DaVinci Resolve
Free tierby Blackmagic Design
Hollywood-grade editing and colour grading, free.
- Industry-standard colour grading
- Full non-linear editor plus Fusion VFX
- Fairlight audio post-production
Free alternatives to OpenShot
5 video editing & conversion programs worth considering instead of — or alongside — OpenShot.
Alternatives to OpenShot
Shotcut
Open Sourceby Meltytech, LLC
Straightforward open-source video editor with wide format support.
- Wide native format support via FFmpeg
- Timeline editing with filters and transitions
- Four-point and ripple editing
Kdenlive
Open Sourceby KDE
Mature multi-track open-source video editor.
- Unlimited video and audio tracks
- Proxy editing for large files
- Wide range of effects and transitions
HandBrake
Open Sourceby HandBrake Team
The standard tool for converting and compressing video.
- Device-specific presets
- Batch queue encoding
- Hardware-accelerated encoding
Blender
Open Sourceby Blender Foundation
Professional 3D creation suite — modelling, animation and VFX.
- Full 3D modelling and sculpting toolset
- Cycles and EEVEE render engines
- Animation, rigging and simulation
About OpenShot
OpenShot prioritises being easy to learn, with drag-and-drop editing, straightforward titling and 3D animated title support. It is a sensible first editor for someone who has never used a timeline before.
It is open source and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Below are 5 video editing & conversion programs that cover the same ground — some open-source, some cross-platform, each free to use.
OpenShot alternatives compared
| Program | Licence | Platforms | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DaVinci Resolve | Free tier | Windows, macOS, Linux | Industry-standard colour grading |
| Shotcut | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Wide native format support via FFmpeg |
| Kdenlive | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Unlimited video and audio tracks |
| HandBrake | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Device-specific presets |
| Blender | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Full 3D modelling and sculpting toolset |
The alternatives in detail
DaVinci Resolve Free tier
DaVinci Resolve is genuine professional post-production software used on feature films and commercials, combining editing, industry-leading colour grading, visual effects and audio post in one application. Notable for industry-standard colour grading and full non-linear editor plus fusion vfx. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Shotcut Open Source
Shotcut is an approachable open-source non-linear editor that handles a very wide range of formats natively through FFmpeg. Notable for wide native format support via ffmpeg and timeline editing with filters and transitions. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Kdenlive Open Source
Kdenlive is a long-established open-source non-linear editor supporting unlimited video and audio tracks, proxy editing for smooth work on modest hardware, and a broad set of effects and transitions. Notable for unlimited video and audio tracks and proxy editing for large files. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
HandBrake Open Source
HandBrake is the go-to open-source video transcoder for shrinking large video files or converting them to a format a particular device can play. Notable for device-specific presets and batch queue encoding. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Blender Open Source
Blender is a complete 3D creation pipeline covering modelling, sculpting, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, plus a capable video editor. Notable for full 3d modelling and sculpting toolset and cycles and eevee render engines. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
How to choose
4 are fully open source (Shotcut, Kdenlive, HandBrake, Blender) — pick one of these if you value auditable code you can self-host. For the widest platform coverage, DaVinci Resolve, Shotcut, Kdenlive run on three or more operating systems.
All 5 are free to download from the publisher's own website, so installing two or three and testing them on your own files is the fastest way to decide — it costs nothing but a few minutes.