Final Cut Pro (now Final Cut Pro X or FCPX) is a solid and professional video editing software that features a nitty interface and a pretty wide selection of toolsets, bringing Mac users lots of possibilities to create eye-catching videos. However, as a Mac-only app, it indeed excludes Windows users away.
Video editors and pro social creators are making the switch from Final Cut Pro X to Premiere Pro. It's the only application with Auto Reframe, Color Match, Auto Ducking and more, for better control, effortless integration, and a faster workflow. Video editors and pro social creators are making. Final Cut Pro is professional grade video editing software available exclusively on Apple Mac systems. Windows users aren't left behind, however, with Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premier Pro.
This leaves a number of people on the hunt for some Final Cut Pro alternatives for windows. To save your time picking the right replacement without having to wade through a vast number of programs, we've created a round-up of the best 11 apps that can work as FCPX running on PC.
Before Getting into Final Cut Pro for Windows
There are numerous windows options out there. To find some of the most proper alternatives for Final Cut Pro, you should first figure out what sets this premium editing software apart from the rests:
- 1. Fast Render: Render ProRes video at speed 2.7X faster thanks to the support of GPU acceleration and multithreading.
- 2. Ease of Use: Mac apps are all about simple, so it is the same with Final Cut Pro.
- 3. Magnetic Timeline: Enables newbies fast editing clips in seconds.
- 4. Feature-rich: It can be used as a 'iMovie Plus' but get some serious horsepower.
- 5. Quick Edits: 160+ title templates, 110+ filter/blurry effects, 28+ background/elements/textures, 1300+ copyright-free audio stock enables you to create amazing content without having to install third-party plugins.
- 6. Social media friendly: there is a smart conform tool to automatically crop videos to different aspect ratio, making it time-saving to post on various platforms.
7 Free Alternatives to Final Cut Pro for Windows
Adobe premiere 2018 minimum requirements. Budget-conscious users? We've collected 7 of the best free or cheap Windows video editing software that can replace Final Cut Pro. But, before digging into deep, you should know, besides VideoProc, renowned for its fast response speed, the majority of affordable items lack stable support of 4K and have relatively slow processing speed.
As for editing features, some free apps have hardly any features missing compared to Final Cut Pro. However, many of them are difficult to learn. Anyway, let's step into the checklist ordered from the easiest to the hardest.
#1. Windows Movie Maker
- Difficulty: 2/10.
- Render Speed: 4/10.
- Free download Windows Movie Maker on Windows.
Windows Movie Maker is a discontinued video editor rolled out by Microsoft for early Windows. The editing options it offers are quite basic but a good starting point for beginners. With it, you can cut, split, rotate, filter, deshake video just like using Final Cut Pro. Windows Movie Maker also lets you polish videos with various transitions, animations, and filters.
It was no longer accessible from Microsoft's official site since 2017. But, anyway, some online archive sites still provide you with the WMM installer pack, and a few Windows XP/7 users are reported to be able to utilize it without much problem. Therefore, we cover Windows Movie Maker on this list.
Features:
- A clear interface with easily accessible editing toolkits.
- Lots of ready-made transitions/templates for slideshows.
- A basic timeline that supports videos, images, and texts.
Pros:
- Easy to use.
Cons:
- Phased out by Microsoft.
- Lack of good support for hardware acceleration.
- Laggy to cope with large HD and 4K videos.
- Out-of-date transitions and effects.
#2. VideoProc
- Difficulty: 1/10.
- Render Speed: 8/10.
- Free Download VideoProc for Windows or Mac
Possibly the easiest and fastest alternative of Final Cut Pro for Windows, VideoProc lets you edit all types of videos including 4K HDR recorded in H.264, HEVC, MOV, MKV, AVI, and other 370+ popular formats. As for editing capabilities, it lets you trim, crop, split, flip, rotate, stabilize, denoise, brand your videos within just a few moves of your mouse. Besides, it's chrome key feature is easier to get accessed and master compared to Final Cut Pro.
The killer feature of VideoProc is the transcode and render speed. From our test, it can process a 45minutes 4K video in 1minitute 32secons while keeping a low CPU usage. This tallies with its promise to process video at speed up to 47X faster than real-time play.
Features:
- Fast make crispy videos with basic editing utilities and advanced tools like Chrome key.
