CyberLink PowerDirector is a desktop video editor for Windows and Mac, sold as the PowerDirector 365 subscription, a one-time PowerDirector 2027 licence, or a bundled Director Suite with two other CyberLink apps. What decides whether it suits you is whether you need a node-based compositing tool or colour grading with scopes, since it offers neither, alongside how you want to pay for it.
What is CyberLink PowerDirector?
PowerDirector is made by CyberLink. It installs on Windows and Mac. There is no browser version: editing happens in the desktop app, on your own machine. A separate free app called PowerDirector Essential is CyberLink's own no-cost basic editor.
Editing in PowerDirector
Editing covers multicam production through a MultiCam Designer, plus AI Motion Tracking that follows objects frame by frame. For colour, PowerDirector offers Color Enhancement for automatic colour correction and contrast adjustment and Color Match, rather than colour wheels, curves or video scopes. It imports and exports HDR10 and HLG. A shadow files option, CyberLink's name for a proxy workflow, speeds up editing of high-resolution and 4K video.
Chroma-key and green-screen keying with multi-key colour sampling run inside the app, alongside AI Object Mask for isolating an object across a scene. It has no node- or layer-based compositing system, and its import codecs do not include a camera raw video format.
What the AI does
AI Speech To Text Transcription generates captions in multiple languages, and AI Text-Based Editing lets you cut a video by deleting its transcribed text. AI Voice Translator dubs a video's audio into other languages with matched lip sync. AI Text to Speech and Voice Cloning generate narration, including a cloned version of your own voice for a consistent voice across a project. AI Creation generates videos, images and audio from a prompt, comparing several third-party AI models inside an AI Model Lab rather than running a model of CyberLink's own. AI Audio Denoise removes unwanted noise in one click, and Auto Reframe keeps a subject centred when a whole project is reshaped for another aspect ratio.
Working with other people
A stock library of Getty Images footage and the Meta Sound Collection is bundled with PowerDirector 365, pre-cleared for commercial and personal use. Brand Kits are available for reusing a saved look across projects. PowerDirector runs on Windows and Mac. It has no shared-project collaboration feature and no public API.
CyberLink PowerDirector pricing: what you actually pay
PowerDirector 365 is billed monthly at $24.99 or annually at $79.99 a year. Director Suite, which bundles PowerDirector 365 with PhotoDirector 365 and AudioDirector 365, is billed monthly at $29.99 or annually at $149.99 a year. Both are subscriptions with no stated trial length. A one-time PowerDirector 2027 licence costs $139.99 and is described as a full editor with core AI and generative AI features, billed once with no monthly updates. The free PowerDirector Essential app is CyberLink's separate, no-cost basic editor rather than a limited trial of PowerDirector 365.
Privacy and support
PowerDirector edits on your own machine, so your footage stays local; a CyberLink Account and cloud storage are used for the 365 subscription's premium content, not for the editing itself. CyberLink names an EU representative for data protection in its privacy policy. Support runs through phone, email and a community area.
Who PowerDirector suits
PowerDirector suits editors who want a named set of AI tools such as AI Voice Translator, AI Object Mask and AI Creation's model comparison, and who are comfortable with a subscription for most editions or a one-time PowerDirector 2027 licence for the rest.
It suits less well anyone who wants colour grading with scopes, a node-based compositing tool, or a shared-project workflow for editing with other people, since it offers none of these.
How CyberLink PowerDirector compares
CyberLink PowerDirector scores 6.6 out of 10 among the professional video editors we rate. These three do the same job and are the closest to it, compared on what each vendor publishes.
Filmora
CyberLink PowerDirector's monthly plan is $24.99 a month, alongside a separate free app and a one time purchase edition. Filmora also gives you a free tier plus a Perpetual one time licence, but sells its AI features as credits bought apart from the plan. Filmora grades colour with a full set of video scopes; PowerDirector has no scopes and relies on one-click auto colour correction and LUTs. Both dub translated audio into the video and generate new AI footage.
Pick Filmora if you want colour scopes and built in compositing tools.
Pick CyberLink PowerDirector if you already want a one time purchase edition and cloud AI models.
Adobe Premiere
Adobe Premiere costs $22.99 a month on the annual plan with a 7 day trial, and never sells a perpetual licence. CyberLink PowerDirector costs $24.99 a month, but does sell a one time purchase edition and runs a separate free app. Premiere adds colour scopes, camera raw import and Frame.io collaboration for several editors on one project, none of which PowerDirector has. PowerDirector answers with cloud AI models that generate new footage and dub translated audio.
Pick Adobe Premiere if you need colour scopes, camera raw and multi editor collaboration.
Pick CyberLink PowerDirector if you want a one time purchase edition and cloud AI dubbing.
Vegas Pro
Vegas Pro sells as a yearly subscription or a one time outright purchase, with a 15 day trial and no free tier that never expires. CyberLink PowerDirector costs $24.99 on its monthly plan and also offers a separate free app and a one time purchase edition. Vegas Pro covers colour grading with wheels, curves and a full scope set, camera raw import and a scripting API, none of which PowerDirector has. PowerDirector instead generates new AI footage from cloud models and dubs translated audio.
Pick Vegas Pro if you want colour scopes, camera raw and a scripting API.
Pick CyberLink PowerDirector if you want a free app plus cloud AI footage generation and dubbing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does PowerDirector cost?
PowerDirector 365 is $24.99 a month or $79.99 a year. A one-time PowerDirector 2027 licence is $139.99, and the free PowerDirector Essential app is CyberLink's separate no-cost basic editor.
What machines does PowerDirector run on?
PowerDirector installs on Windows and Mac.
Does PowerDirector do colour grading?
Not in the scopes-and-wheels sense. It offers Color Enhancement for automatic colour correction, Color Match, and LUT import, without a dedicated grading tool built on video scopes.
Does PowerDirector keep my footage private?
Yes, editing runs on your own machine. A CyberLink Account and cloud storage cover the 365 subscription's premium content, and CyberLink names an EU representative for data protection in its privacy policy.
