The Best Video Editing Apps in 2020

Here's a list of the best video editing apps on Android and iOS, for both amateurs and professionals.

The best video editing apps are surprisingly powerful these days. Whether you're using a smartphone or tablet, iOS or Android, you can find some great tools that will give you professional looking results. In fact, depending on the task, they can even sometimes be preferable to full-blown desktop software. 

Why? Because video editing apps are designed for smaller screens, the interfaces are often clearer, better thought-through, and more user friendly than their Windows and Mac OS equivalents, which makes them a particularly good choice for beginners. They're often also a lot cheaper, too. 

But among all the many video editing apps out there, which one should you choose? To help you decide, we've brought together the best on the market today, both paid-for and free, and for both iOS and Android. While they vary enormously in terms of features and complexity, they all benefit from intuitive interfaces and reliable functionality, making them perfect for enthusiasts and professionals alike. 

1- Premiere Rush (Cross-Platform)

Premiere Rush is designed as a cross-platform, multiple device video editing software aimed at social media content creators looking to process video clips quickly and upload them to their favourite social network.

Premiere Rush is available to all Creative Cloud All Apps, Premiere Pro CC single app and Student plan subscribers. There is also a single app plan for £9.98/month for the standalone apps. There is another membership for Premiere Rush and Premiere Pro together for £19.97/month, which works out as a very good deal for professional video editors. In addition, there is a free starter plan that gives users access to all the apps and features, but limits exports to three projects.

This app is an outstanding option for a simplified video editing experience. No, it's not as powerful as Premiere Pro, but it's useful. If you're at a point where your Rush project needs a little more "umph" to get your message across, you can open your saved Rush project in Premiere Pro. Your edits will translate over to a new Premiere Pro project allowing you not to skip a beat in your workflow.

2- GoPro App (Cross-Platform)

This is one of the most convenient and easy to use app in GoPro's arsenal. GoPro is a free application which would automatically create nicely edited videos within just a few minute's time. The editing process is as simple as it can possible get; all you have to do is selecting the videos or pictures which you would like to show in the movie from the library and it is going to do the rest. However you can only use the images and videos which are stored in your phone's library. You can also mix the GoPro footage with those of your phone’s if you want.

3- LumaFusion (iOS)

LumaFusion is the first mobile video editor that lives up to the hype, one so ridiculously feature-packed, it seems unfair to pay the developer so little (£28.99) for it. Rather than reinvent the wheel, LumaFusion enables old-school multitrack editing—three tracks for video with audio, plus three for audio only—in a modular user interface reminiscent of the classic Final Cut Pro.

Beyond basic editing, LumaFusion shines at spicing up projects with a generous selection of effects, transitions, titles, colour correction, and a small (but high-quality) library of royalty-free music built-in. The ability to key out footage shot against blue or green screens is particularly impressive and works remarkably well.

When it comes to editing video on an iOS device, LumaFusion has no equal. This is the poster child for how a “desktop class” mobile app should perform and redefines what’s possible on a smartphone or tablet. - J.R. Bookwalter

4- KineMaster Pro (Cross-Platform)

Editing on a computer is one thing, but the amazing versatility of our mobile devices means you could shoot some footage, edit it and upload it, all on a single device. There are many apps that offer this versatility to a lesser or larger degree, and we’ll be exploring where on this continuum KineMaster for iOS and Android stacks up.

Depending on the power of your device, KineMaster allows you to work on multiple layers of video in a project. Overlays (like text and stickers for instance) are less computationally intensive and KineMaster appears to let you have as many of those as you need. There are two ways you can get rid of the watermark that comes with the free version. Only Android owners can take advantage of the first option: make sure you use one of Muserk’s audio tracks somewhere in your video (you can access them via the Media Panel’s Audio section), and the watermark’s gone. Sadly, this doesn’t apply to iOS owners, so they’re left with the second option: to purchase a subscription. £4.99 a month or £38.99 a year not only removes that watermark, it also grants you access to all the premium effects in the Asset Store, with new ones being added monthly.

KineMaster is a surprisingly powerful video editing app for your mobile device and you can find yourself creating complex projects with ease. The interface is simple yet stores a lot of tools, and as it’s free (as long as you don’t mind the watermarking), it’s definitely worth checking out.

5- iMovie (iOS)

iMovie is part of the Apple's iLife suite for iPhone and iPad. While iPhoto allows you to re-touch and sort your photos and GarageBand aims to give users the ability to edit audio and create music on their devices, iMovie completes the series with tools to help you create, edit, and share beautiful movies and trailers without ever having to touch a computer.

The editing screen is set up similar to iMovie on the Mac and split into 3 different screens. On the bottom of the screen, you find the timeline for your movie, on the top left, you find available media, and video preview is located in the top right. The “My Projects” screen is beautifully designed to look like a vintage movie theatre. The types of media that you can add to your movie are videos, photos, and music. However, the videos must be what's available in the Photos app, so if you have homemade videos that you imported into the Videos app of your iPad with iTunes, you cannot access them from iMovie.

iMovie is a great application for making movies and trailers on your iPhone and iPad. It has plenty of features that will please most users. The themes and trailers set it apart from other video editing apps. Definitely worth checking out, especially given the fact that it is a free option.

6- Wondershare FilmoraGo (Android)

What started as a desktop version has finally been developed into a beautifully designed video editing app from the people at Wondershare Software. The developers took a product and made it possible to create eloquent videos, no matter if you are professional or just someone who does it for fun. As soon as you open the app you can immediately see the quality design and layout. Click one button and you’re on your way. You have the choice to choose from your library, Facebook, Instagram, or Google for photos or videos that you want to insert. Once you’ve made your decision it’s time to move on to the next phase.

