The best video editing apps in March 2024

Quick Menu

The logos of three of the best video editing apps on a purple background

(Image credit: Adobe / GoPro / Luma Touch )

The list in brief ↴
1. Best overall: Premiere Rush
2. Best for Go Pro: Quik
3. Best for pros: LumaFusion
4. Best free: Davinci Resolve
5. Best Android: KineMaster
6. Best beginner: FilmoraGo
7. For Final Cut: Final Cut for iPad
8. Free for iPhone: iMovie
9. Green screen: Filmmaker Pro
10. Best for social: Inshot
How to choose
How we test

The very best video editing apps allow you to edit on your phone or tablet, perfect for when you're on the go and don't have access to a computer. In almost all cases, they provide simpler editing capabilities than desktop software due to the smaller screen size and lower specs of mobile devices, but it can be surprising just how much you can do with some of these apps, and they can be a handy part of an editing workflow even for pros.

We've played with most of the major video editing app available, putting them to the test through hours of editing on our own projects. We've evaluated and compared their features, ease of use, speed, functionality and more to give an honest opinion of their pros and cons and who they're best for.

In our list you'll find video editing apps for iOS, video editing apps for Android, and apps that can be used on both platforms. Most are suitable for both smartphones and tablets (see our guide to best tablets for video editing if you need one) and some let you move your between mobile devices and computers like the best Mac for video editing.

If you'd like something heavier, you might also want to check out our guides to the best video editing software overall. Or if your budget is tiny, see the best free video editing software picks.

The Quick List

We'll start with a quick summary of our six top picks as the best video editing software. Scroll down further or use the jump links to read more of our opinion on each one or to see our full selection.

The best video editing apps in full

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The best video editing app overall

Holiday footage being edited in Premiere RushCB

(Image credit: Jason Parnell-Brookes)
A simple interface with lots of functions make this our top pick for every device

Specifications

Platform: iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS
Multi-track editor: Yes
Export directly to YouTube: Yes
4K support: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Cross-platform 
+
Useful export options
+
Free starter plan

Reasons to avoid

-
Full version needs subscription

Let's keep things simple. Whether you're using iOS or Android, Adobe's Premiere Rush is the best video editing app available today, bar none. Why? Well, we've yet to see another app that offers such wide functionality from such a simple interface. The UI offers large icons and panels, making it very straightforward for standard video editing tasks, such as dragging-and-dropping footage onto the timeline, correcting colour, mixing in music or voiceovers, or adding titles and transitions.  

The focus is on letting you process clips quickly to upload them to social media. For example, it automatically converts your videos to the specific aspect ratios and quality levels required by each platform. That makes it the perfect choice for YouTubers, social media users and anyone wanting to experiment with video editing.

This cross-platform, video editing app is much easier to use than Adobe's more complex desktop software, such as Premiere Pro, After Effects and Audition. That said, Premiere Rush isn't just for amateurs. It's also the best video editing app for professional video editors, because it lets you move content back and forth into Premiere Pro, where you can make more sophisticated edits to it.

You can subscribe to Premiere Rush as a single app, as part of a limited free starter plan, as a bundle with Premiere Pro, or as part of the entire Adobe suite. Either way, you'll get access to updates. For instance, the most recent version (2.0), introduced unlimited exports on desktop, additional languages, and thousands of new royalty-free sound effects and loops. See our full Premiere Rush review for more info.

The best video editing app for GoPro

Quik screenshot on phones plus the Quik logo

(Image credit: GoPro)

02. Quik (cross-platform)

The official GoPro app is easy to use and updated regularly

Specifications

Platform: iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS
Multi-track editor: Yes
Export directly to YouTube: Yes
4K support: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Easy interface
+
Sync songs to footage
+
Horizontal levelling

Reasons to avoid

-
Doesn't work with all phones

If you use a GoPro, there are a number of third-party apps for editing your footage. However, the best app for video editing with a GoPro we've tried to date is the official GoPro app, Quik. It's focused on two specific things: allowing you to remotely control your GoPro device, and edit your GoPro footage. Quik automatically imports your footage, and makes it easy to do things like sync your clips to music, add photos, titles and timelapse sequences, and include graphs based on your stats.

The Horizon Levelling editor tweaks the angle of your scene to correct things if your camera wasn't mounted in line with the horizon. You can go through your footage frame-by-frame to find standout still images. And once your photos and videos are ready, you can directly upload them to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and more, or share them via text or email. 

