Lightworks
Video editing software for beginners through professional editors, available in free and paid tiers
- Vendor
- LWKS
- Also known as
- lightworks
Available worldwide · Popular in: GB, US
What is Lightworks?
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.
Lightworks pricing
Plans, per-tier features and add-ons, dated and linked to live pricing. Pricing changes often; always verify at source before you rely on it.
Free tier; subscription and perpetual (pay-once) options available
Free
FreeBeginner-friendly tier with unlimited availability
- Timeline Editing
- 720p HD Export
- Automatic Saving
- Advanced Transitions
- Simple VFX
Create
Subscription tier for editors seeking advanced 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
Pro
Fully featured professional tier
- 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
What Lightworks does
The capabilities that matter for video editing software, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Professional NLE (multi-track finishing)
- ✓
- Colour grading
- ✓
- Multicam editing
- -
- 4K/8K + HDR support
- ✓
- Codec breadth (ProRes / HEVC / AV1 / RAW)
- ProRes, AVID DNxHD, AVID DNxHR, H.264, AVC-Intra, Cineform
- GPU acceleration
- -
- AI features (captions / text-to-video / voice)
- -
- Screen recording built-in
- -
- Platform breadth (Win / macOS / Linux / iOS / Android / Web)
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Cloud collaboration / team review
- ✓
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Free / open-source available
- ✓
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- macOS
- Linux
- Windows
- Cloud / SaaS
Integrations (4)
Independently observed- Dropbox⇄•
- Google Drive⇄•
- NewBlue Titler Pro•
- NewBlue TotalFX•
Lightworks alternatives
Other video editing software we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- DaVinci ResolveVideo post-production software integrating editing, color correction, effects, audio, and photo tools in one applicationlow · 28%
- DescriptText-based AI video and podcast editor with automated editing featuresmedium · 61%
- ClipchampBrowser-based video editor that combines professional editing capabilities with AI-powered features for accessible video creationlow · 40%
- Movavi Video EditorEasy-to-use video editing with AI-powered automatic featureslow · 40%
- CyberLink PowerDirectorProfessional video editing software with integrated AI tools and stock media librarylow · 39%
- VEEDAI-powered platform for creating, editing, and customizing professional-quality videos without extensive technical skillsmedium · 73%
The Vioscale score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for Lightworks, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price level | 80 | 0.05 | 4.2 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 75 | 0.04 | 3.0 | ✓ |
| Pricing transparency | 25 | 0.08 | 2.1 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 20 | 0.05 | 1.0 | ✓ |
| Reliability | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | - |
| Security posture | 5 | 0.06 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Hdr 4k8k: Yes · Free or oss: Yes · Codec breadth: ProRes, AVID DNxHD, AVID DNxHR, H.264, AVC-Intra, Cineform · Color grading: Yes · Pricing model: freemium · Platform breadth: Windows, macOS, Linux | mediumsource · 2026-08-31 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 4 | mediumsource · 2026-08-31 · 60% |
Market
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | HqCountry: GB · PrimaryMarkets: … · AvailabilityScope: global · AvailableCountries: … · NotAvailableCountries: … | highsource · 2026-08-31 · 75% |
Pricing
Security
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Gdpr | Yes | highsource · 2026-08-31 · 75% |