The tools video editors actually use, by job

How did we pick these tools for video editors?

We grouped tools by the job they do in an edit: the app you cut in, the plugins that take over repeat work inside it, and the hardware or software that puts shortcuts under your hand. Every price, platform and spec below comes from the maker's own page, checked on 3 November 2026. Where a maker shows no price, the table says "Not published".

Disclosure: we make mouzeclick. It appears here as one workflow tool, after the products it sits beside, and its section is labelled as ours. It is not an editor and does not replace one.

This page is a hub. For deeper lists, see our best video editing software roundup, the Premiere Pro plugins sorted by job and the After Effects extensions comparison. Offers change, so check the maker's page before you buy.

Which tools do video editors use, compared at a glance?

Four editors, four plugins and four ways to hold your shortcuts, checked on 3 November 2026.

What does Premiere Pro cost, and who is it for?

Premiere Pro starts at US$22.99 a month on Adobe's single-app plan, annual, billed monthly. Adobe marks that price as first year only, for new subscribers. Adobe now calls the product Adobe Premiere, a name that covers its desktop and mobile apps.

• There is no perpetual licence. Premiere is sold only as a membership, with a monthly or an annual commitment.
• Creative Cloud Pro adds 20+ other creative apps. Its regular price is US$69.99 a month. The offer we saw was US$34.99 a month for the first 3 months, for new subscribers.
• The free trial runs on Windows and macOS. Adobe charges nothing until it ends, and you can cancel up to 14 days after for a full refund.
• Text-Based Editing transcribes video on import, so you can build a rough cut by copying and pasting text. Captions can be translated into 18 languages.
• Premiere on mobile is a free, standalone social video app for iPhone and Android.

Best for: editors who share projects with other Adobe users, or who also work in After Effects and Photoshop. To weigh it against the free option, see our Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve comparison.

Why do so many editors start on DaVinci Resolve?

Because the main version is free, it runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, and it puts editing, effects, colour and audio in one app. Blackmagic splits the work into pages: media, photo, cut, edit, Fusion, color, Fairlight and deliver.

• The free version works with virtually all 8-bit formats at up to 60fps, at up to Ultra HD 3840 x 2160. It includes HDR grading, luma, HSL and 3D keyers, and multi-user collaboration.
• DaVinci Resolve Studio 21 showed $236, marked 20% off. The page does not say whether that is a one-time purchase or a subscription.
• Studio adds:
  • 10-bit video up to 120fps and resolutions up to 32K
  • multiple GPUs, and hardware H.264 and H.265 encoding and decoding
  • text based editing and magic mask
  • voice isolation and a dialogue separator
• The edit page has fully customizable keyboard shortcuts, plus Subtitles and Closed Captioning.
• For social work there are square and vertical timeline resolutions and Smart Reframe. You can upload directly to YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo and X.

Best for: anyone starting at zero cost, colour-heavy work, and editors on Linux.

Is Final Cut Pro worth it if you edit on a Mac?

It makes sense if you edit only on Apple hardware and would rather pay once: Final Cut Pro is a one-time purchase of $299.99. Apple also includes it in Apple Creator Studio. After a 30-day free trial, new subscribers pay $12.99 a month or $129 a year.

• Creator Studio holds Final Cut Pro (Mac and iPad), Motion (Mac only) and Compressor (Mac only).
• Educator and student subscriptions are $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year.
• Automatic captions: Final Cut Pro analyses spoken audio and writes captions. Apple's page does not list the caption languages.

Best for: Mac and iPad editors who want one payment and Apple's own apps around it. Apple's page names Mac and iPad only, so a team that mixes Windows and Mac is better served by Resolve or Premiere.

Is CapCut desktop enough for Reels and Shorts?

For quick short-form work it covers the basics. CapCut desktop runs on Windows 7 or above (Windows 10 recommended) and macOS 10.14 or above, and it makes captions from its Text tab. CapCut's pages show no Pro price and no list of Pro-only features, so we can't tell you what the free desktop version leaves out.

