Lightworks review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Pro video editor with a free tier and paid Create and Pro plans
Black Friday: is there a Lightworks sale?
Lightworks report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for a free editor with 1080p export
Lightworks is a video editor for Windows, Mac and Linux. The free plan exports 1080p with no watermark, but 4K needs Create at $20 a month, 8K needs Pro at $35, and some features are missing on Linux.
Who Lightworks is for
- Fits if you want a desktop editor with 1080p export for nothing
- Works for people who need AAF, XML or EDL exchange formats
Who Lightworks is not for
- Skip it if you need 4K, which starts at Create, $20 a month
- Tight if you upload anywhere but YouTube and Vimeo on the free plan
- Watch out: advanced transitions, titles and TotalFX aren't on Linux
- Not for you if you want a phone or browser editor, since it's desktop only
- Watch out: we couldn't read yearly or one-time prices, only monthly
Why Lightworks gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyThe free plan covers editing, color and 1080p export, and paid Create starts at $20 a month, which is where the dearer quarter begins. Yearly and one-time prices weren't readable.
- BFree plan and trialA free plan with timeline editing, effects, color correction and 1080p export, with no watermarks. Upload goes only to YouTube and Vimeo.
- CFeaturesTimeline, trimming, color, audio, exchange formats and quality checks. The listing shows gaps: 4K and 8K need paid plans and advanced titles aren't on Linux.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record, and a timeline editor has a learning curve.
- CPlatforms and integrationsDesktop only: Windows, Mac and Linux, with Google Drive, Dropbox and stock links.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Lightworks's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/lightworks#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/lightworks.svg" alt="Lightworks: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Lightworks stands among screen recording and video tools
Lightworks's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 36 of the 84 other screen recording and video tools we grade, and level with 18.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 66 of 84) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month for each person, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 48 of the 62 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 43 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 85 screen recording and video tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Lightworks’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 56 of 84, level with 10
- BFree plan and trialAbove 66 of 84, level with 7
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 84, level with 48
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 84, level with 49
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 84, level with 24
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 71 screen recording and video tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Lightworks, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Lightworks you would be making a video editor. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $240 a year.
What you could not
- A video editor.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive among them.
What this rests on. Lightworks’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Lightworks?
Lightworks is a video editor for Windows, macOS and Linux, with a free plan limited to 1080p export and paid Create and Pro plans that add 4K or 8K export, more formats and audio tools. Plans can be bought monthly, yearly or as a one-time license.
Worth knowing
- The Free plan exports up to 1080p and uploads only to YouTube and Vimeo; 4K needs Create and 8K needs Pro.
- The yearly and one-time license prices sit behind toggles on the pricing page and were not read, so only monthly prices are recorded.
- Some Linux functionality is restricted, and the advanced transitions, advanced titles and TotalFX are not available on Linux.
- The pricing page showed the Free plan as £0 and the paid plans in dollars, and says prices are offered in USD, GBP and EUR.
Key features
- Timeline and trim tools
- Multiple video, audio and FX tracks with simple and advanced trimming and audio track sync, plus bins, tags and search for organizing footage.
- Background processing
- Import, rendering of complex effects and export can run in the background while you keep editing.
- Color and audio
- Color correction and grading with scopes on every plan. Native audio effects such as compressor, limiter and noise reducer come with the paid plans.
- Exchange formats
- The pricing page lists AAF, XML, OMF and EDL interchange, and sequence exchange with Premiere, Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools and Reaper.
- Cloud and stock media
- Connects to Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, pulls stock footage from Pexels and Pond5, and publishes to YouTube and Vimeo.
- In-edit quality control
- QScan checks for issues such as video levels, missing audio and loudness and shows markers on the timeline. This is listed among the paid features.
Lightworks pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lightworks has a free plan, and paid plans start at $20 per user / month on Create, paid monthly.
- Starts at
- $20 per user / month on Create, paid monthly
- Free plan
- Free plan with timeline editing, effects, color correction, multitrack audio, 1080p export and YouTube and Vimeo upload, with no watermarks.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Timeline editing, effects and transitions, color correction, multitrack audio and export up to 1080p. |
| Create | $20per user / month, paid monthly | Adds 4K export, BRAW and ProRes decode, NewBlue Titler Pro, audio effects and noise reduction, and cloud storage integration. |
| Pro | $35per user / month, paid monthly | Adds up to 8K and 10-bit video, HDR editing and full scopes, Apple ProRes encoding, and AU, VST3 and LADSPA plugin support. |
Read from lwks.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Lightworks before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Lifetime licenseOne-time license
The pricing page offers a Once option beside Monthly and Yearly, described as a perpetual license. The price was not readable in this check.
Stated on lwks.com
Works with
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- OneDrive
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Pond5
- Pexels
Lightworks alternatives
- Lightworks vs DaVinci Resolve
Free plan · from $94.99
- Lightworks vs Adobe Premiere
Free plan · from $22.99/mo
Common questions
Does Lightworks have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Lightworks is listed for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Does Lightworks have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Lightworks is listed for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Is Lightworks open source?
Lightworks is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.