Quik is updated regularly, with recent updates tuning up the app’s navigation and workflow, as well as improving the 'smarter edits' function, adding new music and the connectedness to your camera. This app is free, but you can pay for extra themes and filters via in-app purchases.

The best video editing app for pros

Screenshot from our review of LumaFusion, one of the best video editing apps

(Image credit: LumaFusion)
The best video editing app for advanced editing and effects

Specifications

Platform: iOS, Android, Chrome
Multi-track editor: Yes
Export directly to YouTube: Yes
4K support: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Advanced features 
+
Thunderbolt 4 support
+
No subscription

Reasons to avoid

-
Overkill for casual users

If Premiere Rush isn't quite advanced enough for you, then check out LumaFusion, which has the most comprehensive feature set of any video editing app. Produced by the creators of Pinnacle Studio, LumaFusion is kind of like a mobile version of Final Cut Pro, with a multitrack timeline along the bottom, media browser top left, and a preview monitor. 

Any effect can be keyframed, as can clip animation, allowing precise adjustments to your project. You get six video/audio tracks for photos, videos, titles and graphics, along with an extra six audio tracks for narration, music and sound effects. LumaFusion offers insert/overwrite capability, colour correction, a fully featured audio mixer, lossless export, support for vertical video, advanced title creation tools and slow motion/fast motion (forward and reverse). There are also an impressive number of effects you can apply. 

For casual users, this is mostly overkill, and for beginners it would be a frightening learning curve. Professional video editors, though, will appreciate the range of powerful features it has to offer. These include a MultiCam Sync feature, which lets you sync and edit clips from multiple camera and audio sources. Plus, if you have the latest iPad Pro, you can take full advantage of your Thunderbolt 4 port for faster download and upload speeds. And there's a nice integration with Dropbox to make it easier to collaborate on footage with others. 

Once you're done editing, there are endless sharing options and exporting options. For instance, you can export at different resolutions, qualities and frame-rates, as well as exporting audio and video separately. The app even supports for XML export to Final Cut Pro. 

Lumafusion used to be iOS only, but this February they also launched LumaFusion for Android and Chrome OS. At such an affordable price, Lumafusion is a real bargain, making it one of the best video editing apps for pros. For more info, read our full LumaFusion review.

The best free video editing app for iPad

A screenshot from DaVinci Resolve for iPad

(Image credit: Future)

04. DaVinci Resolve for iPad

A powerful free video editing app for iPad

Specifications

Platform: iOS
Multi-track editor: Yes
4K support: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Free 
+
Compatible with desktop version
+
Feature rich

Reasons to avoid

-
Advanced user interface

One of the most pro apps for the iPad, released to date, is DaVinci Resolve. In the Non-Linear Editor (NLE) market it even beat Final Cut Pro in the race to the App store. Ultimate respect to the DaVinci team for getting in there first. I’ve had the privilege of testing this iPad release using their Speed Editor hardware. 

What DaVinci has achieved with DaVinci Resolve for iPad is truly outstanding. I was expecting a seriously stripped-back version of DaVinci Resolve on the iPad but have thoroughly enjoyed an almost replica version. I would say using a Speed Editor and an Apple Pencil is necessary for streamlined editing and colour grading. I found it hard work when my test project became complex, with multiple tracks, and even though this won’t replace my desktop version, I can see it being handy for getting an edit started and editing on the go.

For more info, read our DaVinci Resolve for iPad.

The best video editing app for Android

Screenshot from our review of Kinemaster, one of the best video editing apps

(Image credit: Kieron Moore)
Pro features for both Android and Apple users

Specifications

Platform: Android, iOS
Multi-track editor: Yes
Export directly to YouTube: Yes
4K support: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Advanced features 
+
Multi-track editing
+
Precision control

Reasons to avoid

-
Watermarks on free version

If you're a professional video editor, KineMaster is well worth checking out. Available for both iOS and Android, this app allows you to shoot, edit and export your footage on your phone or tablet via a mult-layer interface. High-end features include blending modes, chroma-keying, and audio mixing. 

Smooth and precise, KineMaster is one of the best video editing apps for trimming clips and layers with frame-by-frame granularity. Audio clip timing can be adjusted, too, with sub-frame accuracy.  You can upload multiple layers of video (on supported devices), images and text, as well as multi-track audio. Other features include instant edit previews, precise volume envelope control, colour LUT filters, speed controls, chroma key compositing and 3D transitions. 

