14 Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows PC in 2024

In today's digital landscape, videos reign supreme. Whether you edit videos for YouTube or Vimeo or craft snappy clips for TikTok or Instagram Reels, everyone is dabbling in content creation.

Perhaps you're eager to jump into video editing but feel overwhelmed by the vast array of editors available. The last thing you want to do is invest time in the wrong software.

Not to worry - we've done the legwork for you and have compiled a list of the best free video editing software for Windows PC to download currently on the market.

• Best Free Video Editors for Windows
• Comparison Chart: Free Video Editors for PC
• How to Choose a Video Editing Software for PC
• How We Test Free PC Video Editors
• What’s the Best Video Editor for Windows?
• Free Video Editor FAQ for PC Users

The 14 Best Free Video Editing Software for Windows PC in 2024

1. PowerDirector Essential for the best free video editor overall
2. Promeo for online selling and marketing
3. DaVinci Resolve for experts
4. Blender for 3D modeling and rendering
5. VideoProc Vlogger for action cam footage
6. Lightworks for advanced editing at any skill level
7. Kapwing for video captions
8. Animoto for quick video creation
9. OpenShot for learning how to edit videos
10. Shotcut for intermediate users
11. VideoPad for easy edits
12. VSDC Free Video Editor
13. WeVideo for screen recording
14. Avid Media Composer First for budding professionals

1. PowerDirector Essential - Best free video editing software overall

Key Features:

• Edit videos with access to millions of royalty-free stock videos, images, and music
• Amaze your friends with thousands of drag-and-drop video effects
• Accurately pin graphics to moving objects with AI motion tracking
• Adjust the tone of your video with color grading and correction tools

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

PCMag Rating: 5/5

Price: Free
*Premium features available for free for 30 days, then $4.58/month

PowerDirector is the best free video editor for Windows, suitable for all skill levels. Its intuitive tools and AI features are perfect for beginners, while advanced users can enjoy manual adjustments and customizations. Packed with effects, transitions, and titles, it's popular among YouTubers, TikTokers, and podcasters.

Key features include AI tools like speech enhancement, object detection, and body effects, along with advanced options like motion tracking, multicam editing, and blending modes for professional-quality videos.

PowerDirector stands out for its trendsetting updates, like the AI Anime Effect and AI Text-Based Editing. Awarded by PC Magazine and TechRadar Pro, it's my top pick for high-quality editing.

Download PowerDirector now and start creating stunning videos effortlessly.

2. Promeo - Best video creation software for online selling and marketing

Key Features:

• Access millions of free images and videos from world-renowned stock libraries
• Add eye-catching motion graphics titles to videos in seconds
• Use AI to extract objects from images and create transparent backgrounds
• Edit videos with color LUTs and change the mood of your video instantly

Compatibility: Windows

Google Play Rating: 4.6/5

Price: Free
*Premium subscription available for $2.50/month

Promeo is great for video ads and product shots, offering easy background replacement with AI-generated options. You can select from professional templates or create custom backgrounds with a simple text prompt. AI features like object removal and enhancement make it a powerful tool for creators.

he 3-step process—pick a template, customize, and share —suits beginners and influencers. With categories like Reels, Stories, and Posts, you can easily add stickers, stock images, filters, and music.

The AI-driven custom templates from Promeo blew me away, letting me place products in any setting. The free version offers 1 million stock videos and 2 million images, with more options in the paid version.

Click below to try Promeo and create stunning video content today!

3. DaVinci Resolve - Top free post-production software for experts

Key Features:

• Edit skin tones, eye color, and lip color with intelligent color-correction
• Automatically identify and isolate objects in a clip with AI Magic Mask
• Edit videos and upload directly to YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo, and more

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux

TechRadar Rating: 4.5/5

Price: Free

*Premium version available for $295

DaVinci Resolve is a professional-grade, free video editor available for PC, Mac, and Linux. It offers advanced tools across intuitive Pages like Edit, Cut, Color, Fusion (VFX), and Fairlight (audio editing), making it accessible despite its complexity.

It excels in multi-source editing and multicam support, ideal for live broadcasts and large productions. The Cut page is perfect for quick edits, while the Edit page offers a dual-monitor layout for more detailed projects.

