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What is iMovie?
iMovie is a popular video editing software from Apple. It has been around for quite some time now, and many people do prefer it for editing their videos on it.
iMovie is relatively simpler compared to other proper video editing software available such as Adobe Premiere, Lightworks, etc., and for some people, that would be all that they are looking for.
It also has a fairly good UI, to begin with, and everything available on iMovie is easy to understand as well. But, there are multiple different options available right now in the market for an iMovie replacement.
Reason to look for sites like iMovie
Reason 1 – Too basic
iMovie does allow you to edit videos, and to some extent, that is quite useful and easy as well. But the overall functions and features on offer for iMovie are very basic.
Many people do prefer different types of templates, fonts, effects, and features that they can utilize for their videos, and that is something that iMovie is not able to generate.
It has a fairly basic UI that does the bare minimum of editing the videos and putting some basic effects on them.
Reason 2 – Export and Import issues
iMovie has reported from a lot of different customers that the ability to import and export video files on iMovie isn’t as simple as you would find in other video editing software.
For exporting, you don’t have dedicated formats available that will help you find the videos you edited on this software in that particular format, like H.264 or even MP4, for that matter.
And same is the case with Imports as well, you won’t find the ability to simply import your videos on iMovie, and it is somewhat of a hassle as well.
Reason 3 – Slow Performance
On iMovie, users can’t expect to edit heavy files and footage on it as the software isn’t able to perform all types of files.
This is an important point because people who are looking for a video editor that would edit their RAW images and footage without lagging, won’t find it in iMovie.
And that means you won’t be able to use its services for premium, professional work, whereas you are left with only semi-professional work that can be achievable on it.
Best iMovie Alternatives
InVideo
InVideo is a website where you can make different types of videos thanks to the availability of 5000+ different templates to choose from. The video presentation styles can vary from template to template.
InVideo also offers a wide variety of different features that can be very useful for individuals or businesses as well. Its pricing point is also placed perfectly, which would surely make a lot of people interested in using this website to create their videos.
There are many other great things and some not-so-great things about InVideo that you need to know about, so here are some of them.
What we liked about InVideo
InVideo is quite simple to use. The overall UI that it has built for its site is compatible with all PCs and laptop devices, and it is made in such a way that you won’t find a lot of trouble making your videos, even if it is your first time using this service.
As mentioned above, InVideo has over 5000 different types of templates to offer on its site for you to use and make videos for your business or for your personal work, and that is always a great thing to have in your library.
InVideo also offers a pack of 100GB worth of Cloud Storage if you choose its Unlimited plan, which costs around $30/month, and for that price point, that’s a lot of storage offered by them.
What we didn’t like about InVideo
Since InVideo is only available as a website, you can’t use it offline because it doesn’t have a dedicated application for any of the OS that is run on all the devices, such as Windows, macOS, or Linux.
That is a serious problem because even in today’s day and age, you can’t always be under WiFi or Data Pack, so using a website to make your videos can be tricky sometimes.
Another big problem with InVideo is that since it’s only a website, you are only limited to exporting 15 minutes of footage on it.
The editor can’t handle exporting a video longer than 15 mins of videos, which is also not so useful.
Why did we choose InVideo as an iMovie alternative?
InVideo does offer a number of different things that can rival what iMovie has to offer. InVideo has a great template library of over 5000, and that is pretty useful in any given scenario.
InVideo also offers you free stock images for your videos which is something that you won’t see on iMovie, and that is also a nice offering from InVideo’s side.
And finally, InVideo has the ability to add team members to its presentation so that different groups of people can simultaneously work on the same project rather than sharing it after completion.
Review and rating of InVideo
InVideo is a pretty great website to use if you are looking to create videos or even videos. It has a great library of tools that are all pretty useful as well.
The only major downside I find about InVideo is that it is only available on a website, and you can’t use it for offline purposes because, on paper, this seems like a minor issue, but in practicality, it could be very annoying.
For that reason and more, I would be rating InVideo 3.5/5 stars.
Camtasia
Camtasia is also a video-recording application that individuals can use to create videos, presentations, and more for their personal or business usage.
It has some great add-ons that can even convert a PowerPoint presentation into a video.
