With the rise of short-form video in the last decade, video creation has become more accessible than ever. Now, instead of being limited to working on laptops or computers, there are tons of apps for video editing available right on your phone. But not all of these video editing apps are created equal. In this post, we’ll run through our 5 best apps for video editing based on price, features, and ease of use.
How we chose our top video editing apps
To give you an idea of how we picked our top 5, here are the key features we considered.
Mobile continuity
Even though this post is focused on video editing apps that you can use on your phone, being able to bring up your project on your laptop or desktop is ideal. Since video editing often requires a lot of precision that’s easier to accomplish on a computer, being able to edit on any device makes it more convenient.
Low cost
With so many free video editing apps available, any app with a price tag should be well worth your money. Especially since many freelancers and companies are working with smaller budgets, affordable options are what we focused on. While our list includes a mix of paid and free options (which often have paid versions available), one thing to note with free apps is that they either have a mandatory watermark or require you to watch a lot of ads.
Full-featured
With how powerful desktop editors like Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve are, we looked for apps that had all the essentials along with a good number of other features. Along with that, we evaluated how easy it was to learn how to use the app. After all, features are only as good as the user experience.
Operating system agnostic
The final thing we considered with our choices was the availability of these apps for both iOS and Android users. After all, there’s nothing more disappointing than getting a recommendation only to realize that it’s not available for your specific mobile operating system.
Now, let’s dive into our top 5 picks.
5 best video editing apps in 2024
1. Adobe Premiere Rush
Premiere Pro is widely considered to be the industry standard when it comes to video editing programs. So it shouldn’t be too surprising that we have Adobe Premiere Rush as our first pick when it comes to video editing apps. Premiere Rush syncs your projects seamlessly between your phone and your desktop, so you can pick up right where you left off for editing on the go.
If you’re already familiar with Premiere Pro, you’ll be able to pick up Premiere Rush in no time. It’s essentially the same program, just condensed down into app form. Rush includes all the standard features of the top non-linear editing software that you’ll find on any platform.
Like all of Adobe’s software, Premiere Rush is only available by subscription. Currently, you can get both Premiere Pro and Premiere Rush for $22.99 a month or you can get Premiere Rush as a part of Adobe Express for $9.99 a month. Premiere Rush is available on both iOS and Android.
2. CapCut
If you’ve been on TikTok, chances are you’ve seen the CapCut logo on a video. This video editing app is one of the best available, especially since it connects directly with TikTok (both are owned by the same company, Bytedance). Along with being a robust app for video editing, CapCut is also available on desktop, making it easy to switch between your devices.
I downloaded CapCut for the first time not too long ago and was pleasantly surprised by how user-friendly and simple it was to navigate. After I wrote up a post on the editing basics of how to use CapCut, I completely understood why it comes so highly recommended. One downside of the app is that CapCut includes a watermark on any exports from the free version.
CapCut has all of the essential editing features, plus customizable templates that let you easily jump on to social media video trends. On top of that, they have features like auto-captions, filters, animations, green screens, keyframing, video stabilization, one-click background removal, and AI-generated effects. If you’re looking for a video editing app to help you create social media content quickly, CapCut is a great free option.
You can download CapCut for free on both iOS and Android, along with the desktop version. There is a paid version available called CapCut Pro, which gives you more features and storage space, that starts at $13.99 a month.
3. LumaFusion
Our third pick is LumaFusion, which has a powerful editor that packs a ton of features into a single video editing app. One of the main highlights is its innovative timeline design, which allows you to magnetize your clips and set preferences for your audio tracks like muting, locking, or mixing.
You can also do advanced editing techniques with the LumaFusion app, including motion effects, color correction, stabilization, green screen, and more. It also makes it simple to add in graphics, with multi-layer titles and the ability to add shapes along with importing your own files.
While LumaFusion does have a bit more of a learning curve compared to the first two video editing app options we discussed, it’s a very powerful tool once you learn how to navigate it. Unfortunately, there’s no desktop version available, so you’re limited to just editing on the app.
LumaFusion is available for both iOS and Android for $29.99, with their Multicam Studio available as an in-app purchase. You’ll also have the option to add on the Storyblocks for LumaFusion library, which has over 2 million stock assets, including HD and 4K footage, sound effects, music, and more.
4. InShot
In fourth place, we have InShot, which is very similar to CapCut in many respects. It’s an easy-to-use editing app that makes adding advanced effects into your videos simple. It originally started as a photo editor, so you also have those features available in the app as well, making it a good solution for creators looking for the best of both worlds.
InShot has all of the basic video editing features, but where it stands out is with its advanced features. Those include a speed curve tool, which lets you slow down or speed up specific sections of your video easily, along with tracking for stickers and other effects. It also has a wide variety of AI effects, transitions, chroma key functionality, and more.
InShot is only available as a free app for both iOS and Android, so it’s best for those who only plan to edit their videos on their phones. It also offers a paid subscription that unlocks all features for $4 a month.
5. PowerDirector
Our final pick for our best apps for video editing is PowerDirector. A powerful editor, you can create both horizontal and vertical projects with this app. It comes with all the basic editing tools, along with effects, transitions, overlays, chroma keying, and keyframing.
You’ll also find templates in PowerDirector for everything from intros to ad promos, making it simpler to create eye-catching videos quickly. This app also includes video stabilization so you can easily fix any shaky footage, multicam editing, and screen recording.
Available for free on both Android and iOS, there’s also a Mac and Windows version available called PowerDirector 365. However, only the Android version of the app syncs with the desktop version as of now.
Other video editing apps that didn’t make the cut (and why)
Final Cut Pro and iMovie
Although Final Cut Pro and iMovie are top options when it comes to desktop video editing for Apple users, they didn’t make the cut because their apps are limited to just iOS. As we mentioned earlier, one of the key qualifications we were looking for was availability on both iOS and Android systems. However, if you’re looking for an iOS video editing app specifically, both are great options.
DaVinci Resolve
While DaVinci Resolve is an extremely powerful desktop editor that comes highly recommended, it isn’t on our list because it only has an iOS app for the iPad available at the time of writing this post. If and when they release an Android and iPhone app, we’ll re-evaluate our list and update this post with our thoughts.
Final thoughts
Whether you’re a professional on the go or creating videos as a hobby, having an app for video editing on your phone is a convenient solution compared to being limited to a computer. With so many different apps on the market, we hope this post helps you more easily narrow down your options to the best choices available. If you’re looking for beginner-friendly video editors that you can use on your computer, you can check out our recommendations here.
And if you need royalty free stock assets for any of your video editing, Storyblocks has over 2 million high-quality options created by award-winning artists from around the world. Create faster and more efficiently with access to HD and 4K footage of aerials, nature, landmarks, space, technology, and much more. Get unlimited download of anything in our library with our affordable subscriptions that work for you.
This post has been updated to include additional information. It was originally published on September 26, 2019.
