Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover motion graphics & animation and video editing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Blender | DaVinci Resolve | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | From $295 |
| Pricing model | Free | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | One-time purchase |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | macOS, Windows, Linux | Not stated |
| Covers | Motion Graphics & Animation, Design & Graphics, Video Editing | Video Editing, Motion Graphics & Animation |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
3D, motion and compositing, free forever
Blender models, animates, simulates, renders, composites and cuts video, and the Blender Foundation gives all of it away under the GPL with no tier above it. For motion graphics it is the free answer to a monthly subscription, and the ceiling is the artist rather than the licence. The learning curve is what it costs instead, and that is a real price.
Our note
The honest comparison is not against a cheaper subscription but against time: Blender costs nothing and asks for weeks. If motion graphics is a recurring part of the work that trade is worth making, and if it comes up twice a year it is not.
Only on this side
Edit, colour and audio post in one app
DaVinci Resolve is the free version of the software a great many films are finished on, carrying editing, colour correction, visual effects and audio post in one application. The free build is not a trial and does not watermark what it exports. Studio costs $295 once and adds the neural engine features, better noise reduction and higher frame rates. The learning curve is the real price of admission.
Our note
The free version is more capable than most paid editors, and the only real cost is the time it takes to learn. Buy Studio when a specific feature blocks you rather than up front.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.