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6 Best Video Editing Software of 2021 Compared (Easy & Powerful)

Are you looking for the best video editing software?

Video editing software lets you create professional videos for your WordPress site, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media channels.

In this article, we’ve hand-picked some of the best video editing software that you can use to easily create videos. We have used these tools to create YouTube videos that have gotten over 500 million views.

Why is Choosing the Best Video Editing Software Important?

It’s no secret that video content is taking over the world.

We all use streaming services like Netflix, video-focused social media networks like TikTok, IGTV, and Snapchat. Plus, there’s YouTube, the second largest search engine in the world.

The right video editing software can help you in a lot of ways:

• Start a YouTube channel and make money online
• Embed videos into WordPress and improve your reader engagement
• Create stunning social media videos to grow your social followings
• Create engaging video social media ads

Picking the right video editing software and learning the tool’s ins and outs can transform your WordPress website and online presence.

You can use it to create professional quality videos for your YouTube channel, Facebook ads, Instagram profile, and more.

Over the last 10 years, we have tried all the popular video software in our quest to grow our YouTube channels. The WPBeginner channel has over 233,000 subscribers on YouTube.

We had another channel that we grew to 2.5 million subscribers and 500 million subscribers before selling it in 2018.

While we’re not video pros, we have learnt a few things over the years.

Here are the most important things you’ll need to consider when choosing the best video editing software:

• The type of videos you’re going to create
• The kind of computer you’re using (Apple or Windows)
• The video file types you’re going to be editing
• The transitions and effects you want to apply
• Your existing skillset with video editing

Having said that, let’s take a look at some of the best video editing software in the market today.

1. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best all-around video editing software. It’s the industry standard for professionals in Hollywood, television, and is even used by popular YouTubers.

It’s cross platform compatible and works on both Mac and Windows.

If you’re already an Adobe user and are using other products like, Photoshop, After Effects, or Adobe Stock, then it makes sense to use Premiere Pro since it integrates with the other products seamlessly.

It supports the latest 4K, 8K, and VR video formats and can handle multi-angle shots. It also has advanced trimming and editing tools to give you high levels of control.

There are robust color grading, color correction, and compositing features. Plus, there’s chroma key options to remove backgrounds for green screen videos.

You can import from virtually any source or format, and you have an unlimited number of video tracks to flex your creativity.

You’ll even find automated tools with the Adobe Sensei technology, which works to help speed up the editing process.

Finally, there are a ton of exporting options. You can easily export directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and more.

Note: If you want a more affordable and beginner-friendly tool, then Adobe Premiere Elements is a great choice.

Beyond the video editing tools, there’s a wealth of audio editing tools as well. The sound panel comes equipped with features and effects like reverb, compression, amplification, stereo balance, and more.

You can subscribe to Adobe Premiere Pro by itself for $239.88 per year. Or you can purchase the entire Creative Cloud suite ($52.99 per month) which gives you access to all 20+ Adobe apps including Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, XD, all Adobe Pro fonts, and collaboration tools.

The creative suite is great value and that’s what we use for our business.

Expert Review: We believe Adobe Premiere Pro is best overall video editing software.

2. Camtasia

Camtasia is primarily known for its screen recording features, but you’ll also find powerful video editing functionality.

The combination of screen recording and editing tools makes it perfect for creating YouTube tutorials, online course lessons, how-to videos, product reviews, and more.

You’ll find a library of video templates you can use to easily create the exact kind of video that you want.

The process for editing videos is very straightforward. Just use the drag and drop editor to edit your video and add animations and transition effects quickly.

There’s also an integration with PowerPoint to help you create captivating presentations and tutorials. You’ll even find cool interactive features like quizzes that you can add to your videos.

You can use the iPhone app to record videos on your phone and edit them using the software. This is great if you’re creating mobile tutorial videos or walkthroughs.

Camtasia offers an individual plan for $249.99, which gives you access to all features and is compatible with both Windows and Mac.

Larger teams can purchase the business license, and there are both education, government, and non-profit discounts available.

Expert Review: We believe Camtasia is best video editing software for online course creators and how-to video editors.

Several of our team members use Camtasia to create screencast tutorial videos for our products.

3. Promo

Promo is a great online video editor perfect for making marketing videos. It’s incredibly easy to use. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you can put together promotional content quickly and simply.

If you get stuck when coming up with Instagram video ideas or video ads for Facebook and YouTube, then this tool is for you.

It only takes a couple of clicks to create an engaging video ready to post online. It’s super easy.

All you have to do is choose your campaign type or industry, select from one of 5 million templates, then add customizable animations, video clips, and text. You can even see your changes in real-time.

You’ll find templates in industries like business, real estate, marketing, travel, ecommerce, and recruiting and HR.

Plus, specialized templates for marketing tasks like promo videos, Facebook ads, Instagram ads, YouTube Ads, and LinkedIn ads.

For those who want more creative control, you can start from scratch with a blank template.

The Basic plan starts at $49 per month.

If you create a lot of marketing videos, then the Standard plan gives you access to unlimited premium clips and video downloads, plus you can add watermark to your videos for $99 per month.

