Video content is on the rise especially when it comes to promoting products to customers.
And according to the video marketing statistics, 87% of professional marketers use video as a marketing tool, with the majority of them satisfied with the ROI of this content format.
Sure, it can be tough to find the time to sit down with your laptop, sift through all of your footage, and edit together a great video. But when 54% of people say they’d like to see more videos from brands, ambitious brands know they need to find a way to meet the demand.
Thankfully, there are tons of great free or inexpensive mobile video editing apps that you can use to create professional-looking videos on your phone or tablet.
In this article, you’ll get a quick feel for 20 of these awesome video editing apps.
This guide aims to help you choose the perfect app for your needs so that you can go from hours of slaving away in front of your computer to creating killer, hassle-free videos on the fly.
And stick around until the end to discover some good video editing apps for conquering Instagram.
Alright, let’s dive in!
The Best Apps to Edit Videos
When it comes to making videos the operating system matters. Let’s first look at the best video editing apps for both Android and iOS.
Keep in mind these editing apps have free and paid versions, so it is important to test more than one app before you decide to invest money in them.
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1. Quik App
Quik app is a free video editing app from the makers of GoPro.
It’s designed to speed up the editing process so that you can capture, edit, and post incredible videos on the fly. For this reason, there are fewer features than in its sister app Splice. However, unlike Splice, it’s also available for Android video editors!
You’ll be impressed by what Quik can do automatically. It searches your video footage to find great moments, can automatically trim and edit your clips, and the app can even add transitions. However, you can still manually edit your clips if you want more control over your video edit.
If you’re looking for an app that can help you create awesome videos extremely quickly, this is the one for you.
Pros: Automatic editing features.
Cons: Some users may want more editing control.
Best for: Quick video edits.
2. Adobe Premiere Rush
Adobe Premiere Rush is one of the most popular free video editing apps around. This app borrows many key instruments from Adobe’s Premiere Pro, Audition, and After Effects for powerful editing.
You can adjust speed, trip, and crop videos, create pan and zoom effects, and enhance color with intuitive tools and presets. If you’re feeling creative, Rush also has built-in animations like overlays and titles that you can customize to your liking.
One of the app’s best features is multiple video tracks. This lets you create cool video effects like split-video and picture-in-picture. On top of that, you can easily resize footage to a specific aspect ratio, including 4:5, square, portrait, and footage to share on different channels. Rush resizes all videos in a sequence automatically – perfect for Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
What’s more, you can add a thumbnail, schedule your content, and publish it to different social media channels directly from the app.
Adobe Premiere Rush is free to use but has a Premier version that adds additional capabilities like auto reframe, sound balancing, and 4K video exports.
Pros: Simple to use, exports files quickly, cross-platform support.
Cons: Lacks a few key features like storyboard templates.
Best for: YouTubers looking to make creative videos on the go.
3. InShot App
InShot app is an all-in-one visual content editing app. It allows you to create videos, edit photos, and create image collages.
The app has plenty of features too. You can trim clips, change the speed of your footage, and add filters, music, and text. You can also flip and rotate footage, which is a handy feature that many other apps don’t have.
The downside is that you need to pay $2.99 to remove the in-app ads and the watermark added to videos.
That said, InShot is simple to use and has everything you need. This app is perfect for creators who want a mobile video editor that does it all without too many frills.
Pros: All-in-one functionality.
Cons: Watermark and ads included with the free version.
Best for: Creating basic videos, collages, and photo edits.
4. KineMaster
Kinemaster‘s intuitive interface makes mobile video editing easy. Well, as easy as it can be.
The app allows you to edit clips together like you would on most desktop video editing programs.
You can also add effects, text, and music. The app allows you to record audio to add to your video, and there’s plenty of music and sound effects on the KineMaster Asset Store.
The downside is that the free version exports your videos with a watermark. And the monthly fee of $4.99 is more than most other video apps.
Even so, the app has a surprising amount of features and is certainly good enough for professional video editors looking to edit a video on the move. It’s also one of the best video editing apps available for Android users.
Pros: Incredible features and interface.
Cons: Watermarked videos with the free version, monthly subscription for the pro-plan.
Best for: Serious Android video editors.
5. WeVideo
WeVideo is leading the charge when it comes to cloud-based video editors – i.e., software accessed and hosted online instead of working from your device’s hard drive.
And this app is great – if you’re happy to upgrade to one of the premium versions. The free version comes with all of the basics to test the waters. You can trim clips, add filters, choose music from the built-in library, and more.
However, you’re only given 10GB of cloud storage for your video edits, and the free version puts a watermark on your videos. So if you plan to create more than one video, you’ll need to upgrade.
