iMovie vs. Snagit

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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
Snagit
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Snagit is screen capture and recording software from TechSmith, that lets users capture the screen and camera, add additional context, and share images, GIFs, or videos across preferred platforms.
$62.99
one-time fee per user
Pricing
iMovieSnagit
Editions & Modules
Free Tier
$0.00
Education
$37.99
one-time fee per user
Government & Nonprofit
$53.99
one-time fee per user
Perpetual License
$62.99
one-time fee per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
iMovieSnagit
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsOne-time license cost One license per user - install on 2 machines, for work and home use Compatible with Windows and MacOS Optional Maintenance renewal - first year included FREE Upgrade to the next version Phone, chat and email support Access to Snagit Certification with 20+ exclusive how-to videos Enhanced Screencast integration to share content, plus the newest starter Assets for Snagit
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
iMovieSnagit
Considered Both Products
iMovie
Chose iMovie
We like Snagit, and still use it too. But IMovie is much more extensive an application and really let us grow our video content market.
Snagit
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
iMovieSnagit
Small Businesses
Descript
Descript
Score 9.0 out of 10
Sendspark
Sendspark
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve
Score 9.0 out of 10
Loom
Loom
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro
Score 9.0 out of 10
Camtasia
Camtasia
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
iMovieSnagit
Likelihood to Recommend
9.9
(30 ratings)
7.3
(97 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(2 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.5
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
8.1
(6 ratings)
9.0
(14 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
iMovieSnagit
Likelihood to Recommend
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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TechSmith
Let's say you are on a webinar or online meeting and want to take several screen shots of what is on the screen and save all of them. Rather than opening Windows snipping tool (or other free products) and needing to save each one as fast as you can, SnagIt saves all of them and you can go back and delete the ones you don't want. Capture the entire screen quickly or do a region for only a portion of the screen. Very handy. SnagIt also provides easy ways to add your edits to the screen shot in a professional way. Rather than trying to "hand draw" a circle around the item you want to bring attention to, you can use professional tools for circles and rectangles to highlight a specific area for someone to see right away when looking at this screen shot
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Pros
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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TechSmith
  • Being able to take screen captures quickly and with just a keystroke is a prime feature. I took several screenshots just yesterday to show folks, which saved me from taking the time to meet with [...] everyone.
  • Obviously recording and sharing video is Snagit's strength. It does this as well as any product I have used. It is not an editor but there are a lot of capture features that cover just about any situation.
  • One great feature that Snagit has is the ability to pull text from a capture. We don't use this a lot but when it is needed it is a huge time saver.
  • The settings and tools within Snagit are intuitive and easy to find.
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Cons
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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TechSmith
  • Image merge - I wish there was an easier way to merge two images in one.
  • Scrolling capture - even though this is one thing I love, sometimes the text gets wonky when I use this feature.
  • The shortcut - this feature feels super unnecessary. And it can be annoying when every time I move my mouse to the right of the screen it pops up.
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Likelihood to Renew
Apple
No answers on this topic
TechSmith
I think that the tool is excellent for what it is being used for. I particuarly like the ability to capture content from the screen whilst using the scroll wheel on my mouse. It is very annoying when your try to capture something with grab and you can't scroll which leads to multiple images
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Usability
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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TechSmith
It's button centric for easy access to every feature. Everything allows undo! It works like any other standard Windows application. Everyone can be a professional without having to select every feature yourself by using the built in styles with just one click of a button in most cases. Every button is clearly labeled too.
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Support Rating
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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TechSmith
I've actually never had to contact support as the tool is easy to use. One aspect is that they upgrade and send email notifications of the upgrades. They don't charge extra for upgrades and their enhancements fall in line with the way we use the tool. We haven't had to submit any upgrade requests as the tool already does what we need it to do.
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Implementation Rating
Apple
No answers on this topic
TechSmith
It's a simple next next finish install. The SnagIt Library in the user profile should probably be backed up to make sure they have access to their old screen captures. We frequently will go back to previous captures and add context bubbles etc. when software changes to show the "old" vs "new". Also, go to SnagIt's website and download the additional Stamp Sets for the user. These are terrific. I wish there was one download to get them all, but you have to download and install them one set at a time. It's worth it - especially for training how-to's.
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Alternatives Considered
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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TechSmith
PhotoShop is of course a very powerful image editing tool. But, the learning curve is steep and all the tools and settings aren't necessary for our needs. Snagit is a streamlined solution for capturing videos, creating gifs, and editing images. (It also supports capturing screenshots, including scrolling/panoramic ones, but we use a different tool). Snagit's ability to capture images + videos and immediately open the editor to edit those images or videos makes the entire process faster, simpler, and easier. We've raised the possibility as a team of switching to PhotoShop, but for now I prefer using Snagit for our needs.
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Return on Investment
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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TechSmith
  • Snagit isn't a very expensive product in general so it has been a huge ROI for us
  • It saves me countless amounts of time each day
  • I'm able to share instructions much easier and allows for more time spent on other tasks
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ScreenShots