Roundup

The best video editing software for Mac and MacBook

Updated 2026-11-03 · by the mouzeclick team

For most Mac editors, the best video editing software is Final Cut Pro, a $299.99 one-time purchase from Apple, or DaVinci Resolve, which has a free version and a $236 Studio edition. Pick Adobe Premiere if you also work on Windows, CapCut for quick social edits with captions, iMovie for simple jobs and LumaFusion if you start on iPhone or iPad. Prices were checked on 3 November 2026.

Final Cut Pro: $299.99 one-time, or inside Apple Creator Studio at $12.99 a month after a 30-day free trial.
DaVinci Resolve: a free version for Mac. Studio 21 is shown at $236 (was $295).
Adobe Premiere (formerly Premiere Pro): from US$22.99/mo, annual, billed monthly. Membership only.
CapCut desktop needs macOS 10.14 or above. The CapCut Pro price is not published.
LumaFusion lists Apple Silicon Macs, not Intel. Apple publishes iMovie guides for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Prices were read on each maker's own page on 3 November 2026. Where none is shown, we write "Not published".

How did we pick the best video editing software for Mac?

We picked six editors that run on a Mac. On 3 November 2026 we read each maker's own pages for price, platforms and features. Where a maker doesn't publish something, we write "Not published" instead of guessing. We didn't benchmark playback or render speed, so this page makes no speed claims.

Disclosure: we make mouzeclick, a mouse app with tools for Premiere Pro and After Effects. It is not a video editor, so it isn't ranked. Our own section near the end is labelled as ours.

The list runs from the editors built for heavy Mac work to the lighter options. The order reflects who each app suits. It is not a score.

How do the best Mac video editors compare?

Final Cut Pro is the only editor here sold as a stated one-time purchase. Resolve is the only one with a free desktop version stated on the pages we checked. The prices below are as each maker's page showed them on 3 November 2026, in US dollars.

Product	Price as shown (3 Nov 2026)	Platforms (maker's page)	Free option	Best for
Final Cut Pro	$299.99 one-time purchase, or Apple Creator Studio at $12.99/month or $129/year	Mac and iPad	30-day Creator Studio free trial	Mac-only editors who want to own the app
DaVinci Resolve	Free. Studio 21: $236 (shown as was $295, save 20%)	Mac, Windows, Linux	Yes, the free version	Grading, audio and long edits on a budget
Adobe Premiere	From US$22.99/mo, annual, billed monthly (first year, new subscribers)	macOS and Windows (trial page)	Free trial. The free mobile app is for iPhone and Android	Editors who switch between Mac and Windows
CapCut desktop	CapCut Pro: Not published	macOS 10.14+, Windows 7+	Web captions are free. Desktop limits: Not published	Quick social edits with captions
iMovie	Not published on the pages we checked	Mac, iPhone, iPad	Not published	Simple edits and trailers
LumaFusion	Not published. Creator Pass: Not published	iPhone, iPad, Apple Silicon Macs, Android, Chromebooks	Not published	Editors who start on iPad or iPhone

Is Final Cut Pro the best video editor for Mac?

Final Cut Pro is the strongest pick if you edit only on Apple hardware and want to pay once. Apple's Final Cut Pro page lists it as a one-time purchase for $299.99.

You can also pay by subscription. Apple Creator Studio includes Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad, plus Motion and Compressor, which are both Mac only. New subscribers get 30 days free, then pay $12.99 a month or $129 a year. Educators and students pay $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

Captions: Apple describes automatic captions made by analysing spoken audio. It doesn't list the caption languages, so test yours during the trial.
Platforms: Apple names Mac and iPad. No Windows version is listed.
Shortcuts: our page of Final Cut Pro keyboard shortcuts lists the defaults.

Best for: Mac editors who want to own their editor outright, or rent it with Motion and Compressor through Creator Studio.

Look elsewhere if: you share projects with editors on Windows. Resolve and Premiere both run there too.

Is DaVinci Resolve free on Mac, and what does Studio add?

Yes, DaVinci Resolve has a free version for Mac, Windows and Linux. Blackmagic Design sells DaVinci Resolve Studio 21 for $236, shown on 3 November 2026 as reduced from $295 (save 20%). The DaVinci Resolve page doesn't say whether that is a one-time purchase or a subscription.

Resolve splits the work into pages: media, photo, cut, edit, Fusion, color, Fairlight and deliver.

Editing happens on the cut and edit pages.
Effects and motion graphics happen in Fusion.
Grading happens on color, and audio on Fairlight.

