The Best Video Editing Apps of 2024
Written by: BestApp.com App Testing Team - Updated: Jun 13, 2021
When it comes to video making tools for amateurs, Adobe Premiere Rush stands out as the clear top choice. Despite offering a variety of features that are powerful enough for professional use, its user-friendly interface is intuitive enough for anyone to navigate. But just in case Adobe Premiere Rush isn’t a good fit for your video making needs, we’ve also reviewed nine other apps that are excellent alternatives.
Top 10 Video Making Apps to Try
- Adobe Premiere Rush — Top Pick
- Apple iMovie — Most Feature-Rich
- FilmoraGo — Best Support Resources
- Lumen5 — Best for Instagram Stories
- KineMaster — Best for Visual Effects
- Pinnacle Studio — Best for Mobile Video Editing
- DaVinci Resolve — Most Advanced Features
- PowerDirector — Best Performance
- Magisto — Most Popular
- VideoPad Video Editor — Most Intuitive Interface
How We Chose the Best Video Making Apps
We’ve determined that the most useful features for video making software include green screen backgrounds, titles/text, and HD export. In addition to the software itself, we also selected providers that offer strong support resources — with the tools reviewed in this guide, you’ll be able to quickly find the solution to any issues that you may run into.
Choose the video making tool that’s right for you
The best video making tool for one creator will not necessarily be the best video making tool for another. For example, if you want advanced video making software and you have the budget to pay for it, you’ll be looking for a different tool than someone who just wants an affordable solution for learning the basics of video editing.
A User-Friendly Interface is Important
Since this guide is specifically for amateur video makers, we selected tools that have particularly easy-to-use interfaces. After all, creating and editing video can be a complicated process, and a design that’s difficult to navigate will only make that process more frustrating.
Our Video Making Tool Reviews
Adobe Premiere Rush – Top Pick
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Adobe Premiere Rush offers all the features you need to edit and share online videos. There’s also a built-in, high-quality camera feature, so you can capture video directly from the app. It’s easy to crop your videos and add effects, and you can publish your videos on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms directly from the app as well. While you can use it for free with unlimited exports, there’s also a premium version that includes additional sound effects, animated titles, graphics, and other extras.
Notable Features:
- Free version available
- In-app purchases: $4.99 – $34.99 per item
- Support: Help Center, Forum, Online Chat
| Adobe Premiere Rush Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Built-in camera | No phone support |
| Social media integrations | |
Apple iMovie — Most Feature-Rich
Download: iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
What sets Apple iMovie apart from all your other options in this guide is that it’s completely free to use. Even though it’s free, Apple iMovie comes packed with useful features — there are 13 video filters, 11 animated title styles, 80 soundtracks, green screen backgrounds, split screen effects, and much more. This app also makes it easy to share your videos, you can send them directly through the Mail and Messages iOS apps, and exported videos can be optimized for Instagram, YouTube, and other popular platforms.
Notable Features:
- Free software, no in-app purchases available
- Support: Help Center, Forum, Guides
| Apple iMovie Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Completely free to use | Not available on Android devices |
| Variety of editing options | No live support |
FilmoraGo — Best Support Resources
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
In addition to standard features for capturing and editing video, FilmoraGo offers advanced capabilities such as a royalty-free music library, voice enchantment, audio speed adjustment, blurred background, and animated effects. As for their sharing features, FilmoraGo allows you to customize video export resolution and offers integrations with YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Another benefit is that they offer a variety of ways to reach them for support, and the FAQ section of their site is quite informative.
Notable Features:
- Free version available
- In-app purchases: $0.99 – $29.99 per item
- Support: FAQs, Live Chat, Online Form, Phone Support
| FilmoraGo Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Advanced features available | Some key features cost extra |
| Robust support resources | |
Lumen5 — Best for Instagram Stories
If you are interested in using video making software primarily for Instagram Stories, then Lumen5 should be the first solution you consider. Lumen5 has multiple tools for optimizing video content for the Instagram platform. It should be noted, though, that this mobile app is only a companion to Lumen5’s main SaaS product (essentially, it helps you upload media and share videos while you’re on the go). The free version of Lumen5 only allows you to upload three videos per month, and your videos will have a Lumen5 watermark. So, you’ll need to pay for a premium version of Lumen5 to really open up the capabilities of this software.
Notable Features:
- Free companion app to Lumen5’s SaaS tool
- Support: Help Center
| Lumen5 Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Optimizes video content for Instagram and other social media platforms | Free version is rather limited |
KineMaster — Best for Visual Effects
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
KineMaster is an especially good option for users who are interested in adding visual effects to their videos. This app allows you to reverse, speed up, and add slow-mo to your video content, and there are color filters that you can use to make your videos really stand out. You can also export your video in extremely high quality (specifically, 4K 2160p at 30FPS). While most of its features are available for free, there is a premium version of this app that removes ads and gets rid of the KineMaster watermark in your videos.
