Filmora vs. DaVinci Resolve: Difference Explained

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Is Filmora vs DaVinci Resolve tug of war going through your mind right now? I can understand because I have been using Filmora and DaVinci Resolve for over three years. I did switch from Filmora to DaVinci Resolve in the past, but I use both of these video editing softwares now.

Wait a minute, it’s a blog related to blogging, lead generation, social media, and that kind of stuff.

Right? Then, why am I talking about video editing softwares?

So the answer is that we bloggers utilize various tools and softwares to create articles, images, videos, and podcasts. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise you if I’m talking about a couple of video editing softwares.

I thought to come up with a blog post that sheds some light on a few differences between Filmora and DaVinci Resolve, and how they affect the video editing framework.

If you’re starting out with video creation on YouTube or TikTok or Facebook, then you might be looking for video editing software, and perhaps, you found out about these two video editing softwares. Therefore, you need to read the difference between Filmora and DaVinci Resolve.

Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in the blog post could be affiliate links, which means we’d earn commissions if you buy the products, but it won’t cost you any extra money. Please read the disclosure page for more details.

So I’ll talk about Filmora vs. DaVinci Resolve based on my experience of using both these softwares.

Without any further ado, let’s get right into it.

Filmora vs. DaVinci Resolve: What’s the Difference?

Here are some of the differences between these video editors:

Subscription Model

Filmora isn’t a very expensive video editing software, so I paid a one-time $69.99 fee for a lifetime membership. The reason I paid for a lifetime membership was that I previously bought a year-long subscription to test it out.

So I found out that it’s worth paying for, and it didn’t bother me when I decided to buy a lifetime subscription. However, there were many factors involved in that decision. When I looked up for paid editing softwares like Adobe Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas, Camtasia, and HitFilm Pro — all of them were pricey.

As a beginner, I was switching from Movie Maker software — yes that Windows default software for editing videos. I found Filmora quite helpful yet easy-to-use. I switched to Filmora in 2017, and since then, I have been using this software, and am happy with it.

On the other hand, DaVinci Resolve is a free video editing software. Although, updating to a newer version is a little bit confusing, which made me stick to version 15, even though, version 16 is out. However, the studio version of DaVinci Resolve costs $299, which I’m not going to talk about. It has extra built-in templates and whatnot. In other words, the studio version is for high-end TV production editing.

So you got software that is easy to use, but it’s paid, affordable, and perfect for beginners. On the other hand, you got DaVinci Resolve, which is a professional video editing software and it is free. However, if you haven’t edited a video, you might find the Resolve’s interface a little intimidating, but you’ll get used to it. I never had an issue because I have been editing videos on Filmora for at least three years.

Project Settings

The project setting is something the video editors jump on before they start their video editing process. There are a handful of things that need to be done in the project settings. For instance, you may have to adjust the frame rate, aspect ratio, and resolution of the video. Filmora doesn’t have more options in the project settings.

On the flip side, DaVinci Resolve has a wide array of options in the project settings. To explain the versatility of the features in it, let me share a few features in just 1 out of 8 options. Once you open the “Project Settings” in Resolve, go to “Master Settings” and you’ll see timeline resolution, video monitoring, optimized media and render cache, working folders, and many more that you’d get your hands on in the future.

Once you’d have used both these video editors, you’d better understand the difference between these options in DaVinci and Filmora.

Render Cache and Playbacks

Both these softwares have a rendering feature. However, in Filmora, you just press a button and it starts creating a rendered version. Whereas in DaVinci Resolve, there are multiple features such as optimized media, render cache, and proxy, which allow users to optimize the playbacks.

As far as the optimized media option is concerned, Filmora doesn’t have such a feature. This YouTube video revealed 9 optimization tips about DaVinci Resolve, which would eventually turn your video editing experience upside down. Furthermore, you can learn how to optimize Filmora software for smooth playback during video editing.

Keyframing

Keyframing is a feature in professional video editing softwares that helps in placing the video clips as per requirements. For instance, you can zoom in or out, rotate the angles, change the position, flip the images, and do a lot more stuff with keyframes.

DaVinci Resolve has a “transform” section in the Inspector tab which allows you to keyframe. On the other hand, Filmora doesn’t offer such keyframing the way DaVinci does, but it still has a few options to do stuff like that.

Timeline Tools

Both Filmora and DaVinci Resolve have a different set of timeline tools, but the essence of those tools are the same. In all popular video editing softwares, the timeline tools include options like cut, split, speed, snapping, inserting, and more.

Filmora has a rather simple set of tools on the timeline, whereas, Resolve comes up with a few advanced tools on the timeline. However, you’d notice that DaVinci Resolve has overall way more options and features as compared to the Filmora video editor.

Heavy Lifting

Don’t panic! Heavy lifting isn’t a specific tool or feature in either software. What I mean by heavy lifting is how well these softwares could manage the heavy footage. I’d have to say that DaVinci Resolve would have a clear advantage over Filmora in this regard. Although, you must know to optimize media, render cache, and use proxy to get smoother playback in Resolve, which would make a lot of difference.

On the other hand, Filmora, unfortunately, can’t bear too much footage load. It does a good job with a regular video editing, but if you want to go deep into the editing game, then Filmora won’t work out. Moreover, your computer’s RAM and processor have a lot to do with the performance of both these softwares. Ever since I upgraded the RAM from 4 GB to 12 GB, my experience in both softwares got much better.

Final Words on Filmora vs. DaVinci Resolve

If you’re just a YouTube beginner who wants to edit short YouTube videos or just want to edit homemade videos of your kids, then you don’t need a fancy video editing software like DaVinci Resolve. Go with the Filmora 9 instead. I use both these softwares almost every other day.

But if you are a professional video editor who works on high-budget short films or Netflix documentaries, then you must check out DaVinci Resolve.

Both these video editing softwares are good; it’s up to you which one you need right now.

Choose the video editing software wisely now as I’ve explained the difference between Filmora and DaVinci Resolve for you.

Before you leave this page, let me ask you this:

What video editor would you choose after reading this blog post?

Please let me know in the comments below.