Are you looking for a video editor for PC to fine-tune your creations? The market is teeming with excellent options for vloggers, social influencers, business professionals, educators, and other content creators.
That makes cutting through the noise challenging, but we’ve done the legwork for you. We’ve tested many programs to see if their tools and performance live up to the hype. We’ve rounded up our top picks, covering their OS support, prominent features, benefits, shortcomings, and user ratings to help you make an informed decision.
Check out our top picks of the best video editing software for Windows 7-11 before exploring the differences between free and paid software and jumping into detailed reviews.
| Video Editing Software | Best For | Supported Windows Versions |
| Filmora | Beginners and semi-professionals on a budget looking for rich effects and templates | Windows 7/8.1/10/11 |
| HitFilm | Users of all skill levels seeking advanced editing tools | Windows 10/11 |
| ACDSee LUXEA Video Editor | Novice content creators who enjoy a clean UI while having many options | Windows 7/8.1/10/11 |
| Clipchamp | Influencers and social marketers needing quick short-video edits | Windows 10/11 |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | Professionals seeking extensive editing tools | Windows 10/11 |
| Windows Movie Maker | Beginners looking for standard editing tools | Windows 10/11 |
| Shotcut | Intermediate video editors looking for advanced free tools | Windows 7/8/10/11 |
| Blender | Professionals who love 3D modeling and animation | Windows 8.1/10/11 |
| OpenShot | Beginners looking for free text templates and effects | Windows 7/8/10/11 |
| Lightworks | Novice content creators looking for free VFX and transitions | Windows 8/10/11 |
5 Best Paid Video Editing Software for Windows
The following video editing programs for Windows are your best paid options.
1. Wondershare Filmora
 Best for beginners and semi-professionals on a budget looking for rich effects and templates |
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Why We Picked It
Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for Windows PC users dipping their toes in video editing and those with some experience. Besides standard tools (e.g., splitting, trimming, cropping, etc.), it has many AI capabilities, including Smart Short Clips (automatically convert a long video into viral shorts) , text-to-speech, speech-to-text, text-to-video, and text-based editing. Its AI can even generate music and subtitles, remove vocals and objects, denoise and stretch audio files, etc.
This video maker for Windows supports keyword tags for media, auto-reframing, speed ramping, video stabilization, color matching, H.265 (HEVC) exports, direct social media uploads (YouTube), etc. Its drag-and-drop functionality and timeline-based editing make fine-tuning videos a breeze.
The best part? It offers 10M+ million creative assets, including templates, AI effects, titles, transitions, animations, music, etc.
2. HitFilm
 Best for users of all skill levels seeking advanced editing tools |
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Why We Picked It
HitFilm by FXhome is an excellent program for editing videos, primarily for social media. It has templates, drag-and-drop transitions, audio sync, integrated creative assets, etc.
The best parts are the green screen, motion graphics, lighting enhancements, and visual effects like filters for color grading and animations. It also lets you add SFX and stock music and enjoy plugins for camera tracking, 2D and 3D titles, and rotoscoping.
3. ACDSee LUXEA Video Editor
 Best for novice content creators who enjoy a clean UI while having many options |
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Novice editors will have a blast editing videos with this program. The LUXEA Video Editor offers many transitions, audio effects, animations, behaviors, and titles in a user-friendly package. You can also add overlays, filters, and LUTs and record your screen, webcam, and audio (perfect for vlogging and tutorials).
The best parts are content packs with stock videos, images, sounds, overlays, text presets, and animations catering to various needs (e.g., a Photography pack, a Healthcare Pack, a Follow Me pack, etc.). Pro 365 Home users also have digital asset management and cloud storage (200 GB).
4. Clipchamp
 Best for influencers and social marketers needing quick short-video edits |
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Why We Picked It
Clipchamp is a user-friendly video editing app for Windows. It’s available in Windows 11 (although its premium features are behind a paywall), while Windows 10 users can download it from the Microsoft Store. It offers the basics like trimming, cropping, splitting, rotating, and color adjustment and advanced tools like noise reduction, silence removal, TTS, and STT.
You can also remove backgrounds, resize videos, implement stock media (music, SFX, videos, images, stickers, and filters), and create short videos with an AI video editor (perfect for TikTok and YouTube Shorts). You can add transitions, overlays, and text, enjoy many templates, and leverage a speaker coach in the webcam recorder.
5. Adobe Premiere Pro
 Best for professionals seeking extensive editing tools |
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Why We Picked It
Adobe Premiere Pro doesn’t need an introduction. It’s famous among all content creators and editors, but professionals find it a better fit because of its complex UI. It offers hundreds of built-in transitions, effects, title animations, templates, stock music, SFX, etc.
It lets you remove noise, enhance speech, generate captions, record a voiceover, sync music, mix your soundtrack, automatically reframe videos, replace backgrounds using the green screen, design custom motion graphics, etc. Numerous plugins and the seamless integration with other Adobe products make Premiere Pro ideal for pro-level editors.
5 Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows
The following free video editors for Windows are your best bet if you prefer no subscriptions.
1. Windows Movie Maker
 Best for beginners looking for standard editing tools |
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Windows Movie Maker (not to be confused with Microsoft’s discontinued app) is the best free video editing software for Windows users looking for elementary editing tools. You can only trim, rotate, flip, and merge videos, make video collages of clips and photos, add overlays (text, sound, and image), and use limited filters, transitions, and emoticons.
The PRO version supports splitting, cropping, video stabilization, masking, object tracking, the green screen, video enhancement, time-lapses, slow-mo videos, etc. Still, the free edition is excellent for beginners looking for quick edits without paying a dime.