- Build-in subtitle/music/video download engine to extract online resources.
- The wide range of import and output formats, including all Final Cut Pro compatible video/audio file formats.
- Edit videos without quality loss thanks to the high-quality engine.
- An all-in-one video editor that lets you record screen/webcam and compress video/audio.
Pros:
- Easy to use.
- A multi-purpose video processing tool.
- Have a complete video toolkit.
- Support for level-3 hardware acceleration tech.
- Work with all recent windows and Mac operating systems.
Final Cut Pro X Microsoft
Cons:
- NLE video editor is limited sometimes.
The minimum system requirements: Windows 10,7,8,8.1 (32-bit or 62-bit), macOS 10.6 or above; processor: 1 GHz; memory: 1GB of RAM.
#3. VSDC Free Video Editor
- Difficulty: 6/10.
- Render Speed: 4/10.
- Free Download VSDC Free Video Editor on Windows.
VSDC Free Video Editor, developed by Flash-Integro, LLC., is a free and multiple media editing software that serves as a primary alternative of Final Cut Pro on Windows. You can find most features given by Final Cut Pro on this free tool, excepting a few advanced toolkits, for instance, motion tracking. The 70+ transition templates and 36+ quick styles, 15 filters, and motion graphics templates offered by VSDC are very like what's given by Final Cut Pro, which is blazingly useful for users creating quick slideshows.
Features:
- Support of 360 degrees VR videos and 4K clips.
- Countless filters and eye-catching templates.
- Enable to add plug-ins, and allow multi-cam editing.
- Flexible chroma key.
Pros:
- Cover common use features given by Final Cut Pro.
- Low requirements on the running machine.
- Well-designed icons are friendly for beginners.
Cons:
- A lot of ads.
- The support for GPU acceleration is absent.
The minimum system requirements: Windows 10,2000,XP,2003,Vista,7,8 (32-bit or 64-bit); processor: 800MHz; memory: 128MB of RAM.
#4. VideoPad Video Editor [Free Version]
- Difficulty: 6/10.
- Render Speed: 5/10.
- Free Download VideoPad Video Editor on Windows or Mac.
VideoPad Video Editor, a part of the NCH suite released by NCH software, is a full-featured video editing program for both home and professional markets. The paid version costs you $34.99, but the free account is useful enough to cope with basic editing demands. By using this free alternative of Final Cut Pro for Windows, you'll be able to add animated titles, chroma-key effects, transitions, templates with your videos, and more. A thing you may don't like is: it lets you add two concurrent tracks at most.
Features:
- Add voice, picture, video, and subtitle overlays.
- Come with 50+ effects and transitions for making stunning videos in minutes.
- Correctly read 3D and video files.
- Record audio, add sound stocks and edit it with choral, distortion, and other effects.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface with no hidden menus.
- Instant share loved videos online.
Cons:
- Frequently crashes and many unfixed bugs.
- Not support plugins.
- The free version is not allowed for commercial use.
- Only allows you to export video in AVI and WMV formats.
The minimum system requirements: Windows 10,XP,Vista,7,8,8.1 (64 bit); Mac OS X 10.5 or above; processor: 1.5GHz; memory: 4GB of RAM.
#5. Shotcut
- Difficulty: 5/10.
- Render Speed: 6/10.
- Free Download Shotcut on Windows, PC and Mac.
Shotcut is a well-known open-source and cross-platform video editing software with the capability of editing Ultra-high-resolution 4K videos and processing audios in all common formats without costing you a dime. Thanks to the application of optimized media, you don't have to create proxy media while still being able to edit high-resolution clips without lags.
Features:
- Impart simple/3D text, lens correction, mosaic, 3D Luts, mirror, nervous effects on your recordings.
- Have versatile audio editing features with 25+ audio filters and other common utilities.
- Allow you to add keyframes to a few filters.
Pros:
- Cover advanced features including 360° video filters.
- Have a well-supported community.
Cons:
- No presets for export formats.
- The UI is difficult to get adapt to.
The minimum system requirements: Windows 10,XP,Vista,7,8,8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit), macOS X 10.10 and above, 64-bit Linux; processor: 2 GHz; memory: 4GB of RAM.
#6. Kdenlive
- Difficulty: 5/10.
- Render Speed: 5/10.
