# Avid Media Composer vs Lightworks

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Lightworks

| Attribute | Avid Media Composer | Lightworks |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 31.8 (35% (low)) | 46.5 (54% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Industry-standard editing software used in film, TV, and news production, offering AI-assisted workflows, timeline control, multicam support, and secure delivery pipelines for managing large-scale projects. It is indexed under Video Editing Software.","source":"https://www.avid.com/media-composer","question":"What is Avid Media Composer?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Avid Media Composer is sold across 1 plan: Standard. We have not confirmed a published price for every tier. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.avid.com/media-composer","question":"How much does Avid Media Composer cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Avid Media Composer, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.avid.com/media-composer","question":"Can Avid Media Composer be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Avid Media Composer is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://www.avid.com/media-composer","question":"Where is Avid Media Composer available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"Desktop-based video editing platform supporting timeline editing, color grading, visual effects, and cloud collaboration. Offers perpetual ownership or subscription options across Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is indexed under Video Editing Software.","source":"https://lwks.com/pricing","question":"What is Lightworks?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Lightworks offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Free, Create and Pro. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://lwks.com/pricing","question":"Is Lightworks free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Lightworks supports Windows, macOS and Linux. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://lwks.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does Lightworks support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Lightworks, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://lwks.com/pricing","question":"Can Lightworks be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 4 integrations for Lightworks, including Dropbox, Google Drive, NewBlue Titler Pro and NewBlue TotalFX. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://lwks.com/pricing","question":"What does Lightworks integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Lightworks. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Lightworks not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://lwks.com/privacy-and-cookie-policy","question":"What security certifications does Lightworks have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Lightworks is available worldwide. Its primary markets are the United Kingdom and the United States. The vendor is headquartered in the United Kingdom.","source":"https://lwks.com/pricing","question":"Where is Lightworks available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Industry-standard editing software used in film, TV, and news production, offering AI-assisted workflows, timeline control, multicam support, and secure delivery pipelines for managing large-scale projects. | Desktop-based video editing platform supporting timeline editing, color grading, visual effects, and cloud collaboration. Offers perpetual ownership or subscription options across Windows, Mac, and Linux. |
| features.capabilities | `{"multicam":true,"ai_features":true,"color_grading":true,"pricing_model":"subscription","professional_nle":true,"cloud_collaboration":true}` | `{"hdr_4k8k":true,"free_or_oss":true,"codec_breadth":"ProRes, AVID DNxHD, AVID DNxHR, H.264, AVC-Intra, Cineform","color_grading":true,"pricing_model":"freemium","platform_breadth":"Windows, macOS, Linux","professional_nle":true,"cloud_collaboration":true}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 4 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Pro Tools","native":true,"category":"audio","direction":"outbound"}]` | `[{"name":"Dropbox","native":true,"category":"cloud_storage","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Google Drive","native":true,"category":"cloud_storage","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"NewBlue Titler Pro","native":true},{"name":"NewBlue TotalFX","native":true}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"GB","primaryMarkets":["GB","US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | - | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Standard","features":["99 video tracks","Standard color management","Standard web support (24hr response)"],"commitment":"annual","includedLimits":{"video_tracks":"99"}}],"currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://www.avid.com/media-composer","retrievedAt":"2026-08-31T15:11:12.210Z","billingPeriods":["year"]}` | `{"type":"freemium","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","features":["Timeline Editing","720p HD Export","Automatic Saving","Advanced Transitions","Simple VFX"],"description":"Beginner-friendly tier with unlimited availability","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Create","features":["4K Video Export","Social Media Templates","NewBlue Titler Pro","Dynamic Motion Graphics","Powerful Colour Controls","Advanced Audio EQ","Quick LUT Support","High Res Proxy Editing","High Res Timeline Rendering"],"description":"Subscription tier for editors seeking advanced features","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","features":["10-Bit Support","Audio and Video Plugin Support","Increased File Formats","Advanced Video Effects","Custom Format Creation","Support for NewBlue TotalFX","Export Interchange Formats","Advanced Colour Scopes","In Timeline QC","Cloud Export/Upload"],"description":"Fully featured professional tier","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Free tier; subscription and perpetual (pay-once) options available","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://lwks.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-31T15:10:33.313Z","billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | unknown | low |
| pricing.transparent | no | no |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |

## Capabilities (Video Editing Software)

| Capability | Avid Media Composer | Lightworks |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Editing** |  |  |
| Professional NLE (multi-track finishing) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Colour grading | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multicam editing | ✓ | - |
| **Technical** |  |  |
| 4K/8K + HDR support | - | ✓ |
| Codec breadth (ProRes / HEVC / AV1 / RAW) | - | ProRes, AVID DNxHD, AVID DNxHR, H.264, AVC-Intra, Cineform |
| GPU acceleration | - | - |
| **AI** |  |  |
| AI features (captions / text-to-video / voice) | ✓ | - |
| **Capture** |  |  |
| Screen recording built-in | - | - |
| **Platform** |  |  |
| Platform breadth (Win / macOS / Linux / iOS / Android / Web) | - | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| **Collaboration** |  |  |
| Cloud collaboration / team review | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Free / open-source available | - | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:06:08.625Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*