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Both cover video editing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Blender | OpenShot | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Not stated |
| 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 | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Covers | Motion Graphics & Animation, Design & Graphics, Video Editing | Video Editing |
| 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
A simple open source video editor
OpenShot is an open source video editor released under the GPL, meant for somebody who wants to cut a clip without first learning a timeline suite. It runs on Linux, Mac and Windows, and the project is funded by donations rather than by a paid tier. It carries fewer features than the heavier free editors, which is the trade you are making.
Our note
Pick this over Shotcut if the simpler interface matters more than the format coverage, and pick neither if you already have DaVinci Resolve installed. The project has been going since 2008, which is worth something in free software.
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.