Beste video-editing apps in 2024

While it’s tempting to simply post a video right after you’ve shot it, the best video editing apps can dramatically increase the impact of your film. There are a bevy of native iOS and Android apps designed specifically for shooting, editing and sharing video from a mobile device. Some apps provide nearly as many options as you’d find in desktop programs, while others are tailored to harness the power of shorter, more random clips in your camera roll.

Like photos, most mobile film clips are shot in the moment and are rarely revisited. These iOS and Android apps seek to change that pattern by making it easier to preserve and enjoy daily memories in full HD and share them with family and friends on popular social networks. Here are some of our favorites.

The best video editing apps you can download today

1. iMovie

When you’re out and about, you can rely on the free iMovie for iOS to edit any video you shoot with your iPhone or iPad. Just a few quick taps lets you create a professional-looking presentation. Get started by collecting video clips on your phone to create original movies or trailers. The newest version of iMovie for iOS looks great on the Super Retina displays of the iPhone X, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12, and also uses the Metal API for graphics processing.

You can access files from external hard drives, SD card readers, and USB drives, support for Dark Mode in iOS 13, and a feature that automatically adjusts a theme music soundtrack to the length of a clip.

The app offers more than a dozen templates, giving you a defined structure for sequencing your clips. You can use built-in professional soundtracks and effects or add your own music or voice narration along with transitions, filters and themes. You can trim, split, duplicate, adjust playback speed, and add text and special effects at any time.

Download iMovie: iOS

2. Vizmato

Vizmato is a delightful free app for shooting and editing video. It features a streamlined interface that lets you record HD video with live special effects. The latest version includes a slideshow maker that lets you create movies from photos and/or videos with several built-in themes like Basic, Happy, Romance, Party and Holiday. The app’s video themes — HipHop, Vintage, Chaplin, Sci-Fi and 8MM — join special effects like Beats, Trail, Mirror, Fluidic and more to make your videos shine. Themes offer a combination of visual filter with embedded music to create an exciting, fun experience. But you can choose each effect and your own music as well.

By joining up to five separate clips, you can add built-in moods, looks and tunes to your movie, and capture video via special-effects modes. Or you can just shoot straight with your iPhone camera and add effects later. You can share your movie with the Vizmato community or on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp or Snapchat. The app is free, but a subscription to Vizmato Pro ($11.99/year) adds a number of features, including removing the watermark, a Visual FX pack, and royalty-free music.

Download Vizmato: Android | iOS

3. Cyberlink PowerDirector

CyberLink PowerDirector is a mobile companion to the company’s powerful desktop programs such as PowerDirector 18 and PowerDirector 365. It’s a full-featured video editor in a tiny package, but you’ll want a phone with generous screen real estate to take advantage of all of its attributes. It’s impressive how much PowerDirector can cram into a small workspace while offering exceptional workflow flexibility. I was able to download videos directly from Google Drive and start editing them on the phone.

PowerDirector offers a familiar timeline interface, where you can combine videos and add multiple special effects, still images, audio, voiceovers, speed adjustments, music and more. But because of the multitude of features, it takes a bit of tapping around to figure out the interface. After saving your video, you can output at up to 4K resolution and share on social media networks. Be sure to check the specs to make sure that the app will work optimally with your device. Premium features and content such as full-HD production, watermark removal, ad removal and content packs are available free for seven days and thereafter via subscription.

Download Cyberlink PowerDirector: Android

4. Adobe Premiere Rush 

If you’re an aspiring YouTube auteur, Adobe has created an app that’s got your name on it. Adobe Premiere Rush — a cross-media, all-in-one app that links desktop with mobile — offers pro-level features specifically designed to quickly get your video out in front of as many eyeballs as possible. With Rush, everything is saved to the cloud. You can start an edit on your phone or on your desktop and pick it up later on your iPad, or vice versa.

You don’t have to be a cinematographer to get good results. Rush packs professionally designed motion graphics templates, letting you change color, size and fonts; more options are available on Adobe Stock. Premiere Rush operates via drag and drop for handling photos and videos on the timeline. On the iPad, the app supports pinch-to-zoom multitouch gestures. A clip-editing menu occupies the lower left of the screen and refinement tools appear in menus at the upper right. The app offers a full suite of audio and visual adjustments based on Adobe’s Sensei artificial intelligence engine.

Adobe Premiere Rush is available via Creative Cloud subscription or for $9.99 per month. Check it out first with a free Starter Plan. It’s available for iOS, Android, macOS and Windows 10. Here are the system requirements.

Download Adobe Premiere Rush: Android | iOS

5. GoPro Quik

You no longer need a GoPro if you want to use the company’s video editing app. GoPro Quik lets you import any photos or videos shot on your smartphone, and can quickly compile them into a short movie, complete with a soundtrack.

GoPro Quik also lets you edit each image or movie for color, filters, and more, and you can select the background music of your choice. You can also make sections of video faster or slower, take screen grabs, and then share everything with others. GoPro Quik is free to try, but to access all the features, a subscription costs $1.99/month or $9.99 per year. However, if you’re already a GoPro subscriber ($49.99/year), you’ll get access to the app for free.

Download GoPro Quik: Android | iOS

5. Vidlab

VidLab’s interface lets you easily link, rotate and trim multiple clips, but that’s just the beginning. With your video assembled, you can add text, still images, voice recordings and music from your iTunes library, or record your own narrative. Slider controls for contrast, vibrance and saturation give your videos a professional look, alongside a library of sound effects and transitions.

Some basic effects and filters are free, but many are available only via in-app purchases. Collage templates let you load and play several videos in one screen, but you must render the collage before you can add effects. All output can be shared to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Messenger. The app is available for free, but removing the watermark costs $1.99. Extra video and sound effects, fonts, stickers and filters range in price from 99 cents to $4.99.

Download VidLab: iOS

6. Quik