2. Shotcut
 Best for intermediate video editors looking for advanced free tools |
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Shotcut is a free Windows video editor with fantastic features. None are behind a paywall because the software is open-source. Besides the essentials, it offers advanced tools such as video compositing, transitions, audio capture, and audio filters.
Its video filters, including 3D LUTs, chroma key, masking, motion tracking, and keyframing, are remarkable for a free tool. Shotcut even supports 360° video filters.
3. Blender
 Best for professionals who love 3D modeling and animation |
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Blender is a splendid option for 3D modeling, rendering, sculpting, animation, and rigging. It’s also excellent free video editing software for Windows without watermarks.
Its built-in video editor offers the basics like video cutting, splitting, and color grading and advanced tools like keyframing, speed control, motion tracking, and adjustment layers. It also lets you add transitions, filters, effects, and audio.
4. OpenShot
 Best for beginners looking for free text templates and effects |
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Why We Picked It
OpenShot is excellent for beginners, letting them trim, cut, scale, reposition, and resize videos. It allows color adjustments, transitions, video effects, background removal using the chroma key, and title editing.
This free movie editing software for Windows has a drag-and-drop interface, ensuring seamless navigation for all users, even those without technical expertise. It also offers title templates and easy-to-use audio editing, letting you detach the audio, modify audio channels, and display waveforms.
5. Lightworks
 Best for novice content creators looking for free VFX and transitions |
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Why We Picked It
Lightworks has premium versions but lets you use several advanced features for free (without limitations). It has excellent titles, transitions, and VFX, letting you customize the visuals and adjust the audio. It’s perfect for creating YouTube Shorts and other engaging videos for TikTok, Snapchat, Vimeo, Instagram, etc.
However, this free film editing software for Windows unlocks more features for premium users. Some include dynamic motion graphics, advanced color adjustments, subtitles, social media templates, 4K video support, and third-party audio plugins.
Our Criteria for Selecting the Best Video Editing Software for Windows
We’ve tested many programs to see who they suit best, what features they offer, and whether they consume much CPU and GPU. We’ve also compared their full-fledged and free versions (if any) to see what tools are available for non-subscribers and check for limitations like low-quality exports and watermarks.
We’ve tried all available tools and created many complex projects to see if the programs are hardware-intensive or have stable performance. Most have rendered videos quickly, but some took their sweet time—while bogging down the computer.
Here’s a quick look at our testing criteria to find the best Windows software to edit videos.
How We Tested Windows Video Editors |
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Number of tested software |
16 |
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Windows OS for testing |
Windows 11 (64-bit) |
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Hardware specs |
8th Gen Intel Core CPU, AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT |
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Tested features |
UI, editing tools (standard, advanced, and AI-powered), supported file formats, plugin integrations, efficiency, and software performance |
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Free trials or versions |
Available tools and limitations for non-subscribers |
Ten Windows video editors hit the mark. Some are entirely free, while others have free trials with paid upgrades, allowing you to study their specs and select the best fit for your needs.
Paid vs. Free Windows Video Editors: What to Expect
The most notable differences between paid and free video editing apps for Windows include the following:
- Feature number – Software available at no cost offers fewer tools than its premium counterparts. Some have bare-bones functionality, making them ideal for personal use. Others support advanced editing but can’t compare to paid solutions, primarily those with AI capabilities.
- Output quality – Free video editors typically limit you to low-definition exports, some allowing only 720p quality. That makes paid software a no-brainer if you value quality, including 4K videos.
- Watermarked exports – Most premium programs put a watermark on your exported videos unless you upgrade to the paid version. That isn’t the case with free video editors. Still, paying to remove the watermark means unlocking more valuable features.
- Customer support – Companies offering premium software have responsive customer support teams, sometimes available 24/7. You can rarely enjoy the same experience with free software, although open-source versions typically have helpful online communities eager to assist.
Choosing the Best Video Editing Software for Windows
Now that we’ve covered the best free and premium options, it’s time to see how to select the right software for your needs.
These are the crucial aspects to consider when choosing the best video editing program for Windows:
- Available features
- Overall performance
- Ease of use
- Pricing
All the options above provide astonishing results, some more than others. Therefore, determine your goals and weigh them against these programs’ features to pick one for polished videos.
Cutting-edge software like Filmora is your best bet. It packs robust features, simplicity, and many premium and free tools, helping you make professional videos. Try it for free to see why it’s the best video-making software for Windows.
FAQ
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Can free editing software provide the same results as a paid program?
Free video editors can deliver excellent results, but their premium counterparts offer more advanced features for professional-level videos. They also support higher-quality exports, making them a no-brainer.
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Does every video editing software offer a free trial?
Most video editing programs provide a trial to give users a complete experience before purchasing. However, some have forever-free features, although they typically have limitations.
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What are the primary benefits of paid video editing software?
Premium editing programs offer comprehensive customer support, better stability, exclusive assets (e.g., transitions, effects, animations, etc.), and more extensive format support.
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Does Windows 11/10 Have A Free Video Editor?
Sure, Clipchamp now become one of the parts of Microsoft which means you will have access to Clipchamp directly to start free video editing.
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What do YouTubers use to edit videos?
Though YouTube offers some basic video editing function for trim, add audios, end screen, and subtitles, it's better to use a comprehensive tool to well-prepared your video before uploading to YouTube. Here are some choices: Filmora, Capcut, Adobe Premiere Pro, Movavi, DaVinci, Clipchamp, Lightworks, etc...
