Best Video Editing Apps for iPhone & iPad – 2023 Review!
– This is our 2023 review of the Best Video Editors for iPhone and iPad. I’m gonna share with you my pics for the best video editing apps for iPhone and iOS right now for all types of video creators, from free and beginner friendly apps, up to more advanced options, so that you can find out which is the right one for you. And let me know your favorite video editing app down in the comments. So if you ever checked out the App Store, you’ll know that there is a ton of options out there. You’ve got things
like Adobe Rush, InShot, Power Director, CapCut, VN Video Editor, VLLO, LumaFusion, KineMaster, Splice, Quick, Filmora Go, Videoleap, iMovie, and the list goes on. And this year over other years, I’d say this is probably been the hardest for me to narrow this list down to just four. But my top four for this year are CapCut, VLLO, LumaFusion, and the new kid on the block, DaVinci Resolved for iPad. Now, before we get to my top pick out of these, let’s take a quick look at each one of these in a little more detail. So CapCut is an
amazing totally free app, which works on iOS, on Android, and there’s even desktop versions now for Mac and Windows. Now this is probably one of the toughest
does have some more advanced export settings, I do feel that CapCut overall is the winner here when it comes to just everything that’s included in the app, and the overall editing experience. It just feels a little bit more polished. Now, CapCut’s actually created by the company ByteDance, who also make TikTok. So there’s a heap of effects, a heap of filters and stuff in there to help you not just create TikToks, but also regular videos, too. Now, besides the regular stuff that you would expect, it’s got a really powerful background remover to cut you out from
the background. It’s got video stabilization, and there’s even an AI Caption Generator in there, as well, which will type out everything that is said in your videos. So overall, it’s a really powerful video editing tool. It’s gonna be great for short or simple edits. But I do think, if you’re gonna create something more long form, or you’re someone that’s looking for more advanced features, more controls, and that’s when the next options might suit you a little more. So next up is V-L-L-O or VLLO. And this is another one with a very similar interface to CapCut
and to VN Video Editor. Now this app again works on iOS and Android, and if you are using an M1 Mac, then you can install it on there, as well. So the overall interface is really fluid, it’s really fast, and it’s really easy to use. It’s super intuitive, so even if you’ve never edited before, you’re not gonna have an issue jumping into one of these apps. I personally love how easy it is to jump between the different, I guess, steps in your editing process. So to jump between audio, graphics, text, picture and picture, and effects
all down the bottom, all without losing your position, or the area that you’re working on at that time. This also makes it really easy to use, if you’re on a mobile device or a small screen. I think it’s really great the way that they’ve done this to help you focus on those areas, while maximizing your screen real estate. And I also love that you get access to Ripple Edit Tools in here, too. So tools that you find on more professional video editing, a desktop software, that make it so quick for you to cut down a
bunch of footage really, really quickly. Now, I personally also love the way that the effects are handled in here, essentially using adjustment layers, like you would see again, in more professional editing software. So having the ability to apply a color grade, or a set of filters to a layer, instead of to an individual video clip, meaning that you can apply those effects to a large amount of clips without needing to copy and paste all those effects and filters and things on each individual clip. Now, there is a free version of VLLO available, but the one
that I would recommend is the Premium Version to unlock all of those advanced features. And for this, you’ve got options currently starting at $2.49 a week, $6.49 for a monthly subscription, or there’s also an annual subscription for 19.99. Well, the one that I think is really a no-brainer is the Lifetime Premium Access, which is currently 29.99. So if you’re someone who doesn’t like the subscription stuff, then there is a one-time fee available for this, as well. So I think VLLO is a great option for someone who is looking for something, again, simple and easy to
edit with, but also looking for something with more pro features, and more controls in there, as well. So you could probably think of this like CapCut, but the next level. But if you’re someone who is looking for more pro-grade video editing software, or the most amount of features and controls, then that’s where the next options will likely be your pick. So the next option is LumaFusion. And up until very recently, it was hands down the most professional video editing app on iOS and Android. Now, as far as I’m concerned, DaVinci Resolve now takes that crown,
which you will hear about next, but that doesn’t mean that LumaFusion no longer packs a punch. The overall interface is easy enough to use, and it’s still fairly intuitive, but I’d say it’s not as easy to use as the previous apps. But then at the same time, it’s a much more professional tool, as well. And it actually mimics what you would find in regular desktop video editing software. Now, besides the huge amount of pro tools and features, and controls, and stuff that you have in there, I think one thing that they have done really, really
well, especially if you’re gonna be using this on a smaller device like your phone, is the interface is changeable. There are different presets and layouts that you can choose between, and you can even customize them up, and move them around, so that you’re able to maximize that screen real estate, making it easier for you to edit. But if you are using this on a larger device like an iPad, then everything does become a lot easier. Now, I personally love editing in LumaFusion. It is so powerful, that even if you give it really professional Kodaks, and
really professional video files, it literally just cuts through it like butter. You can scrub through your timeline, put on a bunch of effects and everything, and it’s not gonna miss a beat. You also get professional grade audio tools, and features in here, as well. And I also love the tools and control you get for color grading, as well. There’s great support for things like external drives. There’s lots of export options to really help you customize everything up. And there’s also an option that lets you export your timeline, or your edits from LumaFusion, and import them
over into Final Cut Pro, as well. Now, in terms of pricing, LumaFusion isn’t free, but it is ridiculously cheap, especially considering what you’re getting access to. It’s a one-time lifetime fee of 29.99, currently. So no monthly subscriptions, no annual subscriptions. Again, a one-time fee, which is awesome. So for those of you that are looking for a really professional video editing app with a bunch of features, a bunch of control, or maybe you’re gonna be editing longer videos on your iOS or even Android device then LumaFusion could be the best pick for you. So that brings
us to number four, which is the new kid on the block, DaVinci Resolve, which was only just released at the time of filming this video. So fare warning, it is still so new that I have come across a few bugs and things with it, but oh my gosh, this app is amazing. Now, I’m a big fan of DaVinci Resolve on desktop, and by the looks of things, they could be porting the whole thing over to iPad. Now I’ve been testing this out on an iPad Pro from 2020 and also an iPad Pro, the M1 edition.
