Wondershare Filmora vs OpenShot (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Wondershare Filmora and OpenShot share a 3.0 GPA, both have a free plan, and OpenShot has no paid plan to buy, against $4.17 a month when paid by the year for Wondershare Filmora.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Wondershare Filmora grades higher on ease of use and platforms. OpenShot grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Wondershare Filmora
Desktop and mobile video editor with AI tools and a stock library
Which one is for you
Pick Wondershare Filmora if
- Fits if you're new to editing and want templates and effects ready to go
- Works for tutorial makers, since it records your screen and edits it too, with captions in 27 languages
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free editor with no watermark on your videos
- Too light for people who edit for a living and already know Premiere
- Pricey if you lean on the AI tools or stock footage: Basic has no AI credits, and the full library is $19.99 a month
- Tight if you swap between a PC and a Mac on the pay-once license, which also stops at Filmora 16
- Watch out: desktop licenses don't cover the phone apps, AI-made images are non-commercial only, and business use needs a separate plan
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
| 3.0GPAWondershare FilmoraVery good | 3.0GPAOpenShotVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$79.99 buys a perpetual license, less than a year of this category's $10-a-month middle plan, and Basic is $49.99 a year. AI credits, the stock library and the phone apps are all extra, mind. | 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 | CUse it for as long as you like, but every video you export carries a Filmora watermark, AI Mate stops at 15 uses a day and the asset library is a cut-down one. Fine for learning. No good for posting. | AThe full editor is free on all platforms, with no project limits, per the site. |
| Features | BMulti-camera editing, keyframes, motion and planar tracking, color curves and LUTs, a screen recorder, captions in 27 languages and a pile of AI tools. Its AI-made images, stickers and text-to-video clips are for non-commercial use only. | 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 | B4.68 from 89,913 App Store ratings, just short of the 4.7 an A wants. Wondershare aims it at beginners, though the phone app's reviews mention freezes and the three plans take some decoding. | CNo store rating on record, and a timeline editor has a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows and Mac plus separate apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, so computer and phone both covered. No web version, no Linux, and a desktop license doesn't cover the phone apps. | CDesktop only: Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS installers, and no phone or browser version. |
| Best for | beginners making YouTube and social videos | 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: Wondershare Filmora and OpenShot. How we grade
Price against what you get
Wondershare Filmora starts at $4.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. OpenShot has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Wondershare Filmora scores higher, and starts $4.17 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Wondershare Filmora 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
- Wondershare Filmora can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- OpenShot is open source, according to its own site.
- Wondershare Filmora also covers transcription, noise cancellation and templates.
At a glance
| Wondershare Filmora | OpenShot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $49.99 per year (Basic), or $79.99 one-time for a perpetual license | Free |
| Free plan | Free edition: all basic editing features and export, but exported videos carry a watermark. AI Mate is limited to 15 uses a day and the asset library is a small subset of the paid one. | 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 | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Wondershare | OpenShot Studios, LLC |
| Price read from | filmora.wondershare.com | openshot.org |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Wondershare Filmora
- The free edition adds a watermark to every exported video.
- Individual plans are single-user, and Wondershare directs business use to its Team & Business plan.
- A Perpetual license covers one platform and only updates within Filmora 16; later major versions cost extra.
- The full Creative Assets library is a separate add-on (7 days free, then $19.99 a month), and desktop licenses do not cover the mobile apps.
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
Wondershare Filmora
- Timeline editing
- A magnetic timeline with multi-camera editing, keyframe animation, motion and planar tracking, and rough-cut tools that remove pauses or cut from the transcript.
- AI generation and analysis
- Generate video from text, images or audio, extend clips, and let AI Media Analysis tag people, scenes and speech so shots are easier to find. Most AI tools spend Filmora AI credits.
- Captions and voice tools
- Speech-to-text covers 27 languages and text-to-speech 28. Captions sit on dedicated subtitle tracks with dynamic styles, and audio tools reduce background noise.
- Screen recorder
- Captures the screen, camera, microphones and system audio at the same time and keeps each source separate for editing afterwards.
- Color correction and cleanup
- Color tools include HSL, RGB curves, 3D LUTs and a Color Mask for grading selected areas. Cleanup tools stabilize shaky shots and reduce noise.
- Creative assets
- Templates, effects, titles, transitions, music and stock media. The free edition lists 1,500+ effects and filters against 18K+ on paid plans.
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
Wondershare Filmora
Free$0
Basic editing features and export with a watermark, 15 AI Mate uses a day and a smaller set of effects, titles and stock media.
Basic$49.99
per year, billed yearly
One user on Windows and Mac: watermark-free 4K export, 1 GB of cloud storage and version upgrades. AI features are paid for with credits bought separately.
Advanced$59.99
per year, billed yearly
Everything in Basic plus 1,000 Filmora AI credits a month and 10 GB of cloud storage. Shown as a discount from a crossed-out $69.99.
Perpetual$79.99
one-time payment, for Windows or Mac
One platform only, updates within Filmora 16, a one-time grant of 1,000 AI credits and 1 GB of cloud storage.
OpenShot
Free$0
The full editor on Windows, macOS and Linux. Donations are optional.
Ways to pay less
Wondershare Filmora
- Lifetime license
Perpetual license for a one-time $79.99
A single payment buys a license for Windows or Mac with all updates to Filmora 16. Upgrades to future major versions are not included.
- Education
Discounted plans for students and teachers
Filmora's education store offers student plans at an educational discount to students and teachers who verify with an education email address or academic documents.
OpenShot
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Wondershare Filmora or OpenShot?
As of Nov 12, 2026, OpenShot is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.17 a month when paid by the year for Wondershare Filmora. Wondershare Filmora starts at $49.99 per year (Basic), or $79.99 one-time for a perpetual license, and OpenShot is free.
Which has a free plan, Wondershare Filmora or OpenShot?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Wondershare Filmora and OpenShot have a free plan.
Which platforms do Wondershare Filmora and OpenShot run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Wondershare Filmora lists iOS and Android apps and only OpenShot lists a Linux app. Both list macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.