Head-to-head · facts checked 22 Sept 2026
DaVinci Resolve vs Kdenlive
2 tools, 9 differing data points, mostly pricing and positioning.
From
Free
Free plan
Yes
The verdict
DaVinci Resolve or Kdenlive?
Section 01
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve
Free
The full editor, no expiry
DaVinci Resolve Studio
$295 once
One-time purchase, no subscription
KKdenlive
Free
Free
Free, open-source software with no paid tier
Section 02
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
DaVinci Resolve
Pros
- The free edition never expires and includes editing, color correction up to Ultra HD, visual effects, motion graphics, audio post and multi-user collaboration.
- Studio is a one-time $295 purchase rather than a subscription, so you own it once you buy it.
- Color grading includes professional scopes such as a waveform monitor and vectorscope alongside HDR color wheels, power windows and a node editor.
- Workflow integration and encoding APIs let you connect DaVinci Resolve to your own asset management and production tools.
Cons
- Magic Mask, advanced HDR grading and the AI Fairlight audio effects only unlock in the paid Studio edition.
- There is no built-in stock media library, so footage, music and graphics have to come from elsewhere.
KKdenlive
Pros
- Kdenlive is free software under the GNU General Public License, with no licence fees, subscriptions or premium feature gate.
- A multicam tool lets you cut between several cameras while playback is running, alongside color grading with LUTs, curves and professional scopes.
- An Object Mask effect runs Meta's Segment Anything Model 2 locally to isolate an object across a clip after one click, without sending footage to a vendor cloud.
- Compositing tools such as alpha channels, blending modes, chroma key and masking run inside the same app as the rest of the editor.
Cons
- Kdenlive does not support HDR10, HLG or another HDR workflow.
- It has no third-party plugin support such as OpenFX or VST; the project's own AI plugins install separately via a Python virtual environment.
- It has no shared-project collaboration feature for editing with other people.
Side by side
| Company | ||
| Founded | — | 2003 |
| HQ | Australia | Germany |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Free / one-time | — |
| Free plan | Yes, the whole editor | Yes, the whole app |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| All plans | DaVinci Resolve — Free DaVinci Resolve Studio — $295 once | Free — Free |
| Positioning | ||
| Best for | Editors and colourists who want grading with scopes, compositing and audio post in one app, and would rather buy the upgrade once than rent it | Editors who want a free, open-source multicam editor with local AI object masking |
| Differentiator | The free edition is the full editor, and the paid Studio licence is a one-time purchase that adds the Neural Engine tools and the deeper HDR work. | Kdenlive is a free, open-source editor from KDE with multicam editing and local AI masking. |
| Competitors | — | Shotcut, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere |
Section 03
DaVinci Resolve vs Kdenlive: common questions
Is DaVinci Resolve or Kdenlive cheaper?
DaVinci Resolve's cheapest paid plan is Free and Kdenlive's is Free. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
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