Over the past few years, videos have become an indispensable tool for marketers. It is one of the most effective ways to communicate with your audience as a vast amount of information can be presented in an engaging and easy-to-understand manner.
- 6 out of 10 people prefer watching online videos instead of television
- Mobile video consumption rises by over 100 percent each passing year
- By 2022, it is expected that online videos will make up for over 82 percent of the total internet traffic – which is 15 times higher than 2017
- 72 percent of customers prefer watching a video to learn about a product or service
For brands and marketers, it has become imperative to use video as part of their marketing campaigns. To impress your audience with videos, you need to know how to make compelling videos. But, before you ask, you don’t have to spend a big chunk of your marketing budget on hiring professional video editors. There are many free video editing apps available online that you can use. We have rounded up the best free video editing apps for Android, iOS, and Windows to help you pick up.
Here Are The Best Free Video Editing Apps You Must Check Out
1. InVideo
InVideo is one of the best free video editing apps that can make the entire process of video editing a cakewalk for you. The tool offers pre-made templates for all the major social media platforms that you can quickly edit according to your needs. The best part about InVideo is that it has a simple drag and drop editor that allows you to add elements to your videos by just dragging them. It, in turn, makes InVideo easy to use even for people who are editing videos for the first time.
InVideo also offers all the advanced video customization features, including layers, filters, animations, transitions, trimming, and cropping. You can also take advantage of InVideo’s media library that has thousands of stock images, videos, and music to make your videos even more appealing. Since it is a cloud-based tool, you can access it from any device, and your videos are saved in real-time.
Pros:
- Pre-made templates so you can create videos in less time
- Drag and drop interface for seamless editing
- The tool is user friendly that makes the learning curve incredibly small
- An extensive stock library
- You get the option to add your own audio and video clips while editing
Cons:
- Since it is a cloud-based tool, you must have access to the internet to save the changes
Best suited for: InVideo works for both newcomers and experienced creators because of its simple interface and advanced features. You can use it as a YouTube video editor or as your personal video editing tool. It can be used to design how-to videos, product videos, testimonial videos, and promo videos.
2. PowerDirector
PowerDirector is an intuitive video editing app available on Windows, Android, and iOS that allows you to create high-quality videos for YouTube and Instagram. You can add custom objects, animated titles, motion graphics, and creative transition effects to make your videos stand out in the crowd. You can also create 4k quality videos, even if the footage is from multiple devices.
Pros:
- It supports 360-degree video editing so that which allows you to edit a video in different ways
- Offers a video collage designer
Cons:
- The user interface is challenging to navigate, especially for beginners
- The free version does not provide a large selection of advanced video editing tools
Best suited for: Professional videographers and freelance video designers.
3. Lightworks
Lightworks is a professional video editing software that has been used for editing classic movies such as Pulp Fiction and the Wolf of Wall Street. It offers various smart editing options, high precision video trimming, lots of filters, and multi-lens synchronization. The advanced rendering technology of the app also enhances the speed of video editing.
Lightworks is compatible with Windows, iOS, and Linux
Pros:
- It is a very versatile application with many advanced features
- It has excellent support options
Cons:
- The free version of the tool is extremely limited
- It might not be suitable to create short social media videos
- Difficult to use for a beginner
- Exports are limited to 720p resolution only
Best suited for: Professional video editors looking for an all round desktop application for editing.
4. HitFilm Express
HitFilm Express is a free professional video editor that is compatible with Windows and Mac. It offers animation tools, green-screen effects, and a variety of audio and video filters. It allows you to add different transitions within a composite shot for better effects. You can also use the adaptive trimmer to re-trim the clips once they are added to the timeline.
Pros:
- You can speed up the editing using playback options
- Export features are incredibly intuitive
Cons:
- Takes a lot of time to load
- Advanced video effects are only available with the pro version
- The learning curve is very steep
Best suited for: YouTube vloggers will find HitFilm Express convenient as they can directly import the videos to YouTube.
5. VSDC Video Editor
This video editing tool is only available on Windows. It allows you to apply a range of audio and visual effects to enhance your videos. You can also add transitions, filters, color correction, and special effects to your video with VSDC.
Pros:
- It is a non-linear editor that helps you to edit any scene at any time
Cons:
- Technical support is not available with the free version
- The interface is difficult to understand for beginners
Best suited for: Professionals who undertake Windows-based editing projects.
6. iMovie
iMovie is an intuitive video editor by Apple, which is only available on Mac. The key features include video trimming, effects and transitions, built-in filters, split-screen, and green screen options. It also has pre-programmed themes and backdrops to enhance video editing.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface perfect for beginners
- Sharing videos becomes easy with iCloud or AirDrop
- Can be used on multiple devices such as iPad, iPhone, and MacBook
Cons:
- Exporting videos can take a very long time
- No advanced features for professional editors
- Only available for Mac and iOS users
Best suited for: Beginners who already have a MacBook.
7. Machete Lite
Machete Lite is a simple video editor only available on Windows that can be used for a fuss-free editing experience. You can use it for slicing the video to remove unnecessary bits or for online video merger for joining individual clips.
Pros:
- Easy to understand interface
- You don’t have to save the video after each edit as it supports the Windows Clipboard function
Cons:
- The free version only supports AVI and WMV formats
- You cannot edit any audio file in the free version
Best suited for: Those who want to make straightforward edits to a video but have no experience of video editing.
8. Avidemux
Avidemux supports basic video editing, such as cutting, flipping, rotating, and filtering. It also offers a limited range of filters that can be applied to the video.
Pros:
- Supports various video formats MPEG, AVI, and MP4
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- No option to import video/audio clips or images
- Not suitable for any advanced editing
- No creative effects or transitions can be added
Best suited for: Beginners who are on the lookout for a very basic editing tool.
9. Blender
This video editing app is an open-source program that is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can use it for basic editing functions such as cutting and splicing, adding filters, layers, and transitions, and for 3D animation. You can also add audio clips, video clips, images, and effects.
Pros:
- Makes it convenient to produce complex videos that involve a lot of animation
- The user interface is clean and intuitive
Cons:
- The learning curve is very steep for beginners
- It is unable to detect the resolution or frame rates automatically
Best suited for: Professionals who want to add 3D effects to their videos.
10. VideoPad
It is one of the best free video editing apps available for Windows. You can add visual effects, audio effects, overlays, texts, and transitions to enhance your videos. The app also allows you to adjust the color and playback speed of the clips. Once edited, the videos can be directly uploaded on YouTube and Facebook.
Pros:
- Easy to use interface even for beginners
- Offers high precision even if you can cut and mix several clips
Cons:
- Limited features for editing animated videos
- The free version does not allow the video to be saved in mp4 format
Best suited for: Beginners who want to edit homemade videos.
Conclusion
And there you have it — that’s our round-up of the top 10 best free video editing apps. These options give you a lot of wiggle room in terms of features and build, whether you’re completely new to editing or have been doing it for years. For pro-tips on making a scroll-stopping video, check out our comprehensive guide on creating a video.
And if you’ve got questions or want to continue the conversation, hop over to the InVideo community and learn from 25K other marketers and video creators just like you.