The premium plans also give you access to an iOS or Android mobile app, which lets you create videos on the go.

Expert Review: We believe Promo is the best video editor for creating and editing marketing videos. It’s great for business owners, marketers, and non-techy users.

4. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora by Wondershare is a very simple and easy to use video editing software. It has a short learning curve, so it’s perfect for those just getting started with video editing.

Even if you’ve never used a video editing software before, you can use this intuitive and easy to navigate editor to create your first video.

As your skills improve, you can take advantage of the advanced editing features this tool offers such as noise removal, speed control, color tuning, and more.

You’ll also find a library of visual effects and built-in titles that are designed with YouTubers in mind. There’s also a library of royalty-free music and sound effects you can use in your videos.

The most recent release added features like motion graphics, color matching, and a keyboard shortcuts editor to help you create your own time saving workflows.

There’s also a free mobile app for editing videos on the go, and simply uploading to Instagram or YouTube.

The premium version costs $69.99 for a lifetime payment, or you can choose to pay $44.99 per year.

There is a free version available, which has all the same features as the paid version. But, your videos will have their company watermark present.

If you want unlimited downloads from the stock film library, then there’s a Bundle plan for $104.87 per year.

Expert Review: We believe Wondershare Filmora is the best beginner-friendly video editing software.

5. Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro is the best video editing software for macOS used by over 2 million people. This tool is very easy to use, despite being so powerful.

Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro offer a nearly identical set of features. The big difference is Final Cut Pro X isn’t Windows compatible.

It’s equipped with advanced functionality to help you edit videos faster like, Smart Conform cropping, which will ensure that no essential scenes get cut.

There are grouping tools, organization features, animation templates, transitions, and a library of video effects. Plus, built-in audio editing features.

If you’re going to post videos to Facebook or YouTube, then you can use the export feature to automatically optimize and set the right aspect ratio for these platforms.

Since Final Cut Pro isn’t subscription-based, it offers you a simpler pricing model. Pay a one time fee of $299.99 and access the software forever.

Expert Review: We believe Final Cut Pro is the best video editing program for Mac users.

6. CyberLink PowerDirector 365

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 is feature-rich high-end video editing software. However, it doesn’t carry the high price tag of tools with a similar set of features.

You’ll find functionality like a 100-track timeline, video correction tools, motion tracking, support for multi-cam editing, and stabilization features (great for GoPro footage).

It also has support for 360-degree video editing and nearly all file formats and file types.

Beyond the standard professional video editing features, there are additional features and pre-made templates for creating slideshows, DVD menus, and even screen recording.

Now, the tool isn’t the most intuitive for beginners. However, there is a massive video tutorial library to help you use the software.

This software starts at $19.99 per month, or you can pay $51.99 for the year, which is $4.33 monthly.

Expert Review: We believe CyberLink PowerDirector 365 is the best for users who need advanced features, but have a small budget.

Which is the Best Video Editing Software for You?

After carefully researching and testing the top video editing software, we believe that Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editing software in the market.

It’s the industry leading software used for everything from Hollywood productions to YouTube videos and everything in-between.

It has every feature you could want and plenty of tutorials for beginners who are just getting started using the software.

If you’re looking for creating guided video tutorials (screencasts + video), then Camtasia is the best cross-platform video editing software for screen recording.

If you’re looking for an easy tool for creating promo videos for social media ads or marketing campaigns, then Promo.com comes with a lot of templates. It’s made for marketers & non-techies.

Aside from the top video editing software in our list, we also looked at other video editing software like Corel VideoStudio, DaVinci Resolve, Pinnacle Studio, Lightworks, VSDC, Shotcut, and HitFilm Express.

However, we decided not to list them to help make your decision easy and avoid choice paralysis.

Best Video Editing Software FAQs

Having helped thousands of users find the best video editing software for their needs, we’ve answered a lot of questions.

Below are some of the most common questions we’ve received about video editing software providers.

What is the best free video editing app?

The best free video editing app is the iMovie movie maker. The free software comes preinstalled on most Mac machines.

It’s beginner-friendly and has plenty of special effects to enhance your videos. It also works on iPads.

If you’re not using macOS, then Wondershare Filmora has a great free video editing app. It’s packed with advanced features and a beginner learning curve.

What’s the best video editing software for beginners?

The best video editing software for beginners is Filmora. It’s intuitive, easy to use, and comes with filters, overlays, transitions, motion elements, and more.

It also has a mode called “Easy Mode” that lets you create simple edits by choosing a theme and dragging and dropping clips and presets.

Adobe Premiere Element is also pretty beginner friendly.

If you’re looking to create promo videos, then Promo.com is the easiest video editing software for non-techies & marketers.

What do most YouTubers use to edit their videos?

Most YouTubers use popular video editing software like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, and iMovie. However, most video editing tools have similar features overall.

If you’re starting a YouTube channel, then the best video editing software is one that you can use and fits within your budget. As your channel grows, you can improve your skills and invest in professional video editing software.

We hoped this article helped you find the best video editing software to use with your WordPress site. You may also want to see our expert list of the best webinar software and best online course platforms to create & sell online courses.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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