What the free version covers

Virtually all 8-bit video formats at up to 60fps, in resolutions up to Ultra HD 3840 x 2160.
Luma, HSL and 3D keyers, the color warper and HDR tools, video collage and elastic wave audio retiming.
Multi-user collaboration and HDR grading.

What Studio adds

10-bit video up to 120 frames per second, and resolutions beyond 4K. The Studio page says up to 32K.
The DaVinci Neural Engine, text based editing, magic mask, temporal and AI spatial noise reduction, film grain and optical blur.
Voice isolation, a music remixer and a dialogue separator.
Hardware H.264 and H.265 decoding and encoding.
Support for multiple GPUs.
Dolby Vision and HDR10+ grading and rendering.

On a Mac, Blackmagic says Studio is optimised for Metal and Apple Silicon unified memory GPUs.

For social video, the what's new page lists:

square and vertical timeline resolutions
Smart Reframe
direct upload to YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo and X

The edit page has fully customisable keyboard shortcuts. Our DaVinci Resolve keyboard shortcuts page lists the defaults. A Studio free trial is not published. Our page on DaVinci Resolve free vs Studio goes through the split in detail.

Best for: grading, audio clean-up and long edits, starting at no cost.

Look elsewhere if: you want the simplest app. Resolve has eight pages to learn.

Is Adobe Premiere (Premiere Pro) worth it on a Mac?

Premiere is worth it on a Mac if you need the same editor on macOS and Windows, or you already pay for Adobe apps. You rent it, because Adobe sells no perpetual licence. Adobe has renamed Premiere Pro to Adobe Premiere, the name it now uses for its desktop and mobile apps.

Price as shown on 3 November 2026: the single-app plan "starts at" US$22.99/mo, annual, billed monthly. That price is for the first year and new subscribers only, per the Premiere page.
Creative Cloud Pro: includes Premiere and 20+ other apps, regularly US$69.99/mo. New subscribers pay US$34.99/mo for the first 3 months.
Trial: the free trial works on macOS and Windows. There's no charge until it ends, and you can cancel up to 14 days after for a full refund.
Text-Based Editing: Premiere transcribes video on import, and you build a rough cut by copying and pasting text.
Captions: they can be translated in 18 languages.
Mobile: Adobe Premiere on mobile is a free, standalone social video app for iPhone and Android. It isn't the desktop editor.

To weigh it against the free option, read Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve. For the default keys, see our Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts list.

Best for: editors who switch between a Mac and a Windows PC, or who already pay for Creative Cloud.

Look elsewhere if: you want to own your software. Final Cut Pro sells as a one-time purchase, and Resolve has a free version.

Is CapCut desktop good enough on a Mac?

CapCut desktop is good enough for fast social edits with captions. Check what needs CapCut Pro first: CapCut's pages don't publish the Pro price or the list of Pro-only features.

Platforms: the desktop editor page lists macOS 10.14 or above, and Windows 7 or above (Windows 10 recommended).
Features listed: a large effects library, media search by objects, dialogue and people, keyframes and graphs, a colour wheel and auto adjust.

Auto captions on desktop, as CapCut describes them:

Start a New Project, click Import and drag your footage onto the timeline.
Open the Text tab in the top menu bar and pick Auto captions in the sidebar.
Choose the language spoken in the video, then click Create.
Click the blue Export button at the top right and set the title, resolution and codec. Keep "Video exporting" ticked and click Export again.

You can export the captions as a standalone SRT file, and translate generated captions into another language. CapCut says the AI caption feature on CapCut Web is free. It doesn't say the same for desktop.

Compare the two editors in Premiere Pro vs CapCut. CapCut doesn't say whether the desktop app is built for Apple Silicon.

Best for: quick social edits with auto captions and an SRT file.

Look elsewhere if: you need a published price and a published feature split before you commit.

What can iMovie do on a Mac?

iMovie handles simple edits and trailers on a Mac. Apple publishes user guides for iMovie on Mac, iPhone and iPad.

Trailers: choose File › New Trailer, pick a template such as Action, then click Create.
Export: File › Share › File saves the project as a QuickTime video file.
Libraries: you can have one or more. They usually sit in the Movies folder on your startup disk.

Apple's library storage page sets rules for libraries kept anywhere other than the startup disk. An external drive should be formatted as APFS. Apple also says not to keep a library:

on a Time Machine backup volume
on a drive formatted as ExFAT, FAT32 or NTFS
on the Desktop or in Documents with iCloud Desktop & Documents turned on
in third-party cloud storage such as Dropbox or Google Drive

The iMovie support pages we checked don't state a price, so we haven't printed one.

