To most people, Chromebooks are light machines incapable of much work. This is only partially true as you can do some good work on your Chromebook with the right tools. One such area is video editing. Given the relatively limited power of Chromebooks, you can’t get the very heavy video editing apps such as Adobe Premier working well on it.
However, there are apps specifically meant for the Chromebook that can do medium to light video editing work with excellent results. The addition of the Android Play Store to the Chromebook has also offered more choices to the Chromebook user who needs some video editing on the go.
We put a good number of video editing apps available for the Chromebook to the test to find out which ones deserve your attention. We came up with a list of the ones worth your time and money in the sections below.
10 Best Video Editing Apps for Chromebook
The best apps for editing your videos on ChromeOS are as follows:
1. PowerDirector (Free/Paid)
Also available on the Android Play Store, PowerDirector works very well on a Chromebook with its layout very much similar to that of a desktop computer. Its integration with your Chromebook’s mouse or trackpad is very intuitive and it just works the way you want it to. Almost everything you’ll need to work with this video editor is there like it is on your computer running Windows or other desktop operating system.
You have all the most common features including adding audio, trimming video clips, and many other effects. You simply drag and drop the features you need to the video and they’re instantly integrated. We loved the fact that you can use it across many platforms with the same intuitive interface across these platforms.
While you can get it for free, the best features are reserved for the paid version of the app. You can choose between $4.99 for a month, $9.99 for three months or 34.99 for a year. For good editing on your computer, this is a must-have.
Pros
- Available on other operating systems as well.
- Intuitive user interface.
- Great video editing tools.
Cons
- Best features need to be paid for.
An easy pick if you want to do some pro-level video editing on your Chromebook.
2. WeVideo (Free/Paid)
WeVideo is among the easiest video editing apps to use on a Chromebook. The web-based app can be found in the Chrome Web Store for quick addition to your Chromebook. It has one of the most intuitive interfaces and works like a charm for most quick edits for free. WeVideo also comes with lots of effects that even amateurs can put to quick use.
WeVideo also comes with a neat feature that allows you either edit the video from your hard drive or directly within your camera on your device. You can also add audio, text, recordings and many others in a few clicks.
While the free app is quite capable, it’ll have a watermark on your video once done. To do away with that and add even more premium features, you’ll need to pay for the premium version. The fee charged is $4.99 per month only. Be sure to have a good internet connection when editing video with this app as it’s web based.
Pros
- It comes with free 5GB of online storage and has no file size restrictions.
- You can upload videos from other online storage services such as Picasa, Dropbox, Facebook, OneDrive, Box, Flickr and even Instagram.
- You can reuse media you’ve already uploaded to your online store.
Cons
- You can’t drag and drop video files and other media.
For both quick edits on the go and premium features, WeVideo offers great choices for the user.
3. Magisto (Free)
Magisto is a video editing app allowing you edit videos almost automatically on your Chromebook. If you’re not so much into professional editing features, then Magisto’s simple yet beautiful video effects will meet your needs.
With this app, all you need to do is upload a video file, choose a theme of your liking, add an audio file of your liking and let the app do the editing. On the app, simply clicking the “My Movies” section shows you all the videos you have edited within the app itself. You can then share it on various online platforms with ease.
Pros
- The editing process is made easier through automation.
- Simple and intuitive interface.
- Your uploads won’t be interrupted with internet issues.
- Easy drag-and-drop video editing.
Cons
- The number of connected services is lower than the competition.
If you don’t need much editing and prefer automated effects, this is the app for your Chromebook video editing.
4. KineMaster (Free/Paid)
KineMaster is among the most powerful apps on the Chrome Web Store thanks to its large arsenal of tools for editing your videos. It also has an Android version which performs quite well too. In terms of the number of available tools and features for video editing, few can match KineMaster.
For the free version of the KineMaster, you get a lot of the powerful tools at your disposal although your videos will have a watermark and may even run some few ads. For $4.99 a month or $39.99 year, you can get the best features all without ads and watermarks.
The only reason KineMaster couldn’t make it to the top position is that its interface on the Chromebook is a bit confusing for some users. However, it more than makes up for this through the large number of features at your disposal.
Pros
- Large number of video editing features.
- Free option very capable.
- Supports up to 4k videos.
Cons
- Works only with Chromebooks supporting Android apps from the Play Store.
If features are what you’re looking for, you can’t go wrong with KineMaster as it has the largest number of them.
5. Stupeflix Video Maker (Free/Paid)
Another simple and intuitive video editing app for your Chromebook is Stupeflix. It comes packed with some of the most essential features such as trimming videos, adding effects and others with a few simple steps. With an account, you can easily save your edits and access them later.
One of the best features others lack that Stupeflix has is the ability to match the audio to the video in terms of their speed. You thus get highly fine-tuned features that make it your videos fun and believable.
