Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Lightworks VS Kdenlive

Compare Lightworks VS Kdenlive and see what are their differences

Lightworks logo Lightworks

Lightworks is an editing powerhouse, delivering unparalleled speed and flexibility, fully...

Kdenlive logo Kdenlive

Free and open-source, full-featured video editor.
  • Lightworks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14
  • Kdenlive Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15

Lightworks features and specs

  • Professional-grade Editing Tools
    Lightworks offers industry-standard editing tools that are used in professional film editing, including support for multi-camera editing, advanced trimming, and various video and audio effects.
  • Extensive Format Support
    Lightworks supports a wide range of video formats, making it highly versatile for different types of projects.
  • High Precision
    The software is known for its high-precision editing capabilities, allowing for frame-accurate video editing which is essential for professional-grade video production.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Lightworks works on multiple operating systems including Windows, Mac, and Linux, providing flexibility for users who work on different platforms.
  • Real-time Effects
    The software supports real-time effects, allowing editors to see the impact of their changes without having to render the video first.
  • Collaborative Editing
    Lightworks offers collaborative features that make it easier for multiple editors to work on the same project simultaneously.
  • Free Version Available
    Lightworks offers a free version with a substantial set of features, making it accessible for beginners and independent filmmakers.

Possible disadvantages of Lightworks

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Although Lightworks is feature-rich, it has a steep learning curve that may be challenging for beginners.
  • Free Version Limitations
    The free version has some limitations, such as restricted export options—maximum resolution of 720p and limited export formats, which may not be suitable for all projects.
  • User Interface
    Some users find the user interface to be less intuitive compared to other video editing software, which can slow down the learning process.
  • System Requirements
    Lightworks requires a relatively powerful computer to run smoothly, which could be an issue for users with older or less powerful systems.
  • Customer Support
    The support for the free version is limited to community forums and documentation, which may not be sufficient for users needing immediate or more detailed help.
  • Price of Premium Version
    The premium version, which includes additional features and higher export resolutions, can be relatively expensive compared to other video editing software.

Kdenlive features and specs

  • Free and Open-Source
    Kdenlive is completely free to use and its source code is open, allowing developers to modify and customize it according to their needs.
  • Cross-Platform
    Kdenlive runs on multiple operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it versatile for users on different platforms.
  • Wide Format Support
    Kdenlive supports a wide range of video and audio formats due to its reliance on the FFmpeg libraries, enabling users to work with almost any type of media file.
  • Powerful Editing Features
    It offers advanced video editing features like multi-track editing, keyframes, and transitions, which are comparable to those found in professional software.
  • Customizable Interface
    Kdenlive allows users to customize the interface layouts to suit their workflow, enhancing usability and productivity.
  • Comprehensive Documentation and Community Support
    It has extensive documentation and an active community, providing valuable resources and support for troubleshooting and learning.

Possible disadvantages of Kdenlive

  • Performance Issues
    Some users report that Kdenlive may experience lag or crashes, especially when handling large projects or high-resolution media.
  • Learning Curve
    While powerful, Kdenlive can be complex for beginners due to its multitude of features and somewhat intricate interface.
  • Occasional Bugs
    As with many open-source projects, Kdenlive sometimes has bugs that can affect the stability and functionality of the software.
  • Limited Professional Features
    Although rich in features, Kdenlive might lack some advanced tools that are available in high-end commercial software, making it less suitable for some professional needs.
  • Resource Intensive
    Kdenlive can be quite resource-intensive, demanding a good amount of CPU and RAM, which might pose challenges for users with older or lower-spec hardware.

Analysis of Kdenlive

Overall verdict

  • Kdenlive is considered a good option for both beginners and intermediate users looking for a powerful, free video editing tool. It might not have all the advanced features of high-end paid software, but it offers a comprehensive suite for most video editing needs.

Why this product is good

  • Kdenlive is a popular open-source video editor known for its robust feature set and flexibility. It supports a wide range of formats, provides multi-track editing on a timeline, and has capabilities for effects and transitions. Being open-source, it has a strong community that contributes to its development, ensuring regular updates and a rich library of resources and plugins. It's also free, making it accessible to anyone interested in video editing without a large budget.

Recommended for

    Kdenlive is recommended for independent filmmakers, hobbyists, YouTubers, and any user who requires a free and capable video editing tool without investing in commercial software. It's also suited for users who value open-source projects and enjoy customizing their tools with community-driven plugins and updates.

Lightworks videos

Review: EditShare Lightworks from the perspective of a Premiere Pro editor

More videos:

  • Review - Is Lightworks Actually Free?
  • Review - Lightworks vs Kdenlive | Comparing FREE Video Editors

Kdenlive videos

Openshot Vs Kdenlive (Which Is The BEST Free Video Editor?) Geekoutdoors.com EP1050

More videos:

  • Review - Kdenlive 19.04
  • Review - Lightworks vs Kdenlive | Comparing FREE Video Editors

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Lightworks and Kdenlive)
Video Editors
27 27%
73% 73
Video
23 23%
77% 77
Video Tools
21 21%
79% 79
Marketing Videos
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Lightworks and Kdenlive