Best for: simple edits and quick trailers.

Look elsewhere if: you need dedicated grading and audio tools. The iMovie pages we checked don't describe any, while Resolve has whole color and Fairlight pages.

Who should use LumaFusion on a Mac?

LumaFusion suits editors who start on an iPhone or iPad and finish on an Apple Silicon Mac. Luma Touch lists it for iOS phones, iPads, Apple Silicon Macs, Android phones and tablets, and Chromebooks. Intel Macs aren't on that list.

Editions: sold as LumaFusion for iOS & Mac, and LumaFusion for Android & ChromeOS.
Creator Pass: a subscription, formerly called Storyblocks for LumaFusion, that adds enhanced features and stock media. You cancel it any time in the Features tab. The Creator Pass page shows no price.
iOS only: Multicam Studio and FCPXML Export, which sends a timeline to Final Cut Pro, are marked iOS only. Check whether that includes the Mac version before you count on either.

Best for: mobile-first creators who want one editor across iPad and Mac.

Look elsewhere if: you're on an Intel Mac, or you need a published price.

What is the best free video editing software for Mac?

DaVinci Resolve is the clearest free answer. Blackmagic Design lists the free version at no cost for Mac, and it covers:

8-bit formats up to 60fps, in Ultra HD
multi-user collaboration
HDR grading

The others are less clear on the pages we checked:

iMovie: Apple's support pages don't state a price.
CapCut: captions on CapCut Web are free. Desktop's free tier limits aren't published.
Adobe Premiere: free only as the mobile app for iPhone and Android. The desktop editor has a free trial.
Final Cut Pro: new subscribers get 30 days free through the Apple Creator Studio trial.
LumaFusion: no free tier or trial is published.

Our roundup of the best free video editing software covers free editors beyond the Mac.

Which editor suits a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

On a MacBook Air, start with the free Resolve or the editor you already know, then test it on real footage. On a MacBook Pro handling 10-bit or high-frame-rate footage, Resolve Studio is the only editor here whose page states 10-bit support up to 120fps. Try Final Cut Pro's 30-day trial alongside it.

None of the makers' pages we checked publish requirements for a given MacBook model, so we don't rank by hardware. What the pages do say:

Resolve Studio is optimised for Metal and Apple Silicon unified memory GPUs. It adds hardware H.264 and H.265 decoding and encoding.
Resolve's free version is listed for 8-bit formats up to 60fps and Ultra HD. Studio is the edition listed for 10-bit.
LumaFusion lists Apple Silicon Macs, not Intel.
CapCut desktop needs macOS 10.14 or above.
iMovie libraries on an external drive should be on APFS, which matters if you edit from a portable SSD.

How do I choose a Mac video editor?

Settle the platform and payment questions first, then test your own footage. That order rules out most of the list before you install anything.

Windows or not. Resolve, Premiere and CapCut run on Mac and Windows. Apple's Final Cut Pro page lists Mac and iPad.
Rent or buy. Premiere is membership only. Final Cut Pro is $299.99 once or a Creator Studio subscription. Resolve's free version costs nothing.
Your footage. Resolve's free version is listed for 8-bit up to 60fps and Ultra HD. For 10-bit, 120fps or beyond 4K, Blackmagic lists Studio.
Captions. Final Cut Pro makes captions from spoken audio. Premiere transcribes on import and translates captions in 18 languages. CapCut exports SRT files.
Your Mac. LumaFusion lists Apple Silicon Macs. CapCut needs macOS 10.14 or above.
Test. Load a real project in the trial or free version, then scrub, cut and export before you pay.

Where mouzeclick fits (we make it)

mouzeclick isn't a video editor, so it sits outside the list. It is a mouse app for Windows 10 and 11 and for macOS 12 or newer, on Apple Silicon and Intel. It puts shortcuts, gestures, macros and wheels on any mouse, per app, in whichever editor you pick above.

What runs on a Mac

Buttons: per-app buttons on any wired, wireless or Bluetooth mouse, with no driver. It uses up to five standard buttons plus scroll and tilt.
Eleven slots per button: tap, hold and move in four directions, a chord with another button, or hold and scroll.
Hotkeys and macros: chains of keys, clicks, waits, typed text and launches.
Options wheel and Orbit switch: 48 favourites per app on the Options wheel, and the Orbit switch for open apps and windows. On a MacBook keyboard they open with Fn + F8 and Fn + F9.
Tool wheels: both work, in Premiere Pro and After Effects only. Premiere's has 112 tools and After Effects' has 114, opened with F10 or a held right button. See Premiere Pro mouse shortcuts and the After Effects radial menu.
Panels: the 22 extensions for Premiere Pro and After Effects, the Toolbar, Search effects, and Studio's Silence, Timeline and Guides tabs.

