Shotcut — A free, open-source, cross-platform video editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux built on FFmpeg, supporting hundreds of audio and video formats natively without conversion.
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Shotcut in 20 seconds
Best for: hobbyist and independent editors who want a free, capable editor that handles native footage formats without converting them first
Pricing: Completely free with no paid tier of any kind, under the GPLv3 open-source license.
- Shotcut is free, open-source (GPLv3), and available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Shotcut is built on FFmpeg and natively supports hundreds of audio and video formats without conversion.
- Shotcut's GitHub repository (mltframework/shotcut) has about 15,000 stars and over 7,300 commits.
- Shotcut includes screen, webcam, and audio capture, 4K editing, and Blackmagic Design SDI/HDMI output.
- Shotcut new releases ship roughly every two months.
Limitations: No official paid support channel; relies on community help.; Less polished interface and stability than commercial editors.; Color-grading tools are less advanced than DaVinci Resolve's.; Desktop-only, with no web or mobile version.
Top alternatives: DaVinci Resolve, Kdenlive, Adobe Premiere Pro, CapCut, Filmora — full list
What is Shotcut?
Shotcut is a free, open-source, cross-platform video editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux, originally created by Charlie Yates in 2004 and substantially rewritten into its current form by Dan Dennedy, now maintained by Meltytech, LLC. Its core technical advantage is native FFmpeg integration: because it supports hundreds of audio and video formats directly, most footage can be dropped onto the timeline and edited without a separate conversion or transcoding step first, and its timeline can mix multiple resolutions and frame rates in the same project. Beyond basic cutting, Shotcut includes screen, webcam, and audio capture, 4K editing, and Blackmagic Design SDI and HDMI output for professional external monitoring, all through a customizable, dockable-panel interface. Shotcut is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 and is entirely free with no paid tier, in-app purchases, or subscription of any kind. New versions ship roughly every two months, and the project is actively maintained on GitHub with about 15,000 stars and over 7,300 commits.
Shotcut is a free, open-source video editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux, built on the FFmpeg library so it natively supports hundreds of audio and video formats and lets users edit clips directly on the timeline without converting them first. It targets both hobbyist and professional videographers who want a capable, no-cost editor rather than a subscription tool like Premiere Pro. Shotcut is licensed under the GPLv3, has no paid tier of any kind, and is maintained by Meltytech, LLC on GitHub, where its repository has accumulated roughly 15,000 stars; it also includes screen, webcam, and audio capture, 4K support, and Blackmagic Design SDI/HDMI output for professional monitoring.
Standout feature: Native FFmpeg-based format support that lets hundreds of audio and video formats be edited directly on the timeline without converting them first, at zero cost.
Biggest weakness: As a volunteer-maintained open-source project, Shotcut lacks the polish, official support channel, and advanced collaboration or color-grading tools found in paid editors like DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro, and its single Product Hunt review notes occasional bugs typical of open-source software.
Pros
- Completely free with no paid tier, ads, or watermark, under the GPLv3 license.
- Native FFmpeg support edits hundreds of formats directly without a conversion step.
- Actively maintained with new releases roughly every two months and about 15,000 GitHub stars.
- Includes screen, webcam, and audio capture alongside standard editing tools.
Cons
- No official paid support channel; help comes from community forums and documentation.
- Interface and stability are less polished than commercial editors like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
- No color-grading tools as advanced as DaVinci Resolve's node-based system.
- No web or mobile version; desktop-only on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Shotcut pricing
Free · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Full editor with no feature gating, ads, or paid tier of any kind, under the GPLv3 license. |
What reviewers say
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