WeVideo’s premium plans offer some fantastic advanced features and functionality. These include a music library featuring commercially licensed music and the ability to share videos in 4K Ultra HD resolution.
Pros: Fantastic premium features and functionality.
Cons: The free version is more like a free trial than an actual free version.
Best for: Businesses looking to take their social videos to the next level.
6. PicPlayPost
PicPlayPost is a simple iOS and Android video editor app that allows you to create video collages. This feature is perfect for creators looking to narrate a separate video clip.
For example, fitness professional Melissa Made creates video collages to teach workout moves for her Instagram followers. In one video, she’ll demonstrate the move, and in the other video, she’ll describe it.
To access this awesome feature, you’ll need to upgrade to the app’s premium version, which has a monthly fee.
The app also lets you trim clips, add your own music, and edit the collage frame color, shape, and size.
Pros: Video collage feature.
Cons: Need to upgrade to access the best features. Very basic video editing.
Best for: Influencers with a skill to share via video collage.
7. Horizon
When we rush to capture a moment on the move, it can be difficult to capture the action horizontally. Horizon is the best video editing app for addressing the problem. With this app, you can capture horizontal videos no matter the position of your phone.
All footage shot in the app is captured horizontally – regardless of how your phone is tilted. To see how it works, check out the demo on Horizon’s website.
If you’re always trying to capture great footage on the move, shoot your videos through the Horizon app to keep it level.
Pros: Very simple to use. Keeps footage horizontal.
Cons: The Android version is not as advanced as the iOS version. Depending on your needs, some in-app purchases may be necessary.
Best for: Always capturing film horizontally.
8. Video Shop
Videoshop is a great personal and professional iOS and Android mobile video editor app. You can trim seconds easily, slow footage down, or merge multiple clips into one all in this one app.
As an easy to use mobile video editor for Android and iOS, this app is excellent for fast editing, adding filters, sound effects, and so much more.
Other features include adding text, attaching a soundtrack to your video, enhancing filters, and animated transitions. With all these features to play with, you wouldn’t need another video editor app to promote your business.
Pros: Combine multiple clips into one.
Cons: Only allows for one audio recording at a time.
Best for: Fun YouTube Videos.
9. VivaVideo
VivaVideo is a very popular video editing app that works especially well for short clips for social media. You can use its storyboard style of editing to load, edit, trim and merge your video clips. Seriously, it’s a breeze to edit videos with this app.
With over 200 video filters, text input, and fast/slow motion support, it is no wonder that VivaVideo was voted the “Best Free Video Editor Apps” by Android bloggers in 2019.
VivaVideo has a free version with a watermark and a time limit, and a pro version ranging from €0.99 – €32.99.
Pros: Over 200 video filters.
Cons: Watermark with the free version.
Best for: Creating a professional-looking video story with few taps.
10. VideoShow
VideoShow is the best iOS and Android mobile video editor to create videos or slideshows with photos, pictures, music, sound effects, and more.
With built in effects, GIFs, stickers, filters, transitions, sound effects and live dubbing, creating your own vlog or product videos has never been easier.
The app also offers trendy filters to make you look good in every vlog and image. Plus, you can doodle on videos to engage your audiences and answer the questions they might have.
Pros: Super easy to use for all beginners.
Cons: Watermark with the free version.
Best for: Quick and simple videos, including images.
11. Splice App
Available on iOS only.
Splice app is one of the most popular free video editing apps available for iPhone and iPad users. From the makers of GoPro, this app is simple to learn due to its intuitive interface.
As the name suggests, you can splice different video clips together in just a few simple taps to get a compelling result. The app allows you to trim and edit the different clips in your video, and you can customize transitions.
Splice even contains a large built-in music library, so you can give your video an immediate professional boost.
Pros: Simple and very easy to use.
Cons: Only available for iOS.
Best for: Editing multiple clips together quickly.
12. iMovie
Available on iOS only.
iMovie is one of the more popular video making apps on this list. Is iMovie free? Yes, it is 100% free! Unfortunately, like all Apple software, this app is only available to iOS users.
The video editor is extremely simple and intuitive to use. The drag and drop interface makes editing uniquely painless.
iMovie has all of the basic features you need to make and edit videos on your iPhone or iPad. You can trim clips, add music, record audio, and insert filters. There’s a library of pre-made transitions, and the app supports 4K resolution.
This app is a great place to start if you’re new to video editing. However, once you’ve learned the ropes, you may start looking for an alternative video editing app with more features.
Pros: Very easy to learn.
Cons: Experienced editors may find the features limited.
Best for: iPhone and iPad users who are new to video editing.
13. LumaFusion
Available on iOS only.
LumaFusion is a multi-track video editor that anyone from journalists, filmmakers, and video producers can use to promote compelling stories.
