OpenShot vs WeVideo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, OpenShot grades higher than WeVideo: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
OpenShot grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. WeVideo grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
WeVideo
Browser-based video editor with screen recording for schools and teams
Which one is for you
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
Pick WeVideo if
- Fits if you want a low-cost browser editor on a few dollars a month
- Works for schools and teams who record screens and edit in the browser
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 5 minutes of publishing a month, 1 GB and 480p
- Watch out: the pricing page shows Creator and Teams by default, and Power to Business only under Compare Plans
- Not for you if you want a refund, as fees are non-refundable, including the current period after you cancel
- Watch out: education plans are priced on a separate tab we didn't read
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAOpenShotVery good | 2.4GPAWeVideoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree to download and use, and anyone can run it. The site says no subscriptions or watermarks, and donations are optional. | BPower is $4.99 a month on yearly billing ($9.99 monthly), inside the category's cheapest quarter. Unlimited is $7.99. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe full editor is free on all platforms, with no project limits, per the site. | CA free plan with 5 minutes of publishing a month, 1 GB of storage and 480p export. Trials of Creator and Instructor have no stated length. |
| Features | BUnlimited tracks, keyframes, transitions, titles, color grading and a screen recorder. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core editing job. | CTimeline editor, screen and webcam recording, stock media, interactive video and AI Assist, but the page shows two plan sets and education plans sit on a separate tab. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and a timeline editor has a learning curve. | CNo store rating on record. A web app where you build each video yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CDesktop only: Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS installers, and no phone or browser version. | BWeb, iOS and Android. No desktop app or integrations are listed. |
| Best for | a free, simple desktop video editor | cheap browser video editing for school and work |
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: OpenShot and WeVideo. How we grade
Price against what you get
OpenShot has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. WeVideo starts at $4.99 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and OpenShot starts $4.99 a month lower. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, none scores higher than OpenShot for less, and 6 score higher than WeVideo 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 is open source, according to its own site.
- WeVideo also covers templates.
At a glance
| OpenShot | WeVideo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $4.99 per month, billed annually at $59.88 ($9.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Free to download and use, with no subscriptions, watermarks or project limits, according to the site. | 5 minutes of publishing a month, 1 GB of cloud storage and 480p export. |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trials of the Creator and Instructor plans; length not stated on the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | OpenShot Studios, LLC | WeVideo, Inc. |
| Price read from | openshot.org | wevideo.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
WeVideo
- The pricing page shows two plan sets: Creator and Teams by default, and Power to Business under Compare Plans.
- The Free plan is capped at 5 minutes of publishing a month and 480p.
- Fees are non-refundable, including the current billing period after cancelling.
- Education plans (K-12 and higher ed) are priced on a separate tab not read here.
Key features
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.
WeVideo
- Timeline video editor
- Trim, merge, crop and resize clips and add text, music, transitions and green screen backgrounds in the browser.
- Screen and webcam recording
- Record the screen, the webcam or both from the home screen; recording is included from the Power plan up.
- Stock media and templates
- A library of more than 1M stock assets plus motion titles and templates; unlimited stock use needs a higher plan.
- Interactive video
- Insert polls, quizzes, web embeds and reflective pauses into videos for teaching and training.
- AI Assist
- A set of AI tools that includes generated captions, auto-generated questions and background noise removal.
- Brand kits and collaboration
- Brand kits and shared templates for teams, with real-time collaboration on the Teams and Business tiers.
Plans
OpenShot
Free$0
The full editor on Windows, macOS and Linux. Donations are optional.
WeVideo
Free$0
5 minutes of publishing time a month, 1 GB of storage, 480p resolution.
Power$4.99
per month, billed annually at $59.88 ($9.99 billed monthly)
30 minutes of publishing a month, 20 GB of storage, 720p, basic stock media and screen recording.
Unlimited$7.99
per month, billed annually at $95.88 ($15.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited storage and publishing time, 4K resolution and advanced stock assets.
Creator$240
per year, billed annually
Headline plan on the page: unlimited storage and publishing, 1M+ stock assets, premium effects, up to 4K. Free trial offered.
Teams$624
per year for a three-seat license, billed annually
Creator plus custom templates, real-time collaboration and advanced sharing and permissions.
EnterpriseCustom
Sold through sales, with dedicated rendering, personalized service and team-based pricing.
Ways to pay less
OpenShot
No public discounts listed.
WeVideo
- Annual discount
Annual billing roughly halves Power to Business
The compare view shows Power at $4.99 a month on annual billing against $9.99 monthly, and Unlimited at $7.99 against $15.99.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OpenShot or WeVideo?
As of Nov 12, 2026, OpenShot is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.99 a month for WeVideo. OpenShot is free, and WeVideo starts at $4.99 per month, billed annually at $59.88 ($9.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, OpenShot or WeVideo?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both OpenShot and WeVideo have a free plan.
Which platforms do OpenShot and WeVideo run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only OpenShot lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps and only WeVideo lists a web app and iOS and Android 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.