# Alternatives to iMovie

Apple's free entry-level editor.

iMovie ranks #16 of 18 in Video editing, with an Alt Score of 48. It is proprietary, free and available on macOS and iOS. 9 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/imovie/
Category: Video editing

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: iMovie is for everyday Mac and iPhone/iPad users who want to edit home videos, family clips, or short social media videos without learning professional editing software.
- **What you get**: A free, built-in editor with a multi-track timeline for combining clips, photos, and music. It includes titles, filters, transitions, green-screen effects, and Hollywood-style movie trailer templates. Projects sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad via iCloud. Finished videos can be exported in resolutions up to 4K or shared directly to YouTube, social media, or Apple TV.
- **How it works**: You import video and photos from your camera roll or connected devices, arrange and trim them on the timeline (or let Magic Movie auto-assemble a rough cut), then add titles, music, and effects before exporting or sharing the finished movie.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Starts at**: ?
- **Platforms**: macOS, iOS
- **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 | [DaVinci Resolve](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/davinci-resolve.md) | 89 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 4 | [Final Cut Pro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/final-cut-pro.md) | 85 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 5 | [Lightworks](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lightworks.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 6 | [VSDC](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/vsdc.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows |
| 7 | [Shotcut](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/shotcut.md) | 81 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 8 | [CapCut](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/capcut.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| 9 | [Kdenlive](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kdenlive.md) | 78 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 10 | [VEGAS Pro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/vegas-pro.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Windows |
| 11 | [LumaFusion](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lumafusion.md) | 66 | Proprietary | iOS, Android |
| 12 | [Kapwing](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/kapwing.md) | 62 | Proprietary | Web |
| 13 | [OpenShot](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/openshot.md) | 62 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 14 | [Clipchamp](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/clipchamp.md) | 59 | Proprietary | Web, Windows, iOS |
| 15 | [VEED](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/veed.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Web |
| 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 | iMovie | Filmora | Premiere Pro | DaVinci Resolve | Final Cut Pro | Lightworks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Subscription | Freemium | One-time | Freemium |
| Starts at | ? | $19.99/month | ? | $295 one-time | $299.99 one-time | ? |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | macOS, iOS | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux | macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Timeline tracks (limit) | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 4K/8K export | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Watermark on free tier | ? | Yes | ? | ? | ? | No |
| Proxy editing | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Color grading (scopes, LUTs) | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Motion graphics / keyframing | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio mixing | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speed ramping | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Plugins ecosystem | ? | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hardware encoding | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial |
| Collaboration | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
| Direct publish to platforms | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for iMovie. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id408981434?mt=12> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Free”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id408981434?mt=12> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.”
- **Platforms**: macOS, iOS — <https://support.apple.com/imovie> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Learn about the latest features and how to use iMovie for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.”
- **Status**: active — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id408981434?mt=12> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Requires macOS 15.6 or later.”
- **Timeline tracks (limit)**: Partial — <https://support.apple.com/guide/imovie/create-a-picture-in-picture-effect-mova1aaa682b/mac> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “A picture-in-picture clip plays in a window on top of another clip—for example, to show someone narrating the action happening in the main clip.”
- **4K/8K export**: Yes — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id408981434?mt=12> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Edit movies at up to 4K resolution with video from iPhone 6s or later, GoPro, and other Ultra HD cameras on compatible Macs”
- **Color grading (scopes, LUTs)**: Partial — <https://support.apple.com/guide/imovie/adjust-a-clips-color-movf2a3f0f42/mac> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “To show the color balance controls, click the Color Balance button, then click the White Balance button.”
- **Motion graphics / keyframing**: Partial — <https://support.apple.com/guide/imovie/add-the-ken-burns-effect-movc6e02f503/mac> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “You can add the Ken Burns effect to a video clip or photo to make the camera appear to zoom in to or out of the clip or photo.”
- **Audio mixing**: Partial — <https://support.apple.com/guide/imovie/change-audio-volume-mov3b5ded23e/mac> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “You can use keyframes to reduce the volume of part of a clip, then raise the volume over time.”
- **Speed ramping**: Partial — <https://support.apple.com/guide/imovie/change-clip-speed-mov6c442b2eb/mac> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “To have the speed changes occur gradually, select the Smooth checkbox.”
- **Hardware encoding**: Yes — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id408981434?mt=12> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Export HEVC and H.264 files faster by simultaneously processing video segments across available media engines (requires macOS Sonoma or later and a Mac with Apple M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2 Max, M2 Ultra, o”
- **Collaboration**: No — <https://support.apple.com/guide/imovie/work-with-multiple-libraries-mov3fa25bae7/mac> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Edit a project on another Mac”
- **Direct publish to platforms**: Partial — <https://support.apple.com/guide/imovie-iphone/share-to-other-devices-kna4501dba9/2.3/ios/15.0> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Share to Facebook”

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