# Final Cut Pro

> Apple's professional video editor for Mac and iPad

Final Cut Pro is Apple's video editing application for Mac and iPad, built around the Magnetic Timeline and tuned for Apple silicon. It covers editing, color grading, titles, effects and audio, with AI features such as Magnetic Mask, automatic captions and transcript search. It is now part of the Apple Creator Studio subscription, and the Mac app can still be bought once on the App Store.

- **Category:** Screen Recording & Video
- **Made by:** Apple
- **Website:** https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/
- **Runs on:** macOS, iOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Final Cut Pro is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $12.99 per month or $129 per year for Apple Creator Studio.

- **Pricing model:** Free trial
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** Apple Creator Studio is free for 30 days for new subscribers, then renews automatically.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Final Cut Pro before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **About 17% less on the yearly plan** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://www.apple.com/apple-creator-studio/
- **Students and educators: $2.99 a month** (Education): 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. Source: https://www.apple.com/apple-creator-studio/
- **One-time purchase for $299.99** (Lifetime license): 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. Source: https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/
- **3 months free with a new Mac or iPad** (Other savings): 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. Source: https://www.apple.com/apple-creator-studio/

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

Motion, Compressor, Final Cut Camera, iMovie, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro

**Tags:** Video editing, AI features, Transcription, One-time purchase

## Alternatives

- [Adobe Premiere](https://toolgpa.com/tools/adobe-premiere): Professional video editor for desktop, with a free mobile app. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/adobe-premiere-vs-final-cut-pro)
- [DaVinci Resolve](https://toolgpa.com/tools/davinci-resolve): Video editing, color, effects and audio post-production in one app. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/davinci-resolve-vs-final-cut-pro)
- [iMovie](https://toolgpa.com/tools/imovie): Apple's free video editor for iPhone, iPad and Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/final-cut-pro-vs-imovie)
- [Wondershare Filmora](https://toolgpa.com/tools/filmora): Desktop and mobile video editor with AI tools and a stock library. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/filmora-vs-final-cut-pro)
- [CapCut](https://toolgpa.com/tools/capcut): Video and photo editor with effects, auto captions and AI tools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/capcut-vs-final-cut-pro)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/
- https://www.apple.com/apple-creator-studio/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/final-cut-pro
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).