If you've done any video editing on macOS, you've probably looked at one or more of the tools we're looking at today; Maybe you started with iMovie and just need a little more than what it offers. macOS is the perfect video editing platform because there are so many powerful options, and Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro are two of the best professional options.
Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro are great options for professional or prosumer video editors. While Final Cut Pro hardware mix, what video formats it supports, and even what tools your team uses for other editing workflows.
Final Cut Pro X vs Adobe Premiere Pro: Comparison Chart
With the obvious out of the way, let's break this down in a way that makes sense. First of all, I want to say that both tools are absolutely exceptional at what they do. With either option, you can be sure to create professional-quality videos that will go a long way in taking your business to the next level.
| Characteristic | Final Cut ProX | Adobe Premiere Pro |
|---|---|---|
| External application support | Works with Apple Motion and many third-party extensions. | Works with Adobe After Effects and other third-party extensions. |
| Rendering speed | Fast | Slow |
| 3D edition | Supported | Supported |
| Keyword Media Tags | Not supported | Supported |
| Timeline | Trackless Magnetic | Traditional non-linear |
| Audio | It can automatically correct hums, noises, and spikes or you can manually adjust for these problems. Can match separately recorded audio tracks. | Includes pan, balance meters, volume units and trim indicators. Tracks can be mono, stereo, 5.1 and adaptive. Supports Adobe Audition. |
| Prices | One-time payment of $299. | $37.99 per license per month. |
| For more information |
Final Cut Pro X and Premiere Pro: prices
Both applications can be expensive:
- Final Cut Pro X: One-time payment of $299 per Apple account.
- Adobe Premiere Pro: $37.99 per license per month. Included as part of Creative Cloud All Apps for $89.99 per license per month.
Because of the price, you want to make the right decision for your business from the beginning. Apple opted for a one-time purchase fee per Apple account, which may be fine if your company has its own account that each user uses, but can be expensive if you plan to purchase licenses for multiple users. Adobe is going down the route of assigning licenses to Adobe users, which may be easier to handle with an upfront monthly price.
Based on price alone, you may want to choose the Adobe Premiere Pro pricing model, which can be much cheaper and offers a la carte licensing for businesses rather than purchasing from the Mac App Store and potentially having a higher upfront cost. high.
Feature Comparison: Final Cut Pro X vs Premiere Pro
Adobe is not always compatible with the latest hardware and software available from Apple. For example, its delayed support with M1 chips. So, if you are someone who always buys the latest hardware that Apple produces, Final Cut Pro X would be the most ideal option. That said, you may find features in Premiere that better suit your needs and workflows.
Interface
Final Cut Pro X was redesigned a few years ago and now features a non-traditional timeline similar to that offered within iMovie. This means that editing can be difficult for those who have worked with other platforms that use a linear timeline for editing. This also means that the interface is less configurable (Figure A).
With Premiere Pro, the interface can be a little intimidating for those who haven't worked with complicated video timelines before and FCP X definitely wins in the simple interface category, but what FCP X wins in usability, Premiere Pro wins in be highly configurable (Figure B).
Editing capabilities
Final Cut Pro It even automatically corrects hum with audio and can match separately recorded audio tracks. Also included are over 1,300 royalty-free sound effects to use in your videos and polish them.
SEE: These Final Cut Pro X tips can make all the difference in your video editing projects.
Premiere is primarily a 2D application. While you can edit content to make it appear 3D, there are no 3D-specific editing tools. On the audio side, Premiere includes pan, balance, volume unit meters, and trim indicators to make audio editing easier. If you use Adobe Audition to edit audio, Premiere Pro can import those recordings to use in your videos. While Adobe Premiere doesn't have an iPad Pro-compatible app for editing on the go, there is a smaller Premiere Rush app compatible with iOS, but the feature comparison is non-existent as it's primarily for creating smaller short videos.
Rendering speed
It's worth noting that, running on an Apple Silicon-powered device, Final Cut Pro X crushes Adobe Premiere in render times. This is an indisputable victory for Apple. I even remember going from Intel-based hardware to M1-based hardware and seeing my render times cut in half, and that's using the same software.
While Adobe Premiere is an exceptional platform, it can't compete with Final Cut Pro X within the walled garden of Apple hardware. Of course, speed isn't everything, but when you're rendering a lot of videos at once, rendering speed can mean the difference between publishing your video sooner rather than later, increasing efficiency, and ensuring you can properly bill your time.
Pros and cons of Final Cut Pro
Advantages of Final Cut Pro
- It integrates very well with Apple Silicon hardware to create fast renders.
- Importing and editing videos can be done quickly and efficiently.
- Easily export in the most common and latest generation file formats.
Disadvantages of Final Cut Pro
- The untracked magnetic timeline may make it difficult for existing editors to get used to.
- Keywords and media tags are not available.
Pros and cons of Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro Professionals
- It works seamlessly with other Adobe products, including Audition for audio editing.
- Title formatting can be done in a Photoshop style editor, which is more powerful.
- Pricing is easier to handle initially (cheaper subscription vs. expensive one-time fee).
Disadvantages of Adobe Premiere Pro
- Slower rendering speeds, even on modern Apple Silicon hardware.
Should your organization choose Final Cut Pro X or Adobe Premiere Pro?
From my perspective, Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro do a phenomenal job of helping users create professional-quality videos. With that in mind, I have two simple questions to help make this choice a little easier:
- Do you already trust Adobe products (like Photoshop)?
- Do you work in a mixed operating system environment?
If yes, Adobe Premiere is the right choice, especially if you already use Adobe Audition for audio editing.
However, if you're already familiar with the Apple ecosystem (especially if you've already invested in M1-powered hardware), Final Cut Pro X is an attractive option. This is especially true if those who will be doing the editing are not yet experienced in traditional timeline editors, as the magnetic timeline creates an incredibly efficient workflow.
SEE: Final Cut Pro X offers a balance between ease of use and professional-grade features.
The good news is that it's a win-win proposition. Both Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro can create amazing, professional-grade content.
Methodology
In this head-to-head comparison between Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X, we compare the features of both applications on an M1 MacBook Pro Mac running macOS Sonoma. We compared the latest features of both apps as of February 2024. In addition to using both apps, we compared the feature specifications available from both Apple and Adobe to compare supported formats and other technical details.
