Adobe Premiere Pro vs. iMovie

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
iMovie
Score 9.1 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 Premiere ProiMovie
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
Free Tier
$0.00
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe Premiere ProiMovie
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Best Alternatives
Adobe Premiere ProiMovie
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
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro
Score 9.0 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 ProiMovie
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(81 ratings)
10.0
(30 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
3.2
(16 ratings)
8.1
(6 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe Premiere ProiMovie
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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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
  • 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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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
  • 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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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 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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Apple
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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Apple
I'd give it a higher rating but there seems to be some things that are so over-simplified that it's tough for an experienced user to work backwards when needed. That said, it certainly is easy enough for a 7 year old to pick up and use without much instruction or training.
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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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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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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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Apple
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.
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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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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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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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