Your next move is adding themes, music, transitions to your selections. Themes are presets that FilmoraGo already has made up if you just want something quick. You can also go into the editing tools to find overlays, filters, elements add titles, speed it up and more. There are a ton of options.

The music library isn’t really that big, but not to worry as you can add your own music that you have downloaded to your phone. Make sure that you turn down the video volume so it doesn’t over power your music. Transitions are also very important when making a video. You have six to choose from so you should be covered.

This is one of the best apps I’ve used in a while. I absolutely love it and enjoyed making videos with it. This app has so many different settings, and the fact that it’s free with no ads is amazing. I highly recommend FilmoraGo.

7- Apple Clips (iOS)

You may be wondering: Why did Apple publish Clips, a fun video editing and sharing app? That seems more like the domain of Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. But Apple has the video software technology, thanks to its excellent iMovie and Final Cut Pro applications, so why not? The flexible, capable Clips app offers a unique combination of video effects, and it really is fun to use.

In these days of Snapchat and musical.ly, Clips' interface is notably self-explanatory. In fact, with 11 on-screen controls, Clips interface is busier than most of today's trendy apps, but that means its functions are out in the open rather than hidden. In these days of Snapchat and TikTok, Clips' interface is notably self-explanatory. In fact, with 11 on-screen controls, Clips interface is busier than most of today's trendy apps, but that means its functions are out in the open rather than hidden.

You can find each of the video tricks in Apple Clips in other apps, but combining them all in one place makes for truly fun video creativity.

8- Filmmaker Pro (iOS)

Those wanting something a little more technical than iMovie or Clips should find enough tools in Filmmaker Pro to keep them busy for a while. In this app you can adjust the colour gradient of footage, making it much easier to attain the look of classic film stocks or giving your scenes that extra visual pop. There's also the facility to adjust white balance, saturation and contrast, so you can have things look just as you want them.

One particularly cool feature is where Filmmaker Pro can replace any green screen scenes you've recorded, placing a new background into the shot in with only a few taps. There's also a wide range of titles, graphics and transitions, and even a dedicated, manual video app to give you complete control over how footage is recorded.

All this doesn't come for free, though. While there is a trial version available, any movies you output with this will bear the Filmmaker Pro watermark. You can remove this from the app permanently for £19.99, or there's a £5.49 p/m subscription that unlocks everything in the app - including manual video mode.

This cost might deter many people, but if you're serious about making movies on your iPhone, you should definitely give Filmmaker Pro a go.

9- Cyberlink PowerDirector (Cross-Platform)

Cyberlink PowerDirector (iOS and Android) mobile app is a great option if you own the desktop version of the software because you can start editing on your android or windows mobile device, export it to Cyberlink cloud service, and finish editing on your desktop PC.

PowerDirector mobile offers what I consider the basic video import features. A small extra is the ability to perform video or audio capture, which allows you to record video with your mobile device camera and automatically import the media when you finish. You have the same function under the audio tab but it's labeled "record". If you make video tutorials, you can edit your footage and then record the voice directly into PowerDirector onto the timeline. That is a very useful feature.

PowerDirector mobile provides a max of 2 video tracks if you upgrade the app to the paid monthly subscription. If you use the free version, you are limited to only 1 video track with PowerDirector's name watermarked on your footage. 4K footage is only supported in the paid version. The editor also comes with two overlay tracks, this is where you place your text, Picture-In-Picture video overlays, Chroma keyed footage, etc. Finally, it has a max of two audio tracks which are perfect for a soundtrack and a voice over audio track.

So, if you are a mobile phone user and you want to try your hand using some advanced video editing features not found on free video editing apps or some social media editors, go ahead and grab this app, record some media using your mobile device and create content your viewers will want to watch again and again.

10- Inshot (Cross-Platform)

InShot - Video Editor (iOS and Android) is a pretty powerful little app. A free download on the App Store (with a further “pro” offering available to paying users) InShot lets iPhone owners make smart, meaningful edits to video and images. If you’re the kind of person who likes to play around with content before posting it to social media or sharing it with friends, InShot could be a useful addition to your Home screen.

The app lets users do three things: edit video, edit images, and create collages. It markets itself as a video editor but potential users will be pleased to find that InShot includes a range of simple but effective tools for tweaking photos, too. This includes a range of nice filters, support for adding text to your images, cropping, and adjusting lightness, contrast, tint, saturation, and more. What’s great about InShot is that the app lets you make quick edits to videos without having to load up a more complex and processor-heavy app likeiMovie. For instance, you can bundle multiple videos together and stitch them up with transitions. You can trim videos, or add background music either from your iTunes library, or from InShot’s own library of ambient tracks.

If there is a criticism to level at InShot, it’s that the app probably isn’t going to blow you away. But when you remember that there’s a lot on offer in this relatively small package, the appeal of InShot begins to take root. So, for an all-in-one editor for images, videos, and collages, look no further. InShot could be the app you’ve been searching for.

All of these apps are nothing short of incredible tools for video editing, and it really comes down to your personal preference. For me, my number one choice for mobile editing is Premiere Rush simply because I have Premiere Pro on my Mac Pro and I love the fact that they are both synchronised seamlessly. Message me on my Instagram account about which app you found the most use for, or which one you perhaps already use.