Notable Features:
- Free version available
- In-app purchases: $0.99 – $39.99 per item
- Support: Help Center
| KineMaster Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Variety of visual effects | Free version includes ads and KineMaster watermark |
| Ultra-HD video export | No live support |
Pinnacle Studio — Best for Mobile Video Editing
Download: Official website
The Pinnacle Studio iOS app is popular with journalists, as it provides you with full editing control over your videos without the inconvenience of a desktop or laptop. From the app, you can capture video, arrange clips, add transitions, and much more. Pinnacle Studio allows you to edit image and audio files as well. It should be noted that there’s no way for Android users to access this app, though. Another downside is that there’s no free version available, but Pinnacle Studio’s price of $2.99 is quite affordable.
Notable Features:
- Price: $2.99
- Support: Forums, Online Chat, Phone Support
| Pinnacle Studio Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Excellent mobile editing features | Not available on Android devices |
| Robust support options | No free version |
DaVinci Resolve — Most Advanced Features
Download: iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
With a price tag of $299.99, DaVinci Resolve is not going to be an option for users who are on a tight budget. But if you’re willing to pay more for high-end features, you’ll certainly get that with this app — DaVinci Resolve includes advanced color correction, a digital audio workstation, and a 3D workspace with over 250 tools for creating feature film-quality visual effects. If you feel like you may have outgrown the limitations of more basic video making tools, it just might be time to upgrade to DaVinci Resolve.
Notable Features:
- Price: $299.99
- Support: Forum, Email, Phone Support
| DaVinci Resolve Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Advanced color correction | More expensive than most other options |
| Digital audio workstation | Not available on Android devices |
| Visual effects creator | |
PowerDirector — Best Performance
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
Video making tools can be very demanding applications for your mobile device’s resources — this often results in slow speeds and frozen screens, which can make editing a painful process. But that’s not the case with PowerDirector. This app was built for optimal performance, so you won’t need to worry about those problems. PowerDirector also offers hundreds of templates, video effects, filters, and background sounds for customizing your videos. There is a free version available, but you’ll need to upgrade to a premium version to remove the PowerDirector watermark.
Notable Features:
- Free version available
- In-app purchases: $0.99 – $39.99 per item
- Support: FAQs, Learning Center, Phone, Inquiry Form
| PowerDirector Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Exceptional performance | Need to purchase premium version to remove PowerDirector watermark |
| Variety of customization options | |
Magisto — Most Popular
Download: Android ★★★★★★★★★★ | iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
With over 120 million users, Magisto is certainly one of the most popular video apps available. That should give you some peace of mind, as Magisto wouldn’t have been able to achieve such popularity if it wasn’t an excellent app. Indeed, it’s easy to see why so many people have picked Magisto over their other options — the app’s interface is easy to navigate, and it also offers advanced features such as stabilization and object detection. But as with several of the other apps featured in this guide, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium version to remove the Magisto watermark from your videos.
Notable Features:
- Free version available
- In-app purchases: $0.99 – $200.00 per item
- Support: Help & Learning Center, FAQs
| Magisto Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| User-friendly interface | Need to purchase premium version to remove Magisto watermark |
| Advanced features available | No live support |
VideoPad Video Editor — Most Intuitive Interface
Download: iOS ★★★★★★★★★★
While every app covered in this guide features a user-friendly interface, VideoPad’s interface stands out as the absolute most user-friendly. Its drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to arrange video and audio clips exactly how you want them in your timeline. A variety of fun effects and filters are available as well, including ripple, two-tone, and x-ray. This app is only on the Apple App Store, though — Android users will need to look elsewhere to address their video making needs.
Notable Features:
- Free version available
- In-app purchases: $99.99
- Support: FAQ, Contact Form
| VideoPad Video Editor Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| User-friendly interface | No live support |
| Variety of effects and filters available | Not available on Android devices |
Video Making Tools (for Amateurs): Features Summary Table
| Video Making Tools (for Amateurs) Comparison Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| App | In-App Purchases | Features |
| Adobe Premiere Rush — Top Pick | $4.99 – $34.99 per item | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| Apple iMovie — Most Feature-Rich | None available | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| FilmoraGo — Best Support Resources | $0.99 – $29.99 per item | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| Lumen5 — Best for Instagram Stories | None available | ✓ Audio X Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| KineMaster — Best for Visual Effects | $0.99 – $39.99 per item | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| Pinnacle Studio — Best for Mobile Video Editing | $2.99 upfront cost | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| DaVinci Resolve — Most Advanced Features | $299.99 upfront cost | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| PowerDirector — Best Performance | $0.99 – $39.99 per item | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| Magisto — Most Popular | $0.99 – $200.00 per item | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |
| VideoPad Video Editor — Most Intuitive Interface | $99.99 per item | ✓ Audio ✓ Green Screen ✓ Titles/Text ✓ HD Export |