Avidemux review

Avidemux is not a full editor, and that is why it belongs on a list for weak PCs. Its project describes it as a simple cross-platform video editor for Linux, Windows and macOS, and its wiki calls it a free open source program for multi-purpose video editing and processing. In practice you open one file, mark the parts to keep or remove and save the result, all without a multitrack timeline to render. Shotcut's own FAQ points users to Avidemux, alongside LosslessCut and VirtualDub, for cutting a clip without transcoding it. That makes it a useful first step before a heavier edit: trim a two-hour screen recording down in Avidemux, then bring the short result into Shotcut or OpenShot. It has no titles, transitions or templates, the project does not publish hardware requirements, and its wiki is sparse.

Who it is for

Quick trims and format changes on any old PC

Price

Free and open source; no paid plan.

Avidemux is a free open-source program designed for multi-purpose video editing and processing
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Free and open source under the GPL-2.0 license
• Builds for Windows, macOS and Linux
• Cutting and processing of a single file in one window
• Recommended in Shotcut's FAQ as a tool for trimming without transcoding
• Nightly builds alongside stable releases

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free with no account or watermark
• Strength: Single-timeline design keeps the workload light
• Strength: Good companion to a full editor for cutting long recordings
• Weakness: No multitrack timeline, titles or transitions library
• Weakness: No published system requirements
• Weakness: Documentation wiki is sparse and partly old

Key facts

• License: GPL-2.0
• Editing style: Single track cut and encode
• Paid tier: None
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Where it ranks

Avidemux is No. 8 in our Best Video Editors for Low-End PCs verdict.