Avid Media Composer vs DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve scores 9.3 to Avid Media Composer's 8.0 among the professional video editors we rate, and is the better pick for 4 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
DaVinci Resolve wins, 9.3 to 8.0
DaVinci Resolve's free edition never expires, and Studio adds masking and other extras as a one time purchase, not a subscription. Avid Media Composer also keeps a free edition, but Avid no longer sells a new perpetual licence at all, only subscriptions. Both build a compositor into the timeline, Fusion in DaVinci Resolve and Animatte in Avid, with a full scope set for colour grading. Pick based on whether owning a paid tier once matters to you.
Pick Avid Media Composer if you need bin-locked collaboration and Avid's own Extensions ecosystem.
Pick DaVinci Resolve if you want a one time Studio purchase you own outright.
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: DaVinci Resolve yes, Avid Media Composer does not say
- Camera raw video: DaVinci Resolve yes, Avid Media Composer does not say
- Reframes to vertical or square by itself: DaVinci Resolve yes, Avid Media Composer no
- Masks a person or object by itself: DaVinci Resolve yes, Avid Media Composer does not say
- Where it runs: Windows, Mac, iOS against Windows, Mac
- Sells a licence you own outright: DaVinci Resolve yes, Avid Media Composer no
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. DaVinci Resolve 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 (16)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Avid Media Composer
DaVinci Resolve
For everything else about each tool, read the full Avid Media Composer review and DaVinci Resolve review.
Avid Media Composer vs DaVinci Resolve: common questions
Which is better, Avid Media Composer or DaVinci Resolve?
DaVinci Resolve scores 9.3 and Avid Media Composer 8.0 out of 10 among the professional video editors we rate. DaVinci Resolve is ahead on pro editing, aI in the editor, workflow and teams and pricing.
Is Avid Media Composer or DaVinci Resolve cheaper?
Avid Media Composer's cheapest paid plan is Free (First); paid from $39.99/mo (Standard) and DaVinci Resolve's is Free. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
What can DaVinci Resolve do that Avid Media Composer cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: reframes to vertical or square by itself and sells a licence you own outright.
