Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
DaVinci Resolve vs Kapwing vs Riverside
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: Social media managers, content teams and small businesses who make lots of short videos and want to edit them together.
Pick it if: Businesses running a podcast, interview series or webinar who want guests to sound and look professional without a studio.
Overview
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Kapwing | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Pro video editing, colour and audio in one app, with a full-featured free version. | Edit, subtitle and resize videos for social in your browser, with your team. | Records podcasts and video interviews remotely in studio quality, with AI editing. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $295 one-off (shown discounted to $236 when checked) | $0 | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Kapwing | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 2.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Kapwing | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | No | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | – | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | – | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | – | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | – | – | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | – | No | Yes |
| 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 | Kapwing | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | DaVinci ResolveOur pick Free Most businesses and anyone learning to edit. | Free $0 Trying it on a few short clips. | Free Free Trying it with a test episode. |
DaVinci Resolve Studio $295 one-off (shown discounted to $236 when checked) Regular editors who want the AI tools and higher-end output. | ProOur pick $16/mo billed yearly Creators and small teams posting every week. | ProOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly A business running a regular podcast or interview series. | |
Business $50/mo billed yearly Teams that dub, clone voices or translate at volume. | Grow $39/mo, or $34/mo billed yearly Teams recording several shows or long interviews. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations. | Webinar $99/mo, or $79/mo billed yearly Businesses that run webinars and live events. | ||
Business Custom Larger teams with several producers. | |||
| 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. | Pro is the plan for almost everyone, because Free's watermark and 4-minute cap rule it out for real work. Business is only worth it if you're dubbing or cloning voices regularly. Paying yearly saves about a third. | Pro on yearly billing covers most company podcasts. Move to Grow only if you record more than about five hours a month, and to Webinar only if you host live events. |
Key features
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Kapwing | Riverside |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Kapwing | Riverside |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | DaVinci Resolve | Kapwing | Riverside |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, DaVinci Resolve, Kapwing or Riverside?
They tie on our overall rating (DaVinci Resolve 4.3/5, Kapwing 4.0/5 and Riverside 4.3/5). DaVinci Resolve is best for brand films and product videos and colour grading and matching footage. Kapwing is best for subtitling and resizing clips for every platform and teams editing the same videos together. Riverside is best for company podcasts with remote guests and recording client or customer interviews.
Which is cheaper, DaVinci Resolve, Kapwing or Riverside?
DaVinci Resolve: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $295 one-off (shown discounted to $236 when checked). Kapwing: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Riverside: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo.
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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