download page asks for macOS 13 or newer and offers separate builds for Apple silicon and Intel. BetterShot's description says it requires macOS 26 or later. An older Mac may rule out the newest Apple apps but still run an open-source editor.

On payment, Apple sells Final Cut Pro as a one-time purchase and through its Creator Studio subscription, and ScreenFlow is sold as a one-time licence. Adobe Premiere Pro is sold by subscription, and open-source editors and iMovie cost nothing. Compare the model, not only the sticker, with a project you actually need to finish.

How we picked

Enlisted started from the video editing category and kept editors with a Mac version or Mac-only design, from free apps for beginners to professional suites. For open-source tools, recent GitHub activity was a requirement. Licences and pricing models are quoted as the catalogue lists them. Nothing here was scored on render speed or output quality, so test each trial or free tier against your own footage. The method is in how Enlisted ranks tools.

Best Apple-made editors for Mac

1. iMovie: best free editor for Mac beginners

iMovie is Apple's free video editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad, designed for people who want to turn clips into finished movies without learning a professional suite. You add video, sound effects and other media, then share the result. It works with many third-party cameras and can store its library on an external drive to save space on a Mac.

If you are new to editing, the video editing software for beginners guide compares it with other first editors. The iMovie page lists the catalogue data, and iMovie alternatives shows tools that replace it.

• Best for: families and students editing home videos on Apple devices.
• Watch out for: it is closed source and Apple-only, and it is not a professional timeline.

2. Final Cut Pro: best professional editor built for Mac

Final Cut Pro is Apple's professional video editor for Mac and iPad, organized around a magnetic timeline that keeps clips connected so footage is quick to rearrange. It covers editing, audio, motion graphics and color grading, and Apple highlights captions, subject isolation without a green screen and AI features built on Apple Intelligence.

Apple sells it as a one-time purchase and also includes it in the Apple Creator Studio subscription, with a 30-day free trial offered. Its companion, Apple Motion, designs animated titles, transitions and effects that Final Cut Pro can use. See the Final Cut Pro page and Final Cut Pro alternatives.

• Best for: Mac editors making YouTube, social or client work who want Apple's own workflow.
• Watch out for: it is Mac and iPad only, closed source, and requires a recent macOS.

Best cross-platform professional editors for Mac

3. DaVinci Resolve: best free professional editor with color and audio built in

DaVinci Resolve is Blackmagic Design's application for video editing, color grading, visual effects and audio post-production, with free and paid versions that run on Mac, Windows and Linux. Its workspaces include Cut and Edit for editing, Color, Fusion for effects and motion graphics, and Fairlight for audio, so a project can go from cut to finish without leaving the program.

Blackmagic says the free version works with most 8-bit video formats up to Ultra HD resolution and includes multi-user collaboration and HDR grading. The paid Studio version adds the DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, extra effects, noise reduction and text-based editing. The DaVinci Resolve page has the listing.

• Best for: Mac users who want professional color and audio tools without a subscription.
• Watch out for: it is a large post-production suite, and some features sit behind the paid Studio version.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro: best for editors who work in Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Premiere Pro is a professional timeline-based editor for film, television and online video, with effects, titles, audio mixing and color correction. It belongs to Adobe Creative Cloud, so it sits beside After Effects and Photoshop in the same production pipeline.

It is sold by subscription, with plans for individuals, businesses, students and teachers, and Enlisted lists no free plan. Adobe publishes separate system requirements for Mac, so check your macOS version and chip on its page before subscribing. See the Premiere Pro page.

• Best for: professionals and teams who already use Adobe apps.
• Watch out for: it is sold by subscription, closed source and has no free plan.

Best free video editing software for Mac

These three cost nothing, have Mac downloads and work on other platforms too, which helps if you switch computers. For a broader category view, see the best video editing software guide.

5. Kdenlive: best free open-source editor for longer projects on Mac

Kdenlive is a free, open-source video editor from the KDE community, built on the MLT framework, for everything from quick family videos to larger multi-clip projects. It has a multi-track timeline, and effects come from frei0r and LADSPA plugins.

It is released under GPL-3.0. The download page lists Windows, macOS and Linux versions, with separate Mac builds for Apple silicon and Intel and a macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer requirement. The Kdenlive page shows recent activity.

• Best for: Mac users who want a free multi-track editor and may also edit on Windows or Linux.
• Watch out for: it needs macOS 13 or newer, and it is a multi-track editor rather than a one-click tool.

6. Shotcut: best lightweight cross-platform open-source editor

Shotcut is a free, open-source, cross-platform video editor written in C++ with Qt, using the MLT framework as its editing engine and FFmpeg for formats and codecs. It is released under GPL-3.0.

Its download page lists separate macOS downloads by macOS version, including older releases, which can help on an older Mac. Check the page for the build that matches yours. The Shotcut entry shows the licence and release activity.

