Top 16 Video Editing Apps of 2023
Way back then, producing videos meant going to shoots, hiring an editor, and spending hours on revisions. Today, video production can be done in a few taps on a smartphone. Amazing, isn’t it? That is being made possible by video editing apps.
The rise of solopreneurs has meant that the line between being a business owner and a content creator is finally blurring. That paved the way for the mushrooming of video editing apps here and there.
However, with the abundance of video editing apps today, it can be overwhelming to choose. You might have to try dozens of video editing apps before you can settle down on one or two reliable programs.
Well, we know how you feel. That is why we are making it easier for you by gathering the 16 video editing apps we love in 2023 on this post.
Read to see which of these video editing apps fits your needs the most!
Table of Contents
16 video editing apps we love [2023]
Each of the video editing apps we listed below is:
- good at what it does best.
- available on both iOS and Android devices.
- great for beginners and pros alike.
- practical for social media content creation.
Their developers clearly had a certain group of users’ best interests in mind when they designed the apps. And that is why these video editing apps are our favorites!
Whether you’re a business owner, a content creator, or even an average social media junkie, you can find one that suits your project demands here:
zShot
Pricing:
zShot is 100% free and has no watermark on published videos.
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: 5.0 and up.
About the app
First up on our list is this feature-packed video editing app.
zShot is often called by its avid users as the miracle app—not only is it fast and versatile but it also has four other powerful tools on its arsenal. It has a photo editor, slideshow maker, collage maker, and even a document scanner.
Therefore, if you’re the type of user who uses multiple apps, zShot can easily fulfill your various needs.
The video editor
As a video editing app, zShot is highly reliable for fast video edits and productions. We’re talking about vibrant Instagram Story updates, short engaging tutorials for your Instagram feed, or a fun montage for your Facebook page. It’s a staple on the smartphone of a busy content creator who likes no-nonsense apps.
On the app, there’s plenty you could do to produce a short but high-quality video. You can decrease a video’s speed to emphasize movement, which might be helpful for content creators in the fitness industry. You can also increase the speed to shorten the length of the video but still show progress.
Do you have an inconvenient schedule in your production? On zShot, you can also merge short clips into one lengthy video. This is very convenient when you are filming small videos on non-consecutive days. You can also delete middle parts of your videos on zShot, which will be useful in editing out bloopers and flaws.
Another asset of zShot is its no-nonsense, tailored-for-mobile interface. Unlike other apps, it’s not an advanced editor compressed into a mobile app. zShot is purposely designed for video editors who heavily rely on their mobile phones for content creation. That makes for painless user experience in editing videos on a smartphone.
zShot, with its lightning-fast performance and quintessential features, make it a trustworthy companion for any content creator with an Apple or Android device.
Top features
- 100% free.
- Reverse videos.
- You can add filters.
- Add background music.
- Create and edit subtitles.
- Cut, trim, and split a video.
- Upload your own recording.
- Add text and emojis to videos.
- Delete the middle part of a clip.
- Merge different clips into one video.
- Change the canvas size for any social media platform.
- No watermark to bother the viewers from watching your video.
Drawback
At the moment, zShot has no desktop version. If you plan to take videos to your laptop frequently and edit them on the same app, then zShot might not be for you.
Download the zShot Video Editor App here!
Related: iPhone Photo Settings: The Essential Guide for Beginners
Magisto Video Editor
Pricing
Free trial | Premium | In-app purchases |
7-day-trial | $9.99 for monthly payments, $4.99/month for an annual subscription | Yes |
$19.99 for monthly payments, $9.99/month for an annual subscription | ||
$69.99 for monthly payments, $34.99/month for an annual subscription |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: 6.0 and up
About the app
Do you like creating movies? Are you hearing music in your ears even in the most mundane moments? If you answered two yeses, then you could try using Magisto. It is an award-winning video editing app that puts the magic in editing.
Magisto is a Movie & Music Slideshow Maker—it’s an app for users who have a flair for theatrics and pizzazz. So, if you like turning bland videos into mini-movies, Magisto is the right app for that.
The video editor
You could whip up many colorful sorts of content with Magisto’s sweet features.
Its brightest rockstar feature is the AI-assisted editing tech called Emotional Sense Technology™. This super-smart editor analyzes your raw videos and photos and then pulls up the designs, filters, text, and music that suit them best.
Using the super-smart editor, you can create professional-grade videos in a few minutes. You just import your own media and the editor cooks up the video or slideshow. So, if you’re feeling lazy, you could tap on this—in just a few blinks, you’ll have a breathtaking clip.
Manual editing on Magisto is not that complicated either. In three steps, you could produce a musical slideshow or a post-processed video. Just choose a template, upload media, and then add any of their royalty-free music. It’s literally as simple as 123.
For tweaking the technical parts of your video, you can minimize the shakiness with Magisto’s stabilization feature. The AI-powered object detection also helps you keep focus. You can also play with different moods from their stockpile of filters.
Another practical feature of Magisto is that it has a web app and mobile app. This makes for easier cross-platform collaboration and sharing. You can publish your content on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram using Magisto.
