Softonic walked readers through how to add music and audio to a video in Premiere Pro, and the steps were correct. The wider question the tutorial did not answer is which app to pick in the first place. The market split a few years ago. Adobe still owns the corporate path, but free editors handle the same job for vloggers and short-form creators, dedicated DAWs handle anything where the audio is the point, and open-source tools have caught up to a real workflow.
We tested 8 desktop apps for adding music to videos on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The benchmark mix included a 10-minute YouTube cut with background music plus voiceover, a 30-second social vertical with a music-driven edit, and a short film where audio levels actually mattered. Each pick is judged on the timeline, the audio tools (ducking, EQ, normalisation), the licence costs of the bundled music libraries, and how the export compares against what YouTube and TikTok recompress.
What to look for in a video music app
- Multi-track audio. One music bed, one voiceover, and a couple of sound effects need their own lanes that sync to the video.
- Ducking and side-chain compression. The music has to dip when someone talks. Doing this by keyframe is fine, but auto-ducking is faster and cleaner.
- Built-in licence-cleared library. Some tools ship a music library; some do not. The cost saved is real once you publish weekly.
- Export presets that match the platform. TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels each have a sweet spot that an editor can hit on first export.
- LUFS / loudness normalisation. The platforms normalise on upload. Knowing the right target in the editor prevents the volume drop after publish.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DaVinci Resolve | Anyone who wants Fairlight without paying | Win, Mac, Linux | Yes, fully | $295 one-time (Studio, optional) | 4.7 |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | Teams already on Creative Cloud | Win, Mac | No | $22.99 | 4.5 |
| CapCut Desktop | Short-form social cuts | Win, Mac | Yes, mostly | $9.99 (Pro) | 4.4 |
| Final Cut Pro | Mac users on Apple Silicon | Mac | Yes, 90-day trial | $299.99 one-time | 4.6 |
| Audacity | Cleaning audio before it hits the video | Win, Mac, Linux | Yes, fully | Free | 4.3 |
| Kdenlive | Open-source Linux-first editor | Win, Mac, Linux | Yes, fully | Free | 4.4 |
| Reaper | Audio-first creators who edit video occasionally | Win, Mac, Linux | Yes, 60-day eval | $60 one-time | 4.8 |
| OpenShot | Newcomers on any OS | Win, Mac, Linux | Yes, fully | Free | 4.0 |
The apps
1. DaVinci Resolve, best free editor with Fairlight audio
DaVinci Resolve is the rare free product that out-features almost every paid one in its category. The Fairlight audio page is a full DAW inside the editor: multi-track, side-chain ducking, parametric EQ, a clip-based VST host, and LUFS normalisation that hits YouTube’s -14 LUFS target without a plugin. Importing music is a drag onto the timeline, the auto-ducking sets up in two clicks, and the colour and edit pages keep up with the rest of the project.
Where it falls short: the free version excludes a few high-end features (noise reduction in the AI mode, some Resolve FX) which are reserved for Resolve Studio. The interface is dense for first-timers.
Pricing:
- Free: full audio, colour, edit, Fusion. No watermark, no time limit.
- Paid: Resolve Studio $295 one-time for the full feature set.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: DaVinci Resolve official download
Bottom line: the right default for almost anyone, paid or unpaid.
2. Adobe Premiere Pro, best for teams already on Creative Cloud
Adobe Premiere Pro is still the corporate baseline and the easiest tool for handoff between editors, sound designers, and motion designers who all live in Adobe’s suite. The Essential Sound panel auto-tags clips as music, voice, or SFX and applies a one-click ducking that lands cleanly on most cuts.
Where it falls short: the subscription climbs every year, the first launch on a fresh install takes a minute, and project corruption history still has the muscle memory of editors twitchy.
Pricing:
- Free: no free tier; 7-day trial.
- Paid: $22.99/month single app, $59.99/month Creative Cloud All Apps.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: Premiere Pro official download
Bottom line: the right pick when your team’s whole pipeline is already Adobe.
3. CapCut Desktop, best for short-form social cuts
CapCut Desktop is the same editor that won mobile short-form, scaled up to a desktop UI. The auto-captions, the templates tuned to TikTok and Reels, and the music library with cleared sounds turn a 60-second cut around in under 10 minutes. Audio-side ducking is automatic once you flag a track as voiceover.
Where it falls short: the colour and audio tools are shallower than DaVinci or Premiere. ByteDance owns the data path, which matters if your footage is sensitive.
Pricing:
- Free: most features and templates.
- Paid: Pro $9.99/month for higher resolutions and the AI tools.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: CapCut Desktop
Bottom line: the right pick for anyone whose deliverable lives on TikTok, Reels, or Shorts.
