Alternatives to Adobe Premiere
Adobe's professional video editing and post-production application for Windows and macOS, formerly Premiere Pro. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Adobe Premiere
Adobe's professional video editing and post-production application for Windows and macOS, formerly Premiere Pro.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Adobe Premiere.
DaVinci Resolve
Professional editing, colour grading, visual effects and audio post in one program, with a free version that is genuinely capable.
DaVinci Resolve adds reference colour grading, visual effects and audio post in one program, offers a free version without subscription, and supports Linux, but is demanding on hardware.
Final Cut Pro
Apple's professional video editor for Mac and iPad, with editing, audio, motion graphics and color grading.
Final Cut Pro replaces the subscription with a one-time purchase option on Mac and also runs on iPad, but it works only on Apple devices.
VEGAS Pro
Long-running professional video editor with strong audio-editing tools.
VEGAS Pro is a long-running paid editor with strong built-in audio editing tools, but it runs only on Windows, so macOS users cannot switch to it.
Kdenlive
KDE’s free video editor, with a multi-track timeline, proxy editing and a large effect set.
Kdenlive is free and open source under GPL-3.0, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and offers multicam, proxy editing and nested sequences, with effects rendering leaning on the CPU.
Lightworks
Professional video editor with a free tier limited to 720p exports.
Lightworks offers professional editing tools on Windows, Mac and Linux with a free tier, though free exports are capped at 720p and the interface has a learning curve.
Shotcut
A free cross-platform video editor with a multi-track timeline that edits most formats without importing them first.
Shotcut is a free open source multi-track editor for Windows, macOS and Linux that edits hundreds of formats natively without importing, with fewer professional post-production features.
OpenShot
A free video editor with unlimited tracks, keyframe animation, transitions and titles, aimed at people who are not professional editors.
OpenShot is a free open source editor aimed at non-professionals, with unlimited tracks and keyframe animation, but stability on long complex timelines has been a recurring complaint.
Flowblade
Edit multitrack video projects on Linux.
Flowblade is a free GPL-3.0 multitrack editor that combines clips, audio, filters and layered compositions, but it targets Linux only, with no Windows or macOS support.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Adobe Premiere as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
CapCut
Free video editor with templates, effects, and text overlays for social media.
Adobe Premiere is a paid professional editor for Windows and macOS used in film and broadcast, with editing, effects and audio mixing, but no mobile or web versions.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Adobe After Effects
Adobe's desktop application for motion graphics, visual effects compositing and animation for film, TV and web.
Adobe Firefly
Adobe's generative AI app for creating and editing images, video, audio and designs.
LumaFusion
Professional multi-track mobile video editor with color correction and audio mixing.
Topaz Video
Video enhancement software that uses AI models to upscale, stabilize, sharpen and interpolate frames in footage.
Subtitle Edit
Creates, retimes, translates and fixes subtitles, with a waveform so you can see where the speech is.