Camtasia is a great application for people who are more into creating videos and presentations, as it does feature a great video editor, which has a pretty decent template library to make the videos stand out.
As always, there are some things that are great and some not-so-great things about Camtasia, so here are some of them.
What we liked about Camtasia
Camtasia offers support for rendering videos up to 4K, and that is something a lot of video creators do prefer for their videos as well.
It also has an app dedicated to Mac and Windows devices, so you don’t have to worry about always working online to create your videos in cases like InVideo.
The entire UI of Camtasia is also quite easy and simple to manage and not too difficult to understand.
Camtasia also has some advanced features to offer, such as Track Matt, Chroma Key, and syncing with captions for pre-existing scripts, and that is also great for many people.
What we didn’t like about Camtasia
Camtasia offers a lot, but it is also probably the most expensive of the bunch.
Its pricing starts from around $169.99 to $265, although it should be noted that this is a one-time fee, one should really be committed to this application if one wants to spend that large amount.
Camtasia also offers only 40+ different templates for its videos, and that is ridiculously low compared to InVideo’s 5000 different templates.
And lastly, its app has also been reported by many customers for being unsatisfied with the number of bugs and frequent shutdowns the app has all of a sudden.
Why did we choose Camtasia as an iMovie alternative?
Camtasia still does have some tricks up its sleeve that can make people want to choose it over iMovie. It offers dedicated video editing software that actually has some pretty advanced features which you do not get on iMovie.
Camtasia also provides you with free stock video library assets for creating different types of videos, and that is also something that you don’t see quite easily or often on iMovie.
And the overall usability of Camtasia is quite different and better than what iMovie has to offer as well.
Review and rating of Camtasia
Camtasia is clearly for people who are more interested in creating video tutorials and another bunch of stuff, which you would want to have if you are dedicated to only making videos and more.
It also offers a 30-day free trial over which you can explore all the different features and effects that Camtasia has to offer so that you are ready to pay its heavy price tag.
But if Camtasia is not for you, then you should check out some other alternatives I have on this list. For now, I would be rating Camtasia 3/5 stars.
Lumen5
Lumen5 also acts as a really great way to form some videos for your personnel and business use by using AI technologies.
It has some great sets of tools that can be used by people to create different types of social media marketing posts as well.
The entire application is AI-based, and for some people, that can be a good thing as well because it takes a lot of work away from them, and they are able to make a reasonably good video presentation, and for some, that won’t be something they might be interested in.
This brings me to things that I liked and disliked about Lumen5.
What we liked about Lumen5
Lumen5 is really great when it comes to offering tools that can be appreciated by designers looking to make their videos stand out among the rest.
This is why you will see that it has a bunch of different options to offer in terms of design tools and templates.
On Lumen5, you will find a number of different templates, stock images and video assets, and even various different aspect ratios through which you can arrange your videos in various different manners.
Features like these can really change the way your videos look and share their messages with your audience.
What we didn’t like about Lumen5
Since Lumen5 is mostly AI-driven software, you won’t have as much control over your videos as you might have on other video presentation platforms and software.
You are restricted to certain amounts of adjustments only.
And for some people, that will be quite problematic as well because you don’t want to always trust an AI to create the best possible version of your video, and it can lead to some faults as well.
Another problem with Lumen5 you will find is that you can only use its services online. So you will run into similar problems that you would be facing when you are using apps like InVideo.
Why did we choose Lumen5 as an iMovie alternative?
Lumen5 does have to offer customizable brand themes for your videos which is something that you don’t see on iMovie.
If you have studied even a little bit of marketing, you would know that brand themes are a very important factor that a lot of brands focus on.
Especially the brands that are fairly new to the market and who want to leave an impression in their customer’s mindset.
Lumen5 also offers you a dedicated library that is filled with free stock materials and templates to choose from. That can be quite beneficial for anyone who is making a video presentation.
Review and rating of Lumen5
Lumen5 is a software that one should definitely try out if they are looking for an easier route to making videos for themselves and wouldn’t like to do a whole lot of editing, and for some people, that is exactly what they want.
And to Lumen5’s credit, it does offer a substantial amount of templates and stock files for its users to choose from and create videos that are pretty good.
