Adobe Premiere vs Kdenlive
Adobe Premiere scores 8.0 to Kdenlive's 6.1 among the professional video editors we rate, and is the better pick for 3 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Adobe Premiere wins, 8.0 to 6.1
Kdenlive is free, open source software with no company behind it, while Adobe Premiere is a subscription at $22.99 a month on the annual plan, with a 7 day trial and no free tier for the desktop app. Premiere adds HDR export, camera raw import, Frame.io collaboration and AI tools that generate new footage, translate captions and reframe to vertical by themselves, none of which Kdenlive has. Kdenlive answers with multicam editing and its own local Object Mask AI tool, all for free.
Pick Adobe Premiere if you need camera raw, team collaboration or AI footage generation.
Pick Kdenlive if you want free multicam editing with local AI masking.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- HDR editing and export: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Camera raw video: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Third-party plugins: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Generates new frames or footage: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Edit the video by editing its transcript: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Translates captions or audio: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Several editors on one project: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Scripting or workflow API: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Built-in stock media: Adobe Premiere yes, Kdenlive no
- Free edition you can keep using: Kdenlive yes, Adobe Premiere no
- Cheapest way to pay, monthly: $0 against $22.99
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other professional video editors we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Adobe Premiere leads on 4 of 5 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (7)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Adobe Premiere
Kdenlive
For everything else about each tool, read the full Adobe Premiere review and Kdenlive review.
Adobe Premiere vs Kdenlive: common questions
Which is better, Adobe Premiere or Kdenlive?
Adobe Premiere scores 8.0 and Kdenlive 6.1 out of 10 among the professional video editors we rate. Adobe Premiere is ahead on pro editing, aI in the editor, workflow and teams and privacy and support. Kdenlive is ahead on pricing.
Is Adobe Premiere or Kdenlive cheaper?
Adobe Premiere's cheapest paid plan is $22.99/mo billed annually (Premiere single app) and Kdenlive's is Free. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
What can Adobe Premiere do that Kdenlive cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: hDR editing and export, camera raw video, third-party plugins, generates new frames or footage, edit the video by editing its transcript, translates captions or audio, one-click dialogue clean-up, reframes to vertical or square by itself, several editors on one project, scripting or workflow API and built-in stock media.
What can Kdenlive do that Adobe Premiere cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: free edition you can keep using.
