# Alternatives to DaVinci Resolve

Hollywood-grade editing and color, huge free tier.

DaVinci Resolve ranks #3 of 18 in Video editing, with an Alt Score of 89. It is proprietary, freemium from $295 one-time and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 11 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/davinci-resolve/
Category: Video editing

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Video editors, colorists, VFX artists, and audio engineers ranging from students and independent creators to professional post-production studios and film/TV productions.
- **What you get**: A single application covering the full post-production pipeline: editing (Cut and Edit pages), color grading with 32-bit float processing, Fusion for node-based VFX and motion graphics, and Fairlight for multitrack audio mixing. The free version supports 8-bit video up to 4K/60fps with HDR grading and multi-user collaboration; the paid Studio version ($295 one-time) adds the AI-powered Neural Engine, 100+ ResolveFX plugins, 10-bit video up to 120fps, temporal noise reduction, and text-based editing.
- **How it works**: Work happens across dedicated pages accessed via tabs (Media, Cut, Edit, Fusion, Color, Fairlight, Deliver), letting a project move through ingest, editing, effects, color, and audio without switching applications, then export in the Deliver page.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Starts at**: $295 one-time (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-12)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Filmora](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/filmora.md) | 93 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| 2 | [Premiere Pro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/premiere-pro.md) | 93 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS |
| 3 | [Final Cut Pro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/final-cut-pro.md) | 85 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 4 | [Lightworks](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lightworks.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 5 | [VSDC](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/vsdc.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows |
| 6 | [Shotcut](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/shotcut.md) | 81 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 7 | [CapCut](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/capcut.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| 8 | [Kdenlive](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kdenlive.md) | 78 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 9 | [VEGAS Pro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/vegas-pro.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Windows |
| 10 | [LumaFusion](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lumafusion.md) | 66 | Proprietary | iOS, Android |
| 11 | [Kapwing](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kapwing.md) | 62 | Proprietary | Web |
| 12 | [OpenShot](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/openshot.md) | 62 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 13 | [Clipchamp](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/clipchamp.md) | 59 | Proprietary | Web, Windows, iOS |
| 14 | [VEED](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/veed.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Web |
| 15 | [iMovie](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/imovie.md) | 48 | Proprietary | macOS, iOS |
| 16 | [Descript](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/descript.md) | 44 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Web |
| 17 | [HitFilm](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/hitfilm.md) | building | ? | ? |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Video editing checklist | DaVinci Resolve | Filmora | Premiere Pro | Final Cut Pro | Lightworks | VSDC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | One-time | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starts at | $295 one-time | $19.99/month | ? | $299.99 one-time | ? | ? |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS | macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Timeline tracks (limit) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 4K/8K export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Watermark on free tier | ? | Yes | ? | ? | No | No |
| Proxy editing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Color grading (scopes, LUTs) | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Motion graphics / keyframing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio mixing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speed ramping | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Plugins ecosystem | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hardware encoding | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Collaboration | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Partial |
| Direct publish to platforms | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for DaVinci Resolve. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “All items on this website are copyright Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd. 2026, all rights reserved.”
- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/studio> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “DaVinci Resolve Studio Buy Online Now $295”
- **Starts at**: $295 one-time — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/studio> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “DaVinci Resolve Studio Buy Online Now $295”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Hollywood's most popular solution for editing, visual effects, motion graphics, color correction and audio post production, for Mac, Windows and Linux.”
- **Status**: active — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “DaVinci Resolve 21”
- **Timeline tracks (limit)**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/fairlight> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “The combination of DaVinci Resolve with Fairlight Audio Core lets you have up to 2,000 tracks, complete with realtime effects, all on a single system!”
- **4K/8K export**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “The free version works with virtually all 8-bit video formats at up to 60fps in resolutions as high as Ultra HD 3840 x 2160.”
- **Proxy editing**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Robust Proxy Editing”
- **Color grading (scopes, LUTs)**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/color> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “The vectorscope monitor displays a circular graph of your image data that represents its hue and saturation levels.”
- **Motion graphics / keyframing**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/fusion> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “You can adjust settings and animate them over time using the keyframe buttons.”
- **Audio mixing**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/fairlight> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “The Fairlight audio page features a professional mixer with channel strips for timeline tracks and busses. All channel strips include a fader to adjust levels, stereo and 3D panners, 6 effects slots f”
- **Speed ramping**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/edit> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Variable speed changes, or speed ramps, allow the playback speed to change over time. For example, an action clip may start at normal speed, ramp down to slow motion for a few seconds, and then speed ”
- **Plugins ecosystem**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “You can extend DaVinci Resolve with third party Open FX and audio plugins, or add third party title and motion graphics templates.”
- **Hardware encoding**: Partial — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/studio> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “DaVinci Resolve Studio supports up to 120fps at a massive 32K resolution, as well as support for multiple GPUs for real time playback of professional 10-bit formats, and accelerated H.264 and H.265 ha”
- **Collaboration**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “DaVinci Resolve is the only solution that lets you grow and build your own multi user post production studio!”
- **Direct publish to platforms**: Yes — <https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/edit> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “If you enter your account information, quick export will render and upload the finished video to your YouTube, Vimeo or Dropbox accounts, all in a single step!”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/