Step 1
Identify your editing need
Are you editing professionally crafted content that needs manual control? Use DaVinci Resolve free. Are you editing at volume and want AI automation? Try Editly's free tier.
Editly AI
Free Editing Software
What free editing software should I use?
For unlimited professional editing: DaVinci Resolve is the best free option. For AI-powered editing evaluation: Editly's free tier (3 exports). For simple projects on Windows 11: Clipchamp. For cross-platform open-source: Shotcut or Kdenlive.
Free Editing Software: What You Actually Get
The word 'free' covers very different realities. Here's what each free option actually delivers.
| Decision | Other Apps | Editly |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited use | DaVinci Resolve / Shotcut: completely unlimited — edit as many videos as you want, no subscription ever needed | Editly: 3 free credits — full quality, no watermark — then $28/month |
| Learning investment | Free NLEs: weeks of learning before producing good output consistently | Editly: zero learning — describe what you want in plain English |
| Time per video | Free NLEs: 1-4 hours of manual editing per video — unavoidable regardless of experience | Editly: 15-20 minutes per video — AI makes the editorial decisions |
| AI features | Free NLEs: minimal AI — DaVinci has Speech to Text; most others have no AI editorial tools | Editly: full AI editorial layer — silence removal, caption generation, segment selection from prompt |
Choosing and Using Free Editing Software
Step 2
Test on real footage
Don't evaluate software on test footage. Use the video type you actually edit — the comparison is only useful if it matches your real workflow.
Step 3
Time the process
For both tools, time from upload/import to finished export. That time difference per video, multiplied by your monthly volume, gives you the real cost comparison.
Step 4
Choose based on what you found, not what sounds good
If manual editing with DaVinci takes acceptable time and you prefer the control, stay there. If AI editing with Editly saves significant time, Pro at $28/month is the upgrade.
Try Editly's Free Tier — 3 AI-Edited Videos
DaVinci Resolve free is waiting for you if you need unlimited manual editing. Test Editly's 3 free AI exports alongside it to find which approach fits your workflow better.
- 3 free AI-edited exports — full quality, no watermark
- Zero learning curve — write the edit in English
- Pro $28/month for 100 monthly exports