In short, while this isn't quite Premiere Pro on a mobile device, in our experience it isn't far off. Its interface will be quite off-putting for a beginner or casual user, but video editing professionals will appreciate its comprehensive range of tools. You'll need an up-to-date phone or tablet to use it without lag, though.

KineMaster is free to download, but adds watermarks to videos, which you have to take out a subscription to remove. This also allows you to export at 1080p or 4K, and get access to over 1,000 premium assets. Find out more in our KineMaster review.

The best video editing app for beginners

Filmora Go screenshot and logo

(Image credit: Filmora)

06. FilmoraGo (Android, iOS)

A video editing app that's quick to learn

Specifications

Platform: Android, iOS
Multi-track editor: No
Export direct to YouTube: Yes
4K support: No

Reasons to buy

+
Free version
+
Themed filters and effects

Reasons to avoid

-
No multi-track editing 
-
No 4K support

Want to edit videos without a steep learning curve? Then FilmoraGo, which is available for iPad and Android, is a solid choice. You get all the basic tools you'd expect from a basic video editing app, such as being able to trim and split videos, adjust video speed, control volume and resequence clips. And while FilmoraGo lacks the advanced features of Lumafusion or Kinemaster, such as multi-track editing or 4K support, that does make it pretty easy to use. Plus, thanks to its themed filters and effects, it can help even newbies make their videos look impressively professional. 

FilmoraGo is technically a free app, although you'll have watermarks on your videos unless you upgrade to the paid version. If you tried it before and didn't like it, it might be worth revisting. That's because a big update in June 2021 gave it a new user interface, as well as an AR camera and light and dark modes. Plus you can now choose to splice videos in the same picture, and you can use masks not only on the main track but also on the PIP track.

Other recent updates include adding a Chroma Key feature that makes it easy to remove a specific colour from an image or video. If you like the app and fancy checking out its desktop sibling, see our Filmora X review.

The best video editing app for Final Cut users

Final Cut Pro for iPad

(Image credit: Apple)

07. Final Cut Pro for iPad

A stripped down version of the pro software that still sports some advanced features

Specifications

Platform: iOS
Multi-track editor: Yes
Multi-camera editing: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Fits into Final Cut Pro workflow
+
Live drawing feature
+
Multi-camera editing
+
HDR Workflow

Reasons to avoid

-
Lacks all the professional features

Video editors had been waiting a long time for Final Cut Pro to come to iPad and now it's here. With multi-camera editing, a live drawing feature and HDR workflow, this video editing app contains a lot of features that will be ideal for video creators.

Whether you'll love it or hate it will depend largely on your experience of video editing. If you've been using apps like iMovie or Inshot then Final Cut Pro for iPad will be a huge leap forward with some incredible pro features that will take your work to a whole new level. But if you're a seasoned video editor who has used Final Cut Pro for a while then you'll find it lacking many of the features that you've come to love. There's no way it's replacing the desktop version but it may be useful when integrated into a hybrid mobile/desktop workflow. See our Final Cut Pro review for our thoughts on the full version of the software.

Free for iPhone

Screenshot from our review of Apple iMovie, one of the best video editing apps

(Image credit: Tom Johnson / Apple)
A free video editing app for iPhone and iPad users

Specifications

Platform: iOS, Mac
Multi-track editor: Yes
Export direct to YouTube: Yes
4K support: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Free for Apple users
+
Easy to use 

Reasons to avoid

-
Not the most feature-rich 
-
Not the most powerful

It's great to find a useful app that's genuinely free. But what's even better is one you don't even have to download. And iMovie is a great example: it's already there on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, so you may as well give it a try. 

iMovie is aimed at ordinary users who don't necessarily have any experience of video editing, so it's much less sophisticated than the likes of LumaFusion or Kinemaster. However, if you're a video editing beginner, or just want an easy way to add titles, music, voiceovers and photos to your home clips, it's a great choice.

In our review, we found the interface easy to use. The app also supports 4K on modern devices, and it integrates beautifully with the Apple ecosystem as a whole. So for example, you can save your clips to the iCloud drive or stream them to an Apple TV via AirPlay. iMovie plays nicely with Apple Photos, Mail and Messages too. To learn more about the app, see our full iMovie review.

The last big update since we did our full review came in April 2022, and introduced Storyboards and Magic Movie for even better storytelling tools.