So right now, this is for iPad only. Also for right now, they’ve currently bought over the cut page for editing. So for those of you that are familiar with DaVinci Resolve on desktop, they have these different pages or different modes for different tool sets and features, depending on what stage of the editing process you’re at. Now for me, when I use DaVinci Resolve, I normally jump straight to the edit page, ’cause that’s a more familiar interface. It’s something that’s very similar to Final Cut, something that’s very similar to Adobe Premier. And I really don’t spend
too much time in the cut section of Resolve. So right now they’ve brought the cut section over to iPad, but there is no edit page there yet. But two things here. The cut page itself, even without the edit page, is still absolutely amazing and it’s a breeze to edit in. And secondly, there’s already a bunch of YouTube videos floating around showing you how you can unlock that full edit page. So it really is like DaVinci Resolve have ported the whole thing across with all of the extra pages, and they’ve just restricted them for now, maybe
while they’re working out some bugs and things. Either way, it’s pretty amazing what you’re getting access to. But overall, the editing is super fast, it’s really fluid. This is literally pro-grade software, stuff that they use to cut Hollywood movies, now on your iPad. And just like on desktop, the color grading tools are all the full professional industry standard stuff, too. You can actually even share and transfer your projects between your desktop and your iPad through Black Magic Cloud, or even iCloud, as the project files are the same. But the biggest thing for me was the
performance. Even on the older iPad, it is so well optimized. It’s so fast and fluid, and the render times are insane. And what you’ll likely find is just like the free version on desktop. The free version of the iPad is likely gonna do everything that you need for most people. You can still pay an upgrade to the studio version on iPad, as well, for a one-time fee of $94.99. And this is totally separate from the Desktop Studio version, so if you’ve already bought that, this is an additional purchase. But again, it’s lifetime with no subscriptions.
So I think DaVinci Resolve is gonna be a good option for someone who does want the most professional tool set when editing videos on iPad. Literally, professional desktop software on their iPad. Now, obviously the learning curve to get up to speed in using this is gonna be a lot more than the other apps that we covered here. But, if you ask someone who’s looking for top tier professional tools, then it’s gonna be hard to go past this. So from all of these on the short list, if I had to pick just one overall winner, one
Best all rounder, it’s gonna be a pretty tough call, because I actually jump between a couple of these different apps on a daily or a weekly basis, depending on the videos that I’m editing. So if I’m just gonna create short video for Instagram, or something like Instagram stories, then I’d usually just find myself opening up CapCut just to get the edit done quick. But for anything more advanced than that, then I’d normally just jump into LumaFusion, so that I’ve got access to all of those extra tools and features. So those two are really my go-tos
right now. But I think with the release of DaVinci Resolve, I think that that might take the place, eventually, of LumaFusion, but it’s not quite there for me yet. Maybe, or hopefully, if they add that edit page in, then that could seal the deal. But if I did have to pick one overall winner right now, then I’m gonna pick LumaFusion. I really think having access to those pro-grade features at your fingertips, still while having them fairly easy to use, and fluid and fast. Yeah, it’s a tough call, but LumaFusion will be my pick for overall
winner right now. But I really want you to remember that you can actually get great results from any one of these apps, and it’s about finding the right tool for you, and for the videos that you’re making. Now, for those of you that are interested in learning how to edit in CapCut or LumaFusion, then check out the tutorials that we have linked on screen. And don’t forget to check out the description box below, where we’ve got a bunch of other resources designed to help you level up your video creation, and your YouTube channel. I’ll see
you in, then.