Why use Magisto? Magisto is for users who don’t have much time to tweak their videos. It’s one of those video editing apps for those users who want more practicality and less nitpicking.
If your storage drives are filled to the brim with boring videos and photos, Magisto is the app for you. It will turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
Top features
- Tech support.
- Editing styles.
- Text and titles.
- Vimeo integration.
- Stock footage library.
- 3-step video creation.
- Insights and analytics.
- Royalty-free commercial music
- Library of free themes and templates.
- Premium, Professional, and Business plans.
- 7-day full access to advanced editing features.
- Emotional Sense Technology™, or AI-assisted editing.
- Content distribution to multiple social media platforms.
Drawbacks
For us, the 7-day duration of the free trial is pretty short. And according to the website, if the free trial expires, you can still view and share your saved videos—but you can’t edit them anymore.
PicPlayPost
Pricing
Free | Pro | In-app purchases |
Free version | $6.99 for monthly payments | Yes |
14-day free trial for Pro version | $47.99 for an annual payment | |
$99.99 for one-time purchase |
System requirements
- iOS: Requires iOS 10.3 or later. Compatible with all iOS devices.
- Android: 4.3 and up
About the app
Are you a Facebook page manager for photography or events marketing businesses? Are you an influencer who’s building a network on Snapchat or Instagram? You could check out a neat app like PicPlayPost.
PicPlayPost is a slideshow maker, live wallpaper creator, and video collage maker. Those are the most essential tools for building and engaging a photo or video-centric online community. If you want a reliable tool for content creation, this could be it. But, as cliche as this may sound, there’s more!
The video editor
The great thing about this app is that it lets you produce tons of striking video content for audiences who use their mobile phones. It’s a pretty comprehensive and generous app. We are referring to live wallpapers, photos, videos, scrolling vertical and horizontal videos, musical slideshows, memes… Phew. That’s a lot, isn’t it?
Plus, on the app, you can produce up to 30-minute videos. That is already a short film, mind you. And if you have iPhone XS and iPad Pro, you can render them in 4k and 1080p. So, this video editing app will not just indulge social media content creators but also visual artists that produce long-form content.
Why use PicPlayPost? You should use it if you want to stand out from a sea of content creators. Therefore, you should also use this if you want variety in your array of video content. It’s safe to say that this is an app for creators with audiences who are easily satiated with the same old content.
Top features
- Trim, cut, and rotate videos.
- Lets you add animated text.
- You can add GIFs from Giphy.
- Renders in 1080p and 4K videos.
- Upload your voice recording files.
- Speed up or slow down video clips.
- Add royalty-free songs and background music.
- You can upload your logo or your own watermark.
- Lets you produce 30-minute videos and slideshows.
- It allows you to create live wallpaper, with 9:16 and 9.19.5 ratios.
- Has a nine-frame photo template for the “Top Nine” trend on Instagram.
- Supports formats for YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, FB cover, and IG Stories.
Drawback
PicPlayPost has a free desktop app you can get on Microsoft store, but it’s not very accessible. It would have been more convenient if it were a website app.
FilmoraGo – Video Editor & Maker
Pricing
Free | Pro | In-app purchases |
Free version | $4.99 – FilmoraGo Pro (1 Month) | Yes |
Free trial of FilmoraGo Pro | $6.99 – FilmoraGo Pro (3 Months) | |
FilmoraGo 4.0 Unlimited Subscription |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: 4.2 and up
About the app
Filmora is a revered editing video app for desktop. It’s beloved by many video editors, whether they are amateurs and pros.
Filmora may look like a cutesy app, but it is neck to neck with other powerful video editing apps like Adobe Premiere Rush and Final Cut. Now, Wondershare brings the same beloved features in a mobile package—FilmoraGo is its mobile version for iOS and Android.
The video editor
What does FilmoraGo have to offer to mobile editors? As the name suggests, it’s an on-the-go app that has the same clean and intuitive interface of Filmora. And not only that—the PC editing tools you can find on its desktop version are present in the mobile as well.
On the app, it’s clear that FilmoraGo targets the average Joes and Janes who love a quick aesthetic edit for their home videos. The app has cute and accessible circular buttons, which you can tap to access the tools and add video effects, overlays, text, and filters. You can also tap it again to hide those tools.
Another admirable feature is its ability to pull photos from Facebook and Instagram. Sometimes, people have multiple albums that it is such a chore to scroll up and down to search for the right photos. FilmoraGo makes this easy by letting you import photos from social media.
One notable video editing perk of FilmoraGo is that it only shows the watermark at the end of the video. So, if you create a video on FilmoraGo, you could just trim the end part before you publish it on your Instagram or Facebook accounts.
FilmoraGo is a fun and intuitive video editing app you can easily rely on.
Top features
- Add elements.
- Video effects.
- Reverse videos.
- Change video speed.
- Copy and rotate clips.
- Add titles to the video.
- Trim and split video clips.
- Zoom-in feature on timeline.
- Make and add your own filters.
- Add transitions between videos.
- Add stickers and animated text.
- Adjust aspect ratio for each project.
