FilmCraft vs DaVinci Resolve: Two Free Editors Compared

Licensing and openness

FilmCraft is dual-licensed MIT or Apache-2.0: read it, fork it, self-host the web build. DaVinci Resolve is proprietary software with a free tier and a paid Studio edition.

Colour, audio and finishing

FilmCraft offers Lumetri-style grading with scopes and an audio mixer with automation. Resolve is the established colour and finishing application; its depth there is far ahead of a weeks-old project.

Interface and automation

• FilmCraft: Premiere-style timeline and shortcuts; CLI, JSON control channel and MCP server for scripting.
• Resolve: its own page-based workflow with a steeper start for Premiere users.

Which to pick

For paid client work this month, Resolve. To follow an open-source editor with a familiar layout, or to script editing with agents, FilmCraft is worth installing next to it. Both are free to try.