Video Editing Apps for iOS
Phone cameras keep getting better every year, and iPhones are known for having some of the best built-in cameras around. If you’re a creator who shoots video on your iPhone, pairing that footage with the right video editing apps for iOS can make all the difference.
Here are five apps, in no particular order, that can turn your device into a mini editing machine. These picks work well for both beginners and experienced editors.
1. VLLO – A free editing app. Yes, you read that right. It’s free. You can export videos without a watermark, and it supports exports up to 4K quality.
Sounds too good to be true? There’s a small catch. You’ll need to watch an ad to use it for free. It’s not completely free, but free with ads. What’s a 30-second ad if you get a full editing app for nothing? And there’s more.
This app has an Adjustment Layer, a feature you’d usually only find in professional desktop editing software. It’s a big help because it lets you apply effects, color corrections, and visual edits to all the footage lined up beneath it.
It has a single-layer timeline that also displays audio waveforms. For anyone on a budget, this app is a great tool.
Color grading, text overlays, transitions: it’s all here. There’s also a premium version that removes ads and unlocks more transitions, text styles, and advanced features.
2. Adobe Premiere Rush – One of the most powerful video editing apps available for iOS. It hits a good balance between beginner-friendly and advanced features.
This app offers multiple tracks on its timeline for both video and audio. The standout feature of Adobe Premiere Rush is that it’s a cross-platform, cross-device application.
That means you can start a project in Adobe Premiere Pro on your computer and pick it right back up on your iPhone using Rush. It doesn’t matter whether you’re on iOS, Android, Mac, or PC. Your files stay compatible everywhere.
For a different take, see our guide on types of YouTube vloggers.
It supports a wide range of file types and comes with built-in preset filters and text templates you can fully customize.
The free version limits you to 3 exports. After that, you’ll need a subscription. Adobe offers different plans, including bundles with Premiere Pro or the entire Creative Suite.
3. iMovie – Apple’s own simple, free tool available for download on the App Store. It works on both iPhone and iPad.
This app lets you work with and export up to 4K videos. It includes templates for creating trailers or editing a full video.
The interface is clean, user-friendly, runs on a single-track timeline, and has a solid set of tools covering all the basics.
You can add music, transitions, and effects, including a stabilization tool that fixes shaky footage. It has built-in sound effects, plus an auto-ducking feature. If your clip has someone speaking and you add background music, iMovie will lower the music volume automatically.
One drawback of the single-track timeline: when you add text to your first scene, you can’t extend it into the second scene.
The app also defaults to full-screen framing. If you place an image with a different aspect ratio, you won’t be able to scale it down to fit the whole screen, so you’d need a different app for that. It also adds a cross-dissolve between every clip automatically, which means you’ll need to remove them one by one if you don’t want that effect.
That said, iMovie is a quick, easy way to piece together video projects and covers everything you need for a short edit.
If you want to go deeper, we have a separate guide on alternatives for adobe premiere pro.
4. LumaFusion – This is the best app I’ve seen for mobile video editing. It’s even better than Premiere Rush.
It’s like Adobe Premiere and Final Cut combined, but in app form. Oh, my goodness. It’s so nice! Unlike iMovie, this app gives you much more control over everything in your video.
It has multiple tracks for audio and video. You can adjust audio per track, scale, rotate, move, and set keyframes, import multiple 4K videos, scrub through the timeline with ease, record and add voiceovers instantly, and apply adjustable preset filters. The color grading is excellent.
Everything you need to create a polished video is right here.
The interface might feel a bit overwhelming at first because of all the advanced features. But you can freely customize the layout to suit your device, whether you’re on an iPad or iPhone.
You can also archive your files to the cloud. If you’re an advanced or intermediate editor, you’ll love this one. I haven’t found any app that comes close.
There’s no free version. It’s a one-time purchase, but it’s already a bargain compared to buying desktop editing software.
As I said, LumaFusion is like Premiere and Final Cut merged into a mobile app. It’s simply in a league of its own.
5. InShot is a simple, fast editing app that lets you handle basic video and photo editing.
It allows you to speed up or slow down your videos, adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and more. There’s a huge selection of customizable effects and filters. It’s intuitive, the controls are self-explanatory, and anyone can pick it up right away.
The free version adds a watermark to your exports, but you can remove it by watching an ad or just getting the paid version. It’s perfect for beginners or anyone who wants to get edits done quickly.