- Free Download Kdenlive on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Kdenlive is the second open-source item we put through on this list, and with a seemingly unlimited amount of editing options, it is definitely one of the best Final Cut Pro alternatives for Windows.
Features:
- No limits on the audio and video tracks so you can make multi-track video editing.
- Create animated 2D titles with or without using templates.
- Rich preset transition and templates for fast creating desired outcomes.
- Rotoscoping, keyframing and many advanced editing features are supported.
Pros:
- A large variety of video and audio editing features.
- Can correctly read and transcode the majority of multiple media.
Cons:
- Currently, it lacks the support of GPU acceleration.
- It frequently goes to crash on Windows.
The minimum system requirements: Recent 32-bit or 64-bit Windows, macOS, and Linux; processor: 2GHz Dual Core; memory: 1GB of RAM.
#7. DaVinci Resolve 16
- Difficulty: 7/10.
- Render Speed: 6/10.
- Free Download DaVinci Resolve 16 on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Where do we even begin? DaVinci Resolve packs with almost all features that Final Cut Pro has, ranging from the basic trimming/cutting to auto motion tracking, keyframing, and visual effects creating. For instance, it can detect faces that are shown on your videos to automatically create various bins for holding source clips with different people.
One of the most worth mentioning features of DaVinci Resolve is its node-based color correction toolsets including color wheels, curves, and Luts. The best thing is all of these nitty features are available for free.
Features:
- The dual timeline saves your time from zooming in/out the edits.
- Zoom in/out, speed change, audios, text, filters, and most effects support keyframe.
- Edit keyframes for ResolveFX and OpenFX plugins so you can create animations in a breeze.
- Unprecedented color correction toolsets with auto color balance and matching capability.
Pros:
- Extensive editing features for both video and audio.
- Enable 2D-based animation creating and compositing.
Cons:
- CPU and memory hog.
- A steep learning curve.
Updated version of microsoft office. The minimum system requirements: Windows 10,8.1, macOS X 10.10.5 or above, Linux CentOS 6.6; processor: 4.5Ghz or higher; memory: 16GB of RAM.
4 Paid Editing Tools are Similar to Final Cut Pro on Windows 10
Below 4 fully-fledged NLE editing programs may make a serious hole in pockets for budget-conscious editors. But they are absolutely helpful for experts nail their desired aesthetic.
#8. Premiere Pro
- Difficulty: 8/10.
- Render Speed: 7/10.
Most of you who have ever heard about Premiere Pro know how jampacked, complicated, and buggy this app is. However, it is perhaps the nearest thing to Final Cut Pro on Windows. This industry-level movie making and editing program have the ability to automatically reframe your videos, create VR videos, adjust colors, track moving objects, animate the video effects, and etc. It also has pro-level audio editors which let you have full control over sound and background.
Features:
- Collaborate with motion graphics, special effects, and other media generated from Adobe series products.
- Make simple 2D-based animated motion graphics for titles, effects, transitions, etc.
- Automatically change the aspect ratio of the video to let viewers getting the best viewing experience on social media.
- The Support of GPU acceleration and multi-thread CPU processing delivery fast decoding and rendering speed.
Pros:
- Have all the bells and whistles to make breathtaking videos.
- Go compatible with a large number of formats.
Cons:
- High price tag: $20.99/month.
- Buggy as hells.
- Exceptionally difficult for beginners.
The minimum system requirements: Windows 10 (64-bit), macOS 10.13 or above; processor: 2GHz; memory: 8GB of RAM.
#9. Sony Vegas Pro
- Difficulty: 7/10.
- Render Speed: 6/10.
Sony Vegas Pro, firstly released by Sonic Foundry and now by Magix, is a pro tool that goes compatible with recently Windows OS. The major plus that makes Sony Vegas Pro a good replacement of Final Cut Pro on PC is its capability to fast edit videos fast without sacrifice in quality or features. This benefits much from the adopted of the nested timelines, well-optimized menu system, and the availed Smart Split toolkit. In addition, Sony Vegas Pro lets you process and generate video in 8K resolution while you can still get real-time playback without having to render the clip first.
Features:
- Smart and fast edit your videos without compromise in quality.
- Impressive color grading features with curves, color wheels, and the support of import and export of Luts.
- Capable of creating eye-catching virtual effects with Open FX plug-ins.