- Add, remove, and copy & paste SFX and music.
- Content distribution to top social media platforms.
- Export in different sizes required for sites like Facebook, YouTube, etc.
Drawback
Some people may not like the circular buttons on FilmoraGo, as it only shows a fraction of the thumbnail. They might find it not practical.
KineMaster – Video Editor
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free on iOS and Android | $3.49 Monthly Subscription | Yes |
Free trial of KineMaster Premium | $27.99 Annual Subscription | |
$57.99 One-time payment for annual Subscription |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 11.4 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: 5.0 and up
About the app
KineMaster has a full suite of editing tools. You wouldn’t expect to have those on a mobile video editing app, but, indeed, it does. It’s quite a shock that it’s free.
If you have a YouTube mobile gaming channel, KineMaster would fit you very well. That is because KineMaster is one of those video editing apps you install when you want to impress a younger audience.
These types of viewers are not easy to please—most are watching videos to be entertained and not to be informed.
But KineMaster is more than just an editor for YouTube clips.
The video editor
It has tricks under its sleeve that will allow you to create a livelier and engaging video. We’re talking about its Picture in Picture (PIP) layers, which is great for reaction videos, interviews, and game reviews.
KineMaster also has Chroma Key if you’re filming a tutorial but don’t have a decent background at your place. It also features easy-to-use Keyframe Animation tools, which you can use if you have instructional videos that need animation.
The app also offers stylish blending modes as well, which will help you achieve those dramatic transitions for video or photomontages. You can also decrease a clip’s speed to ⅛.
Meanwhile, if you’re particular about achieving cinematic color grading, you’re in luck. With their most recent update, you can now adjust a video’s vibrance, temperature, lift, highlights, gamma, and hue.
For sound-focused content such as ASMR, music videos, and videos with background music plus dialogues, you can rely on KineMaster’s audio tools. You can use Audio Ducking to decrease the background music’s volume when a person is narrating or speaking in your video. It also has EQ presets that do the quick and dirty work in adjusting a video’s sound for you.
If you’re not too tight in budget, you can buy additional features from KineMaster’s The Asset Store. It updates weekly with in-purchase products like music, fonts, stickers, and more.
Not happy with the watermark? You can subscribe to their Pro version, where you can remove the watermark, access more than 150 assets, and get a Premium Feature Support (blending).
Overall, you shouldn’t underestimate KineMaster, even its free version. It is a huge present in a small package.
Top features
- Add filters
- Chroma Key
- Blending Modes
- Keyframe animation tools
- Crop, trim, and split videos
- Adjust the speed of the video
- Add music, voiceovers, and SFX
- You can render videos in 4K 60 FPS
- Content distribution to social media
- Enhance and adjust colors in the video
- Audio ducking, EQ presets, & voice changers
- Add stickers, text, images, and special video effects
Drawback
There’s a lot to love on KineMaster, but we don’t particularly like the watermark. It just ruins a good video, that it forces a user to subscribe to the premium version just to remove it.
GoPro Quik – GoPro Video Editor
Pricing
Free | Premium – GoPro Plus |
Free version on iOS and Android | $4.17/month, when charged annually. |
30-day free trial of GoPro Plus | $4.99/month, when charged monthly. |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: 5.0 and up
- Compatible with HERO5 cameras and later. Requires the GoPro and Quik mobile apps.
About the app
Quik is an app by GoPro, the most popular action camera brand. True to its creator’s brand value, it’s also a video editing app for people who like to do things fast but still need a reliable tool to immortalize moments.
Particularly, if you use GoPro and iPhone a lot, then this app is a must-add to your essentials.
The video editor
First of all, you can streamline your usage by installing this app. It has mobile and desktop versions, which means you can edit your footages anywhere. Plus, through Quik, you can wirelessly transfer your videos from your GoPro to your iPhone. You can even control your GoPro’s settings via Quik.
Next, just like Magisto’s Emotional Sense Technology™, Quik has an AI-assisted tool that analyzes GoPro videos. It detects faces in a video, people’s expressions like smiles, and whether the video is panoramic or just steady.
Using this AI-assisted tool on Quik, you can easily produce a ready-made video later with the right focus, despite it being excessively action-oriented. That means won’t have to worry about your GoPro filming from the right angles in your adventures. You just have to live in the moment. Quik can settle the dust and add the finishing touches later.
Even better, you can customize the ready-made videos that Quik makes for you, which are called QuikStories. You can add GPS stickers to boast about your speed. You add text overlays, titles, and emojis.
If you want to add your own music and sound effects, you can upload them to Quik from Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and more. Quik even syncs with the transitions to your background music’s melody.
And if you’re satisfied with the result? You can share that awesome flick with your friends on social media through its content distribution tools.
Top features.
- Royalty-free music library
- Trim, cut, and rotate videos.
- Speed up and slo-mo options
- Multi-format support for audio
- Add filters for any scene/adventure
- 26 themes with graphics & transitions
- Set durations for titles and transitions
- You can render videos in HD 1080p, 720p, and 60 fps
- “QuikStories” AI compiles your videos in the last 72 hours
- “Flashbacks” or ready-to-watch merged clips of past videos
- AI-assisted analysis of raw GoPro, iOS, or Android device videos
- You can add up to 200 photos, live photos, and videos to the app’s library.
