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 Blender
5 video editing & conversion programs worth considering instead of — or alongside — Blender.
Alternatives to Blender
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
OpenShot
Open Sourceby OpenShot Studios
Simple, beginner-friendly video editor.
- Drag-and-drop simplicity
- Unlimited tracks and layers
- 3D animated titles
HandBrake
Open Sourceby HandBrake Team
The standard tool for converting and compressing video.
- Device-specific presets
- Batch queue encoding
- Hardware-accelerated encoding
About Blender
Blender is a complete 3D creation pipeline covering modelling, sculpting, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, plus a capable video editor. It is used in professional studios and is entirely free.
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.
Blender 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 |
| OpenShot | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Drag-and-drop simplicity |
| HandBrake | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux | Device-specific presets |
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.
OpenShot Open Source
OpenShot prioritises being easy to learn, with drag-and-drop editing, straightforward titling and 3D animated title support. Notable for drag-and-drop simplicity and unlimited tracks and layers. 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.
How to choose
4 are fully open source (Shotcut, Kdenlive, OpenShot, HandBrake) — 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.