Adobe Audition vs. iMovie

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Audition
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Adobe offers Audition as part of the Creative Cloud suite, a sound and audio editing and creation application.
$31.49
per month
iMovie
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Apple offers iMovie as a video editing platform supporting video creators with high quality effects, support for 4k resolution, audio editing, and other features supporting the creation of videos and movies.
$0
Pricing
Adobe AuditioniMovie
Editions & Modules
Audition - Individuals
$31.49
per month
Single App - Business
$33.99
per month
Free Tier
$0.00
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe AuditioniMovie
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe AuditioniMovie
Considered Both Products
Adobe Audition
Chose Adobe Audition
Editing software is more similar than different; I looked into GarageBand, but didn't find it to be as suited to my use case as Audition.
Chose Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition was designed as a professional tool and has maintained that caliber of professionalism ever since. Other audio tools try to emulate Audition but never reach the standard set by Adobe. While all the audio tools on the market can be regarded as a competition, we …
iMovie

No answer on this topic

Best Alternatives
Adobe AuditioniMovie
Small Businesses
Descript
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Score 8.5 out of 10
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Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
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Score 9.4 out of 10
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Adobe Premiere Pro
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
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Score 9.4 out of 10
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Score 9.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
Adobe AuditioniMovie
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(32 ratings)
10.0
(32 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.3
(5 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(15 ratings)
8.1
(6 ratings)
Online Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
6.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe AuditioniMovie
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
I would recommend the program if they need to record some VO and already have the Adobe Suite. If they don't use Creative Cloud, I would say there are better programs for audio production on the market. However, the fact that I have it with Adobe Creative Cloud is beneficial and makes me choose it over other programs.
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Apple
iMovie is a great editing tool for beginners and users with little to no experience. If you are looking for a simple, straight forward way to edit your videos without having any training, this is the tool for you. If you are looking for a robust and very advanced editing platform, you may wish to look elsewhere.
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Pros
Adobe
  • Sound waves - Sound originates in the air, arising from its vibrations. The source of air vibrations can be, for example, a person's vocal cords, a drum or loudspeaker membrane, or guitar strings. These vibrations push nearby molecules together, slightly increasing the air pressure.
  • Bit depth - The bit depth (depth) of digital audio determines the dynamic range for an audio file. When a sound wave is digitized (sampled), each sample is assigned an amplitude value that most closely matches the amplitude of the original sound wave. The higher the bit depth value, the greater the dynamic range, the lower the noise level, and the higher the digital sound quality.
  • Automatic filters and special effects - Adobe Audition includes a suite of new sound effects ranging from circuit-optimized Surround Reverb to a suite of diagnostic effects.
  • Analog Audio: Positive and Negative Voltage - The microphone converts the pressure of sound waves into electrical current: high air pressure becomes a positive voltage, and low pressure becomes negative. As these voltage changes move along the microphone wire, they can be recorded (as changes in magnetic field strength) onto magnetic tape or onto a vinyl record (by resizing the grooves on the disc).
  • High-performance code - Adobe Audition has received a new redesigned code. This means increased speed of audio processing, accurate and smooth sound reproduction during preprocessing, the ability to work with multiple files and audio tracks at the same time, high overall performance.
  • Editing, enhancing and restoring audio - Any professional working with sound dreams of making the source material as close to ideal as possible. For this, special studios are being built with soundproofing, special acoustic form, and equipment. Indeed, if there is such an opportunity, then it is better to record sound in the studio. Even in this case, insignificant noises and unwanted sounds can be received at the input: a click of a switch, a weak background of a poor-quality or punctured cable, or, for example, a defect in human diction, in which some hissing sounds turn into whistling sounds. It is worth going out to record an interview, for example, in an office space - phone calls or conversations in the next room, the noise of the city outside the window, sounds of the door being opened, etc. will be added.
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Apple
  • iMovie allows users to upload their own clips and edit them together. You're able to add in more clips as you're working on your project which is great as some film editing software don't allow add ons of video clips once you've begun the editing process.
  • iMovie continually saves as you're working on your project and syncs with your devices so you can work on your project from other like computers.
  • iMovie is quick to update changes which allows time to be saved during the editing process. It's very helpful when you need to adjust 1-2 things and don't want to spend hours waiting for the changes to go through.
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Cons
Adobe
  • It is a very expensive software, as is all of Adobe's other software.
  • The interface and all the features can be difficult [for] beginners to get the hang of and get used to.
  • When live listening to your recording with effects, there is an unavoidable latency which doesn't help.
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Apple
  • Audio for video editing is a bit limiting. A pro user would feel limited, but the average person can pretty well do what they need in iMovie and that's what matters for this platform.
  • The design of the UI could use some updating so it doesn't feel so bubbly. This may purely be an aesthetic concern, and maybe the old style makes it more approachable, but i'd prefer to see a more slick design so you don't feel like you are using a kids program.
  • If you ever want to share the project or manually manage files, it can be a bit difficult to figure out. Fortunately Apple allows you to import a project from iMovie into FCPX if you ever want to be upwardly mobile.
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Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