It is a professional iOS video editing and effects app for you and one of the best video editing apps for iPhone.
MacWorld describes it as one of the few apps that live up to the hype around it, and this could be because it is packed full of features that are easy to use.
The app is produced by the creators of Pinnacle Studio App, a leading film-editing technology, so these guys know what they are doing.
Pros: There is a wealth of tutorials to help you become a pro.
Cons: Cannot sync between devices through iCloud.
Best for: Professionals looking for a powerful iPhone video editing app.
14. Filmmaker Pro
Available on iOS only.
Filmmaker Pro allows users to access underlying assets in projects so you can easily manage, share, and/or export individual clips.
As a more technical video editor app than many, the app allows you to adjust the colour gradient, white balance, saturation, and contrast of footage.
There are many free features to use, but for $19.99, or $5.99 per month, you can unlock everything in the app – including manual video mode to control the whole video editing process.
Pros: Unlimited video clips, audio tracks, voiceovers, and text overlays.
Cons: Watermarks included with the free version.
Best for: Those who want ultimate control over their filmmaking in iOS.
15. Magisto
Magisto is an award-winning AI (artificial intelligence) free video editing app. This clever app allows you to make amazing videos in just three easy steps.
Firstly, choose an editing style, such as “Traveler,” “Fashion,” “Country,” or “Clean.” Secondly, add the photos and video footage you'd like to include in your video, and then pick a music track from Magisto’s built-in library. Finally, using AI, this intuitive app will automatically edit and create your video!
Plus, the results are pretty impressive. Magisto can save you plenty of time and deliver a professional-looking video. This app is particularly great for quick Instagram posts and will make it look like you spent a couple of hours editing your Story!
If you like the app, you can also upgrade to the Premium or Professional plans for a small monthly fee. These plans provide more features, like longer videos and specific marketing functions, such as the ability to export directly to Facebook’s ads manager.
Pros: Impressive auto-editing ability. Advanced marketing tools.
Cons: You sacrifice some editing control for speed.
Best for: Quick, professional-looking video edits for marketing hustlers.
16. Boomerang
Boomerang is an app created by Instagram to do one thing, and one thing only: Create short boomerang videos.
What is a boomerang video? These videos are short clips that play forward and then in reverse on a loop.
This nifty app helps you to create entertaining little videos to engage your friends and followers. Simply tap the circle to shoot, and Boomerang will take a quick burst of 10 photos to turn into a video.
Because it’s built by Instagram, you can post your video directly to social media networks from the app.
Pros: Very easy to use and share content. Inspires creativity.
Cons: It only has one feature.
Best for: Creating short, engaging video clips.
17. Hyperlapse
Available on iOS only.
Hyperlapse is another great free video editing app created by Instagram. This app allows you to create time-lapse videos.
By condensing a lot of time into a short video, you can use Hyperlapse to create compelling videos for your friends and followers. Plus, this app also does away with the need for tripods due to its impressive stabilization technology.
When you’re done with your time-lapse video, you can share it straight to Instagram or Facebook. You can also choose the speed setting of your time-lapse video up to 12x. (So a 60-second video sped up by 12x would be a 5-second time-lapse.)
Time-lapse works particularly well when capturing changes in weather or showing how a product is made. So download this app and get creative!
Pros: Stabilization technology means you don’t need a tripod.
Cons: iOS only. It may take a couple of attempts to get great results.
Best for: Shooting stunning time-lapse videos.
18. Anchor Videos
Okay, so Anchor isn’t actually a video editing app, per se. This app is specifically designed to create and publish podcasts, but it does allow you to create video clips from audio to share to social media.
You can use the app to record your podcast episodes, or you can import audio from your phone or tablet. Then, you can use the app’s video creation technology, which allows you to quickly turn audio segments into beautiful, shareable videos.
Plus, these videos feature automatically generated word-by-word transcriptions that sync perfectly with your audio. To see a demo, check out this article on Medium.
What’s more, video interviews and vlogs can often make great podcasts, so don’t let those valuable audio files go to waste. Use this app to edit and upload your best video content onto podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
Pros: Make audio files shareable on social media.
Cons: Automatic transcription still needs proofreading.
Best for: Promoting your podcast on social media.
19. Apple Clips
Available on iOS only.
While some native Apple apps fall short, Apple Clips is absolutely brilliant. This best video editor app covers most of your needs: Stitch clips together, edit your timeline, add subtitles, and more.
One particularly great feature is the ability to edit your background – to give your content a comic book feel, for example. Another awesome feature is Live Titles, which automatically adds captions that are in sync with your voice while you’re speaking. After you’re done, just go back and edit the Live Titles to make sure they’re correct.
Pros: Quick and easy to use. Covers all the main features you need. Live Titles.
Cons: iOS only.