Drawback
Quik may be agile, but it doesn’t support 360 videos. And if you don’t use GoPro cameras, then you won’t fully experience the power that this app has. How to Get Sound From a Projector to Bluetooth Speakers
VivaVideo – Video Editor & Video Maker
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free version on iOS and Android | $2.99 – Viva Video HD Editor Pro – This is the paid version of the app. | Yes |
Free trial of the Yearly VIP Membership |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: Varies with device
About the app
VivaVideo is another video editing app that packs a punch. With its array of editing tools and options, it’s likely that you will feel satisfied by just one usage.
It’s easy to say that VivaVideo is for:
- casual editors who want to create fun videos,
- for content creators who have a story to tell,
- and for seasoned pros who need a reliable mobile editing app.
The video editor
On the app, you can access advanced editing tools for free. VivaVideo’s top tools are Keyframe Animation, Parameter Adjustments, By-Frame Editing, the Split tool, which you can use to divide multiple videos into grids.
Using the Keyframe Animation tool, you can make emojis, text, and GIFs move around your video wherever you want it. This is especially useful if you’re making instructional content for younger audiences.
On the other hand, if you’re creating content for much older audiences, like employees or coworkers, you can use the Keyframe Animation to add engaging elements to a tutorial video. It’s even more useful for videos that talk about historical events.
You can’t just create a slideshow, right? You can use the Keyframe Animation tool to depict a historical event or a creative representation of it. Your creativity is the limit.
Meanwhile, if you’re feeling extra nitpicky with a video’s look, you can use the Parameter Adjustments tools. Those will also allow you to adjust a video clip’s brightness and color. You can never get the shorter end of the stick with the app’s rich collection of filters, special visual effects, text bubbles, animated subtitles, and stickers.
Best of it all, with the intuitive By-Frame Editing on the timeline, you can drag and drop video clips.
VivaVideo is one of our favorite video editing apps because it simplifies the complicated stuff. It really puts the viva in video editing.
Top features
- Merge videos.
- Reverse videos.
- Custom watermark
- Add filters and transitions
- Keyframe animation tools
- Split, trim, and crop videos.
- Picture-In-Picture (PIP) option
- Zoom in and zoom out on any video
- Add text, stickers, titles, and graphics.
- Add music, voiceover, and sound effects.
- Adjust brightness, hue, contrast, and vignetting
- Background effects – Blur, gradient, solid color, pattern, etc.
- Music extraction – You can use music from your other videos
Drawback
The projects made on the free version of the app will have a watermark and a time limit of up to 5 minutes. All of these drawbacks will disappear if we subscribe to the Pro version and buy in-app purchases.
Mojo – Insta Story Editor
Pricing
Free | Premium |
Free Version on iOS and Android | $9.99 – Mojo Pro, charged monthly. |
$39.99 – Mojo Pro, charged annually. |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 11.4 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: 8.0 and up
About the app
IG Stories, My Day, and Snapchat—these are all content-sharing formats that took social media by storm in recent years. There’s just something magnetic about content that disappears in just 24 hours. It creates a sense of urgency and adds a different kind of personalization that newsfeed posts can’t seem to replicate.
Love sharing stories? Mojo will suit you well. It’s a video editing app for vertical clips like IG stories.
The video editor
Why do we love Mojo? Well, it’s pretty simple—it can bring your stories to a whole new level. You can use Mojo’s animated templates, moving text, music GIFs, and fonts for any event, product, or update you want to share.
More freedom even awaits if you subscribe to the Pro version of Mojo. You can add your own fonts and logo, and access more interesting styles and templates. You can change the canvas to square or landscape if you plan to repost your story in your feed and duplicate your stories.
Using Mojo will instantly bring pizzazz to your stories that viewers can’t resist. After all, if a content’s lifetime is only 24 hours, why not do all you can to make it snazzy?
Top features
- 100+ animated and static templates
- 100+ font styles
- Add photos, videos, and music
- You’re not required to make an account
- Content distribution to social media platforms
Drawback
The only disadvantage with this app is that it’s a one-trick pony. Good thing it doesn’t pretend that it’s not. If you’re looking for a myriad of features, this is not the app for you.
Videoshop – Video Editor
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free Version on iOS and Android | $3.99 for 1 month | $2.99 – Remove All Watermarks |
Free trial of Monthly Subscription | $2.00 per month, if charged annually at $23.99 | |
Free trial of Annual Subscription | $39.99 – Lifetime Videoshop Pro |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 11.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: Requires Android 4.4 and up
About the app
Looking for a fast video editing app with a surprising number of stellar features? You could check out Videoshop.
The interface of the app and the timeline have room for improvement, though. If you don’t like editing in a vertical position, then you might feel awkward editing on this app. Nonetheless, the app’s video editing tools are rewarding.
The video editor
You can do the important basics like trimming, cutting, cropping and rotating on the free version. Besides that, you can adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue.
