Adobe Premiere vs Final Cut Pro

Adobe Premiere

• Professional editors who also use other Creative Cloud apps
• Teams that review and approve cuts through Frame.io
• Creators who start a social video on a phone and finish it on desktop

Final Cut Pro

• Mac-based editors who want an editor tuned for Apple silicon
• Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase for the Mac app
• Creators who also want Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro in one subscription

Adobe Premiere

• The desktop app is subscription only; Adobe says it cannot be bought as a perpetual license.
• The US$22.99 price needs an annual commitment billed monthly, and the seven-day trial converts to a paid membership unless cancelled.
• Premiere on mobile is free, but its generative AI features use paid credits and are currently available on iOS only.
• The desktop app requires Windows 11 v24H2 or macOS Sonoma (version 14) or later.

Final Cut Pro

• Apple lists it for Mac and iPad: the Mac app needs macOS 15.6 or later, and the iPad app an M1 or later iPad, iPad (A16) or iPad mini (A17 Pro).
• The iPad version comes through the Apple Creator Studio subscription; the $299.99 one-time purchase covers the Mac app.
• After a subscription ends, projects stay on your devices but opening or editing them needs an active subscription.
• Visual Search and Transcript Search are available only in U.S. English and need Apple silicon.

Adobe Premiere

Timeline editing

Three-point editing on a professional timeline, with footage from nearly any camera and export to formats including H.264, HEVC and Apple ProRes.

Text-Based Editing and captions

AI transcribes footage on import so a rough cut can be built by copying and pasting text. Captions can be translated into 18 languages.

Generative Extend and Object Mask

Generative Extend uses Firefly to add frames and ambient sound to a clip. Object Mask selects a subject with a click and tracks it.

Media Intelligence search

Describe a clip in everyday language and the Search panel finds it by the objects, locations and framing it contains.

Color and audio tools

Color wheels, curves and video scopes for grading. Enhance Speech cleans up dialogue and removes background noise, and Remix retimes music to fit.

Premiere on mobile

A free phone app with a multi-track timeline, auto-captions and background removal. Paid desktop members can continue mobile projects on desktop.

Final Cut Pro

Magnetic Timeline

Move and trim clips while the rest of the edit stays in sync, which makes it quick to try different versions of a story.

Magnetic Mask and Object Tracker

Isolate people and objects from the background without a green screen, and track their movement to attach titles and effects.

Automatic captions and search

Captions are created from spoken audio. Visual Search finds objects and actions in clips, and Transcript Search finds spoken phrases.

Color grading and effects

Color curves, hue and saturation curves, color wheels and LUTs, plus a library of titles, transitions and effects that third-party plug-ins extend.

Final Cut Pro for iPad

Touch-first editing with Apple Pencil support, and Live Multicam recording from up to four iPhone or iPad devices. Projects can be exported to the Mac.

Motion and Compressor

Companion Mac apps for motion graphics and custom encoding, included in Apple Creator Studio or sold as one-time purchases.

Adobe Premiere

• Premiere on mobile$0

  Free standalone app for iOS and Android with core editing and watermark-free 4K exports. Generative AI features use paid credits and are iOS only.

• PremiereUS$22.99

  per month, on an annual plan billed monthly

  Premiere on desktop and iPhone, Adobe Express Premium, Frame.io for Creative Cloud, 100GB of cloud storage and 25 monthly generative credits.

• Premiere for teamsUS$37.99

  per license / month, on an annual plan billed monthly

  The single-app plan for businesses, with 1TB of cloud storage, 25 monthly generative credits and business features.

• Creative Cloud ProUS$69.99

  per month, on an annual plan billed monthly

  20+ apps including Premiere, Photoshop and After Effects, plus Firefly AI, 4,000 monthly generative credits and 100GB of cloud storage.

• Creative Cloud Pro for teamsUS$99.99

  per license / month, on an annual plan billed monthly

  The multi-app Creative Cloud Pro plan, including Premiere, licensed per person for teams.

Final Cut Pro

• Apple Creator Studio$12.99

  per month, or $129 per year

  Subscription with Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad, plus Motion, Compressor, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro and MainStage. Shareable with Family Sharing.

• Final Cut Pro for Mac$299.99

  one-time purchase on the App Store

  The Mac app bought outright. Some premium content is available only to Apple Creator Studio subscribers.

Adobe Premiere

• Education

  Students and teachers: US$19.99 a month

  Eligible students and teachers pay US$19.99 a month for Creative Cloud Pro, including Premiere, in the first year and US$39.99 a month after that, on an annual plan billed monthly.

Final Cut Pro

• Annual discount

  About 17% less on the yearly plan

  Apple Creator Studio is $129 per year or $12.99 per month. Twelve monthly payments come to $155.88, so the yearly plan costs about 17% less.

• Education

  Students and educators: $2.99 a month

  Verified college students and educators pay $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year for Apple Creator Studio. Apple calls it a limited-time offer for individual use.

• Lifetime license

  One-time purchase for $299.99

  Final Cut Pro for Mac is also sold as a one-time purchase on the App Store for $299.99, with some premium content reserved for subscribers.

• Other savings

  3 months free with a new Mac or iPad

  Buyers of an eligible new Mac or iPad can try Apple Creator Studio free for 3 months, claimed within 3 months of activating the device.