Every tool starts at zero and earns points for what it does and what it costs. Here is exactly what earns them.
The short version
We check each tool on 5 things a buyer cares about. Together they are worth 100 points.
The final score is those points out of 10. A tool with 84 points scores 8.4.
Everything comes from the tool's own website. We don't take payment for points.
Professional video editors
Pro editingAI in the editorWorkflow and teamsPricingPrivacy and support
What earns points
1. Pro editing
30 of 100 pointsThe professional work: multicam, colour grading with scopes, HDR, camera raw video, proxy editing, motion tracking, compositing in the same app, and third-party plugins. All three do all of it, and it is scored anyway, because it is why you would pick one of these over a browser editor.
Colour grading with scopesup to 1.75
Multicam editingup to 1.5
HDR editing and exportup to 1.25
Camera raw videoup to 1.25
Compositing and effects in the same appup to 1.25
Third-party pluginsup to 1
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 30 of the 100.
2. AI in the editor
15 of 100 pointsAI that saves editing time: generating new frames to extend a clip, editing by transcript, masking a person or object by itself, translating captions, one-click dialogue clean-up and reframing to vertical.
Generates new frames or footageup to 2.25
Edit the video by editing its transcriptup to 2.25
Masks a person or object by itselfup to 1.75
Translates captions or audioup to 1.5
One-click dialogue clean-upup to 1.25
Reframes to vertical or square by itselfup to 1
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 15 of the 100.
3. Workflow and teams
15 of 100 pointsSeveral editors on one project, how many platforms it runs on, a scripting or workflow API, and built-in stock media.
Several editors on one projectup to 4
Where it runsup to 3.5
| 1 platform | +1.5 |
| 2 platforms | +2.5 |
| 3 platforms or more | +3.5 |
Scripting or workflow APIup to 1.75
Built-in stock mediaup to 0.75
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 15 of the 100.
4. Pricing
30 of 100 pointsThe cheapest way to pay each month, whether there is a free edition you can keep using, whether it sells a licence you own outright, and the trial.
Cheapest way to pay, monthlyup to 6
| Free | +6 |
| Up to $10 | +5.5 |
| Up to $15 | +5 |
| Up to $20 | +4.5 |
| Up to $30 | +3.5 |
| Up to $60 | +2.5 |
| Up to $100 | +1.5 |
| Over $100 | +0.5 |
Free edition you can keep usingup to 1.75
Sells a licence you own outrightup to 1.75
Free trialup to 0.5
| None | 0 |
| 1 to 7 days | +0.3 |
| 8 days or more | +0.5 |
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 30 of the 100.
5. Privacy and support
10 of 100 pointsHow many ways there are to reach support. All three edit on your own machine, so they are not asked about SOC 2, GDPR or training AI on your videos: there is no service holding the project.
Does not train AI on your videosup to 3.5
| Yes | +3.5 |
| Only if you opt out | +1.8 |
| No | 0 |
Ways to reach supportup to 3
| 1 way | +1.5 |
| 2 ways | +2.5 |
| 3 ways or more | +3 |
Each section adds up to 10, then counts for 10 of the 100.
A real example: DaVinci Resolve
Here is how DaVinci Resolve got its 9.3.
| Section | Points |
|---|
| Pro editing | 30 of 30 |
| AI in the editor | 9.4 of 15 |
| Workflow and teams | 13.9 of 15 |
| Pricing | 30 of 30 |
| Privacy and support | 10 of 10 |
| Total | 93.3 of 100 = 9.3 out of 10 |
See every fact behind DaVinci Resolve's score.
When a tool doesn't say
If a tool's website doesn't answer a yes-or-no question, it gets half the points for that item. Not zero, because a missing answer isn't the same as a no, and not full marks, because silence shouldn't beat a vendor who answers honestly. For a number, like a price, it gets the typical value of the tools that do publish one. Every item scored this way is marked on the tool's scorecard.
If a tool leaves out more than a third of what we check, we don't show a score for it at all. A number built mostly on guesses wouldn't be fair to you or to the tool. Right now 10 of the 10 tools we checked have enough information to be scored.
What the score doesn't tell you
We score what a tool offers and what it costs, as its own website describes it. That's not a hands-on test. The score can't tell you whether a tool is easy to use, whether its data is accurate, or whether support answers quickly. The review covers that.
See the video software ranked or read how we review tools in general.