You can also add gorgeous filters like 1995, Lumi, and B&W. Fun themes like News, Countdown, and Music Video will also add more context to your mini flicks. To top it all off, you can add text in different font styles and animated titles.
And if you publish a video, a watermark appears at the top left of the screen for a few seconds and then disappears.
Now, there are even more enticing features in the premium version.
Videoshop allows you to add the Ken Burns effect to your videos. It is named after the filmmaker, Ken Burns, and is useful in creating montages with narration. This technique uses still photographs with slow zoom and panning effects, and a speaker narrating the context behind the pictures.
With Videoshop, you can also superimpose videos on top of another video, for that overlay effect. Imposing a video over another clip will help you depict two separate but related situations in one scene. This is different from Picture-in-Picture since the opacity of the video in the superimposing technique is lessened.
Bottom line is that VideoShop is one app you shouldn’t miss. There’s already a lot to tinker with on the free version, so we couldn’t imagine how fun the pro version would be.
Top features
- Impose videos.
- Add Ken Burns.
- Reverse videos.
- Add animated titles.
- Change the tilt-shift.
- Add voiceover or narration.
- Add music from your storage.
- Lip sync with videos or songs.
- Add filters, font styles, stickers.
- Trim, cut, crop, and rotate a video.
- Change the canvas and video sizes.
- Content distribution to social media.
- Adjust speed. Increase or decrease it.
Drawbacks
At first, the interface can be a bit confusing because of the timeline above the video. A handful of features like adding voiceover, flipping the video, adding tilt-shift, and reversing videos are only available in its pro version.
Also, the app is only compatible with videos from iPhone, iPad, or Android devices. Adding any video from other types of cameras like GoPro, for example, will cause the app to crash or become too buggy. Overadding of content to the app will also affect your phone’s battery life.
Adobe Spark Video
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free version on iOS | $99.99, prepaid – Full version for one year | Yes |
Included in all of Adobe’s Creative Cloud Plans | $9.99/month, paid annually – Full version for individuals | |
$22.19/month, paid annually – Full version for teams | ||
$226.00/year, prepaid – Full version for teams |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: Requires 5.0 and up
About the app
Adobe does it again! Adobe Spark Video is one of the three Spark apps, together with Adobe Spark Post and Adobe Spark Page. But we’ll specifically talk about the clear standout that is Adobe Spark Video.
Whether you’re a casual user or an entrepreneur who’s juggling different tasks, Spark Video will make you happy. It’s truly made for non-designer folks who want good design but can’t afford a designer for now.
The video editor
Adobe Spark Video has an impressive gigantic database of media and an array of reasonable and easy-to-use tools. You can cut and trim videos, add free icons and professional-grade animated text, and add royalty-free soundtrack. Spark Video will also add cinematic motion automatically.
If you don’t have time to create from scratch, the templates or their Story Guides will be a huge help. Instead of having cliche names like “vintage” or “music video”, each template is named after a purpose such as “Promote an Idea” or “Teach a Lesson”. This feature alone already lightens the burden of users in their creative process, especially those who are not designers.
Meanwhile, the app’s interface is very intuitive and minimal. When you log in on the app, you will see inspirational content first. To start creating, you can choose from any story guide or start from scratch.
If you pick a template, Spark Video will provide you with sections such as one where you will provide an overview of your video’s topic. There’s also a mic button below each section in case you want to narrate.
You can do this all by installing the iOS app or by going to via spark.adobe.com. Spark Video and Spark Page, sadly, is not available on Android devices.
Overall, Adobe Spark Video is a powerhouse app you will regret not trying.
Top features
- Merge clips
- Resize videos
- Add royalty-free music
- Start from scratch option
- Voice recording/narration option
- Animation for graphics and text
- Layout options (Split, full-screen, etc.)
- Different types of typography and fonts
- Instantly syncs with your desktop account
- Themes (Blueprint, Lights, Chalk, Film, etc.)
- Adjust each scene’s speed up to 10 seconds
- Free pre-designed templates or “Story Guides”
Drawback
All three Spark apps are available on all iOS devices, while Android only has Spark Post.
Adobe Premiere Rush
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free Version on iOS and Android | $9.99 – Subscription | Yes |
Included in the Premiere Pro Single App Plan | $4.99 – Rush Phone-Only Subscription | |
Included in the Creative Cloud All Apps Plan |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: 5.0 and up
About the app
Another app by Adobe makes our list! This time, we will talk about another video editing app for content creators like YouTube vloggers—Adobe Premiere Rush.
Adobe Premiere Pro is the video editing software often compared with giants like Final Cut and Avid Media Composer, the most popular editing tool in Hollywood.
As you can see, Rush has the name “Premiere” attached to it. That means the Premiere Rush app is just the mini version of Premiere Pro, but with a much easier workflow and intuitive interface.
The video editor
You may learn Adobe Premiere Rush as a beginner, but it will truly shine if you’re going to use it for business video needs. Rush has four video tracks and three audio tracks, which is great if you’re creating content that involves narration, interviews, and sound bites. It’s also effortless to drag and drop clips.
