OpenShot is a free, open-source video editor from OpenShot Studios, LLC for simple timeline edits on Linux, Mac, and Windows. It gives beginners, educators, and casual creators a nonlinear editing workflow with an unlimited-track timeline, keyframed effects, color tools, titles, and built-in recording, without a subscription, watermark, or project limit.[1]
Quick verdict
Beginners and casual creators who want a free editor on Linux, Mac, or Windows will get the most from OpenShot. Its unlimited-track timeline, 400-plus transitions, keyframed effects, scopes, and Blender-powered 3D titles cover everyday edits for exactly zero cost. The tradeoff is community-only support with no managed review workspace or paid support tier, so teams who need those should choose a commercial tool instead. If you want simple free editing this weekend, choose OpenShot; if you must ship collaborative review with certified support, choose a commercial editor.[1][2]
Key features
Unlimited-track timeline with FFmpeg format support Video, audio, and images drag onto unlimited tracks with trim, slice, snap, zoom, and frame stepping, and common media formats open through FFmpeg without pre-conversion.[1]
Keyframe animation with three interpolation modes Position, rotation, scale, opacity, volume, effect settings, playback speed, and direction animate over timeline keyframes with linear, constant, or Bezier interpolation.[1]
More than 400 transitions and wipes Overlapping two clips creates a transition automatically, with adjustable timing, direction, brightness, and contrast plus keyframeable properties.[1]
Color grading with scopes and LUTs Color wheels, curves, and LUT files shape shadows, midtones, and highlights while waveform, histogram, vectorscope, and RGB parade views measure the result.[1][2]
Effects library with chroma key and interactive masks Brightness, contrast, chroma key, crop, blur, and lens flare combine on one clip with keyframed properties, and point-or-rectangle masks isolate subjects with track-based compositing.[1]
2D and 3D animated titles More than 40 editable vector title templates cover text, fonts, and colors, while Blender-powered titles add materials, lighting, and animation-length controls.[1]
Built-in screen, webcam, and microphone recording Full screen, window, or region capture lands on its own timeline track, with mono or stereo audio and simultaneous webcam and microphone input.[1]
Free and cross-platform under GPL-3.0 Free downloads cover Linux, Mac, and Windows with no subscription, watermark, or project limit, and the source carries a GPL-3.0 license.[1][2][3][4]
Who will love it
The editor presents itself as easy to use and quick to learn, so first-time editors get a real timeline without paying or fighting a watermark.[1][2]
The software is free with a downloadable user guide, title templates, and built-in recording, which makes it assignable for classroom projects without license management.[1][2]
Free installers cover Linux, Mac, and Windows with portable project files, so editors who switch machines keep one workflow.[1][2]
Who should avoid it
No shared review workspace or managed cloud edition is documented, so distributed approval workflows have no supported home here.[1][2]
Support runs through email, forum, and Discord, with no paid enterprise offering documented.[1][2]
Downloads cover desktop operating systems only, with no mobile editor documented.[1]
Alternatives and compatibility
OpenShot is a nonlinear desktop video editor with an unlimited-track timeline that reads common formats through FFmpeg and moves project files between Linux, macOS, and Windows. The project states it was created in 2008 as a free, simple, open-source Linux editor and is now cross-platform, with the 4.0 series adding built-in recording and expanded color tooling.[1][2]
If you want a free desktop timeline with keyframed effects, 400-plus transitions, scopes, Blender titles, and recording, choose OpenShot for everyday edits on Linux, Mac, and Windows at zero cost. If you need managed team review, certified support, or mobile editing, choose a commercial or mobile-first editor instead.[1][2][3]
Kdenlive stands as the catalogue's published free-editor competitor in review state for the desktop timeline-editing workflow; the comparison is an editorial inference pending evidenced support, not a vendor endorsement.[1][2]
Questions worth asking
What is the best OpenShot alternative for non-technical users?
Is OpenShot really no-code?
Timeline editing itself is visual, with drag-and-drop clips, sliders, keyframes, and dialogs rather than programming, so normal cutting, effects, color, and titling need no code. Real editing skill is still required: keyframes, scopes, codecs, and export settings take study, and the user guide is the honest starting point.[1][2]
How much does OpenShot cost per month?
OpenShot costs nothing per month: the official site states editing without subscriptions, watermarks, or project limits, with free downloads and funding by donation, as of October 12, 2026. A free license does not imply free support, which remains community-based through email, forum, and Discord.[1][2]
Sources and editorial review
Source research. Reviewed on October 12, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.
We have not run or tested this product.
- OpenShot Video Editor | Free, Open, and Award-Winning Video Editor
official · Observed October 12, 2026
Official homepage; free open-source positioning, v4.0.1 downloads, platforms, 2008 origin, OpenShot Studios identity, GPL license, support channels, donations
- OpenShot Video Editor | Features
official · Observed October 12, 2026
Official features page; nine capability sections, free without subscriptions or watermarks, GPLv3-or-later footer
- OpenShot Video Editor | Download
official · Observed October 12, 2026
Official download page; v4.0.1 per-OS install paths, APT repository, daily builds proving active maintenance
- OpenShot/openshot-qt on GitHub
official · Observed October 12, 2026
Official OpenShot/openshot-qt repository; gplv3, python, and qt5 topics, project identity
Compared with these products
No explicit proprietary baseline is recorded.