Alternatives to Lightworks
Professional video editor with a free tier limited to 720p exports. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Lightworks
Professional video editor with a free tier limited to 720p exports.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Lightworks.
DaVinci Resolve
Professional editing, colour grading, visual effects and audio post in one program, with a free version that is genuinely capable.
DaVinci Resolve also runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with a free version without watermark, adding colour grading and effects pages, though the free version caps output resolution.
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 with no export resolution cap, multicam editing and proxy clips, though its window layout is dense.
Shotcut
A free cross-platform video editor with a multi-track timeline that edits most formats without importing them first.
Shotcut is free and open source for Windows, macOS and Linux with multi-format timelines up to 4K and no free tier export cap.
Adobe Premiere
Adobe's professional video editing and post-production application for Windows and macOS, formerly Premiere Pro.
Adobe Premiere requires a paid plan and has no Linux version, but it is widely used in film and broadcast and works with other Adobe apps.
VEGAS Pro
Long-running professional video editor with strong audio-editing tools.
VEGAS Pro is a paid professional editor with strong audio editing tools built in, but it runs only on Windows.
Final Cut Pro
Apple's professional video editor for Mac and iPad, with editing, audio, motion graphics and color grading.
Final Cut Pro is a paid editor with a one-time purchase option on Mac and an iPad version, but it runs only on Apple devices.
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 with unlimited tracks and keyframe animation aimed at non-professionals, but it is less capable on demanding projects.
Avid Media Composer
A professional non-linear video editor used for film, television and news production.
Avid Media Composer targets film, TV and news teams with shared NEXIS projects and script-based editing tools, but it is a yearly subscription without Linux support.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Lightworks as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Cinelerra-GG Infinity
A non-linear video editor for Linux with 8K timelines, multicam editing and color grading tools.
Lightworks is a professional editor for Linux, Windows and macOS with a closed-source freemium model and 720p export limit on the free tier.
Flowblade
Edit multitrack video projects on Linux.
Lightworks offers professional editing on Linux, Windows and Mac, but it is closed source and its free tier caps exports at 720p.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Subtitle Edit
Creates, retimes, translates and fixes subtitles, with a waveform so you can see where the speech is.
Topaz Video
Video enhancement software that uses AI models to upscale, stabilize, sharpen and interpolate frames in footage.
Adobe After Effects
Adobe's desktop application for motion graphics, visual effects compositing and animation for film, TV and web.
HandBrake
A video converter that turns files and unprotected discs into MP4, MKV or WebM with presets for common devices.
Fusion
A node-based compositing program for visual effects, motion graphics and 3D work.
Adobe Media Encoder
Adobe's desktop application for ingesting, transcoding and batch rendering video into many output formats.