But you really have to see and try it out yourself if that is something that you want to use; because of this, I would be rating Lumen5 3.5/5 stars.
Animoto
Animoto also has to offer a wide variety of different features and effects that will help you to make videos for social media campaigns or simply for your personal work as well.
It has a fairly simple UI to work with, which is not very difficult; even beginners can use it.
Animoto has tons of great templates to offer and also a great sound library that you can use to create even better and more engaging videos for yourself or your business.
As with all the software available, there are things that I like about Animoto, and then there are some things that I didn’t like about Animoto; here are some of them.
What we liked about Animoto
Animoto’s biggest strength is its stock library; since it has partnered with Getty Images, you can get over 1 Million different stock images and videos which you can put up and use in your videos.
That is quite a useful feature that a lot of different software should try out as well. Animoto also offers a great UI for its software that can be used by beginners as well.
And to top it all off, Animoto’s pricing is also quite affordable in terms of Industry standards.
What we didn’t like about Animoto
Animoto does have some cons as well. For starters, you can only customize the videos to a certain degree, and some people would really want to have a lot more creativity in that department.
It also somehow lacks different varieties of fonts, which is something you don’t come across in any video presentation apps because you get a huge category of fonts to choose from.
And lastly, Animoto doesn’t feature a dedicated app for any mobile device, and this is also something that not a lot of people would prefer for their video editing software.
Have you already tired animoto? Are you not happy with animoto? We have listed the best animoto alternatives.
Why did we choose Animoto as an iMovie alternative?
Animoto has some really nice features that could make you choose it over iMovie. For starters, iMovie doesn’t have any stock images to offer, but Animoto shares over 1 Million stock images in its library.
You also have the ability (in the paid plans) to add team members to edit the videos, which is also something that you do not get on iMovie.
And the overall presentation and the UI of Animoto are quite better than iMovie as well, so a certain group of people would surely like to use it.
Review and rating of Animoto
Animoto is an affordable option and an alternative that you can check out for iMovie. It has all the bells and whistles that you would want in video editing software.
However, it does have some flaws as well, most of them being related to the creative control you have over your content and others.
But apart from that, it is a solid software that I feel a lot of people would be quite satisfied with using. For this reason and more, I would be rating Animoto 3.5/5 stars.
WeVideo
WeVideo is an even more professional video editing software that many people of different fields can use to create even more types of videos that looks quite professional in general.
It has multiple layers to offer for editing. There are also multiple different templates to choose from on WeVideo, and you can very easily use its services to create great videos.
It also features some advanced features like Chromakey in its list of editing as well.
As always, there are things that are great and some things that are not so great about WeVideo, and here are some of them.
What we liked about WeVideo
WeVideo offers a bunch of features that many people would find quite attractive to use. To begin with, there are multiple different tracks available for audio and video editing separately on its UI.
You also get a good collection of customizable themes and stock images to choose from for your videos.
WeVideo also offers cloud storage on its packs, so you can easily churn out a large number of videos with great quality.
And it also has dedicated apps for all Android and iOS devices, which is also very handy for many people as well.
What we didn’t like about WeVideo
WeVideo being an online software, would be quite easy for some people as it is compatible with their devices.
But in a practical manner, it can be problematic simply because there are times that you don’t have a connection to the net.
And there have also been reports where some users have lost connection to their net while working on the project, and it didn’t back up their work.
This is also not software that you can easily use; there is a learning curve to it for sure, and for some people, that would be alright, but for others, not so much.
Why did we choose WeVideo as an iMovie alternative?
On paper, WeVideo and iMovie may offer almost similar features, but if you do a little bit of research a little bit more, you will see that WeVideo does offer some great features as well.
You have somewhat of an advanced video editing software that grants you features like chromakey and multiple different tracks for editing.
There are also an unlimited amount of stock images available in its paid plan as well.
And it does have a whole lot more resources than what iMovie has in terms of customer support.
Review and rating of WeVideo
WeVideo is also a video editing site that you can try out for yourself to see if it works for you or not.
Although it should be noted that WeVideo’s free tier is quite basic, and you won’t get any of the features that you would want to see.