• Auto captions: Text tab in the top menu bar › Auto captions in the sidebar › choose the source language › Create.
• Captions can be translated into another language. They can also be exported as a standalone SRT file, on desktop and online.
• CapCut lists keyframes and graphs, a colour wheel with auto adjust, and media search by objects, dialogue and people.
• Export: click the blue Export button at the top right, set the title, resolution and codec, keep "Video exporting" ticked, then click Export again.
• CapCut says the caption feature on CapCut Web is free to use.

Best for: creators cutting vertical clips fast, with captions on screen. If captions are the main job, our auto caption generators roundup compares the options.

What does Animation Composer give you for free?

Animation Composer is a free plug-in for After Effects and Premiere. It gives you text animations, transitions and effects that apply in one click. Mister Horse renamed Premiere Composer to Animation Composer in a post dated 10 June 2026; it is the same plug-in.

• The free version lets you add up to 500 items to your own library, and a subscription removes that limit. The subscription price was not on the pages we read.
• The After Effects version has four free tools: Keyframe Wingman, Keyframe Actions, Anchor Point Mover and Transition Shifter.
• There are downloads for Windows and Mac, and it works on Apple Silicon Macs.
• It needs After Effects 2025 or newer, or Premiere 2025 or newer.
• To update it, open the Mister Horse Product Manager app and press update.
• Paid packs sit on top of the free plug-in. One example is Text Presets for Premiere, a pack of more than 500 animated text presets. Pack prices were not shown in the text we checked.

Best for: editors who want ready-made animation inside Adobe apps without paying first. Our Animation Composer alternative page sets it against a plan of tools.

What is Motion Bro used for?

Motion Bro is a preset plugin from Videolancer, and its paid products are preset packs. It works in After Effects and Premiere Pro, and currently in those two apps only.

• The free Motion Bro Presets come as 8 packages with 1,400 presets. Personal use is $0, or $4 as a donation. Commercial use is $17.
• A pack bought once works in an unlimited number of video projects, with free updates. One purchase code is for one end user and works on two devices.
• The Ultimate Transitions Bundle needs After Effects 2022 or higher and Premiere Pro 2024 or higher.
• You install it through Creative Cloud or by hand. The Help Center has video tutorials for installing the plugin and the preset packs.
• You can build your own compatible package, even one to sell, with no commission.
• Supported operating systems: Not published on the pages we read.

Best for: editors who buy presets pack by pack and want to keep using them in every project.

What does AutoCut do inside Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve?

AutoCut takes over talking-head jobs inside the editor. It removes silences, adds word-by-word captions, switches podcast camera angles by speaker and adds zooms. It runs in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, on Windows and macOS.

• Prices on its page:
  • Basic: $6.6 /month ($79 billed yearly), silence removal only
  • AI Plan: $14.9 /month ($178.8 billed yearly), with every feature
  • Enterprise: $19.9 /month per licence ($238.8 billed yearly per licence), with team licensing and priority support
• Hosts: Premiere Pro 2023–2027, as AutoCut lists it, and DaVinci Resolve 18.6 or later. Every feature works in Resolve Free and in Studio.
• Other features:
  • AutoCut Repeat, which keeps the best of repeated takes
  • AutoChapters and AutoResize
  • AutoB-Rolls, which adds Storyblocks footage
  • Advanced AutoCaptions, with 90+ editable presets
• Projects have no time limit. One licence works on two computers, one at a time.

Best for: YouTubers and podcasters who want a lot of automatic help, in Premiere or in the free Resolve. Our video silence removers roundup puts it beside the others.

How is FireCut different from AutoCut?

FireCut covers similar jobs inside Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve: silence cutting, captions, zooms, chapters, podcasts and shorts. The clearest differences on paper are the hosts. Its Resolve version also runs on Linux, and it needs Resolve 20 or newer where AutoCut lists 18.6. Every FireCut plan includes a 7-day free trial, but plan prices were not in the page text we checked.

• It needs Premiere Pro 2022+ on Windows or macOS, or DaVinci Resolve 20+ (Free and Studio) on Windows, Mac or Linux.
• Remove silences: pick loose, default or tight, then click Go. Advanced mode sets a dB threshold, minimum duration, padding and J-cuts, and lets you exclude single silences.
• Remove filler words: click Analyze audio and review each word. Left-click jumps to the word, and right-click toggles its deletion. Then cut them all or add markers.
• Multi-track: tag the video and audio tracks to speakers, then click Analyze.
• Its AI, transcription, B-roll, music, sound effect and voiceover features need an internet connection. Transcription uses your plan allowance, and past your quota you can keep working from an existing subtitle track.

