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Best tools for video editing

Ranking reviewed October 17, 2026. Shelf: Video.

This ranking is for a creator who edits their own video. The job is “make the thing and publish it,” not “staff a post house.”

Recording tools are on the list so you can see where they fit, and they sit below the editors on purpose.

Short answer

For most creators editing short-form video, start with CapCut. Choose DaVinci Resolve if you want a full editor and color tools, including a free version from Blackmagic Design. Choose Descript if you would rather edit talking-head video or a podcast by editing the transcript. Opus Clip is for cutting clips out of a longer video, not for building one. Riverside records remote interviews. Loom sends a screen recording. Neither is a timeline editor.

Editorial ranking

Ordered for a creator doing the edit themselves. A lower rank means a narrower job, not a worse product.

  1. Rank 1: CapCut

    ByteDance’s editor for short-form video

    CapCut is the fastest path to a finished short: templates, captions, effects, and a timeline on your phone or computer. Start here when the destination is a social clip and you do not need a professional color page.

    Best for Short-form video on a phone or desktop. Check the CapCut site for current plans and fees. CreatorGoodies does not publish live prices.

  2. Rank 2: DaVinci Resolve

    Blackmagic’s full editor, with a free version

    DaVinci Resolve is the full editor. Blackmagic ships a free version that covers cutting, color, and audio, with Studio as the paid step up. Choose it when the project has outgrown a short-form app and you will learn the software.

    Best for Full editing and color without a required subscription. Check the DaVinci Resolve site for current plans and fees. CreatorGoodies does not publish live prices.

  3. Rank 3: Descript

    Edit talking video by editing the transcript

    Descript wins when the edit is the words. Podcasts, interviews, and talking-head videos are faster to cut as a transcript than as a timeline. It is the wrong tool when the picture has to be built shot by shot.

    Best for Podcasts and talking-head videos. Check the Descript site for current plans and fees. CreatorGoodies does not publish live prices.

  4. Rank 4: Opus Clip

    Turn a long video into short clips

    Opus Clip repurposes a long video into shorts with captions. Rank it when the long video already exists. It does not replace CapCut or Resolve for making the original.

    Best for Clipping long videos into shorts. Check the Opus Clip site for current plans and fees. CreatorGoodies does not publish live prices.

  5. Rank 5: Riverside

    Record remote interviews in the browser

    Riverside is how you record a remote guest in the browser, with separate tracks. It earns a place because a lot of “video editing” actually starts with a bad recording. Do the edit in an editor afterward.

    Best for Remote podcast and video interviews. Check the Riverside site for current plans and fees. CreatorGoodies does not publish live prices.

  6. Rank 6: Loom

    Screen recordings you send instead of a meeting

    Loom is the right tool for a two-minute explanation of your screen, and the wrong tool for a published video. Atlassian owns it. Use it to replace a meeting, then leave.

    Best for Async screen-and-camera messages. Check the Loom site for current plans and fees. CreatorGoodies does not publish live prices.

Rankings are editorial. Read how we rank before you treat a number as a fact. Makers can submit a tool.