Alternatives · Screen Recording

Shotcut alternatives

As of Nov 12, 2026, the highest-graded Shotcut alternative is DaVinci Resolve (3.4 GPA). It's also the best free one.

Shotcut compared with 6 alternatives: Kdenlive, OpenShot, DaVinci Resolve, Lightworks, Vegas Pro and 1 more.

Shotcut is free to use. 5 of the 6 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.

Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from

At a glance

Tool	Price	Free plan	Runs on
ShotcutThis tool	Free	Free	macOS, Windows, Linux
Kdenlive	Free	Free	macOS, Windows, Linux
OpenShot	Free	Free	macOS, Windows, Linux
DaVinci Resolve	Free plan · from $94.99	Yes	macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS
Lightworks	Free plan · from $20/mo	Yes	macOS, Windows, Linux
Vegas Pro	Free trial · from $8.33/mo	Trial only	Windows
HandBrake	Free	Free	macOS, Windows, Linux

Price against what you get

Shotcut has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 5 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.

Kdenlive and OpenShot score higher without starting lower.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

The best score at each price
Has a free plan
No free plan

The full chart of screen recording and video tools, and the best at every price

How each one differs from Shotcut

Kdenlive
Free, open-source non-linear video editor from the KDE community
- Kdenlive is free.
- Kdenlive also covers transcription.
- Kdenlive does not cover screen recording, which Shotcut does.
Suits: Editors who want a free, open-source desktop editor
Kdenlive vs Shotcut Kdenlive pricing and details
OpenShot
Free, open-source video editor for Linux, Mac and Windows
- OpenShot is free.
Suits: Beginners who want a free editor with no watermark
OpenShot vs Shotcut OpenShot pricing and details
DaVinci Resolve
Video editing, color, effects and audio post-production in one app
- DaVinci Resolve starts at $94.99 for Studio on iPad (in-app purchase); $236 for desktop Studio (was $295).
- DaVinci Resolve also lists an iOS app.
- DaVinci Resolve can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- DaVinci Resolve also covers noise cancellation.
- DaVinci Resolve does not cover screen recording, which Shotcut does.
Suits: Editors and colorists who want editing, color, effects and audio in one app
DaVinci Resolve vs Shotcut DaVinci Resolve pricing and details
Lightworks
Pro video editor with a free tier and paid Create and Pro plans
- Lightworks starts at $20 per user / month on Create, paid monthly.
- Lightworks can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Lightworks does not cover screen recording, which Shotcut does.
Suits: Editors who want a free tier with no watermark
Lightworks vs Shotcut Lightworks pricing and details
Vegas Pro
Windows video editor with AI tools, now published by Boris FX
- Vegas Pro starts at $8.33 per month, billed yearly.
- Vegas Pro has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Shotcut.
- Vegas Pro lists no macOS and Linux apps, which Shotcut has.
- Vegas Pro also covers transcription and text to speech.
- Vegas Pro does not cover screen recording, which Shotcut does.
Suits: Windows editors who want a traditional timeline editor
Vegas Pro vs Shotcut Vegas Pro pricing and details
HandBrake
Free open-source video converter for Windows, Mac and Linux
- HandBrake is free.
- HandBrake also covers file compression.
- HandBrake does not cover screen recording, which Shotcut does.
Suits: Shrinking large video files or changing their format
HandBrake vs Shotcut HandBrake pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in Shotcut

Windows 7 and 8 users are limited to version 22.12.21, and macOS 11 and earlier to older builds.
VST2 and LV2 audio plugin support is listed as work in progress.
Versions are numbered by date and new releases arrive about every two months.
The features page lists no built-in AI tools or cloud collaboration.

Shotcut pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to Shotcut?

The alternatives to Shotcut in this directory are Kdenlive, OpenShot, DaVinci Resolve, Lightworks, Vegas Pro and HandBrake. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Shotcut.

Is there a free alternative to Shotcut?

Yes. Kdenlive, OpenShot and HandBrake are free to use. DaVinci Resolve and Lightworks have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Which Shotcut alternatives work on iOS?

The Shotcut listing does not include an iOS app. DaVinci Resolve lists one.

When were these prices checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Nov 2, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

How this page was made

Where any alternative here is in our top three screen recording and video tools, the best for most people is the highest placed of them: the top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades. Otherwise the page names the highest-graded alternative in the same category as Shotcut, the one its listing names first winning a tie. The best free one is the highest-graded alternative that is free or has a free plan (a free trial does not count), with its catch quoted from its listing where the listing states a short one. The GPA is the average of our five grades for each tool.
The alternatives are the tools Shotcut’s listing names as its closest substitutes, and the tools whose listings name Shotcut.
Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing, which names the pages they were read from.
The differences are worked out from those listings.
The chart sets each tool’s starting price against our own grades for features, ease of use and platforms.

Read the method All screen recording and video tools

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