Rush wouldn’t also have its name without practicality. In fact, it has an expert-grade built-in camera, which is useful for content creators that live a fast-paced life.
Using this camera, you can quickly record clips and edit them right away. And to make it even easier, Rush has motion graphic templates, which titles, colors, and sizes you can also modify.
Adobe also uses the Adobe Sensei artificial intelligence, which balances sound, applies audio ducking, and reduces the noise of raw footage. This will serve you well if you cover events and interview resource speakers in a crowded room.
All in all, Adobe Rush is one of those must-have video editing apps for content creators. Installing this app will also be a good introduction if you want to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud.
Top features
- Multi-track timeline
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Add titles and transitions
- Customize titles and templates
- Change canvas for social media
- Syncs automatically to Adobe cloud storage
- Content distribution to social media channels
- Enhance color, brightness, hue, and saturation
- Create from built-in static and animated templates
- Add and adjust audio like voiceover, music, SFX, etc.
- Adobe Sensei artificial intelligence for audio ducking, noise reduction, and sound balancing
Drawback
You might not appreciate Adobe Premiere Rush if you’ve been using an app like Adobe Spark Video. If the latter is rich with Story Guides, the former has comparatively limited storyboard templates and transitions.
You will also probably not appreciate Rush if you’re a long-time user of Adobe Premiere Pro. If you use it, you might feel like using a watered-down version of Pro.
Cyberlink PowerDirector Video Editor app
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free version on iOS and Android | $34.99 Yearly Subscription | Yes |
$9.99 Quarterly Subscription | ||
$4.99 Monthly Subscription |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 11.2 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: 4.4 and up
About the app
Cyberlink PowerDirector Video Editor is indeed one of those video editing apps you use when you crave power. This app may have an uncomplicated face, but the things you can do with it are anything but basic.
PowerDirector is even optimized for 64-bit devices like iPhone 5S and later models, making the editing experience smooth like butter. It has a professional-looking editing interface, with one audio track, one video track, and a drag-and-drop action for the timeline. You can also easily refine your cuts with each clip’s handles.
For experts who want to quickly edit horizontal or vertical videos and make it look professional, this app can help you. It can allow you to render in 4k videos and stabilize those clips with shaky motion. 4k looks great on YouTube and will help you create that professional appeal even if you are just starting out.
The video editor
You can do the usual basics like trimming, splicing, rotating, and parameter adjustments. But you will not feel unsatisfied with its rich array of blending modes, overlays, and filters. You can add animated titles and text, and upload voiceover or your own music. PowerDirector also has stock videos and music in store in case you’re short in the production budget.
Meanwhile, in the premium version, there’s a paradise awaiting. The paid version of the app showers its subscribers with exclusive filters, backgrounds, and music. There are also effects, music, and videos that are licensed for commercial use. No ads in there either.
One of the most notable updates they put on the app was the ability to add up to 9 audio tracks. This is for premium users. On the free version, users can only use 3 tracks, which is a bit restrictive for editors who can truly work around multiple tracks. Having multiple tracks will help anyone who needs to edit videos with multiple speakers.
Overall, the Cyberlink PowerDirector app indeed packs a punch. It may allow you to casually edit, but it’s nothing but professional.
Top features
- Chroma key
- Adjust speed
- Stabilize video
- Double exposure
- Add animated titles
- Render in 4k resolution
- Add text, stickers, emoji
- Create from free templates
- Rotate, trim, and splice videos
- Picture-in-Picture (PIP) overlay
- Free backgrounds and stock videos
- Merge photos and videos into one clip
- Add special visual effects and transitions
- Adjust your videos’ hues, brightness, and saturation.
Drawback
Its only flaw is it has many buttons in its interface. This can turn off an editor who doesn’t like to see anything other than what they need. Some video editing apps have simpler, cleaner interfaces compared to this PowerDirector app.
WeVideo – Movie & Video Editor
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free versions in iOS and Android | $4.99/month, charged annually – Power plan | Yes |
$7.99/month, charged annually – Unlimited | ||
$17.99/month, charged annually – Professional | ||
$29.99/month, charged annually – Business |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: Requires Android 4.3 and up
About the app
WeVideo is an app that delivers its promise of easy and fun editing. However, it doesn’t fall short on professional features either.
First, let’s step in the easy and fun area. When you open the app, it launches two tabs, “Edits” and “Video.” Edits is where you can access your drafts and Videos is where you can see your published videos.
You can also see a green plus-shaped button at the bottom right part. If you tap on it, it brings you to the editing timeline. It’s a clean albeit interesting interface. It’s almost similar to Adobe Spark Video.
On the editing timeline, you can upload media, apply the themes (which include an opening video & music), record your voice, add royalty-free music, and tap on the option to remove the watermark. You can also request a tutorial by tapping on the three-dot button at the top right. This is helpful for those who are new to editing videos on their phone.
Now, let’s go to the professional part. With an upgrade, WeVideo can allow you to render in Ultra HD 4K videos, remove the watermark, use Chroma Key, and access more premium songs and themes. If you want an on-the-go editor with a few advanced features, you could sign up for the free trial of any of their paid plans. See how it works for you.