• Best for: Mac users with an older machine who want a free editor with no sign-up.
• Watch out for: it is a timeline editor without the one-click polish of consumer apps, and Enlisted lists no templates for it.

7. OpenShot: best free open-source editor for drag-and-drop titles and animation

OpenShot is a free, open-source video editor for Linux, macOS and Windows with unlimited tracks, keyframe animation, title templates, 3D animated titles and a drag-and-drop timeline. It is built on FFmpeg and aims at a wide audience.

The download page offers a Mac installer as a drag-and-drop DMG. The OpenShot page lists release activity.

• Best for: Mac beginners who want free animated titles and a drag-and-drop timeline.
• Watch out for: Enlisted lists the licence as "Other", and hardware encoding is listed as experimental.

Best consumer editors with a Mac version

8. Wondershare Filmora: best for effects and templates on a conventional timeline

Wondershare Filmora is a consumer video editor for desktop and mobile, with a timeline, effects, titles, captions and AI tools. Its site lists Windows and macOS desktop versions and describes drag-and-drop editing, templates, transitions and guided controls.

Enlisted lists a free edition, paid yearly plans and a perpetual licence. The free edition adds a Filmora watermark to exports. See the Filmora page.

• Best for: creators who want ready-made effects and templates on a familiar timeline.
• Watch out for: free exports are watermarked, and it is closed source.

9. Movavi Video Editor: best for quick edits with AI subtitles

Movavi Video Editor is a consumer editor for everyday videos that covers cutting, cropping, color and speed changes. It has templates built from adjustable blocks, filters, transitions and titles, and one-click AI tools for automatic subtitles and noise removal.

Movavi's page says it has a separate Mac version, and describes a 7-day free trial that may add a watermark, limit a clip to 60 seconds or hold back some advanced features. Full use needs a paid licence. See the Movavi page.

• Best for: beginners making personal or small-business clips who plan to buy a licence.
• Watch out for: the free download is a limited trial, not a free editor.

Best for recording the Mac screen and editing the result

Tutorials, demos and courses are a common Mac job, and these three combine recording with editing.

10. ScreenFlow: best Mac-only screen recorder and editor for tutorials

ScreenFlow is Telestream's screen recorder and video editor built exclusively for Mac. It records the screen, a camera and a microphone at the same time and lets you edit the result on a timeline, with a title library and filters. It runs on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

Telestream sells it as a one-time licence with no free plan. The ScreenFlow page has the listing, and the broader tutorial-tool field is covered in the best video editing software guide.

• Best for: trainers, teachers and product teams who produce software demos and courses on a Mac.
• Watch out for: it is Mac-only, closed source and has no free plan.

11. Screen Studio: best for polished product demos with automatic zooms

Screen Studio is a screen recorder for macOS that post-processes recordings with automatic zoom on mouse activity and smooth cursor movement, so demos look produced with little editing. Its typical outputs are product demos, courses, tutorials and social videos.

It is Mac-only, and the vendor recommends macOS 13.1 or later. Enlisted lists no free plan. See the Screen Studio page.

• Best for: startups and course creators who want automatic polish on screen recordings.
• Watch out for: it is a recorder with light editing, not a full timeline editor, and it has no free plan.

12. BetterShot: best free open-source recorder and editor for Mac

BetterShot is a free, open-source native Mac app for screenshots and screen recordings, with a built-in editor for cutting, speed changes, zooms, transitions and captions. It is built with SwiftUI and needs no account or cloud service, and it is positioned as an alternative to CleanShot X and Loom.

Its description says it requires macOS 26 or later, so confirm your Mac qualifies. Enlisted lists the licence as "Other". The BetterShot page has recent activity.

• Best for: Mac users who want free, account-free screen recording with simple editing.
• Watch out for: it requires a very recent macOS, so older Macs are excluded.

Other Mac options worth a look

Camtasia from TechSmith records and edits tutorials and training videos on Mac and Windows, and its Camtasia alternatives are listed separately. CapCut has a desktop app and an online editor for short social clips, and VN Video Editor lists a Mac download in the App Store. Lightworks has a free edition and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

If your work is Linux-first, the Linux video editing guide covers the same open-source editors from that side.

How to choose video editing software for Mac

• First movie, no budget: iMovie.
• Professional Mac workflow from Apple: Final Cut Pro.
• Professional color and audio, free to start: DaVinci Resolve.
• Adobe pipeline: Premiere Pro.
• Free, open source, with Mac builds: Kdenlive, Shotcut or OpenShot.
• Ready-made effects and templates: Filmora or Movavi, after you check the free limits.
• Tutorials and demos: ScreenFlow, Screen Studio or BetterShot.

Start with the free option that your macOS version supports, then move up only when a project needs multi-camera work, deeper color or tighter audio.