head to head · open source
Shotcut vs Kdenlive
Shotcut has 15,577 GitHub stars, 1,558 forks, 52 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Kdenlive has 6,038 stars, 556 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Shotcut leads on adoption by 158% (15,577 vs 6,038 stars). Shotcut is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; Kdenlive is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. Shotcut has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Kdenlive 9%. Shotcut was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Shotcut | Kdenlive | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 6.0K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 556 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Shotcut if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Kdenlive if
- You want the Kdenlive feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Kdenlive fits your workflow better
About Shotcut
Shotcut a free, open source, cross platform video editor Features: Roadmap: Install Binaries are regularly built and are available at Contributors Dan Dennedy : main author Brian Matherly : contributor Dependencies Shotcut's direct (linked or hard runtime) dependencies are: MLT: multimedia authoring framework Qt 6 (6.4 minimum): application and UI framework FFTW FFmpeg: multimedia format and codec libraries Frei0r: video plugins SDL: cross platform audio playback See for a more complete list including indirect and bundled dependencies. License GPLv3. See COPYING. How to build Warning : building Shotcut should…
read the full Shotcut overview →
About Kdenlive
Kdenlive Kdenlive is a powerful, free and open source video editor that brings professional grade video editing capabilities to everyone. Whether you're creating a simple family video or working on a complex project, Kdenlive provides the tools you need to bring your vision to life. For more information about Kdenlive's features, tutorials, and community, please visit our official website. There you can also find downloads for both stable releases and experimental daily builds for Kdenlive. Contributing to Kdenlive Kdenlive is a community driven project, and we welcome contributions from everyone! There are many…
read the full Kdenlive overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shotcut or Kdenlive more popular?
Shotcut has 15,577 GitHub stars and Kdenlive has 6,038. Shotcut has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shotcut and Kdenlive free?
Both are open source. Shotcut is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kdenlive under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Shotcut and Kdenlive?
Shotcut is written in C++ and Kdenlive in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Shotcut or Kdenlive?
Choose Shotcut if you want the larger community (15,577 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Kdenlive if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.