- Also an all-in-one audio editing software.
Pros:
- Easy to use with countless features.
- Accept almost all video and audio formats.
Cons:
- Relatively slow export speed.
- The support of audio and video plugins is a little limited.
- Cost for new purchase: $599
The minimum system requirements: Windows 10,7,8 (64-bit); processor: 2GHz; memory: 8GB of RAM.
#10. Edius Pro
- Difficulty: 6/10.
- Render Speed: 5/10.
Edius Pro, an industry-level alternative of Final Cut Pro for Windows. It is now optimized and maintained by Grass Valley, but initially was developed by Canopus Corporation. Just like all the mentioned 'heavy hitters' Premiere Pro and Sony Vegas Pro, Edius Pro has a very complicated interface. Edius Pro is fairly straightforward to use which is good for beginners, but practically is the compromise to in-depth editing features. For example, you can keyframe the color correction filter, but not for most of the other effects.
Features:
- Dynamically change the playback speed of a clip according to time.
- Enable the multicam editing with up to 16 camera angles.
- Switch between single and dual monitor edit layouts for easy editing.
- Cope with videos from various resolutions and formats smoothly.
Pros:
- Easy enough for beginners to create catching content.
- Work properly even on out-of-date machines.
Cons:
Final Cut Pro Free Download For Windows
- Riddled with crashes and bugs.
- Lack of special visual effects and transitions.
- It takes $499 for the full version.
The minimum system requirements: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 (64-bit); processor: 3GHz; memory: 1GB of RAM.
#11. Avid Media Composer
- Difficulty: 8/10.
- Render Speed: 6/10.
Avid Media Composer is released by Avid Technology. It is one of the oldest senior video editing software on the market. It does a very good job of editing large projects with a bunch of clips from different formats, resolutions, and bitrate thanks to the robust multi-camera editing toolsets. Technically, it lets you synchronize up to 64 different angles smoothly without clutter.
With the support of the 32-bit floating-point pipeline and Academy Color Encoding System (ACES), Avid Media Composers can minimize the loss in color. Similar to Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer also lets you create cool visual effects and motion graphics with transitions, built-in VFX, and plugins.
Features:
- Easily find target clips by scene, script page, and dialogue.
- Smoothly edit and playback (HDR) videos that come with various resolutions including HD, UHD, and even 8K.
- Offer a number of tools and plugins for editing audios and creating desired sound effects.
Pros:
- Efficient to process vast projects.
Cons:
- A very complex interface.
- The subscibtion price is $23.99/month.
The minimum system requirements: Windows 10,7,8.1 (64-bit); processor: 2.33GHz; memory: 16GB of RAM.
How to get Final Cut Pro On Windows 10?
If you have to use Final Cut Pro on Windows, follow below steps carefully:
Step 1. Download and install macOS Catalina VMware or VirtualBox image on your Windows. You can get either of them. In our experience, VMware is more functional and has quite stable performance in Windows OS, but VirtualBox is more affordable.
Step 2. Install macOS Catalina on VMware or VirtualBox.
Depend on the chosen virtual machine, click the below links to find the tutorial and have MacOS Catalina installed on.
Step 3. Install Final Cut Pro on Windows 10.
Launch VMware or VirtualBox and switch on macOS.
Sign in and enter the App Store, there you search for Final Cut Pro. Click on the target result.
Note: new user needs to purchase the Final Cut Pro before installing.
How to Choose Your Favorite Final Cut Pro for Windows?
There is a great diversity of both free and paid alternatives for Final Cut Pro on Windows. To choose the right one, define your requirements, and needs matters most.
1. Make fast and simple edits.
The fast response speed is the major demand. Complicated editing effects aren't that necessary, but a few prebuilt and quick-apply transitions, filters, or effects are nice additions. VSDC Free Video Editor, Sony Vegas Pro, and VideoProc are your good picks.
2. Create a fascinating storytelling video.
You may need to spice up your videos with animations, catching visual effects, and a vast number of advanced effects. And these options can get acquired from Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Sony Vegas Pro.
3. Tight budget.
The free DaVinci Resolve, Kdenlive, or cheap programs like VideoProc are worthy to try.
4. Robust or weak PC build.
VideoProc and VSDC Free Video Editor run smoothly even on a long-in-the-tooth computer. Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and the majority of other NLE software need the most solid hardware and software system to get things to work.
