Final Cut Pro vs iMovie

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

iMovie

• First-time editors who already own an iPhone, iPad or Mac
• Family, school and travel videos built from templates
• Starting an edit on a phone and finishing it on a Mac

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.

iMovie

• Apple lists iMovie for Mac, iPad and iPhone only.
• Magic Movie and Storyboards are created in the iPhone and iPad app; the Mac app imports those projects into its timeline.
• The current Mac version requires macOS 26.6 or later, and the iPhone and iPad version requires iOS or iPadOS 17.6 or later.
• For more advanced tools Apple points to Final Cut Pro, which can import iMovie projects and is a paid product.

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.

iMovie

Magic Movie

On iPhone and iPad, pick an album or a group of clips and photos and iMovie assembles a video with titles, transitions and music.

Storyboards

20 Storyboards for popular video types on iPhone and iPad, with placeholder clips you record into or fill from the Photos library.

Trailers

Trailer templates with graphics and original scores: 14 on iPhone and iPad and 29 on Mac, with editable studio logos, cast names and credits.

Themes, titles and filters

The iPhone and iPad app has 8 themes, 13 video filters and 11 animated title styles. The Mac app adds 3D globes and travel maps.

Effects and Cinematic mode

Picture-in-picture, split-screen and green-screen effects, slow motion and fast-forward, and focus-point editing for Cinematic mode video.

4K editing and handoff

Edit and save at up to 4K, and send a project to a Mac by AirDrop or iCloud Drive to finish in iMovie or Final Cut Pro.

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.

iMovie

• Free$0

  The complete app on iPhone, iPad and Mac, including trailers, themes, effects and export at up to 4K.

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.

iMovie

No public discounts listed.