The best Mac for video editing, all thoroughly tested and reviewed

best mac for video editing - MacBook Pro, Air and Mac Studio
(Image credit: Apple/Future)

The best Mac for video editing will depend on what sort of workflow you have. For example, if you're a professional who works on the go, you'll probably need to spend more than if you're a beginner who works from home. Either way, though, you'll be looking for a a robust, well-designed and highly capable device.

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✅ We are solely focused on what creatives need
✅ Benchmark tests based on real workflows
✅ We consult actual designers and creative pros
✅ Over 100 laptops tested over 10,000 hours in the last two years

Erlingur Einarsson headshot
Erlingur Einarsson

Erlingur writes and edits reviews for an endless stream of laptops. He knows power, performance, display and battery life (the key components for a good video editing laptop). So he is perfectly placed to handpick machines for this list, and advise on who they're best suited to.

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Test results

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

With great power comes a great price tag

★★★★

Design

Minimalist and compact

★★★★★

Performance

Apple's most powerful desktop

★★★★★

Our expert says
A photo of writer Rachael Phillips
Our expert says
Rachael Penn

Sitting between the iMac and the Mac Pro, this machine offers high performance in a small package. While it makes light work of the most intense tasks and is exceptionally good when multitasking, the specs are overkill for the average user, marking this out as a professional-use-only monster.

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Test results

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Expensive but good value overall

★★★★

Design

Sleek aluminum, 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display

★★★★★

Performance

Exceptional, rivals desktop computers

★★★★★

Battery life

10 hours of intense work possible

★★★★

Our expert says
Rob Redman author bio
Our expert says
Rob Redman

The Macbook Pro M3 Max takes a significant step up over its older siblings, with a large leap in performance and a beautiful display in a sleek package. The MacBook Pro M3 Max could well be the best portable computer for you.

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Test results

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Expensive but worth it if you need power

★★★★

Design

Beautiful screen, generous port selection

★★★★★

Performance

Lightning fast, handles demanding video editing tasks

★★★★★

Battery life

Impressive 22-hour all-day battery life

★★★★★

Our expert says
headshot of man in a blue spotty shirt with glasses
Our expert says
Rob Mead-Green

The Liquid Retina display is one of the brightest and best of any laptop, and now has micro LED backlighting. There are various ports and 22 hours of battery life. What's not to like?

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Test results

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Certainly not cheap

★★★

Design

Beautiful but bulky

★★★★½

Performance

Faultless

★★★★★

Our expert says
Daniel Piper headshot
Our expert says
Daniel John

"For the right user, it's a winsome machine, packing power enough for vidoe editors in one of Apple's most beautiful designs ever."

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Test results

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

Affordable for a desktop

★★★★★

Design

Impressively compact

★★★★½

Performance

Very fast

★★★★★

Our expert says
Erlingur Einarsson headshot
Our expert says
Erlingur Einarsson

An ideal desktop computer for video editors, a compact computer that can do pro-level work, the Mac mini M4 offers incredible value.

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Test results

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

More affordable than before

★★★★★

Design

Ultra-thin, feather-light

★★★★★

Performance

Handles most video editing tasks well

★★★★

Battery life

Up to 18 hours, 15 realistic

★★★★½

Our expert says
Ian Evenden profile shot
Our expert says
Ian Evenden

"This M4 refresh of the Air brings with it the ability to connect two external displays without having to switch off the laptop’s built-in screen, Thunderbolt 4, and a MagSafe charging port. It’s also had a slight price drop."

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Test results

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

You might get one at a discount

★★★★

Design

Sleek and light

★★★★★

Performance

Broadly fast and capable

★★★½

Battery life

16 hours of video playback

★★★★½

Our expert says
Image of writer Matt Hanson
Our expert says
Matt Hanson

There’s no doubt that the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) is a fantastic laptop. It's thin, light and looks fantastic, and the larger, brighter, screen will be welcomed by anyone looking to use this laptop for creative work.

MacBook Pro M1 Max 2021: An affordable whack of powerCreative Bloq score:MacBook Pro 16-inch M1 review

MacBook Pro M1 Max 2021: An affordable whack of power
Sure, it isn't new. But the MacBook Pro M1 Max 2021 offers more than enough power to handle most video editing tasks with ease, and you'll get a great price on it nowadays. The 16-inch screen is glorious, too. Apple doesn't make it any more, though, so you'll need to sniff one out from a third-party retailer.
Creative Bloq score: 5/5

See our MacBook Pro 16-inch M1 review here

Erlingur Einarsson
Tech Reviews Editor

Erlingur is the Tech Reviews Editor on Creative Bloq. Having worked on magazines devoted to Photoshop, films, history, and science for over 15 years, as well as working on Digital Camera World and Top Ten Reviews in more recent times, Erlingur has developed a passion for finding tech that helps people do their job, whatever it may be. He loves putting things to the test and seeing if they're all hyped up to be, to make sure people are getting what they're promised. Still can't get his wifi-only printer to connect to his computer. 

With contributions from
  • Freelance journalist and editor