Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
DaVinci Resolve vs Google Flow Music vs Submagic
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: In-house video producers, agencies and business owners who edit regularly and want pro results without a monthly fee.
Pick it if: Creators and small businesses who want custom songs, jingles or background music, and hobbyists who just want to make music.
Pick it if: Coaches, creators and small businesses who film talking-head shorts and want them captioned and edited without doing it by hand.
Overview
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Google Flow Music | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Pro video editing, colour and audio in one app, with a full-featured free version. | Google's AI music studio: chat to make full songs, edit them, and make a music video. | Adds animated captions, B-roll, zooms and cuts to your short videos automatically. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $295 one-off (shown discounted to $236 when checked) | $0 | $19/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Google Flow Music | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 2.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Google Flow Music | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | No | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | – | No | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | – | No | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | – | – |
| Makes images | No | Yes | No |
| Makes video | – | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | No | Yes | No |
| Runs agents or automations | – | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 8/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Google Flow Music | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | DaVinci ResolveOur pick Free Most businesses and anyone learning to edit. | Free $0 Trying it and making the odd song. | Starter $19/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Creators posting a few shorts a week. |
DaVinci Resolve Studio $295 one-off (shown discounted to $236 when checked) Regular editors who want the AI tools and higher-end output. | StarterOur pick $6/mo Creators who need music every week. | ProOur pick $39/mo, or $23/mo billed yearly Anyone posting daily. | |
Plus $18/mo Heavy users and music videos. | Business $69/mo, or $41/mo billed yearly Teams and agencies editing at volume. | ||
Member $48/mo Musicians who live in it. | Custom Custom Media companies and large teams. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Start on the free version; it is not time-limited. Buy Studio once you find yourself wanting Magic Mask, text-based editing or vertical reframing, since it is a single payment with free upgrades. | Start on Free, since the daily credits go a long way for background music. Starter is cheap enough to take once you're making music every week. Yearly billing saves about 25%. | Try it free first. Pro on yearly billing suits most people posting every day, and the 5-minute cap covers almost every short. Take Business only if you clip long podcasts or need 4K. |
Key features
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Google Flow Music | Submagic |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Google Flow Music | Submagic |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Google Flow Music | Submagic |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, DaVinci Resolve, Google Flow Music or Submagic?
They tie on our overall rating (DaVinci Resolve 4.3/5, Google Flow Music 4.3/5 and Submagic 4.2/5). DaVinci Resolve is best for brand films and product videos and colour grading and matching footage. Google Flow Music is best for custom background music for videos and jingles and short brand songs. Submagic is best for animated captions on talking-head Reels and removing silences and adding B-roll automatically.
Which is cheaper, DaVinci Resolve, Google Flow Music or Submagic?
DaVinci Resolve: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $295 one-off (shown discounted to $236 when checked). Google Flow Music: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Submagic: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $19/mo.
Which is easier to use, DaVinci Resolve, Google Flow Music or Submagic?
Submagic rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Coaches, creators and small businesses who film talking-head shorts and want them captioned and edited without doing it by hand.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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