Best green screen support

Filmmaker pro screenshot on iPad plus logo in top left corner

(Image credit: Tinkerworks)

09. Filmmaker Pro (iOS)

It's not really 'pro' but this app does have great green screen support

Specifications

Platform: iOS
Multi-track editor: No
Export direct to YouTube: No
4K support: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Video grading 
+
Green screen support 

Reasons to avoid

-
No multi-track editing
-
Best features not free

Filmmaker Pro is another one of the best video editing apps for non-professionals (yes, despite the name it's not really a 'pro' app, although it does come with some pro features including video grading, superb green screen support, nearly 200 different fonts for your text overlays, and chroma keying).

You also get 30 filters, 17 transitions and Audiometer assisted voiceovers. Plus a big update in October added a new subject tracking crop tool, which follows the movement of a subject and keeps it within the crop frame. The latest version (10.7.4) includes iOS 17: More power AI Cutout tool which now segments any foreground subject, not just people.

There's a free version of Filmmaker Pro, but you won't get all the features and your videos will be overlaid with watermarks. So it's best to see this option as more like a free trial.

The best video editing app for social

InShot screenshots on mobile plus logo

(Image credit: InShot)

10. Inshot (cross-platform)

A quick and easy video editing app for making social videos

Specifications

Platform: iOS, Android
Multi-track editor: No
Export directly to YouTube: Yes
4K support: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Easy to use
+
Free

Reasons to avoid

-
No advanced features
-
Pay to remove watermarks

Need to craft a quick video for social media? Then most of the apps on this list will be overkill. Instead, you might want to consider Inshot, a consumer-friendly video editing app that offers pre-built canvas sizes for exporting clips everywhere from IGTV to TikTok. We found Inshot's interface to be very simple, making it easy to import, trim and edit your clips together and then add filters, stickers, captions, emojis, and other fun things on top, plus free music and sound effects. 

There's an extensive library that lets you add exclusive stock footage to your videos, and the ability to preview videos in full screen. The app is free, but comes with ads, and watermarks on your videos. Both can be removed with a small monthly subscription. There are also one-off purchases for more advanced features.

How to choose the best video editing app for you

The best video editing app for you will depend on what kind of video editing you're doing, what devices you're using and whether you're a professional, an enthusiast or a beginner. In our selection above, we've attempted to recommend who we think each app is best suited for. 

In some cases, your options are limited by the hardware you're using, for example Davinici Resolve is a fantastic video editing app, but so far it's only available on iPad. The same applies to Final Cut. And it's hard to see how such fully featured programs could be adapted to mobiles. For more people, however, we recommend Premiere Pro, which is available across mobile platforms, and is compatible with Adobe's more complete program, Premiere Pro, which we find handy for working across devices.

What is the best video editing app overall?

For both casual users and professional video editors, we think the best video editing app today is Premiere Rush. Its clear and uncluttered interface means it's easy for beginners to pick up and make simple edits without fuss. Meanwhile, its interoperability with Premiere Pro means that pros can move their footage from one tool to the other, and make edits on both mobile and desktop devices.

What is the best free video editor?

Again, Premiere Rush, Adobe's impressive video editing app has a very capable free plan. You can download the Premiere Rush app for free on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, and there are no restrictions on the amount of video you can export. You are, however, limited to 2GB of storage and some advanced features such as project syncing across mobile and desktop are not available. If you want all the features and boost storage plan to 100GB, there is a reasonably priced paid subscription. However, for basic video editing, the free version of Premiere Rush will do fine for most people.

For a more fully feature free video editing app, Davinci Resolve for iPad is almost identical in design to the desktop version. Though not the full Studio version, that means you get a massive package of professional tools including industry-leading colour grading. See our full guide to the best free video editing software for more options.

How we tested the best video editing apps

To choose the video editing apps for this guide, two of our writers who both have deep experience in video editing spent an extended length of time with each app to be able to compare their capabilities, features, ease of use and value for money. They used each program to edit a number of videos from short social videos to longer pieces following a realistic workflow and using most of the features provided by each program. 

We considered who each piece of software is targeted at, how good it is at what it aims to do and how it compares to other products on the market in order to recommend the best product for different needs. We also considered compatibility in order to choose video editing apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. For many of the products that we have chosen above, you can click the links provided to see our full hands-on reviews to learn more about our experiences with them.

Tom May

Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects.