DaVinci Resolve vs OpenShot Comparison 2026
DaVinci Resolve's free version is the full professional application, editing, colour, effects and audio post together, with no watermark and Studio at $295 once for the neural engine features. OpenShot is a simpler open source editor for cutting a clip without learning a finishing suite, also free, funded by donations rather than a paid tier. OpenShot's own guidance is unusually direct about this exact matchup: pick neither OpenShot nor Shotcut if DaVinci Resolve is already installed.
At a glance
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
DaVinci Resolve | OpenShot | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $295 | Free |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | One-time purchase | Not stated |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
DaVinci Resolve
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.
Only on this side
- Covers motion graphics & animation
OpenShot
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.
Why people weigh these two
- OpenShot instead of DaVinci Resolve
- OpenShot is a simple open source editor, free, for a cut that needs none of the colour and audio work Resolve carries.
- DaVinci Resolve instead of OpenShot
- DaVinci Resolve adds colour grading and audio post to a free tier far deeper than OpenShot's, the sturdier option once a project outgrows simple cuts.
Which one should you pick
Pick DaVinci Resolve if the project might ever need real colour grading, audio post or visual effects alongside the cut, since all four sit in one free application with no watermark. Studio is $295 once, not a subscription, and is worth buying when a specific feature blocks you rather than up front. The real cost is the learning curve and a few weekends spent on it.
Pick OpenShot for occasional simple cuts on a machine that should not have to run a heavier application, with nothing to sign up for and no upsell inside it. It carries fewer features than DaVinci Resolve by design, which is the trade for a plainer interface. Its own guidance says plainly to skip it if DaVinci Resolve is already on the machine.
Common questions
- Is OpenShot easier to learn than DaVinci Resolve?
- Yes, that is its whole shape: a simple timeline for cutting a clip rather than a full finishing suite. DaVinci Resolve carries editing, colour, effects and audio post together, which is more capable but asks for real time, realistically a few weekends, to learn.
- Does OpenShot's own guidance recommend DaVinci Resolve instead?
- Essentially yes: it says plainly to pick neither OpenShot nor Shotcut if DaVinci Resolve is already installed. That is a rare thing for a tool's own description to admit, and it is worth taking at face value.
- Is DaVinci Resolve's free version watermarked or limited like a trial?
- No. It is the full professional application, not a trial, and what it exports carries no watermark and is usable commercially. Only Studio's extra features, the neural engine, better noise reduction and higher frame rates, cost anything, at $295 once.
- Does either one charge a subscription?
- Neither does. OpenShot is entirely free, funded by donations. DaVinci Resolve is free at the base level and $295 once for Studio, a one-time purchase rather than a monthly or yearly charge.
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.