Both Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X are excellent editing software tools, but which one is better for your purposes?

Each software has its strengths and weaknesses. We will help you make an informed decision by going through 6 things about each tool that I love and why you might pick one over another depending on the project you are working on.

Besides the price, you will learn enough to make an informed decision about the features that are most relevant for your purposes and the editing software you should use in different scenarios.

Here we go!

Quick Navigation

• Best Final Cut Pro X & Adobe Premiere Alternative
• 6 Things I Love about Final Cut Pro X
• 6 Things I Love about Adobe Premiere Pro

---

1. Best Final Cut Pro X & Adobe Premiere Alternative

I must warn you here that with these two professional-level softwares you will be paying for many tools and functions that you will probably never use for “home video editing”.

They are geared toward the semi-pro or pro editors and there is a steep learning curve to go through even before you are able to use the programs.

Therefore, if you are a casual editor and you just want to create YouTube videos or home movies, Movavi Video Editor is a much better option.

Movavi works on both PC and Mac computers.

You can easily carry out basic video editing functions with the software. Movavi also provides advanced video editing tools like image stabilization, Chroma Key Effect and Time-lapse.

Furthermore, a rich effects library is included with Movavi and it is updated frequently. Hundreds of awesome filters, overlays, texts and motion elements will easily make your videos look more professional.

---

2. 6 Things I Love about Final Cut Pro X

#1. Great 4K Editing

The ability to seamlessly edit 4k videos is a major advantage of Final Cut Pro X.

Other editing programs fall way behind how Final Cut Pro is able to edit 4k footage. 4K files can be edited off external hard drives by simply using a MacBook Pro, which is amazing.

The quality will have to be reduced to a quarter or maybe an eighth if you were using Adobe Premiere. Even if this was done, playback probably won’t be as seamless or smooth as if it was done using Final Cut Pro. This is a major advantage.

This is because of all the rendering is happening in the background with Final Cut, which is a minor disadvantage because it takes up a good chunk of space on the hard drive. On the other hand, power and performance are the major advantages and this makes for a seamless editing process.

#2. Great Performance on Laptops

If you edit on a laptop, Final Cut Pro is great because it is easy on the battery life, which is amazing.

If you work while you travel, editing on the go with a MacBook Pro is very convenient.

A lot of laptops will say that they’ve got huge battery life. But the moment that you open anything that’s processor or GPU intensive, then the battery life just goes out of the window incredibly quick.

Adobe Premiere could be installed on a Mac, but it won’t compare in performance with Final Cut. The length of battery life is amazing when editing video and this is a major advantage.

#3. Powerful Motion Titles and Animations

Powerful motion titles and animations are other major advantages of Final Cut Pro X.

Final Cut Pro has free and paid motion templates available from sites like Videohive, which are easy to place right on your timeline. Once it is on the timeline, you don’t have to leave to edit or customize the content.

This has taken editing to the next level. Not only does it save rendering time, you don’t have to buy or install any other software.

Although titles are available in Adobe Premiere, you need another software such as Adobe After Effects and then Adobe dynamic link to communicate between the two programs.

Therefore, if you want to do a simple edit of text or update the titles all through your video, you will have to keep going back and forth between Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere to edit and update.

There is no such hassle in Final Cut and everything is done seamlessly with just a click.

#4. Magnetic Timeline

The very powerful magnetic timeline makes it really quick to work in Final Cut.

The magnetic timeline establishes a set storyline and you are able to move around pieces of that storyline. The gaps created will close instantly and your storyline will automatically shuffle the pieces on your timeline.

Furthermore, it maintains all of the elements linked with the clips for the storyline.

Therefore, if you have layers over the storyline, you have the option to link them and if the clip is moved anywhere along the timeline, all the linked or elements attached along with the effects, audio and layers will be attached to that clip. This makes for a very useful feature.

#5. Import Previews

Before you fully import files, you can preview them and watch or listen to them.

Adobe Premiere Pro only allows you to see the file browser where you will have to select the file you want to import. However, with Final Cut, you can preview the clips and you will only import the clips you really want rather than importing a whole folder and then having to go through it to find the files you really want.

Therefore, if you only want specific clips, this will speed up the editing process.

#6. Fast Render Times

Final Cut Pro has blazing render times. You don’t even realize that rendering is happening because it all takes place in the background.

Once you select File > Share to YouTube, uploading begins immediately. No more delays for it to render out, and then save to your computer before actually uploading. The instant you hit Share to YouTube the upload begins.

Videos edited in Adobe Premiere take at least 40 to 50 minutes to export before it is even ready to start uploading.

Therefore, if you want to update part of the video file as you are reviewing it, simply jump in, do the editing and re-upload a new version. No need to wait almost an hour to find out if there is a problem with the video.

---

3. 6 Reasons I Love Adobe Premiere Pro

#1. Works both on Windows and Mac

Adobe Premiere Pro is compatible with multiple-platforms, meaning it will work on Mac and Windows PCs.

If you don’t want to be tied to a specific platform (PC only or Mac only) and enjoy the flexibility of working on either, this is a major advantage.

#2. Easily Transfer Files between Various Editors

If your project collaborators are working on Windows and Mac computers, transferring project files between the platforms is seamless.

If your project is stored on a shared network, Adobe Premiere Pro will allow you to open and run the files on the network and this option is not available in Final Cut.

Therefore, this is very powerful for those who work in an office or team environment.

#3. Color Correction

Adobe Premiere Pro has fantastic color correction options.  Although color correction is included in Final Cut, it is not even close to the options available in Adobe Premiere Pro.

It is definitely way ahead of Final Cut in this area. Adobe Premiere Pro is constantly updating, adding tools that are more powerful and today it is one of their best features.

#4. Export Presets

There are numerous presets, from videos with low resolutions to full digital cinema file that can be exported and played in a cinema.

#5. Adobe Product Line Integration

There is a seamless integration with Photoshop, Adobe After Effects and Audition. This makes it easy to open, collaborate and work quickly and seamlessly over a range of Adobe projects from your timeline.

#6. File Management

File and media management with Adobe Premiere is outstanding.

The ability import your video files, graphics, assets and audio and organize them in bins and folders far exceeds what events and projects offer in Final Cut.

Adobe Premiere’s file management is much simpler and more logical. On big projects, this file structure becomes very important because it has to be set up in a logical way so that other people working on the project can jump in and easily find all the files they need to work on the project. Backing up, archiving and transferring projects between various computers and editors are simplified.

---

Verdict

Depending on your project, some of the above factors might be more important than others and some you might not use at all.

Which editing software should you go with? Go with the one that checks the most boxes for your purposes. When you boil it down, both of these editing softwares are great.