Lightworks Reviews

10 Best Video Editors for YouTube in 2024
Lightworks stands out as a professional video editing tool with robust multi-track editing and dynamic real-time effects. It’s perfect for semi-professional or experienced YouTubers who require advanced editing capabilities without an initial cost, as the free version is feature-rich but restricts exports to 720p. To access higher resolutions, upgrading to the pro version is...
13 Best Green Screen Software For Windows (2024)
Lightworks is a video editing software for newcomers and pros in the film world. It has easy-to-use green screen tools for creating high-quality chroma key effects in your videos. Popular with YouTuber experts, Light Works has several features that make it a leading choice for creating green-screen videos.
Source: mixilab.com
Windows Best Video Editing Software
Lightworks has a user-friendly interface that makes it simple to get started. Lightworks is a video editing software that comes with a library of detailed video tutorials, making it one of the more accessible and simple to learn Linux video editing software options on this list.
Best Free Video Editing Software for Linux
Both Resolve and Lightworks have their issues as well; Resolve’s being it only supports CentOS 7 and has features locked away behind Resolve Studio, and Lightwork’s is the same locked down features with the added subscription/license model. 720p in 2020? Get out of here. If you make you living in video, then by all means spring for the licensed copies of these – but for the...
Source: itsfoss.com
The Complete List of Video Marketing Tools (Updated for 2022)
Lightworks is a capable, versatile, and valuable video editor that almost anyone can learn-- even the amateurs. If you’re working on video production and suddenly need an advanced tool for post-production, this tool can provide you with anything you need. The color correction, filters, video effects features can help to get your audio and visuals just right.

Kdenlive Reviews

10 Best Video Editors for YouTube in 2024
Kdenlive stands out as a free, open-source video editor that’s loaded with advanced capabilities, such as multi-track editing, transitions, and effects. It’s an ideal choice for semi-professional editors seeking greater project control without the financial burden of costly software. While its customizable interface is advantageous, it might occasionally feel buggy and could...
9 Best Adobe Premiere Pro Alternatives in 2022 (FREE & Online)
What makes Kdenlive appealing for beginners is the intuitive interface that introduces the various editing features in a clear and concise manner, with the more advanced tools also inserted into the workflow in an easy-to-follow manner.
Source: shotkit.com
Best Free and Open Source Alternatives to Corel VideoStudio Pro
Shotcut is another powerful cross-platform video editor. Like Kdenlive it’s based on the awesome FFmpeg libraries and therefore supports hundreds of audio and video formats.
CapCut for PC - 8 Alternatives to CapCut for PC and Online
On the timeline, Kdenlive enables you to cut, resize, split video, group clips, add subtitles, and it also has multiple tools like razor tool, spacer too for better editing. Also, it offers various effects that allow you to blur, crop, rotate video, fade in/out audio, do color correction, and much more. What’s more, Kdenlive features a 2D title editor.
8 Adobe Premiere/Kdenlive/OpenShot Alternatives in 2019 - Pros, Cons and Price
As an excellent Adobe Premiere alternative, Kdenlive is a powerful and intuitive video editing tool for Windows, Mac and Linux. It offers tons of plugins, almost all formats, effects and editing tools for users. But it seems that Kdenlive does not suitable for those who have no video editing experience. But if you invest hours in it, you'll find out how wonderful it is.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Kdenlive should be more popular than Lightworks. It has been mentiond 120 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Lightworks mentions (19)

  • Lightworks Pro 2024 Crack Download
    Turn off the antivirus that you have on your system. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Creative logos vs the periodic table
    Haven't done video editing in a long time, but what's wrong with lightworks? Source: over 2 years ago
  • Looking for Lightworks Console
    It is always good to know different editing systems if you plan on doing this for a career. Lightworks is a very good editing system that lets you focus on the editing itself without bogging you down in lots of effects and many different panels. Lightworks has a free version which makes it very advantageous to start out with. It does have a bit of a learning curve but the people on the forum @ lwks.com are great... Source: over 2 years ago
  • What's some really useful software?
    Lightworks is a decent video editor, also great for a gaming video editing, though there are alternatives. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Daily Megathread - 09/08/2022
    No time like the present to learn a new hobby! Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

Kdenlive mentions (120)

  • Show HN: Open-Source Video Editor Web App
    Hadn't heard of this (https://kdenlive.org/en/). Thank you! - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • FFmpeg 7.0 Released
    "Regular" people don't really need FFMPEG. Regular people need tools with GUIs that have a non-generic purpose. So stuff like https://kdenlive.org/en/ that are backed by ffmpeg are (imo) superior "regular" person tools. FFMPEG isn't complicated (its as complicated as any other CLI tool), it's that video encoding/decoding specifically is a hard problem space that you have to explicitly learn to better understand... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Flowblade: Open-Source Video Editor
    Great that you got it to work. Just to make the list with potential tools a bit more complete: - Kdenlive is also a fairly capable video editor. https://kdenlive.org/en/ - From what I have heard the Blender video editor for many people is a go to tool as well. In this case it likely would have been overkill, but figured it is worth mentioning. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • What Online video editors do you use?
    You might be interested in Kdenlive. It's not online, but can be installed on any OS and I've had it running on some pretty dated machines. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Remember when Windows had a native video editor?
    Kdenlive or shotcut for small/basic stuff. If you're outgrow those, then DaVinci Resolve Free. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Lightworks and Kdenlive, you can also consider the following products

DaVinci Resolve - Revolutionary new tools for editing, color correction and professional audio post production, all in a single application!

Adobe Premiere Pro - Edit video faster than ever before with the powerful, more connected Adobe Premiere® Pro CC.

Shotcut - Shotcut is a free, open source, cross-platform, non-linear video editor.

iMovie - Turn your videos into movie magic.

OpenShot - OpenShot is a open source video editing program.

Final Cut Pro - Professional, non-linear video editing software created by Apple Inc.