4. Final Cut Pro, best for Mac users on Apple Silicon
Final Cut Pro is the only tool that fully exploits Apple Silicon for video export. The magnetic timeline is opinionated but fast once you stop fighting it, and the audio side handles multi-channel inputs and side-chain ducking through compound clips.
Where it falls short: Mac only. The audio toolchain is less full-featured than Resolve’s Fairlight, and routing to Logic Pro is the common workaround when serious audio work shows up.
Pricing:
- Free: 90-day trial.
- Paid: $299.99 one-time on the Mac App Store.
Platforms: macOS.
Download: Final Cut Pro on the Mac App Store
Bottom line: the right pick for Mac editors who want native performance and live entirely on macOS.
5. Audacity, best for cleaning audio before it hits the video
Audacity is not a video editor. It is the cleanest free tool for cleaning up the audio track that will go into the video. Noise reduction, normalisation, compression, and click removal all ship by default, and the multi-track view handles voiceover beds and music side by side.
Where it falls short: no video timeline at all. The workflow is “fix the audio here, export it, drop it into the editor.”
Pricing: free and open source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Audacity official site
Bottom line: the right companion to any video editor when the source audio needs work.
6. Kdenlive, best open-source video editor for Linux
Kdenlive is the long-standing KDE video editor that runs equally well on Windows and macOS now. Multi-track audio, basic ducking via keyframes, and a healthy effects library cover most YouTube and short-film workflows. The recent releases added proxy editing that keeps timeline performance steady on older hardware.
Where it falls short: the audio tools are basic compared to Resolve or Premiere. Plugin support exists but the LADSPA / LV2 ecosystem on Windows is sparser than on Linux.
Pricing: free and open source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Kdenlive official site
Bottom line: the right pick on Linux and a solid free Windows option.
7. Reaper, best audio-first editor that does video well enough
Reaper is a digital audio workstation that happens to handle video. It is the cleanest path for podcasters and musicians who need to publish to YouTube but spend most of their time in audio. Routing, mastering chains, and the LUFS meter are best-in-class for the price.
Where it falls short: the video editor is bare. Multi-clip cuts work, but title tools and transitions are absent. Long-form video work is awkward.
Pricing:
- Free: 60-day evaluation, fully functional.
- Paid: $60 one-time for personal use; $225 commercial.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Reaper official site
Bottom line: the right pick if the audio is the point and the video is the deliverable.
8. OpenShot, best for newcomers on any OS
OpenShot is the simplest editor on the list. Drag a video onto the timeline, drop a music track underneath, set fades by clicking the corners of a clip, export. There is no learning curve. The audio side is basic, but for a first home-video project the simplicity is the feature.
Where it falls short: crashes have improved but still happen on long projects. The audio toolbox is shallow; serious work moves to one of the bigger tools above.
Pricing: free and open source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: OpenShot official site
Bottom line: the right pick when the user has never opened a video editor before.
How to pick the right one
If you want the simplest free path with serious audio, use DaVinci Resolve.
If you need the cheapest path to a TikTok-ready edit, use CapCut Desktop.
If your audio is the main act, use Reaper.
If you live in Adobe already, use Premiere Pro.
If you are on Mac and Apple Silicon, use Final Cut Pro.
If your platform is Linux, use Kdenlive.
If you only need to clean up the audio, use Audacity alongside any of the above.
If you have never edited video before, use OpenShot.
FAQ
What is the best free app for adding music to a video?
DaVinci Resolve is the strongest free pick because the Fairlight audio page is a full DAW. CapCut Desktop is the runner-up for short-form social cuts. OpenShot and Kdenlive cover the simplest cases.
Can I add music without copyright issues?
Use a track from a cleared library (YouTube Audio Library, Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Uppbeat) or buy a licence for the specific track. CapCut and Premiere ship cleared libraries. Resolve does not, so plan a music source separately.
How do I make music dip when someone speaks?
The technique is called ducking. Resolve’s Fairlight and Premiere’s Essential Sound both have one-click auto-ducking. In other editors, automate the music’s gain envelope with keyframes that drop 6 to 9 dB during voiceover.
What audio level should I export at for YouTube?
YouTube normalises to -14 LUFS integrated. Export at that target and the video will sound consistent against the rest of the platform. Resolve and Reaper show an LUFS meter; Premiere’s Essential Sound panel handles it with the loudness preset.
Is CapCut Desktop safe for client work?
CapCut Desktop is functional and the export quality is solid, but the data policy is the consideration. For client work with sensitive footage, an editor without telemetry (Resolve, Premiere, Final Cut) is the safer pick.
