Avidemux vs OpenShot (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Avidemux and OpenShot share a 3.0 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on whether you care more about ease of use, where Avidemux grades higher, or features, where OpenShot does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Avidemux
Free open-source editor for simple video cutting and encoding
Which one is for you
Pick Avidemux if
- Fits if you only need to trim or re-encode a file
- Works for people who want a free tool on any desktop system
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for real editing, as it has no multitrack timeline or effects
- Watch out: the site's latest news item is release 2.8.1 from September 2022
- Watch out: the site is sparse, with documentation on a separate wiki and forum
- Skip it if you want a phone or web version, as it runs on computers only
Pick OpenShot if
- Fits if you want a free editor with no watermark for home videos
- Works for people who also want a built-in screen and webcam recorder
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have an Apple silicon Mac, since the page only describes an Intel installer
- Not for you if you need a phone or browser editor, as it's desktop only
- Too light for team editing, since nothing on the site covers sharing or cloud projects
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAAvidemuxVery good | 3.0GPAOpenShotVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open-source, with no paid tier anywhere. | AFree to download and use, and anyone can run it. The site says no subscriptions or watermarks, and donations are optional. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid tier to buy into. | AThe full editor is free on all platforms, with no project limits, per the site. |
| Features | CIt cuts, filters and encodes fully, but that is a smaller job: no multitrack timeline or effects. | BUnlimited tracks, keyframes, transitions, titles, color grading and a screen recorder. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core editing job. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but it is a program you install and start using with nothing to set up. | CNo store rating on record, and a timeline editor has a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and Linux, but a program for computers only. | CDesktop only: Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS installers, and no phone or browser version. |
| Best for | simple video cutting and re-encoding | a free, simple desktop video editor |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Avidemux and OpenShot. How we grade
Price against what you get
Avidemux has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. OpenShot has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, none scores higher than Avidemux for less, and none scores higher than OpenShot for less.
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
Where they differ
- OpenShot also covers screen recording.
At a glance
| Avidemux | OpenShot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | None | Free to download and use, with no subscriptions, watermarks or project limits, according to the site. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Avidemux project | OpenShot Studios, LLC |
| Price read from | avidemux.sourceforge.net | openshot.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Avidemux
- The project site lists its latest news item as release 2.8.1 from September 2022.
- It is built for simple edits, not multitrack timelines or effects work.
- The vendor site is sparse; documentation sits on a separate wiki and forum.
OpenShot
- Desktop only: the download page lists Windows, Linux, macOS and Chrome OS installers.
- The macOS download is described as a 64-bit Intel installer; the page does not mention a separate Apple silicon build.
Key features
Avidemux
- Cutting
- Designed for simple cutting of video, the main task the project describes.
- Filtering
- Applies video filters as part of its filtering tasks.
- Encoding
- Re-encodes video, which the project lists alongside cutting and filtering as its core jobs.
- Projects and job queue
- Saves work as projects and runs jobs from a queue so repeated tasks can be automated.
- Scripting
- Has scripting capabilities for automating tasks.
- Cross-platform
- Available for Linux, BSD, Mac OS X and Windows.
OpenShot
- Timeline editing
- Video, audio and images go on unlimited tracks with snapping, waveforms and frame-by-frame stepping. Project files move between Linux, macOS and Windows.
- Keyframe animation
- Position, scale, rotation, opacity, volume and effect settings can be animated with linear, constant or Bezier interpolation.
- Transitions and effects
- More than 400 transition patterns, plus effects such as chroma key, blur and lens flare.
- Titles
- More than 40 editable 2D title templates, custom SVG templates, and 3D animated titles rendered with Blender.
- Color grading
- Color wheels, curves and LUTs, with waveform, histogram, vectorscope and RGB parade scopes.
- Built-in recorder
- Captures a screen, window or region plus a webcam and microphone, and places each recording on its own timeline track.
Plans
Avidemux
Free$0
Free to download and use under the GNU GPL.
OpenShot
Free$0
The full editor on Windows, macOS and Linux. Donations are optional.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Avidemux or OpenShot?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Avidemux and OpenShot are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Avidemux or OpenShot?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Avidemux and OpenShot have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.