With AI features like text-based timeline editing and noise reduction, DaVinci Resolve streamlines the editing process. Its constant updates and robust capabilities make it a serious contender against paid options like Adobe Premiere Pro.

4. Blender - Best video maker for 3D modeling and rendering

Key Features:

• Isolate objects for special effects or color correction with ultra-precise masking tools
• Add realistic particle effects and simulations, including hair, cloth, liquids, and fire
• Edit audio by adjusting volume, equalizing, and reducing background noise

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux

Trustpilot Rating: 4.4/5

Price: Free

Blender is the top choice for animators, illustrators, and VFX artists looking for a free video editor. Its unmatched 3D rendering capabilities, extensive modeling tools, and support for both 2D and 3D animation make it ideal for professionals.

The software offers 32 slots to layer video, images, audio, and effects, providing immense flexibility for complex projects. The Cycles engine delivers realistic shading, lighting, and textures, making Blender a powerful tool for advanced animation.

Blender's latest updates, including improved color and shading tools, have made intricate character work smoother and more efficient. However, its steep learning curve means it’s best suited for professionals or those willing to invest significant time mastering it.

5. VideoProc Vlogger - Best free video editor for action cam footage

Key Features:

• Extract audio tracks from videos
• Eliminate unwanted noise or grain from videos
• Quickly color correct/color grade videos and photos, including HDR and 4K

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

Capterra Rating: 4.4/5

Price: Free

VideoProc Vlogger is an excellent free video editor for beginners and hobbyists, especially those editing action camera or GoPro footage. With features like fish-eye distortion correction, speed adjustments, and motion simulation, it's perfect for vloggers and adventurers.

In addition to motion editing, it offers essential tools like audio editing, color correction, and green-screen effects. With over 20 speed presets and blending modes, it’s versatile for various editing styles.

The interface is intuitive yet powerful, allowing quick edits without the complexity of more advanced editors like DaVinci Resolve. While it lacks 3D and collaboration tools,VideoProc Vlogger is ideal for fast, polished videos for YouTube or social media.

6. Lightworks - Best editing software for advanced editing at any skill level

Key Features:

• Showcase aural creativity with audio filters like reverb, chorus, and distortion
• Add movement with over 700 customizable titles and motion graphics
• Imbue a cinematic quality to footage with pre-built or custom LUTs

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux

Software Advice Rating: 4.2/5

Price: Free

*Premium subscriptions available for $9.99/month for Lightworks Create and $24.99/month for Lightworks Pro

Lightworks is a top free video editor for users seeking advanced features without a steep learning curve. It combines professional tools like background processing and automatic QC with an intuitive interface, making it suitable for both beginners and pros.

The customizable interface allows personalized workflows, and Lightworks offers a variety of transitions, video filters, and HDR tools for advanced color management. It’s perfect for high-quality projects and larger footage.

When I tested Lightworks, I appreciated its professional feel and smooth workflow. Although the free version limits exports to 720p, it was ideal for my initial projects, and the background processing kept things efficient.

7. Kapwing - Best video editing software for captions

Key Features:

• Automatically remove silences from your video with Smart Cut
• Generate images and videos from text with AI
• Quickly create posts with a variety of templates for memes, videos, collages, and more

Compatibility: Web Browser

Product Hunt Rating: 3.6/5

Price: Free

*Premium subscriptions available for $16/month for Pro and $50/month for Business

Kapwing is a browser-based free video editor with unique tools like auto-translation, text-to-speech, and a subtitle generator, making it perfect for growing your audience. Its real-time collaboration and social media resizing features add to its appeal for content creators.

Kapwing also offers fun title presets, transitions, green screen effects, and video templates to enhance editing. It supports team collaboration, allowing for shared workspaces and real-time comments.

In my experience, Kapwing’s auto-translation and subtitle features made expanding my reach easy, while real-time collaboration was seamless. However, the free version has some limitations, like a 720p export cap and fewer tools compared to the paid version.