Best for: Resolve editors on Linux, and anyone who wants to review filler words one by one.

What does a Logitech MX Master 4 add for editors?

It adds per-app buttons, gestures, an on-screen Actions Ring and haptic feedback, all set up in Logi Options+. Options+ downloads for Windows 10 or later and macOS 14 or later. Its app-specific setups list Premiere Pro, Photoshop and Final Cut Pro among the apps.

• Haptic Sense Panel: feedback on the actions, shortcuts and notifications you choose. Logitech says haptics in Options+ are only available with MX Master 4 at the moment. On Windows 11 it also has native haptics, controlled from Windows settings.
• Actions Ring: a customisable overlay at the cursor. Plugins for third-party apps download through Options+.
• Gestures: on any button, hold it and move up, down, left or right.
• Hardware: an 8,000 DPI sensor that tracks even on glass (4 mm minimum thickness). The MagSpeed wheel switches between ratchet mode and a hyper-fast mode of up to 1,000 lines per second.
• Price: Not published on the pages we read.

Best for: editors buying a new mouse who want the maker's own software and haptics. Our best mouse for video editing guide compares more mice.

Is a Stream Deck useful for video editing?

It is, if you want physical keys you can read. The original Stream Deck has 15 customizable LCD keys, and Smart Profiles switch the layout to match the app you have open. The Stream Deck software is a free download.

• The 15-key model needs Windows 11 or newer, or macOS 13 or newer, and a USB-C port.
• Stream Deck + has 8 LCD keys, 4 dials you can turn and push, and a 108 x 14 mm touch strip. It needs a USB-C 3.0 port.
• Stream Deck XL has 32 keys, and Stream Deck Pedal has 3 pedals.
• Stream Deck Mobile gives you 6 keys free on a phone (iOS 15.0, or Android 9 or newer). Pro raises that to 64 keys, at a price that is not published.
• Hardware prices: Not published on the pages we read.

Best for: editors who want a labelled key for every action. See our video editing controllers roundup, and our Stream Deck alternative page if you'd rather keep the shortcuts on the mouse.

What does a TourBox controller add?

A TourBox gives the hand that isn't on the mouse a knob, a scroll wheel and buttons, and on most models a dial. The range is Elite Plus, Elite, Lite Bluetooth, NEO and Lite. NEO, Elite and Lite run on macOS and Windows, and TourBox says Linux is not currently supported for them. Elite Plus works with macOS and Windows, and with iPadOS and Android tablets.

• Elite Plus, Elite and NEO have a knob, dial, scroll and buttons. They offer over 150 button combinations and over 400 functions per preset.
• Lite has no dial. It offers over 50 combinations and over 200 functions per preset.
• Elite Plus and Elite add haptic feedback with adjustable strength, and connect by Bluetooth or cable. NEO and Lite connect by cable; Lite Bluetooth is a separate model.
• TourBox offers a 30-day return and exchange, a one-year warranty and free global shipping.
• Prices: Not published on the pages we read.

Best for: editors who want a physical dial under the other hand while the mouse stays on the timeline.

Where mouzeclick fits (we make it)

mouzeclick fits if you'd rather put shortcuts on the mouse you already own than buy another device. It is one small app. It puts shortcuts, macros, gestures and three wheels on any mouse, per app, in any app, and it adds tools that open inside Premiere Pro and After Effects. There is no driver.

