Final Cut Pro is Apple's professional video editor for Mac, with a companion app of the same name on iPad. What decides whether it suits you is whether you're already on Apple hardware, since it doesn't run anywhere else, and whether you'd rather buy the Mac app once or take the wider Apple Creator Studio subscription that unlocks the iPad app fully.
What is Final Cut Pro?
Final Cut Pro is made by Apple. The Mac app requires macOS 15.6 or later, and Final Cut Pro for iPad requires iPadOS 18.6 or later; both install as apps on your own device rather than running in a browser. An Apple Account is needed to license or subscribe, but editing itself happens locally.
Editing in Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro handles multicam editing on the Mac, syncing and cutting between multiple camera angles. Color grading uses color curves, hue and saturation curves, a color inspector with color wheels and support for LUTs, with wide color gamut and HDR processing and HDR export. Camera raw footage is supported through ProRes RAW, which Final Cut Pro can also color correct directly; the companion Final Cut Camera iPhone app can capture in ProRes RAW too.
A proxy workflow lets you create optimized and proxy files, including proxy-only projects, for editing before switching to full-resolution media. Motion tracking, keying, masking and compositing are all built into the app, including object tracking for following a subject through a shot. Deeper node-based motion graphics and visual effects move into Apple's separate Motion app, which is bundled with Final Cut Pro in Apple Creator Studio. Thousands of third-party plug-ins and templates are available through the FxPlug architecture, covering tracking, 3D object creation, titles, transitions and effects.
What the AI does
Magnetic Mask separates people and objects from the background without a green screen or manual rotoscoping, and works on both Mac and iPad; exporting an iPad project to Mac is what unlocks it there. Smart Conform automatically reframes a clip to fit a different aspect ratio. Voice Isolation removes background noise and improves the clarity of speech, and automatic captions are generated by analyzing the spoken audio in your footage.
Working with other people
Final Cut Pro includes a library of more than 1,900 Apple-designed, royalty-free graphics and vector artwork, plus titles, transitions, soundtracks and effects, with a larger premium content library for Apple Creator Studio subscribers. It runs on Mac and iPad, so a project can move between the two. There is no live shared-project collaboration built in.
Final Cut Pro pricing: what you actually pay
Final Cut Pro for Mac has no free tier. Apple Creator Studio, which includes it, can be tried free for 30 days, and Final Cut Pro for iPad has a free month of its own. You can buy the Mac app outright for a one-time $299.99, though that purchase excludes some content reserved for subscribers. The alternative is Apple Creator Studio, a bundle subscription that also includes Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, Pixelmator Pro and MainStage, priced at $12.99 a month, or $10.75 a month billed annually; an educator and student rate brings that to $2.99 a month, or $2.50 a month billed annually. Final Cut Pro for iPad is a free download, but its full features need the Apple Creator Studio subscription rather than a one-time purchase.
Privacy and support
Final Cut Pro edits on your own machine, so there is no service holding your project. Support is available by phone, live chat and through Apple's community forum.
Who Final Cut Pro suits
Final Cut Pro suits editors already working on Mac and iPad who want multicam editing, curve-based color grading, ProRes RAW support and built-in compositing without leaving Apple's ecosystem, and who are comfortable paying either a one-time price for the Mac app or a bundle subscription that also covers several other Apple creative apps.
It suits less well anyone who needs to edit on Windows or Linux, since Final Cut Pro doesn't run there, or anyone who wants the iPad app's full features without taking on the Apple Creator Studio subscription.
How Final Cut Pro compares
Final Cut Pro scores 7.2 out of 10 among the professional video editors we rate. These two do the same job and are the closest to it, compared on what each vendor publishes.
Adobe Premiere
Final Cut Pro's Mac app can be bought outright as a one-time purchase; Premiere has no such option and is subscription only, at $22.99 a month. Final Cut Pro's cheapest figure is the $12.99 a month Apple Creator Studio bundle, which also carries Logic Pro, Motion and other Apple apps. Premiere adds Generative Extend to create new footage, edits by transcript and translates captions; Final Cut Pro does none of those.
Pick Adobe Premiere if you need generative footage extension, transcript editing or caption translation.
Pick Final Cut Pro if you're on Mac and want to own a licence outright.
DaVinci Resolve
Final Cut Pro masks a person or object in the app itself; DaVinci Resolve keeps that feature for Studio. DaVinci Resolve's free edition never expires and Studio is a one-time $295 instead of a subscription; Final Cut Pro has no free tier. DaVinci Resolve also runs on Windows, while Final Cut Pro runs only on Mac and iPad. DaVinci Resolve lets several editors share a project; Final Cut Pro does not.
Pick DaVinci Resolve if you want several editors on one project or a free permanent editor.
Pick Final Cut Pro if you're on Mac or iPad and want masking without an upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Final Cut Pro cost?
The Mac app can be bought outright for a one-time $299.99. It's also included in Apple Creator Studio, a bundle subscription with Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, Pixelmator Pro and MainStage, priced at $12.99 a month, or $10.75 a month on the annual plan.
What machines does Final Cut Pro run on?
Final Cut Pro for Mac needs macOS 15.6 or later, and Final Cut Pro for iPad needs iPadOS 18.6 or later. It does not run on Windows.
Does Final Cut Pro support camera raw footage?
Yes, through ProRes RAW, which it can also color correct directly. The companion Final Cut Camera app for iPhone can capture footage in ProRes RAW as well.
Does Final Cut Pro keep my footage private?
Yes, since it edits locally on your Mac or iPad rather than through a hosted service. An Apple Account is only needed to license or subscribe to the app.