For a free app, having the ability to download and upload videos with 360P of quality and edit them without paying for anything is a great feature to have. After you’ve edited the video of your choice, uploading to social media platforms from the app is only a few clicks away.
Pros
- Large number of features that are easy to access and use.
- Free account allows for download of good quality videos.
- Easy sharing of edited videos.
- Small app size.
Cons
- No drag and drop feature when editing videos.
An easy app to use on your Chromebook, Stupeflix has a lot of features most casual users and even some professionals will love.
6. Google Photos (Free)
It’s easy to forget that Google itself has a video editing app in the name of Google Photos. This one will need a Chromebook that works with Android apps since it’s natively an Android app. The Google Photos app, however, is only good with clipping videos and stabilizing them.
If all you need is to clip a video into size or stabilize it, then the Google Photos app, which is free, is all you’ll ever need. Some videos such as those for graduation ceremonies and some professional ones only need a clipping here and there to attain the needed results.
You won’t get a watermark or ads in your video when you use Google Photos as it’s completely free for all users.
Pros
- Free to use.
- No ads or watermark added to video.
- Simple to use.
Cons
- Only possible to clip videos and stabilize videos.
Google Photos is easy to use and packs a clean interface that anyone can use.
7. JayCut (Free)
JayCut borrows a lot from non-linear video editing software such as Sony Vegas, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker and Final Cut. It comes with some awesome transition effects and other free effects all of which can be easily accessed on your Chromebook. It’s also great at changing the speed of the video while adding effects.
You can even draw directly into the video which is a feature reserved for the pro apps yet this one is free. The most impressive feature for this app is the ability to do green-screen work with it. You can thus cut out specific parts of the video in a breeze.
Pros
- Free app for a lot of great features.
- You can draw into the video directly.
- Can be used for green-screen work.
- Adding effects is quite simple and fast.
Cons
- Limited text effects.
If you need a Chromebook app that has a good number of free pro features, JayCut should be high up on your list.
8. OpenShot Video Editor (Free)
OpenShot Video Editor is a free and open source piece of video editing software that packs some very great features at no price on you. It’s also among the easiest to use thanks largely to a simple interface that needs very little learning to get a grasp of.
With this app on your Chromebook, you can do just about anything with your video including rotating, trimming, resizing, scaling and many more. There is a long list of features you can add to your video in a few clicks as well.
You won’t get any annoying ads or watermarks on your video since it’s completely free. You can even go further and add scrolling motion pictures credits like an actual movie. Being open source, it has been tuned to work with lots of video formats including HEVC, WebM, LAME, AVCHD, AAC and many more.
Pros
- Premium features at no charge at all.
- Compatible with most video formats.
- Easy to use due to the intuitive interface.
- Can be used on Chromebooks without Android Play Store.
For free editing with a few premium features on your Google Chromebook, OpenShot should be your go-to video editor.
9. YouTube Editor (Free)
As a part of the YouTube Studio service, YouTube Editor is a free service used to edit videos uploaded to YouTube from your account. It’s simple and easy to use as soon as you launch it after locating the video you want to edit. You can trim your video, blur out a few parts and even add YouTube playback cards all for free.
Once done with the editing, you choose between saving it as a new video or replacing the original one. You can even download the new video to your downloads section in the YouTube Studio app.
This is one of the simplest apps to use and, being free and supported being Google, it means that it’ll keep getting better with features being added as time goes by.
Pros
- Free to use with YouTube Studio.
- Has a good number of features that improve the quality of your YouTube video.
- Keeps getting better.
Cons
- It’s still limited to YouTube videos alone.
If you upload a lot of YouTube videos and want a free app to edit them right from your Chromebook, nothing will beat the YouTube Editor.
10. VivaVideo (Free/Video)
Wrapping up our list is VivaVideo. This is an app previously available on the Chrome Web Store but which has since been limited to the Android Play Store. That means you need to a Chromebook that runs Android apps to use it.
It comes with the ability to add both fun features to your videos such as GIFs, stickers and sound effects while allowing for some professional editing such as trimming and editing videos. You can add text, transitions, split and merge videos, change the speed of the video and many other features.
Pros
- Intuitive interface that’s easy to use.
- Some professional features can be found in the free version of the app.
Cons
- Only works on a Chromebook with Android apps.
VivaVideo has some impressive features with the free version being enough for most users.
What to Look for in a Video Editing App for the Chromebook
Among the aspects to focus on include the following:
Compatibility with your Chromebook
Some of these apps require your Chromebook to also run Android apps from the Play Store to work. As such, always check to see if yours is compatible with the app or not.
Features
Check which features you need for your video editing needs before choosing on the app. The good thing is, even the premium apps have a free version you can use to determine if it has all you need before committing to it.
Price
Most ‘fremium’ apps will cost about $5 a month and even cheaper when you pay for a longer period such as a year. Choose the app depending on the free features available versus the premium ones. Most people can do well just with the free version of the app.
These features guide you to the right app for editing videos on your Chromebook.
