# FilmCraft: free Premiere alternative, tested

> FilmCraft is a free alternative to Adobe Premiere, also for business use. What it can do, what is missing and how mature it is.

Source: https://1x1it.de/en/freeware/filmcraft/

FilmCraft is a free video editor with a professional feature set: editing with source and program monitors, colour correction, around 55 effects and sound mixing with loudness metering.

[FilmCraft at the vendor](https://getartcraft.com/apps/filmcraft)
[All freeware recommendations](https://1x1it.de/en/freeware/)

FilmCraft Freeware

- **Type:** Video editing
- **Cost:** free, also for business
- **Licence:** Apache 2.0
- **Systems:** Windows, macOS, Linux, in the browser
- **Version:** 0.12.0 of 23 Oct 2026

Maturity Development

Development Alpha Beta Stable

## How it helps day to day

- A company film from many clips: Three-point editing and trim tools put the scenes together.
- The shots look different: Colour wheels, curves and LUTs match brightness and colour across clips.
- The sound is sometimes too loud, sometimes too quiet: EBU R128 loudness metering and the mixer keep sound even.

## What is inside FilmCraft

Reads H.264, HEVC, ProRes, VP9, AAC and Opus with its own decoders.

- **Editing:** Source and program monitors, three-point editing, all trim modes and J/K/L trimming.
- **Colour:** Curves, colour wheels, HSL corrections, LUTs, HDR and log footage, scopes.
- **Effects:** About 55 video effects and 30 transitions, keyframes with graphs.
- **Sound:** EBU R128 loudness metering, mixer with automation and audio effects.

## FilmCraft compared with Adobe Premiere

FilmCraft adopts many concepts from Premiere: source and program monitors, three-point editing, trim modes. In tests, however, it was much slower and unstable with large camera formats.

As of 25 Oct 2026, according to the vendors

| | FilmCraft | Adobe Premiere |
| Cost | free, also for business | €25,99 a month (annual plan billed monthly, incl. VAT) [Source](https://www.adobe.com/de/products/premiere/plans.html) |
| Licence | open source (Apache 2.0) | commercial software |
| Systems | Windows, macOS, Linux, in the browser | see vendor |
| Shared files | project exchange via XML, AAF and EDL; video formats H.264, HEVC, ProRes |
| Maturity | in development, version 0.12.0 | on the market for years |

### What independent tests say

- ProVideo Coalition, 23.10.2026: Exporting a 1080p clip to H.264 took 2:20 minutes instead of 11 seconds in Premiere. Canon XF and 8K R3D footage made the program hang. Import via XML and AAF worked. [Read the article](https://www.provideocoalition.com/i-tried-the-artcraft-video-editor-filmcraft/)
- XDA Developers, 13.10.2026: Currently the least mature of all Craft apps. [Read the article](https://www.xda-developers.com/replaced-adobe-suite-with-open-source-alternative-claude-can-control/)

Premiere is a trademark of Adobe Inc.. It is named for orientation only; there is no connection between Adobe Inc. and the maker of FilmCraft.

## Our assessment

FilmCraft is ambitious but still in development. It is worth trying for small clips. For videos with a deadline, keep your usual program ready.

### Already useful for

- Short clips for social media and the website
- Trying out editing and colour correction
- Videos from phone and camera footage

### Better wait for now

- Jobs with a fixed deadline
- Longer projects with many tracks
- Switching your video editing over completely

## Frequently asked questions

### Does FilmCraft run in the browser?

Besides Windows, macOS and Linux there is a web build for self-hosting. For video editing a powerful computer makes sense.

### Can FilmCraft replace Premiere?

FilmCraft is ambitious but still in development. It is worth trying for small clips. For videos with a deadline, keep your usual program ready.

### May I use FilmCraft commercially?

Yes. The Apache 2.0 licence allows business use without a licence fee. It does not require you to publish your own files or data. Licence notices only apply if you redistribute or modify the program itself.

### What does FilmCraft cost?

Nothing. FilmCraft is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence and may also be used in a business free of charge.

### How do I install it?

The vendor’s page offers installers for Windows, macOS and Linux. If you use several Craft apps, the ArtCraft Launcher installs them and keeps them up to date. In businesses with several workstations, new programs should be approved centrally; we can help with that.

## Related

[EffectCraft Motion graphics and visual effects](https://1x1it.de/en/freeware/effectcraft/)
[SoundCraft Audio recording and mixing](https://1x1it.de/en/freeware/soundcraft/)
[All freeware recommendations Programs at a glance](https://1x1it.de/en/freeware/)

Sources: [vendor page](https://getartcraft.com/apps/filmcraft) and [source code on GitHub](https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft), accessed 25 Oct 2026. We have tested the program ourselves and rated it worth a look. We have no business relationship with the vendor.

## Introducing new software in your business

Want to use a free program and not sure whether it fits your workflows and files? We will look at it with you.

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