The free version of WeVideo makes for a fun but impressive editing process. If you’re making birthday videos or a quick montage, WeVideo will be a reliable editing app.
Top features
- Add filters
- Adjust speed
- Use Chroma Key
- Add GIFs and emojis
- Render in Ultra HD 4K
- Add titles and captions
- Create from 40+ themes
- Cloud-based video editing
- Trim audio clips on the timeline
- Trim, crop, rotate, and cut clips on the app.
- Add blur effect to the background/add tilt-shift
Drawback
If you’re the type of user who wants to see more features and tools on their app, WeVideo might not be for you. It has a clean interface almost to the point of being basic-looking. But if you’re the one for minimalist interfaces, then it shouldn’t be a problem.
inShot
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free version on iOS and Android devices | $3.49/month – InShot Pro | Yes |
$11.99/year – InShot Pro |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: Requires Android 4.3 and up
About the app
If you’re a beginner in the content-creating world, InShot is indeed worth a shot! InShot is one of the most downloaded video editing apps out there—and there are several good reasons behind its success.
InShot lets you edit and publish videos, collages, and photos, and do more exciting things, in an almost effortless way.
It’s just obvious from the get-go that InShot is targeting younger users. With candy colors, fun stickers, and rounded icons, a younger user won’t get intimidated by creating their projects on this video editing app.
Now, launching the app, you can choose to create a photo, video, or collage. You can also access the featured seasonal themes under the “Material” section. If you tap the “See all” button and browse both paid and free themes, animated and static stickers, and effects, which you can install in just one tap.
Uploading media is also extra convenient, especially pulling up videos from your gallery. When you select a clip, you have the option to trim it right away. So, you could say you’re already starting the editing process just from selecting your clips.
The video editor
Meanwhile, on the editing timeline, you will get mini-tutorial guides as you tap each editing tool. Its database of featured music and sound effects is also impressive. You can find SFX of animals, insects, applause, footsteps, and laughter.
Plus, when you add a royalty-free song from their music library, it automatically appears on the timeline’s audio track. You can tap the track if you want to split, increase or decrease the volume, duplicate it, or delete it.
And, get this: the rest of the features like speed adjustment, freezing frames, and flipping are all FREE to use! In the other apps, you have to pay for the premium version before you could use those features.
Top features
- Trim, cut, and rotate videos
- Delete the middle part of a video
- Blurred backgrounds for photos and videos
- Add voiceover, SFX, and background music
- Sync sound and video’s audio
- Add text and emoji
- Sync emoji and text with video & audio
- Add photo and video filter
Drawback
One small flaw of InShot is the ads at the top of the video preview and the ad that appears when you’re saving your video. It can be quite distracting. If you don’t want that nuisance, you could always pay for the InShot pro version.
VLLO – Easy Video & Vlog Editing App
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free version on iOS and Android devices | $0.90 – One-time purchase for ad removal and more | Yes |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Android: Requires Android 5.0 and up
About the app
VLLO is one of the hottest video editing apps right now, especially for the average users who frequent multiple types of social media. With the irresistible and free but advanced features it has, it’s no surprise that it’s making waves.
Launching the app, two options will greet you: Great Video and Motion Photo. When you tap the former, you will be asked to choose clips, photos, or a GIF. After selecting a video, you will choose a canvas size, aspect ratio, and photo duration. These tools will be especially useful if you run a meme account or a reaction account on Instagram.
The video editor
Meanwhile, on the editor, you will see an advanced-looking interface. To do the basic adjustments like resizing, trimming, splitting, and duplicating, you can tap on the combined audio and video track. Besides those, you can also add a background, music, filter, and time range.
It’s actually good that they separated these sets of tools, so the user can have more focus on changing the structure and composition of their videos.
If you’re done with the basic tweaking, you can tap done at the bottom of the app. You can now apply the finishing touches like adding stickers, text, and filters. You can also create a Picture-In-Picture effect, in which VLLO will allow you to add photos and GIFs.
The best feature of this app is its ability to let users adjust the time range of music, SFX, PIP layer, and stickers. Plus it’s not hard to control it at all—you just have to pinch the tracks!
It’s hard to believe that this app is free. Nonetheless, we’re glad that it is. VLLO deserves more recognition than it has right now.
Top features
- No watermark
- Reverse videos
- Add transitions
- Ken Burns effect
- Speed adjustment
- Render in Ultra HD 4K Video
- Picture-in-Picture (PIP) option
- Add GIF and photo to videos
- Add filters and correction effects
- Adjust brightness, hue, and saturation
- Zoom in and zoom out effects on video
- 1000+ vector stickers, graphics, and text
- Adjusting the time range of the PIP layer
- Blur or make faces pixelated on your videos
- Change aspect ratio and canvas size for social media
- Add royalty-free music, voiceover, and sound effects to videos
Drawback
The little flaws we noticed is that some songs take too long to download. Also, you can’t do anything—like lock your phone or close the app—while the finished video is processing. Apart from that, the app is almost near perfect.