8. Animoto - Best editor with templates for quick video creation

Key Features:

• Capture your computer screen for tutorials, software demos, or gameplay
• Remove unwanted portions and adjust the framing of shots with trimming and cropping tools
• Add title screens, lower thirds, and captions to videos with over 40 professional fonts

Compatibility: Web Browser

Capterra Rating: 4.3/5

Price: Free

*Premium subscriptions available for $8/month for Basic, $15/month for Professional, and $39/month for Professional Plus

Animoto is a great free video editor for beginners, offering easy-to-use templates and a drag-and-drop interface for quick video creation. Its access to Getty Images stock and preset aspect ratios makes it ideal for social media videos.

The editor supports landscape, square, and vertical formats, and includes 50 royalty-free background music tracks for your videos. It’s perfect for those who need simple, fast edits without a steep learning curve.

In my experience, Animoto’s templates and drag-and-drop feature made it easy to create social media videos. However, the free version has limitations, including a watermark, 720p export cap, and limited creative control.

9. OpenShot - Best free video editor for beginners

Key Features:

• Choose from 40 vector title templates and adjust the font, color, and text
• Adjust the speed of your clips with time-mapping
• Mix audio channels individually and display audio as a waveform

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux

Capterra Rating: 4.3/5

Price: Free

OpenShot is an excellent beginner-friendly video editor that also offers advanced tools as your skills progress. Its drag-and-drop timeline is simple to use, with features like 3D titles and keyframe animations for more advanced projects.

Integrating with Blender for 3D animations, OpenShot is a great option for those learning video editing and animation. It allows video composites with blending modes and layer editing, offering room to grow as a creator.

In my experience, OpenShot was easy to start with, but slow export times and occasional lags were frustrating. Despite these issues, it’s a solid option for beginners willing to invest time learning the software.

10. Shotcut - Best intermediate video editor software

Key Features:

• Allows for precise color correction and creative grading
• Includes filters specifically designed for 360-degree videos
• Provides pitch compensation to maintain audio quality when adjusting video speed

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux

G2 Rating: 4.2/5

Price: Free

Shotcut is the best free video editor for users ready to advance their skills, offering effects and filters for high-quality content. It supports a wide range of video and audio formats, including 4K, 8K, and 360-degree editing, making it versatile for complex projects.

Ideal for users who’ve outgrown basic editors, Shotcut offers a multi-format timeline and supports ambisonic audio, but its steep learning curve isn’t ideal for beginners. It’s regularly updated with bug fixes, but lacks features like templates and direct uploads to social media.

In my experience, Shotcut is perfect for users looking to move past beginner editors, though it requires some time to learn and adjust to its advanced features.

11. VideoPad - Best video editing software with basic tools for easy edits

Key Features:

• Edit videos with tools and features specifically designed for 3D and 360-degree videos
• Enhance sound quality with audio effects and filters
• Remove or replace backgrounds with green screen effects

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

G2 Rating: 4.1/5

Price: Free
*Premium versions available for $80 for Home Edition and $139 for Master’s Edition

VideoPad is a user-friendly free video editor offering both basic and advanced tools. It’s great for quick edits, featuring drag-and-drop functionality, ready-to-use templates, and speech-to-text for automatic subtitles.

The software includes transitions, audio tools, video stabilization, and AI text-to-speech for voiceovers. It’s ideal for beginners and those working on smaller-scale projects, but it might feel limiting for more complex edits.

While VideoPad is perfect for simple tasks and quick video creation, though more advanced users may need to look elsewhere as their projects grow in complexity.

12. VSDC Free Video Editor - Best editor for laptops and outdated PCs

Key Features:

• Easily edit keyframes for simplified motion graphics and color correction with the Key Editor window
• Browse an expanded template collection including gradient backgrounds, YouTube presets, and graphic elements
• Remove or replace backgrounds with chroma key effects

Compatibility: Windows

Trustpilot Rating: 3.8/5

Price: Free
*Premium subscription available for $19.99/year

VSDC Free Video Editor is a great choice for users with older PCs, offering low system requirements and smooth editing thanks to hardware acceleration. Its powerful tools, like multicam editing, text animation, and green screen effects, make it a standout option.

The software supports a variety of formats and includes advanced color correction and subpixel editing for precise work. While it lacks features like video stabilization in the free version, these are available in the affordable paid version.

