# Shotcut

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/shotcut/

12 people recommended Shotcut in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 8 threads. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Free, open-source video editor people pick for its simple layout, high-resolution and 10-bit support. Critics say it is slow with 4K footage unless you use proxy files.

Summary written by Claude from 16 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Simpler, user-friendly interface than alternatives (2 comments in the sample): "Shotcut has a simpler, more user-friendly UI than kdenlive and also seems to be a bit more stable/performant." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47816252)) "A handful of useful tools, a simple layout, just enough to get the job done" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47838892))
- Free high-resolution and 10-bit support (2 comments in the sample): "high resolution support without having to pay extra" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49515500)) "Shotcut also has 10 bit support, which is wonderful" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47823569))

## Other video editors people recommend

- [DaVinci Resolve](https://hackerapproved.com/p/davinci-resolve/): 121 recommend, 45 mixed, 56 criticize
- [Kdenlive](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kdenlive/): 42 recommend, 10 mixed, 23 criticize
- [OpenShot Video Editor](https://hackerapproved.com/p/openshot/): 17 recommend, 8 mixed, 15 criticize
- [Final Cut Pro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/final-cut-pro/): 15 recommend, 7 mixed, 19 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Shotcut", https://hackerapproved.com/p/shotcut/ (12 recommend, 2 mixed, 3 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.