VideoShow – All-in-one – Video Editor & Maker
Pricing
Free | Premium | In-app purchases |
Free Version on Android and iOS devices | VideoShowVIP Subscription Service | Yes |
System requirements:
- iOS: Requires iOS 9.0 or later.
- Android: Requires Android 4.0.3 and up
About the app
VideoShow is another hit app we just had to include in this compilation! It’s one of the most feature-packed video editing apps out there. It would just be a crime not to add it to our list. After all, like zShot, it’s one of those miracle all-in-one apps you should have on your smartphones.
Now, even as you open VideoShow, you can easily conclude that your editing experience on it will be bountiful. That is because you will be met with a deluge of themes, options, and features. It doesn’t beat around the bush.
At the top, you can choose from editing a video, browsing the effects, creating a slideshow, taking a photo from the Super Camera, opening My Studio, creating a PIP video, and many more.
Below those options, you can get straight ahead to using the handy tools such as Trim, Compress, Video to Audio, and Convert. This shows that VideoShow is one tool you can quickly pull up for other content creating tasks besides video editing.
Scrolling down further, you can choose from the rows of various seasonal themes like Sweet Love, Travel Holiday, Time Tells Stories, and Four Seasons. This feature is helpful to social media managers who want to create and schedule posts for holidays and important events all year round.
The video editor
Now, on the video editor, you will see that it has a simple and no-nonsense interface. You have the video preview, and below it are the themes, sound, editing tools, and more settings. The arrangement of those tools is straightforward and easy to navigate.
To access the editing tools like the Trim, Split, Zoom, Speed, or Rotate, you can either tap the video preview or tap the Edit button below it. You will see some tools that are free to use and others that require a subscription fee.
Like VLLO, you can also adjust the time range of any emoji, sticker, doodle, or image you will add to the video. You can also control its movement by pinching the item and moving it around the video in the direction you like.
VideoShow is one app that delivers. Its editor may have a few blemishes, but if you’re one of those people who like apps with multiple uses other than video editing, then you could try using VideoShow!
Top features
- Add filters
- Mosaic effect
- Doodle on clips
- Create from themes
- Compress video size
- Convert videos to MP3 files
- Picture-in-Picture (PIP) effect
- Zoom in and zoom out effects
- Render 720P/1080P HD videos
- Change canvas size and aspect ratio
- Cut, trim, rotate, or duplicate video clips.
- Add subtitles, emoji, stickers, and graffiti.
- Add royalty-free music or upload your own songs.
Drawback
One thing we didn’t like about VideoShow is the Speed tool. There was no option to increase the speed, and the “transcoding” bar that loads after you tap Reverse or Speed is annoying. Regardless, it’s an awesome video editing app.
Best tips when filming and using video editing apps
Now that we’ve listed the top video editing apps you could try, it’s time that we share these editing techniques if you use a smartphone.
You may think that you don’t need to learn techniques because you can just buy themes, story guides, or templates. But you have to be wiser than that, especially if you’re a content creator on sites like Facebook and Instagram.
Take note: it’s not just about content but also context!
Using these tips, you can make your videos extra engaging:
Save copies of your works.
If you’re a beginner, always film extra clips or make copies. It’s better to be safer than sorry. Remember: some videos on editing apps also get damaged when the raw videos on your smartphone get deleted. So, before you edit videos, upload them to Gdrive or sync your videos with your iCloud storage.
Be mindful of the video’s orientation.
While you can change the aspect ratio or the position of your video on editing apps, it’s still practical to film videos specifically for a social media platform. That is because changing a video’s aspect ratio from vertical to horizontal might cut the subject from the view.
Invest in an external mic.
Some video editing apps have multi-track timelines, which can allow you to add several voiceover, narration, or audio files. Take advantage of this feature by investing in an external mic. This will make your video’s audio crisper and clearer since you can easily perfect the audio on its own. You don’t need to separate the video and audio in order to edit the latter.
When in doubt, use a natural light.
If you are filming yourself, it’s always preferable to film with natural lighting. This will be more flattering to you and will make you more confident in facing the camera. It will soften the harsh shadows that might make you look grim or tired. More importantly, this will save you extra time in editing your video’s brightness and contrast.
Don’t forget the tools of the trade.
Last but not least is don’t forget to invest in tripods, selfie sticks, selfie lights, and remote shutter buttons. You can’t just film with a smartphone and expect the video editing app to work its magic all the time. To produce the best content, you have to gather a team of professionals—teamwork is the dream work, after all.
Final thoughts
All of the video editing apps on this list serve different functions to many users.
They can be used for business, personal, or recreational purposes. Now, regardless of their features, video editing apps should make the lives of their users easier.
However, these apps could only make that possible if the users could find the right app for them. That is why we made this list. We hoped it helped you sort out what you need.
Related questions
What are the best video editing apps for Android without a watermark?
You could try Quik, Timbre, KlipMix, and even Google Photos.
What are the best video editing apps for iPhone without a watermark?
zShot, Quik, Adobe Premiere Clip, Magisto, and Clips are some of our highly recommended apps without watermarks.