DaVinci Resolve
Blackmagic Design video editor with color, effects and audio tools: free to Ultra HD at 60 fps, Studio $295, $236 in a 1 Nov 2026 sale.
Our take: DaVinci Resolve combines editing, color, effects and audio in one application, and Blackmagic offers a free version that works with 8-bit formats up to Ultra HD at 60 fps.
DaVinci Resolve is video editing, color, effects and audio software from Blackmagic Design, and it comes in a free version and a paid Studio version. Blackmagic's pages say the free version works with virtually all 8-bit video formats at up to 60 fps in resolutions as high as Ultra HD 3840 x 2160, and the download form asks for your name, email, phone number and address. Studio costs $295 and adds 10-bit video up to 120 fps, resolutions beyond 4K and the DaVinci AI Neural Engine; Blackmagic showed it at $236 in a 20% sale on 1 November 2026.
A free starting point for editors who can work within Ultra HD at 60 fps and 8-bit formats; Studio becomes the question when you need 10-bit, higher frame rates or the AI tools.
Our score
Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.
What it is, and why we rate it
One line each. Open a row for detail.
Our takeDaVinci Resolve combines editing, color, effects and audio in one application, and Blackmagic offers a free version that works with 8-bit formats up to Ultra HD at 60 fps.
Best / not good for
- Learners and creators who can work within Ultra HD at 60 fps and 8-bit formats
- People who want editing, color, effects and audio in one application
- Buyers who prefer a single Studio payment to a monthly subscription
- Anyone who needs 10-bit video, 120 fps or resolutions beyond 4K without buying Studio
- Users who need direct technical support on the free version, which Blackmagic limits to community forums
- Anyone unwilling to give a name, email, phone number and address to download
Friction report
Trade-offs to know before signing up.
- Time to valueThe download comes after a registration form, then a platform-specific installer; Blackmagic lists Windows x86 and Windows ARM installers separately.
- Scale breakpointThe free version is described as working with 8-bit formats up to Ultra HD at 60 fps; 10-bit footage, 120 fps or resolutions beyond 4K require Studio, regular price $295.
- Walled gardenThe Mac App Store editions do not support some external control panels and may not work with all third-party OpenFX or VST plug-ins, per their listings, which point to Blackmagic's own download for those.
DaVinci Resolve free version vs Studio, as Blackmagic describes them
| Area | Free version | Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0, after a registration form on the download page | Regular price $295; $236 in a 20% sale shown on 1 November 2026 |
| Resolution and frame rate | Up to Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 at 60 fps | Up to 32K at 120 fps |
| Video formats | Virtually all 8-bit video formats | Most professional formats, including 10-bit, AVCHD, AVC-Intra and all-I H.264 camera formats |
| HDR | HDR grading and HDR tools included | Adds Dolby Vision and HDR10+ grading and rendering, and HDR scopes measured in nits |
| Collaboration | Multi-user collaboration included | Included; Studio has everything in the free version |
| AI tools | Not listed | DaVinci AI Neural Engine: magic mask, smart reframe, Super Scale, speed warp retiming, facial recognition, voice isolation |
| Noise reduction and effects | Not listed | Temporal and AI spatial noise reduction, film grain, optical blur and over 45 additional Resolve FX |
| GPU use and encoding | Not listed | Multiple GPUs for real-time playback of professional 10-bit formats; H.264 and H.265 hardware decoding and encoding |
| Scripting and plug-ins | Not listed | Python and Lua scripting, workflow integration plug-ins and encoder plug-in support |
| Other Studio-only tools | Not listed | Stereoscopic 3D, lens distortion correction, remote monitoring and grading, Dolby Atmos mastering, IMF and DCP |
| Technical support | Only through Blackmagic's community forums | Not stated on the pages read |
From Blackmagic Design's product and Studio pages and its support page, checked 1 November 2026. Blackmagic says Studio includes everything in the free version plus the items above; 'Not listed' means Blackmagic's pages describe the item only for Studio, not that a free-version limit was measured. Blackmagic's download page overview also mentions AI text based editing and a 3D depth map effect without naming an edition, while its product and Studio pages list text based editing and a 3D depth map among Studio's features. Forum claims about the free version are not used.
DaVinci Resolve Studio price and buying terms
| Item | What Blackmagic shows | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | $0. A registration form comes before the download | Download page |
| Studio 21, regular price | $295, shown as 'Was $295' | Product page |
| Studio 21, sale on 1 November 2026 | $236, labelled 'SAVE 20%'; the product page shows no end date, and Blackmagic's sale page says the special prices run until Friday 20th November. Checkout review showed $236.00 before tax | Product page |
| Studio on the Mac App Store | $239.99 in the US store, Mac only; the listing says it does not support some external control panels and may not work with all third-party OpenFX or VST plug-ins | Mac App Store listing |
| License delivery | An activation key is emailed immediately at checkout. Studio updates are listed as needing a Studio license dongle, a Blackmagic Cloud license or a software activation code | Support page |
| Rental | Blackmagic Cloud Organizations lets companies buy or rent Studio licenses; no rental price is shown on the pages read | Collaboration page |
| Tax and shipping | Prices include duties but exclude sales tax and shipping | Site footer |
| Refunds | For purchases made on blackmagicdesign.com, a software refund request is allowed within 15 days of purchase; an earlier line on the same page says 14 days for software | Refund policy |
USD prices from Blackmagic Design's US store pages, checked 1 November 2026. The 20% sale is a promotion; $295 is the regular price. The refund policy gives both a 14-day and a 15-day window for software and does not say which applies. Blackmagic sells keyboards, color panels and audio consoles separately, with prices on the same product page.
Platforms and minimum systems
| Route | Platform | Minimum stated by Blackmagic |
|---|---|---|
| Direct download | Mac | macOS 12 Monterey |
| Direct download | Windows | Windows 10 Creators Update; separate x86 and ARM installers are listed |
| Direct download | Linux | Rocky Linux 8.6 or CentOS 7.3 |
| Direct download | iPad | iPadOS 16.0 or later, iPad with A12 Bionic chip or later |
| Mac App Store | Mac | Current model Mac with Apple silicon, 8 GB of memory (16 GB when using Fusion), Mac OS X 15 or higher, display of at least 1440 x 900 |
From the download page, the support page and the Mac App Store listings, checked 1 November 2026. The download page lists operating systems only. The latest update listed on the support page is 21.1.2; 21.1.1 is dated 2 October 2026 and 21.1 is dated 8 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
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