If you have already tired out wevideo. We have listed the best wevideo alternatives.
Because of those reasons, I would be rating WeVideo 3/5 stars.
Renderforest
Renderforest is also a well-known video editing software that is quite simple to handle and use. It has a built-in library for almost everything that you could possibly need for editing your videos.
It also doesn’t have a learning curve like some other sites like WeVideo but has a dedicated wizard that will easily help you with your edits.
There are also quite a number of different things to talk about Renderforest, so here are some.
What we liked about Renderforest
Renderforest is a proper video editing software that has acquired a lot of different video templates and officially licensed music too that you can use. The user interface of Renderforest is also quite simple and easy to use.
It also arranges and organizes your videos in a way that is quite easy for you to export and understand, and it also syncs your music and video files instantly too.
What we didn’t like about Renderforest
Renderforest, ironically, has reported a lot of issues with the files that it renders. Its customers say that it takes a lot of time to render them, and sometimes there is a quality to dip as well.
While reviewing the video, you are editing it; you can’t just jump to a part that you want to review. You have to go through the entire video, which can also be very annoying for some people.
There are also certain templates that you can customize to a certain degree only and not more.
Why did we choose Renderforest as an iMovie alternative?
Renderforest does offer a fairly great lineup of effects that can be used in a way for its customers to understand how it is done. It also has a nice lineup of features available on it.
You also get a great collection of free stock library and templates, which you don’t usually see on iMovie as well, and there are some dedicated commercially licensed songs in it as well.
Review and rating of Renderforest
Renderforest is a well-known software that is quite popular thanks to its features and ease of usage. You can very easily use the software and create your desired videos.
Because of those reasons, I would be rating Renderforest 3.5/5 stars.
Lightworks
Lightworks is also a really great video editing software that you can try out for free with almost all the premium features that are available on it, if you are willing to use it for non-commercial purpose only.
Just like iMovie, this video editing software offers tons of different tools which can be really useful while editing videos, and especially for those editors who are trying to learn more about professional video editing.
What we liked about Lightworks
Lightworks offer a UI that is simple to understand, compared to other video editing softwares present in the market right now, and at the same time it doesn’t feel like its baby feeding its users.
It balances the professional look, as well as the ease of using it, quite well. The overall list of features avaialble on it are also quite good, and you can very easily learn new features as you edit more videos on this software.
What we didn’t like about Lightworks
Lightworks free version offers quite a lot of tools and features which are very useful. The one area in which it sort of backs away is in the resolution of the final video output, as that is stuck at only 720p.
In a world, where people have slowly but surely moved from 1080p to 4K devices, it feels a little backwards to have your videos rendered out at 720p resolution.
If you watch in on a 1080p video then you won’t find a lot of difference. However, if you watch it on 4K monitors, then you can tell that it is a 720p video.
Why did we choose Lightworks as an iMovie alternative?
iMovie is made specifically for mac users and no one else. Whereas, Lightworks is available on both devices, Windows and macOS, so people can easily use it for editing their videos on it.
Along with it, you get a free video editing software with some professional-level tools at your disposal that leaves no watermark on your videos when you export them.
Review and rating of Lightworks
I have used Lightworks for more than four years now, and I can safely say, because of the things I learned on it, I feel confident to now using some more premium video editing softwares.
And that is the main purpose for such video editing softwares like iMovie and Lightworks, that they are offered at an affordable price but they also provide the user with a number of professional tools so that it helps them in learning more about video editing. For that reason, I will rate Lightworks 4/5 stars.
Our recommendations on the best iMovie alternative?
Well, there you have it, six of the best alternatives to iMovie that you can find online right now. All six of them propose a different technique and method to be video editing software.
They all target different groups of people, and you have to be the judge for selecting which one suits the best for you.
For that reason, I wouldn’t be choosing anyone as the best alternative to iMovie.
Why did we choose None of the above as the best iMovie alternative?
As I mentioned above, all six of them offer a fairly different experience of what video editing software should be like. You can easily select the one which fits your purpose for editing and then continue using its services.
But, as always, this has been my list of the best iMovie alternatives available. What about you? Do you agree with my choice? Or do you prefer some other alternatives?
Do let us know about it in the comments down below!
