Adobe Premiere Pro vs. DaVinci Resolve

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Premiere Pro
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Adobe offers their video editing platform Adobe Premiere Pro, supporting video and audio editing as well as VR presentations, available as part of the company's Creative Cloud suite or as a standalone application.
$20.99
per month
DaVinci Resolve
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Australian company Blackmagic Design offers their video editing application DaVinci Resolve for a wide range of high quality ultra HD effects, render queue, and video uploading options among other features.
$0
Free
Pricing
Adobe Premiere ProDaVinci Resolve
Editions & Modules
Premiere Pro Single App
$20.99
per month
Adobe Creative Cloud - All Apps
$52.99
per month
Adobe Creative Cloud - Students and Teachers
$52.99
per month
Adobe Creative Cloud - Business
$79.99
per month
DaVinci Resolve 17
$0.00
Free
DaVinci Resolve Studio 17
$295.00
perpetual license
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe Premiere ProDaVinci Resolve
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe Premiere ProDaVinci Resolve
Considered Both Products
Adobe Premiere Pro
Chose Adobe Premiere Pro
DaVinci Resolve is a powerful editing and color-grading application, and the base version is free. However, I've found that with the Lumetri Color panel in Premiere, I really have no need for Resolve as it meets all of my needs. Additionally, I've found Resolve to be lacking in …
Chose Adobe Premiere Pro
DaVinci Resolve works nicely (though some things have a different flow compared to Adobe Premiere Pro). More importantly though, whenever I ran into a limitation with DaVinci Resolve, I can always find a solution with Adobe Premiere Pro.
Chose Adobe Premiere Pro
iMovie is great for video editing unless you want to make money in video production. If you've got the income and a lot of reasons to learn editing techniques, I recommend learning Premiere Pro before touching iMovie.
Chose Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro works great on both Mac OS and Windows OS. Avid not so much.
Chose Adobe Premiere Pro
Each editor has its pros and cons. I tend to not like node-based editing, so the sliders, faders, and effects that I feel comfortable with in Photoshop and other similar programs are reflected in PPs UI. The more recently added hardware acceleration makes editing RAW 4K footage …
Chose Adobe Premiere Pro
I think Adobe Premiere is more robust and definitely a bit more for the technical creative and editor. FCPX is good but it feels more barebones compared to what is possible with Adobe Premiere Pro. I also prefer its easy integration with the rest of the Adobe Premiere Suite. …
Chose Adobe Premiere Pro
Premiere Pro is certainly one of the more useful and reliable NLE out there. I would be comfortable editing nearly any project on it and have confidence it would handle nearly any format in a stable and efficient manner.
DaVinci Resolve
Chose DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is a fantastic free option. For a while, we utilized DaVinci Resolve as our primary video editing software as it allowed us to produce high-quality videos for our marketing and services with low start-up cost. However, as our needs progressed, we eventually made …
Chose DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro are similar, but in leagues of their own. We often use both products interchangeably as they can certainly complement one another. Overall, because of the more intuitive workflow for finalizing and coloring a video in DaVinci Resolve, we …
Chose DaVinci Resolve
Adobe Premiere Pro is now a subscription-based software. The yearly cost is fairly high and keeps increasing. There is no option to pay once, you keep paying as long as you want to use it. I have been able to do everything I want/need to do in DaVinci Resolve, with no cost for …
Chose DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci has been our preferred tool versus Adobe Premiere. One reason is that its cleaner interface helps make learning easier. Secondly, it handles work on audio components absolutely way better than Adobe does. Thirdly, the features that come with the free version of DaVinci …
Chose DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve has a comparable learning curve to the other video editing platforms that I have used. I like the DaVinci Resolve allows me to export videos for free and without a watermark, and still has just as many features as Adobe Premiere. It definitely renders faster …
Chose DaVinci Resolve
I am selecting this for cool transitions, effects, and titles. I can export my files to any of the formats such as mp4, mov, mpeg, etc. DaVinci Resolve workspace is very easy to use. I can edit the video in very easy steps with sound, effect, color touch-up, and HDR Grading.
Chose DaVinci Resolve
It has a free version that is very complete. It lets everyone on the team use a lot of very good tools for video editing that would be very expensive while using other solutions that are equally excellent but not as generous. The cost is a very good reason but not the only one, …
Chose DaVinci Resolve
I believe DaVinci Resolve is doing a great job facing Premiere Pro.
First it's free but still really complete and lets you do a LOT of [different] things.
It's also have many good options or effects.
Chose DaVinci Resolve
Davinci Resolve is MUCH cheaper than Adobe's video tools, but is harder to learn and lacks the rest of Adobe's image editing and design tools. Pricing is comparable to Final Cut Pro X, but Final Cut is Mac-only, and you have to purchase motion graphics and compression tools …
Chose DaVinci Resolve
For a small business, DaVinci's price point (free / $300) makes it a strong competitor to Adobe Premiere. FCP costs roughly the same, but then DaVinci's color correction is better. If you do not need all the color correction options, then even the free version could be an option.
Chose DaVinci Resolve
I've also used Adobe Speedgrade and the built-in color correction capabilities within Adobe Premiere. Neither one of those are as robust or perform to the caliber that DaVinci Resolve does. It is on the next level in terms of color correction and creating a high-quality look …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Adobe Premiere ProDaVinci Resolve
Small Businesses
Descript
Descript
Score 9.0 out of 10
Descript
Descript
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
iMovie
iMovie
Score 9.1 out of 10
iMovie
iMovie
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Adobe Presenter
Adobe Presenter
Score 9.0 out of 10
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe Premiere ProDaVinci Resolve
Likelihood to Recommend
8.1
(80 ratings)
8.9
(20 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(3 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(1 ratings)
9.9
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
3.2
(16 ratings)
1.4
(5 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe Premiere ProDaVinci Resolve
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
I have actually recommended Adobe Premiere Pro to many people looking to get into the editing field. It is perfect for any type of video creation. It would not be very useful for someone who isn't serious about video editing and wants to just use something to cut out the beginning or ends of clips. It's too advanced for that and [maybe] confusing for someone not educated in the field.
