Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve are two of the most capable video editors you can run on a Mac, built for professional work. Oxid Studio is a much smaller app for Apple silicon Macs. It covers the basics of editing (a multi-track timeline, colour wheels and curves, per-clip audio effects, multi-cam, export) for a one-time price, and it doesn’t try to match either of them feature for feature. Its interface is a web view (Tauri) over a Rust core, and it renders with a bundled copy of FFmpeg.
This page is about when the smaller app is enough, and when it isn’t. iMovie comes up too, because it is free and already on many Macs.
Short version: if you edit for a living, need effects, motion graphics, keyframe animation, a working audio mix or deep audio post-production, or work with other editors, choose Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve. If you want to spend nothing, DaVinci Resolve’s free version and iMovie are both free, and Resolve’s free version does more than Oxid Studio. Oxid Studio makes sense if you want a simple editor with colour wheels and curves, multi-cam and batch export on an Apple silicon Mac for less than either paid version, and the list below covers what you need. Read the limits section first: several tools are not finished.
At a glance
| Oxid Studio | Final Cut Pro | DaVinci Resolve | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 one-time; also in the $99 Value Pack | $299.99 one-time, or Apple Creator Studio at $12.99/month or $129/year | Free; Studio version $295 |
| Platforms | Mac, Apple silicon only | Mac and iPad | Mac, Windows and Linux |
| Timeline | Multi-track, with slip and slide edits, split and ripple delete; no roll edit or ripple trim yet | Magnetic Timeline | Ripple, roll, slip and slide |
| Colour | Colour wheels, RGB curves and .cube LUTs; waveform, vectorscope, histogram and RGB parade scopes, which show the source rather than the grade | Colour wheels, colour and hue/saturation curves, LUTs | Full colour correction page |
| Audio | Per-clip EQ, compressor and limiter, and a LUFS loudness reading per clip; the mixer’s track volume, pan, mute and solo affect playback only, not the export | Voice Isolation, advanced audio editing | Fairlight, up to 2,000 tracks with realtime effects |
| Multi-cam | Yes, with switch points | Yes | Yes, 4, 9, 16, 25 or more angles |
| Subtitles | Import SRT/VTT, edit and burn in, in a default style; no automatic captions | Automatic captions | Import or create; TTML, SRT, XML and more |
| Visual effects and motion graphics | 46 built-in effects, from film grain to glitch; background blur, replace or remove using Apple Vision; keyframe animation shows in the preview only | Motion, keyframe tools, Object Tracker | Fusion, node-based VFX |
What the professional editors do that Oxid Studio doesn’t
Both Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve go much further than Oxid Studio, and it is worth being plain about how.
Final Cut Pro’s page lists AI tools such as an Object Tracker, Magnetic Mask, Enhance Light and Color, Smooth Slo-Mo, automatic reframing, automatic captions and transcript search, along with HDR and ProRes RAW support. It also has an iPad version with live multicam from connected iPhones and iPads.
DaVinci Resolve combines editing, colour correction, visual effects, motion graphics, audio post-production and photo editing in one program. Its Fairlight audio tools handle up to 2,000 tracks, Fusion is a full node-based effects system, and it supports real-time local and remote collaboration. The paid Studio version adds Blackmagic’s AI Neural Engine, more Resolve FX, noise reduction, text-based editing, Magic Mask and support for 10-bit video at up to 120 frames per second beyond 4K.
If any of that is part of your work, Oxid Studio isn’t a replacement.
What Oxid Studio covers
Oxid Studio is built around the parts of editing most simple projects use:
- A multi-track timeline with slip and slide edits, split and ripple delete.
- Colour wheels, RGB curves and .cube LUTs, rendered into the export, plus waveform, vectorscope, histogram and RGB parade scopes.
- Per-clip EQ, compressor and limiter, and a button that measures a clip’s loudness in LUFS.
- Multi-cam editing with switch points.
- Speed ramps drawn on a speed curve.
- Subtitle import (SRT and VTT), editing and burn-in.
- Batch export: queue H.264, HEVC and ProRes renders at different sizes, which run one after another.
- 46 built-in video effects, rendered into the export.
- Background blur, replacement or removal behind a person, computed on your Mac with Apple Vision.
It needs no account and no subscription, and there is no cloud render queue: everything is rendered on your Mac. It contacts our server to activate the licence and check for updates.