With regular updates improving stability and usability, VSDC Free Video Editor is a great, feature-rich option for users needing a free editor that doesn’t strain their system.

13. WeVideo - Best online video editing software for screen recording

Key Features:

• Record your screen for video tutorials, demonstrations, or gameplay videos
• Choose from a collection of 50 transitions such as crossfades, wipes, and fades
• Add dynamic and engaging animations to videos, like text animations, motion graphics, and visual effects

Compatibility: Web Browser

G2 Rating: 3.6/5

Price: Free
*Premium subscriptions available for $4.99/month for Power, $7.99/month for Unlimited, $19.99/month for Professional, and $36.99/month for Business

WeVideo is a great free video editing tool for webinars, how-tos, and training videos, with a built-in screen recorder for capturing footage directly from your browser. Its free version allows you to trim recordings, add voiceovers and music, and access over 1M stock media assets.

With WeVideo is a solid option for basic editing, the free version has limitations, including a 480p export resolution and 5-minute monthly content cap. Advanced features like templates, green screen effects, and speed adjustments are locked behind the paid plans.

Overall, WeVideo is ideal for users creating simple videos or looking to polish recordings, but for more advanced features, the paid options are necessary.

14. Avid Media Composer First - Top free professionnal movie maker

Key Features:

• Reduce camera shake with powerful video stabilization
• Add motion effects like dolly, pan, and zoom to static footage
• Slow down, speed up, and reverse footage with TimeWarp effects

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

Tom's Guide Rating: 3.5/5

Price: Free
*Premium subscriptions available for $23.99/month for Avid Media Composer and $49.99/month for Avid Media Composer Ultimate

Avid Media Composer First is the free version of the professional video editing software used in Hollywood. Although it has a steep learning curve, it provides powerful tools like trim tools, audio editing, color correction, and advanced features like video stabilization and multicam editing.

The interface mirrors the professional version, offering beginners a good introduction to Avid. However, with its pared-down features, it's not suitable for professionals but serves as a stepping stone for aspiring editors.

Avid Media Composer First is ideal for those serious about pursuing a career in video editing, the paid versions offer a more robust experience with additional features for professionals.

Free Video Editing Software for Windows PC Comparison Chart

How to Choose a Free Video Editing Software for Windows PC

When selecting free video editor for Windows, consider the following factors to ensure you pick the right tool for your needs.

Your Experience Level

If you’re a beginner, look for software that offers templates and simple editing tools. For more advanced users, choose a program with manual controls and professional-grade features for greater precision.

System Requirements

Ensure the software runs smoothly on your PC by checking its system requirements, including RAM and CPU specs. You’ll want a tool that won’t lag during editing.

Format Support and Video Resolution

Check if the software supports the video formats your equipment uses and whether it can handle high-resolution footage, such as 4K, without downgrading quality.

Tools and Features

Consider what tools and features you need for your projects, from social media posts to more complex edits. Make sure the software you choose includes the features that are essential for your work.

How We Test the Best Free Video Editior for PC

To help you find the best free video editing app for Windows, here’s our testing process:

Product Testing

First, we test each solution ourselves. We edit videos with the same essential editing tools on all software so we can compare apples with apples. We compare ease of use, format support, number of features, accuracy of tools and effects, and more.

Compare Versions

If the free video editing software has paid versions, we compare them to see what is included at each price point and decide which editor gives you the most bang for your buck.

Publisher Reviews

We read reviews written by the best critics in the business to make sure our findings reveal an accurate picture of each software reviewed. To remove bias, we take the most common rating out of 5 from the publisher reviews to help rank our products.

User Reviews

We scan user reviews to find out what consumers are saying about the free video editing software for Windows and make a note of the most common pros and cons.

What is the Best Video Editor for Windows PC?

With so many free video editing software options available, it can be tough to choose the right one.

After evaluating several, we recommend PowerDirector as the best video editor for Windows. It’s versatile enough for beginners, intermediate users, and advanced editors alike, making it a perfect choice for anyone looking to develop their editing skills.

Download PowerDirector today and start creating high-quality videos with ease!