Top 6 Best Free Video Editing Software Programs for 2018

1. OpenShot (Windows, Mac, and Linux)

Editing videos with OpenShot is extraordinary when you see the list of its amazing features. You can download it absolutely free on not only Windows and Mac but also Linux.

A few of the supported features in this free editor includes desktop integration for drag-and-drop, image and audio support, curve-based Key Frame animations, unlimited tracks and layers, and 3D animated tiles and effects.

OpenShot is also good for clip resizing, scaling, trimming, snapping, and rotation, plus motion picture credit scrolling, frame stepping, time-mapping, audio mixing, and real-time previews.

2. VideoPad (Windows & Mac)

Another video editing software program for both Windows and Mac is VideoPad, from NCH Software. It's 100 percent free for non-commercial use.

It supports drag-and-drop, effects, transitions, 3D video editing, text and caption overlay, video stabilization, easy narration, free built-in sound effects, and color control.


VideoPad can also change the video speed, reverse the video, burn DVDs, import music, and export movies to YouTube (and other similar sites) and a variety of resolutions (like 2K and 4K).

3. Freemake Video Converter (Windows)

Freemake Video Converter functions mainly as a free video converter, which is why I've added it to this list. However, its simple and easy-to-use editing features is what sets it apart from some of the more complex and confusing editors.

Being able to do some light editing to your videos is great when you can also use the same tool to convert the file to a variety of other formats, or even burn the files directly to a disc.


Some of the video editing features of this program includes adding subtitles, clipping out sections you don't want in the video, removing or adding audio, and merging/joining videos together.

4. VSDC Free Video Editor (Windows)


However, if you poke around for while and play with your videos within the editor, you'll find that it's not quite as daunting as it was when you first opened it.

There's even a wizard you can run to make things easier. Some of things you can do is add lines, text, and shapes, as well as charts, animations, images, audio, and subtitles. Plus, as any good video editor should, VSDC can export videos to a variety of file formats.


The VSDC Video Editor setup also lets you easily install their video capture program and screen recorder. These are of course optional but they may come in handy in certain projects.

5. iMovie (Mac)

iMovie is completely free for macOS. It offers many options for editing video and audio plus adding photos, music, and narration to your videos.

One of my favorite features of iMovie is its ability to make 4K-resolution movies, and you can even start doing so from your iPhone or iPad and then finish it on your Mac. That's pretty cool.

6. Movie Maker (Windows)

Movie Maker was Window's free video editing software that comes pre-installed on a number of versions of Windows. You can use it to create and share high-quality movies. I include it here in this list because it's already on lots of Windows computers, which means you might not even need to download anything in order to start using it. Although it was discontinued at the start of 2017, you can still download it through non-Microsoft websites