• Platforms: the mouse app runs on Windows 10 and 11, and on macOS 12 or newer.
• Buttons: it uses up to five standard buttons, plus scroll and tilt. Each button has eleven slots: tap, hold and move in four directions, a chord with another button, or hold and scroll.
• Per app: buttons change the moment you switch windows, so Mouse 4 can cut a clip in Premiere and switch tabs in Chrome.
• Other editors: it works in DaVinci Resolve, CapCut and Final Cut Pro like any other app.
• Shortcut library: 309 built-in shortcuts on Windows, covering Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Resolve and CapCut.
• Three wheels:
  • the Options wheel (F8), with 48 favourites per app
  • the Orbit switch (F9), for open apps and their windows
  • the Tool wheel (F10 or a held right button), which works only in Premiere Pro and After Effects: 112 tools in Premiere Pro and 114 in After Effects
• Inside Adobe apps, on Windows and Mac: 22 extensions, Search effects and the mouzeclick Toolbar, all listed on our extensions page.
• Windows only:
  • the two workspace panels for After Effects and Premiere Pro
  • auto, styled and Hinglish captions, written on your computer by Whisper
  • Retakes, cloud sync and in-app updates
  The Mac app does not include the workspaces. The Mac install guide covers the four setup steps.
• What it doesn't do: it needs an internet connection while it runs. It doesn't change DPI, polling rate or lighting; those stay with your mouse maker's software.
• Price: $25 a month, $249 a year, or $499 once for one of the first 100 lifetime keys. There is a 3-day trial with no card; see pricing.

Where another tool is the better pick: mouzeclick has no DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut panel and no Linux app. For silence removal inside Resolve, AutoCut or FireCut is the tool. If you want labelled LCD keys or a physical dial, a Stream Deck or a TourBox gives you something a mouse doesn't. If you want haptics, that's the MX Master 4 with Options+. And mouzeclick isn't an editor: you still need one of the four above.

How do I choose the right tools for video editing?

Choose in order: the editor first, then one plugin for the job you repeat most, then where your shortcuts live.

1. Pick the editor.
   • Free and cross-platform: DaVinci Resolve.
   • Adobe team, or After Effects in the same project: Premiere Pro.
   • Mac only, paid once: Final Cut Pro.
   • Fast vertical clips: CapCut desktop.
2. Check the plugin against your editor and version. Animation Composer needs 2025 or newer. AutoCut lists Resolve 18.6 or later. FireCut needs Resolve 20 or newer. Motion Bro works only in After Effects and Premiere Pro.
3. Match the plugin to the job. For animation and transitions, try Animation Composer or Motion Bro. For talking-head cuts, silences and captions, try AutoCut or FireCut.
4. Learn the shortcuts before you buy hardware. Our video editing keyboard shortcuts guide covers every editor. Write down the ten keys you press most.
5. Decide where those ten go.
   • Keys you can read: Stream Deck.
   • A dial for the other hand: TourBox.
   • A new mouse with its maker's software: MX Master 4 with Options+.
   • The mouse you own, with wheels in Premiere Pro and After Effects: mouzeclick.
6. Use the trials. Premiere has a free trial on Windows and macOS, FireCut has 7 days, Apple Creator Studio has 30 days and mouzeclick has 3 days. Resolve and Animation Composer are free to start.

Questions people ask

Sources

Checked on 2026-11-03. Prices and features change: each link goes to the maker's own page.

1. Adobe Premiere product page
2. Adobe Creative Cloud plans (video and audio)
3. Adobe Premiere free trial
4. DaVinci Resolve (Blackmagic Design)
5. DaVinci Resolve Studio
6. DaVinci Resolve: what's new
7. Apple Final Cut Pro
8. CapCut desktop video editor
9. CapCut: add subtitles to video
10. CapCut caption generator (web)
11. Mister Horse home page
12. Animation Composer for After Effects
13. Animation Composer for Premiere
14. Mister Horse: Premiere Composer renamed to Animation Composer
15. Text Presets for Premiere (Mister Horse)
16. Motion Bro home page
17. Motion Bro products (free presets)
18. Motion Bro Ultimate Transitions Bundle
19. Motion Bro Help Center video tutorials
20. AutoCut home page
21. AutoCut pricing
22. AutoCut download
23. FireCut home page
24. FireCut: remove silences in DaVinci Resolve
25. FireCut: remove filler words in DaVinci Resolve
26. FireCut: multi-track in DaVinci Resolve
27. Logitech MX Master 4
28. Logi Options+
29. Elgato Stream Deck
30. Elgato Stream Deck +
31. Elgato Stream Deck Mobile and range
32. TourBox creative console range
33. TourBox model comparison

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