What doesn't

Windows-only parts: the two workspaces, auto, styled and Hinglish captions, Retakes, cloud sync and in-app updates. The Mac app does not include the workspaces.
No Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve panel. The mouse app works in both like in any app.
Shortcut library: it holds 309 shortcuts on Windows. On a Mac it covers Premiere Pro, After Effects and Photoshop, with no Resolve or CapCut entries. In those editors, you record the app's own shortcuts yourself.
First launch: Apple hasn't notarized the app yet, so macOS asks you to allow it the first time.
Internet: the app needs a connection while it runs.

Setup takes four steps, covered in our Mac install guide. Our guide to remapping mouse buttons on a Mac covers the wider topic.

The trial lasts 3 days with no card, and every Premiere Pro and After Effects tool works fully. After that it costs $25 a month, $249 a year, or $499 once for one of the first 100 lifetime keys. See pricing.

Put your editor's shortcuts on your mouse on a Mac, free for 3 days. One plan with everything included, $25 a month, or $249 for a year.

See the price

Questions people ask

Is iMovie free on a Mac?

Apple's iMovie support pages, checked on 3 November 2026, don't state a price, so we haven't printed one. Check Apple's own iMovie listing before you plan around it. The support pages do show what iMovie does on a Mac. It makes trailers from templates such as Action, exports QuickTime files with File › Share › File, and keeps one or more libraries in your Movies folder.

Is Final Cut Pro a one-time purchase or a subscription?

Both, as of 3 November 2026. Apple sells Final Cut Pro as a one-time purchase for $299.99. It is also part of the Apple Creator Studio subscription: new subscribers get a 30-day free trial, then pay $12.99 a month or $129 a year. Creator Studio also covers Final Cut Pro on iPad, plus Motion and Compressor, which are Mac only.

Can a MacBook Air run DaVinci Resolve for free?

The free version of DaVinci Resolve runs on Mac and costs nothing. Blackmagic's pages we checked don't publish requirements for a given MacBook, so we can't promise how your footage plays. The free version is listed for virtually all 8-bit formats up to 60fps and Ultra HD 3840 x 2160. Download it, load a real project and scrub the timeline before you commit.

Can I buy Premiere Pro outright for my Mac?

No. Adobe says Premiere is available only as a membership, with a monthly or annual commitment, and it sells no perpetual licence. The single-app plan starts at US$22.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, first year only, for new subscribers. The free trial works on macOS. There's no charge until it ends, and you can cancel up to 14 days after for a full refund.

What macOS version does CapCut desktop need?

CapCut says its desktop editor needs macOS 10.14 or above, and Windows 7 or above on a PC, with Windows 10 recommended. Its pages don't say whether the app is built for Apple Silicon. They also don't publish CapCut Pro's price or which features need Pro. Install it, run auto captions on one of your own clips, and see what asks you to upgrade.

Does LumaFusion run on Intel Macs?

Luma Touch lists LumaFusion for iPhones, iPads, Apple Silicon Macs, Android phones and tablets, and Chromebooks. Intel Macs aren't on that list. It also marks Multicam Studio and FCPXML Export as iOS only, so check whether you get them on a Mac before relying on either. The Creator Pass subscription page we checked shows no price.

What is the best video editing software for a MacBook Pro?

For heavy footage on a MacBook Pro, look at DaVinci Resolve Studio and Final Cut Pro. Blackmagic says Studio is optimised for Metal and Apple Silicon unified memory GPUs, and supports 10-bit video up to 120fps beyond 4K. Final Cut Pro has a 30-day trial through Apple Creator Studio. Test both with your own footage before you pay.

Which Mac video editors make captions automatically?

Three of the six describe automatic captions on the pages we checked. Final Cut Pro makes captions from spoken audio. Premiere transcribes on import and translates captions in 18 languages. CapCut has Text › Auto captions with SRT export. Resolve lists Subtitles and Closed Captioning, but its pages don't give auto-caption steps. mouzeclick's captions are Windows only, so they don't help on a Mac.

Does mouzeclick work with Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve on a Mac?

Yes, as a mouse app. Per-app buttons, gestures, hotkeys, macros and the Options and Orbit wheels work in Final Cut Pro and Resolve, like in any app. There's no Final Cut or Resolve panel, and the Tool wheel only works in Premiere Pro and After Effects. The Mac shortcut library has no Resolve entries, so you record Resolve's shortcuts yourself.

Sources

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