Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve page is a product page with a price at the top: a free download of DaVinci Resolve, and DaVinci Resolve Studio at $295 to buy online. The rest of the page is hardware, and there is a lot of it: the DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor at $435, the Replay Editor at $559, the Editor Keyboard at $669, colour panels starting at $2,319 and rising through dedicated consoles, and a Fairlight audio console range that runs from a $1,525 monitoring unit to modular studio consoles priced into the tens of thousands. The pattern is a cheap-to-free software licence with optional hardware sold alongside it at prices that dwarf the software.
TL;DR
Both editors can be bought outright for almost the same money: DaVinci Resolve Studio is listed at $295 and Final Cut Pro at a one-time $299.99. The difference is in the routes in. DaVinci Resolve also publishes a free downloadable build, so the entry cost can be zero, while Final Cut Pro's subscription route is $12.99 a month or $129 a year through Apple Creator Studio, with educator and student pricing at $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Blackmagic's page then pushes the buyer towards hardware, with a Speed Editor at $435, a Replay Editor at $559, an Editor Keyboard at $669 and colour panels from $2,319, while Apple's route bundles editing, audio and motion tools into one subscription.
Apple's Final Cut Pro page leads with a subscription and then states the alternatives. Apple Creator Studio is free for 30 days, after which new subscribers pay $12.99 per month or $129 per year, with educator and student subscriptions at $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The page also states that Final Cut Pro is available as a one-time purchase for $299.99. Apple's framing is that the subscription bundles more than the single application, and the footer repeats the renewal terms: the plan renews at $12.99 a month or $129 a year depending on the plan selected and renews automatically until cancelled.
Set against each other, the licence decision is nearly a coin toss: $295 against $299.99, both perpetual. What separates them is the entry point and what surrounds the software. DaVinci Resolve has a free build, so a budget of nothing gets you a working editor, and Blackmagic's upsell is hardware you buy when you want it, which is attractive if you want physical controls and unattractive if you do not. Apple's alternative to the one-time price is $12.99 a month, which only wins over the perpetual licence after roughly two years, but that subscription also carries the rest of Apple's creator tools. One caveat we will state plainly: neither vendor's page breaks down which features sit in the free DaVinci build versus Studio, so treat that split as a question for the vendor rather than something we verified here.
| Feature | DaVinci Resolve | Final Cut Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | A free downloadable DaVinci Resolve build | No free build published; a 30-day free trial for new subscribers |
| One-time price | DaVinci Resolve Studio at $295 | $299.99 as a one-time purchase |
| Subscription price | No subscription published on the product page | $12.99 per month or $129 per year through Apple Creator Studio |
| Student and educator pricing | Not stated on the product page | $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year |
| Bundled applications | Resolve covers editing, colour, Fairlight audio and Fusion work inside one application | The subscription sits under Apple Creator Studio, which carries more than the editing application |
| Hardware sold alongside | Speed Editor $435, Replay Editor $559, Editor Keyboard $669, colour panels from $2,319, Fairlight consoles from $1,525 | Not listed on the pricing block reviewed here |
| Renewal terms | One-time purchase; no renewal terms stated on the page | Automatic renewal until cancelled, at the selected monthly or annual rate |
| Break-even on subscription | $295 up front, never renewed | $12.99 a month passes $299.99 after roughly two years |
| Feature split, free versus paid | Not broken down on the product page | Not itemised between subscription and one-time purchase |
| Best fit | Editors who want a free start or a perpetual licence and may add physical controls later | Editors who want a perpetual licence or a monthly subscription that also carries Apple's wider creator suite |
Pick DaVinci Resolve if
DaVinci Resolve is the stronger option if you want to begin at zero cost and decide later what to buy. A free build is downloadable from the same page that lists Studio at $295, so the licence decision can be deferred, and when you do buy, the price is a one-time payment with no automatic renewal. Blackmagic's own page shows where the money goes afterwards: a Speed Editor at $435, a Replay Editor at $559, an Editor Keyboard at $669 and colour panels from $2,319, all optional. That hardware ladder is the main caveat, since it is presented prominently next to a $295 licence. We also did not verify from the page which features the free build omits, so confirm that split before relying on it.
Pick Final Cut Pro if
Final Cut Pro's pitch is a familiar one: $299.99 once, $12.99 a month, or $129 a year, with a 30-day trial and student and educator subscriptions at $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Against DaVinci Resolve Studio at $295 the one-time prices are effectively identical, so the choice comes down to the surrounding terms. The subscription renews automatically until cancelled and passes the perpetual price after about two years at the monthly rate, but it also brings in Apple Creator Studio's wider set of tools. If you want a perpetual licence and you are already inside Apple's ecosystem, or you qualify for the student rate, this is the simpler route.
Neither Blackmagic Design nor Apple publishes third-party review data we are willing to restate as fact, and we did not run either application. Every figure here comes from the two vendors' own product pages as published when this comparison was written. The lists headed 'vendor-published claims' are the vendors' own statements, not user reviews.
On perpetual licences they are nearly identical: DaVinci Resolve Studio is $295 and Final Cut Pro is a one-time $299.99. DaVinci Resolve also publishes a free downloadable build, which Final Cut Pro does not. Final Cut Pro's alternative is $12.99 a month, which passes the $299.99 one-time price after roughly two years.
Blackmagic's product page lists a free build and DaVinci Resolve Studio at $295 as a one-time purchase, and does not publish a subscription option on that page. Final Cut Pro publishes both routes: $12.99 a month or $129 a year, and $299.99 as a one-time purchase.
Blackmagic prices them on the same page as the software: $435 for a Speed Editor, $559 for a Replay Editor, $669 for an Editor Keyboard, and colour panels from $2,319, with Fairlight consoles starting at $1,525 and rising through modular studio systems. Apple's pricing block for Final Cut Pro lists software only.
Apple states in the footer that the plan renews at $12.99 a month or $129 a year depending on the plan selected and renews automatically until cancelled. DaVinci Resolve's $295 is a one-time purchase with no equivalent renewal language on the product page.
Apple publishes educator and student subscriptions at $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year for Final Cut Pro through Apple Creator Studio. Blackmagic's product page does not state a student price for DaVinci Resolve.
We could not verify that split. Blackmagic's page presents the free download and Studio at $295 without breaking down the feature differences, so anyone relying on the free build for a specific capability should confirm it with the vendor rather than assume it is included.
Spot an outdated price or feature? Let us know and we'll verify it.