5 Best Windows Movie Maker Alternatives for Windows

Liza Brown

Aug 26, 2020• Proven solutions

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Windows Movie Maker has been a cornerstone tool of the amateur video editor for an extremely long time. A lot of videographers, amateur cinematographers, and simple weekend point-and-shooters have used the free program and have done wonders with it. 

However, just because something has a history, does not mean that it is necessarily the best product you can be using. After a long time as one of the best free video editors for Windows users, the free Windows Movie Maker has been discontinued.

Though you can create a video in the Photo app with Story Remix in Windows 10, it doesn’t have a standalone video editor like Windows Movie Maker for Windows 10; or find some websites which claim that you can get windows movie maker free download. 

If you are looking for a movie maker for your Windows computer, you are in the right place. Here we will take a look at the top 5 best alternatives to Windows Movie Maker to help you create stunning videos with ease.

• Part 1: Top 5 Best Windows Movie Maker Alternatives for Windows
• Part 2: Why You Should Use an alternative to Windows Movie Maker Now

Here is a comparison table that may help in finding out which one is suitable for you.

Part 1: Top 5 Windows Movie Maker Alternatives for Windows

1. Wondershare Filmora9: Best Alternative for WMM on Windows10/Windows8.1/Windows8/Windows7

Wondershare Filmora9 has quickly become one of the best alternatives to Windows Movie Maker for windows 10/8/7, whether you are looking to make a professional video for public consumption, or if you are just messing around with your creativity trying to learn the new art form. 

Filmora's easy-to-use and intuitive interface allow both experienced users and brand-new users to flawlessly create wonderful videos with exceptional effects.

User Interface Comparison: Filmora vs. Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker Interface

Filmora Video Editor Interface

Editing Tools and Functions Comparison: Filmora V.S. Windows Movie Maker

Wondershare Filmora9 supports a wide range of video formats, including MP4, AVI, MOV, AVCHD, and many more. It also enables you to crop, trim, cut, split, and even combine footage with a few easy clicks of the mouse. What's more, it also provides various filters and visual effects to help you touch up your video. Currently, there are more than 300 builtin effects available, and you can find more effects on the Filmstock effects store.

Filmora9 also comes with features that include tilt-shift, face-off, and mosaic to name a few. You can use these features to make a more interesting PIP video.

With Wondershare Filmora9, your professionally edited video can be saved in any popular format and are able to fit your mobile device. You can even burn your video to DVD, or uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo instantly.

To sum up, we recommend Filmora9 as the best alternative to Windows Movie Maker is based on the user interface, supported formats, editing tools, and share abilities. What’s more, Filmora9 is a moviemaker available in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 both. You will not face the compatibility issue when upgrading your Windows system.

Learn more detailed information about the reasons that Filmora9 is the best alternative to Movie Maker for Windows 10/8/7 users.

The only advantage of Windows Movie Maker over Filmora9 is that Windows Movie Maker is free. Though you need to pay for Filmora9, the available features make it really worth the money. 

With all of these features and many more, it is quite easy to see why Wondershare Filmora9 has taken over as the new No. 1 video editing software choice. Why don't give it a shot and download it now?

If you have some video editing experience already and need a totally free movie maker, check Free Video Editing Software without Watermark in 2019 [Windows & Mac]

2. Avidemux Video Editor

If you are new to video editing and have used only the built-in windows movie maker for some basic video editing before, then Avidemux is another good choice for you. Avidemux is an open-source video editing software which means it is free to use. The user interface is not so fancy but there are some preset filters, subtitles hidden in the menus. 

Avidemux doesn’t feature the ability to share your edited footage to social media directly, so you may need to save it to your devices first.

Features:

• Support popular output format
• Easily trim/cut/split video

3. VirtualDub

This open-source software program runs smoothly with Windows 10. It has a very user-friendly interface that makes navigating the program easy for those with little experience in video editing. Your files can even be extended using third-party video filters and it supports batch processing which means it is possible to handle multiple videos at the same time. 

Unfortunately, even with its friendly interface, this program can be a little difficult to understand for beginners.

Features:

• Open-source app to run in any device
• Multitasks processing ability

4. Pinnacle Studio

Pinnacle Studio offers an intuitive software program that can be relied on by professionals but has a simplicity to be navigated by beginners. This program supports a plethora of file formats that has a timeline that makes it extremely easy to edit your video without experiencing any difficulties. You can edit videos with a multi-camera function. More than 1500 effects, titles, and templates to use.

Features:

• Add transition effects to video
• Add fading effects to sound easily

5. Sony Vegas Movie Studio

Vegas Movie Studio as well as you to come up with stunning videos were giving minimum effort. This software leans towards the more experienced side, and is really only suitable for those with a true passion for video editing is not only does it have a high retail price but its interface and internal elements can be too complex and confusing for those just beginning.

Features:

• Duplicate timelines to save your time
• You can use mask effects to highlight a part

Learn more about Sony Vegas Editing Tips

Part 2: Why You Need a Windows Movie Maker Alternative

You may think like “I’m running Windows7 and have installed Windows Movie Maker on it, is there any need to try another video editing software?” Well, as you may know, that Microsoft has announced The specific end of support day for Windows 7 will be January 14, 2020. So, hurry up and try a new Windows system and a new video editing software as well. 

Below are some pros and cons of using WMM that we collected:

Pros and Cons of Windows Movie Maker

When it comes to Windows Movie Maker, one of the longest-lasting and most popular video editing tools available, it isn't all good or all bad. Like every Windows experience, there are shades of both.

Pros

- Windows Movie Maker comes standard on nearly every PC, making its price (free) hard to complain about.

- Movie Maker provides a relatively easy introduction to video editing software for beginners.

Cons

- Movie Maker was discontinued officially without a replacement on January 10, 2017.

- Movie Maker is built for beginners, and that is pretty limiting in what it offers. It only allows you one track which means green screen footage is out of the question, as a result, your creativity is crippled and limited to only using the pre-installed effects.

- If you are an advanced editor or have any experience using other less limiting programs, Windows Movie Maker can be extremely frustrating to use.

- An issue some would say all Windows programs have, Movie Maker crashes ... a lot. It is known to freeze up crashes unexpectedly which will just enrage and frustrate those who are trying to work on at that time. Save often!

If you are editing your video footage with the video editing tool in the Photos app in Windows 8 and Windows 10, you will find that it is not so convenient in making videos.

Conclusion

The moviemakers we recommend above may differ from video editing features and interface, but they are good choices for movie maker alternatives for Windows computers. Have a try and let us know your ideas in the comment below.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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