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Blackmagic Design
I learned so much from this instructional exercise, and I appreciated how the educator is an expert all-day colorist. The section on sound reduction was particularly instructive. I noticed a few inconsistencies between certain methodologies in this instructional exercise and approaches suggested in the Advanced Color Grading in Resolve 15 instructional exercise (e.g., where to place sound reduction in the hub tree), but this is to be expected given that there is no one right way to do any of this. I also learned a lot about Resolve's "Restoration" modules for working with authentic film. This instructional exercise will come up again and again in my work.
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Pros
Adobe
  • Premiere is able to import video in almost any format and has a number of excellent export formats and styles.
  • Premiere has a great interface that once learned feels very intuitive.
  • Premiere aligns easily with the other suite of Adobe software allowing for easy integration of graphics and audio.
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Blackmagic Design
  • Comprehensive - It has video editing, motion graphics, audio, and export tools in one package. It's probably more than most people need, but you don't have to use all of the tools.
  • Platform and format agnostic - I like that I can work on projects on Mac or PC, and there are regular updates for new codecs and cameras. You can edit pretty much any format with no compatibility worries.
  • Price - They offer a free version which has most of the functionality. It's a great way to try before you buy and learn the tools. The final price is only $300 per license for the full product. It's a bargain for everything you get, and you don't feel like you're not getting your money's worth, even if you don't use all of the tools.
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Cons
Adobe
  • Export times: I do a massive amount of exports with intensive graphics. They often need to be done quickly. If export times could be reduced by 90%, my life would improve drastically.
  • Importing errors: Certain video formats are not compatible, such as specific types of MP4s and MKV files. Greater flexibility would be wonderful.
  • End the subscription model. I'd gladly pay one flat fee once and be done with it.
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Blackmagic Design
  • Some areas of Resolve can leave inexperienced users feeling a bit handicapped. Multiple user sign-ins can be confusing, and determining where to place the database of users might need troubleshooting. The exporting workflow is a bit finicky and will need to be learned to use for even simple capabilities.
  • Resolve is not friendly on a single screen editing workflow, and even worse on a laptop. Ideally, an editor has multiple screens in the first place, but because a colorist needs to see scopes and monitor, handling both on the same screen, along with all tools is a challenge. This software is best with more screens.
  • While the NLE capability of Resolve makes for a quick editing workspace, my little experience with it leads me to the conclusion that unless someone desires a completely free alternative to other NLE software, Resolve is not your best friend. Other programs are better.
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Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
Adobe Premiere Pro saves time and cost and it does a great job. When you see the output you know that you have made the right investment in the right application. Adobe does not require a lot of support to work good. There are thousands of videos in case you are looking for a particular thing to do during your work on your videos therefore it is well supported.
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Blackmagic Design
No answers on this topic
Usability
Adobe
Adobe Premiere Pro can be VERY overwhelming at first (especially if you are new to video editing).
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Blackmagic Design
Da Vinci Resolve is up there amongst the big, professional video editing packages like Apple's FinalCutPro and Adobe Premier Pro. To just be included in this league, the package needs to have a plethora of features that the common man does not need. In essence, this overwhelming amount of features makes the product tricky to learn, but once you have the hang of it, it is a dream.
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Support Rating
Adobe
It is a professional team that provides customer service at any time. I think that the team does not rest until they find a solution to your problem. I think this makes this company great because when a company offers a good service, and they treat you well, the customer always returns satisfied.
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Blackmagic Design
Not only do they have classes available in Los Angeles, but they'll also allow you to work from home with the manual and demo materials, and then let you test out to get a certification. They get back to you quickly when you email, and they've got a "family" approach to customer service, they make you feel like you're important to them.
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In-Person Training
Adobe
Utilizing one of the many books available on Adobe Premiere Pro, each video editor can learn at their own pace.
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Blackmagic Design
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Adobe
DaVinci Resolve is a powerful editing and color-grading application, and the base version is free. However, I've found that with the Lumetri Color panel in Premiere, I really have no need for Resolve as it meets all of my needs. Additionally, I've found Resolve to be lacking in support for the broad range of file types that Premiere handles gracefully.
Read full review
Blackmagic Design
It has a free version that is very complete. It lets everyone on the team use a lot of very good tools for video editing that would be very expensive while using other solutions that are equally excellent but not as generous. The cost is a very good reason but not the only one, the software is actually really good.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Speed of workflow has increased- specially when coupled with keyboard shortcuts
  • Jobs have had a faster turnover rate which makes clients happy.
  • I have two Adobe accounts, one for work and one for personal use. Both of these accounts are paying for themselves through the work I can provide with the use of Premiere.
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Blackmagic Design
  • Bringing all our video development inhouse has helped us save over $9,000 annually. And a huge part of doing it successfully has been because of DaVinci Resolve.
  • In our first year, we pivoted between DaVinci and Adobe for which would be our primary video production software. The results of both test runs showed that DaVinci needed half the total time investment needed to take a novice through training to completing their first major project when compared to Premiere.
  • DaVinci's hardware requirements were higher than what we mostly had, so we have had to invest more in better equipment to be able to execute. But overall, it's still a significant positive net return when we consider how much we have saved and earned directly as a result.
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