Flowblade vs Shotcut (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Shotcut grades higher than Flowblade: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Shotcut grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Flowblade if
- Fits if you run Linux and want a free multitrack editor
- Works for people who install from a distribution's repository
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or macOS, as neither is supported
- Watch out: repository versions may lag the latest release
- Watch out: the development version can be unstable or need new dependencies
- Skip it if you want a phone or web version, as it is a Linux program
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
| 2.6GPAFlowbladeGood | 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 | CA multitrack editor that works with anything FFmpeg can read, with no effects or tracking gaps listed. | 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 | CNo store rating on record, and a timeline editor has a learning curve. | CNo store rating on record. A full timeline editor has a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | DLinux only; the download page says it focuses on Linux and other free platforms. | CWindows, Mac and Linux, which counts as computers only. No web or phone version. |
| Best for | a free multitrack editor on Linux | 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: Flowblade and Shotcut. How we grade
Price against what you get
Flowblade has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shotcut has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Shotcut scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, none scores higher than Flowblade 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.
At a glance
| Flowblade | 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 | Flowblade project | Meltytech, LLC |
| Price read from | jliljebl.github.io | shotcut.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Flowblade
- Windows and macOS are not supported; the download page says it focuses on Linux and other free platforms.
- Repository versions may lag behind the latest release.
- The development version can be unstable or have new dependencies.
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
Flowblade
- Multitrack timeline
- Industry-standard editing tools for adding, moving and trimming clips on a timeline.
- Wide media support
- Uses FFmpeg, and the site says a typical startup reports 146 formats, 78 video codecs and 58 audio codecs.
- Composite, mix and filter
- Combine images and audio, add filters and animation, and color-correct the picture.
- G'MIC tool
- A dedicated tool exposes G'MIC open-source image filtering.
- Flatpak and repository installs
- Installs from Flathub, from an operating-system repository or from the development source.
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
Flowblade
Free$0
Free and open source under the GPL3 license.
Shotcut
Shotcut$0
The full editor, free to download for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Flowblade or Shotcut?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Flowblade and Shotcut are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Flowblade or Shotcut?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Flowblade and Shotcut have a free plan.
Which platforms do Flowblade and Shotcut run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Shotcut lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a Linux app. 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.