DaVinci Resolve vs CapCut: which free editor?

DaVinci Resolve vs CapCut comes down to the job: Resolve is a full desktop editor with color and audio tools, CapCut is built around templates and quick captions. Both have a free version. Pick Resolve for long, finished videos and CapCut for fast social edits.

DaVinci Resolve vs CapCut at a glance

Product	Best for	Free version	Paid upgrade	Platforms
DaVinci Resolve	Long videos, color grading, audio finishing	Edits and finishes up to 60 fps in Ultra HD (3840 x 2160)	Studio, $295 one-time: over 100 more features, up to 120 fps at 32K, AI tools	Mac, Windows and Linux
CapCut	Short social videos, templates, captions	Free plan with free templates and basic editing tools	Pro, Ultra and Teams: premium templates, AI features, monthly AI credits, 1 TB of storage	Desktop editor for Mac and PC, online editor in the browser, video editing app

1. DaVinci Resolve

The free version of Resolve includes luma, HSL and 3D keyers, a color warper, HDR tools and collaboration, so several people can work on one project at the same time. The limits are resolution and frame rate: 60 fps, up to Ultra HD.

Resolve Studio costs $295 once and lifts them to 120 fps at 32K and adds multiple GPU support. It also adds the DaVinci Neural Engine tools: voice isolation, music remixer and dialogue separator. A solo YouTuber exporting 4K or 1080p rarely needs any of it.

Resolve runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Studio is optimized for Metal and Apple Silicon on a Mac, and for OpenCL and CUDA on Windows and Linux.

Blackmagic describes the interface as fast to learn and easy for new users. Work is split across pages, including cut, edit, color, Fusion and Fairlight. You can ignore most of them at first and work on the edit page. Blackmagic also publishes training videos: Introduction to Editing runs 1 hour 9 minutes, with a 44-minute second part, and Introduction to Color runs 1 hour 33 minutes.

For cutting pauses, follow the guide on how to remove silence in DaVinci Resolve.

2. CapCut

CapCut's free plan gives you free templates and basic editing tools. Pro adds all premium templates, access to AI features, 500 monthly AI credits and 1 TB of storage. Ultra adds exclusive AI features, and Teams adds a brand kit and seats. Stay on free if templates and basic cuts cover your videos.

CapCut has a desktop editor for Mac and PC, an online editor that runs in the browser with cloud storage, and a video editing app.

The auto caption generator turns speech from video and audio into text in multiple languages. You can then change the font, color, effects and motion of the captions. Speech to text is free of charge.

CapCut asks for less learning. Pick a trending template, add your clips or text, then apply transitions and effects. On desktop, smart search finds media by objects, dialogue and people, and a color wheel handles grading.

Which to choose

• Long YouTube or talking-head video: Resolve. One project holds the edit, color and sound.
• Shorts and TikTok: CapCut. Templates and captions get a clip out fast.
• Color grading or audio post: Resolve. The free version includes the color tools.
• Editing in a browser: CapCut's online editor.
• Tight budget, serious editing: Resolve free.

If you are ruling one out, see DaVinci Resolve alternatives and CapCut alternatives.

A first cut for talking-head footage

Cutting failed takes, silences and filler from raw talking-head footage is the slow part of either editor. This site makes ClipsPal, a desktop editor that does that first cut for you. It is for macOS 14+ (Apple Silicon and Intel), with a Windows 11 x64 beta.

• Cuts failed takes, silences and filler from raw footage
• Subtitles in 40 languages, zoom-ins and a multi-track timeline
• Exports the timeline to Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve to finish

Video, audio and transcription stay on your computer. More on the ClipsPal homepage.