Avidemux vs Shotcut (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Avidemux grades higher than Shotcut: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Avidemux grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features 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
Free
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 Shotcut if
- Fits if you want a no-cost editor for Windows, Mac or Linux and don't mind learning a timeline
- Works for people who edit offline and don't want a subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want templates, AI captions or one-click social videos, as the features page lists no AI tools
- Not for you if you work in a team on the same project, since there's no cloud collaboration
- Too light for people who rely on VST2 or LV2 audio plugins, which are still work in progress
- Watch out: Windows 7 and 8 stop at version 22.12.21 and macOS 11 and earlier get older builds
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAAvidemuxVery good | 2.8GPAShotcutGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open-source, with no paid tier anywhere. | AFree to download, with no paid tier. A program anyone can download and run counts as free. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid tier to buy into. | ANothing is locked: no trial, no watermark and no paid tier on the page. |
| Features | CIt cuts, filters and encodes fully, but that is a smaller job: no multitrack timeline or effects. | CTimeline editing, 4K, capture, audio filters and subtitles, but the features page lists no AI tools or cloud collaboration, and VST2 and LV2 plugin support is still work in progress. |
| 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. A full timeline editor has a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and Linux, but a program for computers only. | CWindows, Mac and Linux, which counts as computers only. No web or phone version. |
| Best for | simple video cutting and re-encoding | a free 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 Shotcut. 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. Shotcut has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Avidemux scores higher 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 Shotcut 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
- Shotcut also covers screen recording.
In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxOpen sourceVideo editing
At a glance
| Avidemux | Shotcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | None | Free and open source, with downloads offered at no charge and no paid tier listed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Avidemux project | Meltytech, LLC |
| Price read from | avidemux.sourceforge.net | shotcut.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.
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.
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.
Shotcut
- Wide format support
- Edits hundreds of audio and video formats through FFmpeg without importing, and mixes resolutions and frame rates on one timeline.
- Capture
- Records screen, webcam and audio, and takes input from Blackmagic Design SDI and HDMI devices, JACK and Pulse audio and network streams.
- High-end video
- Handles 4K and 8K, 10-bit end to end, HDR10 and HLG, alpha-channel files and tone mapping from HDR to SDR.
- Audio filters
- Includes scopes, volume control and filters such as compressor, equalizers, noise gate, limiter and RNNoise noise reduction.
- Subtitles and export
- Creates and imports SRT, VTT, ASS and SSA subtitles, and exports EDL, single frames and image sequences.
- Dockable interface
- Panels for playlist, filters, history, encoding and jobs can be docked or undocked, with drag-and-drop from the file manager.
Plans
Avidemux
Free$0
Free to download and use under the GNU GPL.
Shotcut
Shotcut$0
The full editor, free to download for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Avidemux or Shotcut?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Avidemux and Shotcut are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Avidemux or Shotcut?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Avidemux and Shotcut 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.