Professional video editing, colour grading, and audio post-production — free
DaVinci Resolve is a full-featured professional video editing suite from Blackmagic Design covering editing, colour grading, Fusion VFX, Fairlight audio post-production, and media management — all in one application. Its free version includes capabilities that competing tools charge thousands for, making it the most remarkable value in professional creative software.
DaVinci Resolve is a strong fit if its core strengths match your workflow, budget, and support needs. Use the quick signals below before opening the full review.
DaVinci Resolve is the software that makes professional video editors do a double-take: a complete Hollywood-grade video editing, colour grading, VFX, and audio post-production suite available for free. Not free with feature gating, not free with a watermark — free with the full professional toolset used by colourists grading major studio releases.
DaVinci Resolve's free version includes the full Cut and Edit pages (professional NLE timeline editing), the Colour page (the same colour science used by Hollywood colourists, including primary and secondary corrections, curves, scopes, HDR tools, and node-based grading), the Fusion page (a node-based VFX compositing environment comparable to standalone compositing tools costing hundreds per month), the Fairlight page (a professional multi-track audio post-production environment with full mixing and mastering tools), and the Media and Deliver pages for ingest and export.
The free version limitation is primarily in collaboration (no shared project access without Studio) and some AI-powered tools. The core creative capability is fully accessible.
DaVinci Resolve Studio ($295 one-time, no subscription) adds noise reduction, magic mask AI, remote collaboration via shared databases, Blackmagic Cloud project sharing, stereoscopic 3D tools, and some additional GPU-accelerated processing. For professional colour and VFX work, Studio's AI tools justify the one-time cost. For editors who primarily cut rather than colour, the free version covers the complete workflow.
DaVinci's colour page is the best colour grading environment available in any software at any price. The node-based workflow enables complex, modular grade structures. Primary wheels and log controls handle global corrections; qualifier tools isolate skin tones, skies, or any colour range for selective correction; curves provide granular luminance and saturation control; the colour warper maps hue rotations for creative looks. Hollywood colourists choose DaVinci not because it is free but because it is genuinely the best tool for the job.
The learning curve is the honest trade-off. DaVinci's interface is large and complex — four separate functional pages, each with professional depth. Blackmagic provides free official certification training that takes weeks to complete. For editors switching from Premiere Pro or Final Cut, expect a 4–8 week adjustment period before regaining editing speed. For beginners starting from zero, DaVinci is a significant commitment but a career-defining one.
DaVinci Resolve is the best video editing software available at any price for professional work. The combination of free access, industry-standard colour tools, and one-time Studio pricing makes it the default recommendation for any editor serious about professional quality.
Score: 9.2/10 — Best professional video editing suite; learning curve and hardware demands are the trade-offs.
Free
Free billed annually
DaVinci Resolve is best for Aspiring professional editors and colourists who want industry-standard tools at zero licensing cost, Indie filmmakers and documentary producers needing professional colour grading without Netflix-budget software costs, Freelance video editors who want to own their tools permanently rather than pay monthly subscriptions.
Yes. DaVinci Resolve currently lists a free plan in ToolRankr data.
It has a free plan.
DaVinci Resolve is reviewed using ToolRankr's scoring model for ease of use, value, features, support, and overall quality. Affiliate links may earn a commission, but sponsored labels do not change editorial scoring.
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