Best for: iOS users looking for quick, interactive, Instagram-friendly editing software.
20. FilmoraGo
FilmoraGo is a solid free video editing app without any watermarks or paid subscriptions. The app is perfect for Instagram but also creates audience-ready videos for a variety of other platforms.
The app allows you to incorporate your own music or tracks from their built-in library. You can also add transitions, overlay themes, and trim video clips. Plus, you can add text and titles to your videos.
Filmora does offer a desktop version starting at $44.99 a year, but you can still get a lot of functionality from the free mobile app.
Pros: Great for basic mobile video editing.
Cons: Not quite as good as the desktop app.
Best for: Adding text, themes, and overlays to customize your videos.
21. ActionDirector
Available on Android only
Designed for Android devices, ActionDirector is a tool for capturing and editing video. You can use this tool to alter your clips, add unique action effects, and even change the speed of some of your footage. There’s also an option to highlight specific sections of your video when you want them to rewind or replay.
The ActionDirector app is one of the best editing apps for videos when you want to add simple effects quickly. Adding text and music takes a matter of minutes, and you can share your completed creations through social media too.
The ActionDirector application is free, but you will need to upgrade to the premium version if you want the full features without watermarks on your videos. The paid version also allows you to edit in HD.
Pros: Decent free version excellent for beginners, with plenty of stickers, filters, and extras to implement into your edits.
Cons: Watermarks in the free version.
Best for: Quickly adding text, music, and other content to your videos before posting on social media.
22. ALIVE Movie Maker
Ideal for younger video editors making their first videos, the ALIVE Movie Maker is a very straightforward application with a bustling online community. The app focuses mostly on short video clips – similar to what you might see on TikTok.
With ALIVE Movie Maker, you can adjust and edit short videos up to 30 seconds long, adding filters, animations, stickers, custom text, and musical sounds. Although this app is quite basic compared to some of the other best video maker app choices out there, it’s very easy to use.
ALIVE Movie Maker also has the added benefit of being free to use, so you don’t have to worry about spending a fortune on edits.
Pros: Simple for beginners and younger audiences.
Cons: Only basic editing functionality available for short videos.
Best for: Younger creators who want to experiment with video editing.
23. PowerDirector
Available on Android only
Designed for Android users, the PowerDirector app is a robust tool brimming with 4K video clip creation features.
Created by the experts at CyberLink, this app supports you in connecting various video clips into new videos or creating new footage. You can even access things like motion tracking to ensure the focus of your video is always in frame.
To keep you coming back for more, the PowerDirector team frequently adds new filters, graphics, templates, and other tools to experiment with.
With advanced tools like video stabilization, chroma key creative sound effects and voice overs, and even video timelines, it’s amazing to think this app is free for beginners. If you want to access a wider selection of features, you need to upgrade and invest in one of CyberLink’s paid editing products. Prices start at around $99 here.
Pros: Constantly updating features for advanced editors.
Cons: Can be a little tricky for beginners to learn.
Best for: People looking for advanced features like motion graphics and keyframe controls.
24. VidLab
Available on iOS only
If you want an easy way to add filters to your videos, VidLab is a simple and accessible tool for people with all levels of editing skills. There aren’t a lot of advanced features built into this tool, but you can quickly add effects with one click if you’re looking to spruce up a clip quickly.
The great thing about VidLab is how easy it is to save and preserve your videos. You can place your edited content in the cloud and edit it from any web browser. VidLab allows users to add video, sound, and visual effects to movies, including adding video directly from your iTunes library. You can even share your videos on social networks.
Downloading the VidLab application is free, but you need to make in-app purchases if you want to access all the functionality. Paid packages start at $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year.
Pros: Simple features that any video editor can use, with cloud storage for saved content.
Cons: The free features are a little basic.
Best for: Beginners looking for a solution where they can edit and save video content.
Summary: 24 Top Video Editing Apps for iOS and Android in 2021
Consistently publishing compelling video content can be a challenge.
But with the use of a great video editing app, the job becomes far easier. With the right app for your needs, you’ll be able to create and publish content on the move that your audience will love.
In summary, here are the best editing apps for videos on iOS and Android:
- Quik
- Adobe Premiere Rush
- InShot
- KineMaster
- WeVideo
- PicPlayPost
- Horizon
- Videoshop
- VivaVideo
- VideoShow
- Splice
- iMovie
- LumaFusion
- Filmmaker Pro
- Magisto
- Boomerang
- Hyperlapse
- Anchor Videos
- Apple Clips
- FilmoraGo
- ActionDirector
- ALIVE Movie Maker
- PowerDirector
- VidLab
Try out a few of these apps, identify the best one for you, and start editing!
Which video editing app are you most excited to try first? Let us know in the comments below!
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