iMovie is Apple's free video editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad, with nothing to buy and no watermark on what you export. What decides whether it suits you is whether you need a simple, single-camera editor for personal or casual footage, since it is built for that rather than for professional production work.
What is iMovie?
iMovie is made by Apple. It installs on Mac, and a matching version runs on iPhone and iPad; there is no Windows version and no browser version. It edits locally on your device and does not require an account to use.
Editing in iMovie
iMovie is a single-camera timeline editor built for straightforward cuts rather than a multi-angle production tool. Color work is a single tool for adjusting a clip's color rather than a full grading suite with wheels, curves or scopes. Effects run to a manual green-screen tool plus picture-in-picture and split-screen combinations for putting two clips together.
Working with other people
iMovie runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad. It includes built-in sound effects and music, along with Apple-designed themes and trailer templates for adding a soundtrack and titles without hunting for outside assets.
iMovie pricing: what you actually pay
iMovie is free on Mac, iPhone and iPad, and nothing else is sold for it: there is no subscription, no one-time purchase and no in-app purchase. It edits and exports at resolutions up to 4K, and exports carry no watermark.
Privacy and support
iMovie edits on your own device, so your footage stays local, and no Apple Account is required to edit. Support is available by phone, through live chat in the Apple Support app, and through Apple's community forums.
Who iMovie suits
iMovie suits anyone on Mac, iPhone or iPad who wants a free, simple editor for personal videos, home movies or quick social clips, with themes, trailer templates and one-step audio cleanup already built in.
It suits less well anyone who needs multicam editing, color grading with scopes, camera raw formats or third-party plugins, since none of those are part of iMovie, and anyone not on an Apple device, since it does not run on Windows.
How iMovie compares
iMovie scores 4.4 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.
Final Cut Pro
iMovie is entirely free, but it skips colour scopes, multicam, HDR, camera raw and proxy editing. Final Cut Pro is a one time purchase for Mac with a 30 day trial, and covers all of those, plus motion tracking and FxPlug plugins. Its cheapest listed price, $12.99 a month, is Apple Creator Studio, a bundle that also includes Logic Pro and Motion, not a Final Cut Pro plan by itself. Both apps clean up dialogue automatically, but only Final Cut Pro masks a subject by itself and reframes to vertical.
Pick Final Cut Pro if you edit on Mac and need pro tools like scopes and proxies.
Pick iMovie if you want a free editor with none of the complexity.
Shotcut
iMovie and Shotcut are both free to use, but they reach that in different ways: iMovie is Apple's own app for Mac and iOS, while Shotcut is an open source project with no company behind it, running on Windows and Mac. Shotcut adds colour grading with a full scope set, HDR and proxy editing that iMovie does not have. iMovie instead bundles built in music and sound effects, and its support runs through Apple's phone and live chat channels rather than Shotcut's community forum alone.
Pick Shotcut if you want colour scopes, HDR and proxy editing on Windows too.
Pick iMovie if you want Apple support channels and built in music.
Filmora
iMovie costs nothing, with no paid tier at all, but it also has no colour scopes, proxy editing or AI tools beyond automatic dialogue clean-up. Filmora keeps a free tier too, alongside yearly plans and a Perpetual one time licence, and its AI features, sold as separate credits, extend clips, mask subjects, dub translated audio and reframe to vertical by themselves. iMovie runs only on Mac and iOS, while Filmora also reaches Windows and Android.
Pick Filmora if you want AI dubbing, masking and vertical reframing tools.
Pick iMovie if you want a completely free editor with no credits to buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does iMovie cost?
Nothing. iMovie is free on Mac, iPhone and iPad, with no subscription, one-time purchase or in-app purchase.
What machines does iMovie run on?
iMovie runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad; there is no Windows version.
Can iMovie edit footage from more than one camera at once?
No. iMovie is a single-camera timeline editor, so footage from separate cameras has to be cut in individually rather than synced on one multicam timeline.
Does iMovie keep my footage private?
Yes, since editing happens on your device rather than in the cloud, and no Apple Account is required to edit.