Adobe Audition is now my primary software choice for all audio production. Since I have invested so much time in learning many of the features, I have no need to adopt another app or platform for the foreseeable future. As an avid Adobe fan, I trust my choice in selecting Audition and have no plans to change
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Apple
No answers on this topic
Usability
Adobe
It isn't easy to just jump in and learn the program, though most of Adobe products aren't easy to use the first time around. They UI is not friendly, and it is cumbersome and intimidating when you first try it. For simple audio changes, it seems to difficult to use, but for the more advanced audio work, it's the perfect solution.
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Apple
Once again, iMovie is a fast application. It's easy to use and navigate through. It has never frozen or glitched. There is an auto-save feature which helps you to easily close and re-open the software and continue from where you left off. Being an Apple product I do believe there is a level of superiority that surpasses Windows as well.
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Reliability and Availability
Adobe
I’d rate Adobe Audition’s availability as very reliable. It’s almost always available when we need it. We’ve had very few issues with crashes or errors, and no unplanned outages. As long as the system meets the hardware requirements and everything’s kept up to date, it runs smoothly. Any hiccups we’ve had were usually tied to updates or third-party plugins—not the app itself.
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Apple
No answers on this topic
Performance
Adobe
I’d rate Adobe Audition’s performance as strong. Projects load quickly, and editing—whether it's applying effects, scrubbing audio, or rendering—runs smoothly, even with larger files. Exports complete in a reasonable time, especially with solid hardware. It also plays well with other Adobe tools like Premiere Pro without slowing things down. As long as your system meets the specs, performance is fast and stable across the board.
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Apple
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Adobe
I have not contacted support but given the large amount of users, I have no doubt that most problems can be solved fairly easily. A cursory search for known issues in Adobe Audition yields a support website with many workarounds posted by the official Audition team. They seem responsive and eager to continue fixing bugs and improving the application, which I take as a sign that their support is top notch, as I would expect from my experience using other Adobe products.
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Apple
Apple does a great job supporting its products. I have never encountered trouble that could not be solved through chat or email. The knowledgebase section of the website, video tutorials online and various user forums also help with most issues. If after using all of these avenues you still have an issue, it may be time for you to outsource your project to a professional!
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Online Training
Adobe
Adobe offers a good mix of tutorials, videos, and help articles that cover the basics and some advanced features. It’s easy to follow, especially for beginners. That said, if you're looking for deep dives or very specific use cases, you might need to look beyond Adobe's official resources—forums and third-party videos helped fill in those gaps.
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Apple
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Adobe
Overall, I was pretty satisfied with the implementation. Setting up Adobe Audition was straightforward, especially since it fit well with the other Adobe tools we were already using. There were a few small bumps in getting everyone up to speed, but nothing major. Once we had things configured the way we wanted, it ran smoothly and became part of our regular workflow pretty quickly.
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Apple
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Adobe
Although I don't use it NEARLY to it's full capacity, Audition is the clear winner in post-production editing software. Audacity would likely come the closest, but its free. So remember... you get what you pay for. When I export a final track from Protools, I immediately open it in Audition to make sure it doesn't look "smashed" or that the transients aren't too tall
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Apple
Not as easy to use as iMovie, and a similar cost structure. iMovie is easier for Apple users / and MS users, to both get proficient at. Movie Maker isn't bad, it just isn't as slick as iMovie. We actually used MovieMaker for a couple of years before migrating most users over to iMovie. We have not regretted the move.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Adobe
Adobe charges a monthly subscription fee for all its software.
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Apple
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Adobe
I’d rate Adobe Audition’s scalability as strong overall. It works well across different departments—whether it's for podcasting, video production, or training content. Since it’s part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, it’s easy to manage licenses and updates across teams and locations. The only limitation might be that it’s single-user per license, so collaboration isn’t real-time like some cloud tools, but for most audio workflows, that hasn’t been a major issue.
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Apple
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Adobe
I’d rate the professional services for Adobe Audition as good. When we used them, the team was knowledgeable and helped us set up workflows and troubleshoot issues. While not always necessary for basic use, their support was valuable for more complex needs or training.
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Apple
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Since I already have the Adobe Creative Suite, Audition is a sunk cost. But since I have it and it fits my needs perfectly, I don't have to purchase a separate product, which saves me money.
  • Since Audition looks and feels like the other apps in the Creative Suite, it's that much more approachable if you already use Photoshop, After Effects, etc. While that obviously doesn't substitute for training, users of other Adobe apps should feel right at home.
  • Even if I didn't have the Creative Suite, I would still buy Audition. At $20/mo, it's still the product I would want to perform audio editing.
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Apple
  • iMovie is a very inexpensive alternative to other video editing software.
  • It's very easy to train new users on iMovie, so time is saved there.
  • We started a project where we were tasked to create a new 5 minute video every week. We started with little to no knowledge of video editing, but iMovie was so easy to pick up and use that we were able to start filming and putting together videos right away. If we had to learn a more complex program, like Premiere Pro, it would have pushed our timeline back considerably.
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ScreenShots