FAQ
Can we run Final Cut Pro on Windows?
Final Cut Pro is a Mac-based editing program that doesn't run on Windows OS.
What's the Windows 10 equivalent to Final Cut Pro?
Sony Vegas Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve 16 on Windows 10 are equivalents to Final Cut Pro. They all gear towards professional editors and hobbyists. As for occasional users who need to make fast edits, VSDC Free Video Editor and VideoProc are easier replacements.
Is Final Cut Pro free?
The one-shot price of Final Cut is $299. So, no, it's not free. And we don't recommend you to use cracked version from third-party websites as it may cause security and infringement issues. BTW, Final Cut Pro extends the free trial period from the previous 30 days to 90 days this year.
What laptops can run Final Cut Pro?
You should have a Mac with macOS 10.14.6 or later. It should be equipped with 4GB of RAM, 3.8GB of hard disk space, and a Metal-capable graphics card. These are the minimum requirements for editing common SD or HD videos. Suppose you are editing 4K or 360-degree videos, or render 3D titles, you have to upgrade the RAM to 8GB, and have 1GB of VRAM.
Final Cut Pro is a video editing software program that was first developed by Macromedia Inc. but then sold to Apple Inc. It was released on June 21, 2011, but was in high demand since the early 2000s since manufacturers had already entered their initial database for filmmakers. But when it launched, which is in 2011, it wasn't so much on the strike, but later, when its full potential version was released in 2019, it was a huge success. According to some resources, Final Cut Pro took almost 49% of the US publishing market and is growing at a good rate of 21% each month.
Final Cut Pro has enough capacity to transport good quality video movies with advanced color enhancement with HDR support and it even has ProRes Raw. However, it has taken the 360-degree video editing platform and even VR editing to the next level. Therefore, it is the best video editing software present in our market. To know more about Dual Boot Kali Linux With Windows 10, drop down to our ISO River page for the detailed insights.
Overview of Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is video alteration programming software that was originally created by Macromedia Inc. but was later taken by Apple Inc. to a next level category where the software could easily work on any Intel-based Mac PC that is controlled by Mojave. This software actually allows users to make all changes to any video along with altering some parts to move them or adding some new effects as well. This software gives you everything you need to get all the work done on one platform.
Since the day of its release, Final Cut Pro has had a huge impact by having good customer support and even building a broad market for the video specialist and also for video producers. In the same way, a greater advance can be seen in the movies and even in the television series that currently use this software that has improved the level of multimedia content present in the world.
Although, the editing part is its main feature as it comprises many new advancements, but 360-degree video editing and virtual reality playback have also improved our current editing field to have a new era. However, the latest version of Final Cut Pro is also compatible with Metal Engine, which allows editors to have a wider editing field with complex projects to edit also in very large case sizes.
Therefore, Final Cut Pro has marked remarkable success in the field of video editing software and also for use in various movies.
How To Install Final Cut Pro On Windows 10
The first and most important thing to keep in mind when installing Final Cut Pro on Windows 10 is that Final Cut Pro is third party software and also from Apple Inc. that does not allow third party applications to have direct access. But it is still possible only if your PC has Mac OS Mojave or even VMware, then only you will have direct access to the application.
After putting Mac OS Mojave or VMware on your PC, install Final Cut Pro on a Windows PC that you can download from your PC's app store and that would be present on your PC after putting Mac OS Mojave on your PC. Open the App Store and log in there with your Apple ID. Then just search for Final Cut Pro on it and then install it on your PC. And use the app on your Windows 10 platform.
Although there may be some issues running the app from the start as it is made for Apple devices but after a while that issue will change and you will be able to use the software without delay.
Conclusion
As you increase your editing skills with Final Cut Pro, you will experience many changes in all your skills as all the useful tools for editing are available to you on one platform and also in a much more updated way. However, it will give you the experience of being a professional editor and even editing different videos or even creating videos in a very professional way. But this software never promises that you will become a professional in editing this software, it will help you a lot to edit good things and present them very well too.
Final Cut Pro X Microsoft Teams
Therefore, we hope that all the information provided in this article is useful enough to clarify all your doubts about how to install Final Cut Pro on your PC while you have Windows 10 as well.