What doesn’t work yet
These tools appear in the app but don’t do what their names suggest. We’d rather you know before you buy:
- HSL adjustments break the export. A project with an HSL adjustment fails to render.
- Power windows aren’t power windows. They don’t limit a grade to a region; they paint over the whole frame after the grade, and the rectangle shape draws an opaque white box. The preview doesn’t show them.
- The scopes show the ungraded source, not your grade.
- There is no working loudness meter. The live level meter always reads silence. You can measure a clip’s loudness, but not the mix.
- The mixer affects playback only. Track volume, pan, mute and solo are ignored when you export; per-clip volume and pan do reach the file.
- Keyframe animation is preview-only. Animated position, scale and opacity come out static in the exported file.
- Subtitle styling isn’t exported. Burned-in subtitles use a default style.
- Effect plugins don’t run. The ten WebAssembly plugins can be added to a clip, but they change neither the preview nor the export.
- The Roll and Ripple tools act like ordinary trims.
The difference is scope and maturity. Oxid Studio is smaller and younger, which means a lower price, and also fewer tools and some that aren’t finished. We’ll update this page as they’re fixed.
Where iMovie fits
iMovie is free on the Mac App Store and edits up to 4K, with trailer templates, colour correction, transitions and effects. For family videos and simple edits it’s often all you need, and if it already does what you want there’s no reason to pay for anything else. Oxid Studio is worth a look when you specifically want the tools in its list, such as colour wheels and curves with LUTs, multi-cam with switch points, background effects or batch export, without moving to a professional suite.
Price
- DaVinci Resolve is free, and the free version is very capable. It works with 8-bit video up to 60 frames per second at up to Ultra HD. DaVinci Resolve Studio is a $295 one-time purchase.
- Final Cut Pro is $299.99 once on the App Store, or part of Apple Creator Studio at $12.99 a month or $129 a year, which also includes Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro and other Apple apps (Apple Newsroom). New subscribers get a 30-day free trial.
- Oxid Studio is $79 once. One licence covers one Mac. It’s also part of the $99 Oxid Value Pack, which includes 12 apps.
If price is the only question, Resolve’s free version wins, and it does more than Oxid Studio. Oxid Studio’s case on price is against the two paid versions: it’s about a quarter of the cost of either, for a much smaller tool.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Final Cut Pro if you want Apple’s professional editor, its AI tools and iPad version, keyframe animation and automatic captions, or you already pay for Apple Creator Studio.
- Choose DaVinci Resolve if you want the most capable free editor, need Fusion effects, Fairlight audio, secondary colour correction or collaboration, or work on Windows, Linux or an Intel Mac.
- Choose iMovie for simple edits at no cost.
- Choose Oxid Studio if you have an Apple silicon Mac and want a simple multi-track editor with colour wheels and curves, per-clip audio effects, multi-cam, background effects and batch export, at a one-time $79, and the limits listed above don’t affect your work.
Questions
Is there a cheaper alternative to Final Cut Pro?
DaVinci Resolve is free and does more than Oxid Studio. Oxid Studio is $79 once, about a quarter of the cost of Final Cut Pro or Resolve Studio, for a much smaller tool on Apple silicon Macs, and several of its tools are not finished yet.
Final Cut Pro vs DaVinci Resolve: which should I choose?
Final Cut Pro is $299.99 once, or part of Apple Creator Studio at $12.99 a month or $129 a year, with AI tools and an iPad version. DaVinci Resolve is free, with a $295 Studio version, and adds Fusion effects, Fairlight audio and collaboration on Mac, Windows and Linux.
What is a good free video editor for Mac?
DaVinci Resolve's free version is very capable, working with 8-bit video up to 60 frames per second at up to Ultra HD. iMovie is free on the Mac App Store and edits up to 4K, which is often all you need for family videos and simple edits.
What is a good iMovie alternative for Mac?
If you want specific tools beyond iMovie without a professional suite, Oxid Studio adds colour wheels, curves and LUTs, multi-cam with switch points, background effects and batch export, for $79 once on Apple silicon. If iMovie already does what you want, there's no reason to pay for anything else.
What doesn't work yet in Oxid Studio?
Several tools aren't finished. HSL adjustments make the export fail, keyframe animation is preview-only, the mixer's track volume, pan, mute and solo are ignored on export, the scopes show the ungraded source, and effect plugins don't run.