What is Kdenlive used for?

Kdenlive is a free, open-source video editor built on the MLT framework and KDE Frameworks, for everyone from home video makers to people working on complex projects. It is a good fit for editing family and hobby videos, larger multi-clip video projects, and video production on the Linux desktop.

Is Kdenlive open source?

Yes. Kdenlive is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at KDE/kdenlive and is written mainly in C++.

Yes. Kdenlive is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Kdenlive?

Yes. Kdenlive can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is Kdenlive an alternative to?

Kdenlive is an open-source alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Kapwing. Other open-source alternatives to Adobe Premiere Pro include Shotcut, OpenShot and OpenCut.

Is Kdenlive actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Kdenlive was on 2 October 2026. The project has 5.8k stars on GitHub.

Kdenlive: open-source alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro

About Kdenlive

Kdenlive is a free and open-source video editor that targets both quick family videos and larger, more involved projects. It is developed by the KDE community and built on the MLT multimedia framework, which provides the core video editing functionality behind the interface.

The interface is written in C++ with Qt and KDE Frameworks 6. Video effects come from the frei0r library and audio effects from LADSPA plugins, so the effect set can grow through those ecosystems. Downloads of stable releases and experimental daily builds are published on the project website, and users can also help with translations, bug triage, documentation and tutorials.

Kdenlive is licensed under GPL-3.0 and runs as a desktop application on Linux, Windows and macOS. Primary development happens on KDE Invent, with the GitHub repository acting as a mirror, and contributors discuss development in a Matrix channel.

Key features

Video editing built on the MLT framework
Multi-track timeline for video and audio
Visual effects through frei0r
Audio effects through LADSPA
Qt desktop interface using KDE Frameworks
Stable releases and daily builds

Good fit for

→Editing family and hobby videos
→Larger multi-clip video projects
→Video production on the Linux desktop

Built with: C++
Tags: video-editor; video-editing; kde; qt; mlt; desktop; linux; open-source

Kdenlive: questions and answers

What is Kdenlive used for?: Kdenlive is a free, open-source video editor built on the MLT framework and KDE Frameworks, for everyone from home video makers to people working on complex projects. It is a good fit for editing family and hobby videos, larger multi-clip video projects, and video production on the Linux desktop.
Is Kdenlive open source?: Yes. Kdenlive is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at KDE/kdenlive and is written mainly in C++.
Is Kdenlive free?: Yes. Kdenlive is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Kdenlive?: Yes. Kdenlive can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is Kdenlive an alternative to?: Kdenlive is an open-source alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Kapwing. Other open-source alternatives to Adobe Premiere Pro include Shotcut, OpenShot and OpenCut.
Is Kdenlive actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Kdenlive was on 2 October 2026. The project has 5.8k stars on GitHub.