For anyone who has had any amount of experience with content creation, you know how long the editing process can take and while it may seem like a small part of the filming process to the viewers at home, in reality, it can, unfortunately, lead to long hours and sleepless nights from the video editors to make sure everything from the visuals to the audio queues is perfect.
That’s why these great video editing software have grown tremendously in popularity over the recent years since they can help the smaller and much more tedious parts of editing go by much faster, and two video clips that have become very reputable over these years are Camtasia and Filmora.
With both being praised as excellent video editing services and serving much the same purpose, they actually differ a fair amount in regard to their specific features, effects, and options that are granted to their users.
Here is a detailed comparison of Camtasia vs Filmora so you can decide which is more worth your time and money.
What Is Camtasia?
Camtasia is owned by Techsmith and was launched with a primary aim in mind, to create a simple and easy-to-use all-in-one video editing and basic screen recording program that is mostly tailored towards beginners and those who want to quickly get the hang of editing without needing to read through multiple manuals.
Available for both Windows and macOS, Camtasia has received rave reviews from those who are looking for editing software that doesn’t throw you in the deep end but instead presents you with an easy-to-understand menu where you can perform advanced editing techniques with a single press.
This simplicity definitely means there are more than a few drawbacks to the software, however, this has not stopped it from continuously proving to be an effective editing program each and every year.
What Is Filmora?
Filmora is also a video editing software that excels in giving you some incredible options for editing the visuals, quality, and sound of a recording, video recording and while it contains some deep and intricate features that many casual editors would usually ignore, it has still been catching the attention of the wider video editing market far more in recent years.
With it being available to download since 2015, Filmora has only gone on to upgrade and expand its numerous editing tools and functions, which has made it the go-to choice for many who want a sleek program that allows its users to edit very precisely.
Main Differences Between Camtasia And Filmora
While both programs are designed for the same purpose, because of their intended audience they have quite different functions and customization options which can make your editing experience very different.
It’s therefore always worth knowing the primary differences between both programs so you can make an informed decision on which one will suit your needs the most.
Tools And Functions
In terms of the number of tools you will be able to use, both are actually quite similar offering text, transition, audio ducking, and extra video effects that are all fully functional and clearly laid out on the front screen.
Since Filmora is considered the more advanced program, however, it does feature a few more tools overall that can grant the user greater control over how the video looks and sounds.
One of these tools which are incredibly useful when it comes to customizing the actual text of a video is text tiles.
Filmora grants their users a wide selection of text titles to choose from which can allow you to animate text while also adding in annotations, shapes, and keystroke callouts.
With over 350 titles to experiment with, this is just one of the many additional tools that may not be necessary for those just getting started with video editing, but that can be incredibly important for editors who want all the necessary tools at their disposal to make high quality video files as vibrant and eye-catching as it can be.
Audio Files Editing
Despite many people prioritizing the visuals when they first start editing more tutorial videos, the audio is just as important, if not more so since it can make or break the audience’s attention to the video with poor audio often driving people away.
Both Camtasia and Filmora offer decent audio editing capabilities, allowing you to tinker with any sounds and adjust their volume exactly to your liking.
With both, you will be able to use fade-in and fade-out effects along with being able to change the clip speed and remove any background noise so the recorded voices are perfectly clear.
Filmora does offer just a few more features in the audio department that can make editing even more precise, however, it’s not enough features to completely outclass Camtasia.
The main standout feature Filmora offers for editing audio is being able to change the pitch of audio tracks.
This may not seem like too much of a big deal if you’re only trying to make the voices clear, however, when you want to adjust those voices and sounds so they fit with the music or atmosphere of a video, this effect can be crucial.
While both programs, therefore, offer incredible customization options in regards to audio, Filmora does have a few more in-depth features for when you want to be able to adjust sounds and noises as accurately as possible.
Video Effects
Whether you want to make a vlog a little more vibrant and exciting or if you just simply want to add a little bit of flair to a video, one part of the video editing process which actually gives the creator a good amount of creative freedom are the video effects, and luckily, both Camtasia and Filmora have a few you can play around with.
There is a massive difference in the quantity of these effects however as while Camtasia has 15 decent video effects to choose from which can improve the appearance and aesthetic of your training videos, Filmora has far more with 280 choices to choose from.
While it does have far less, this is not to suggest that the effects offered by Camtasia should be ignored, in fact, it has some fantastic options, especially in regard to its many interactive features which can encourage audiences to be more involved with the video and help to encourage engagement and future traffic.
For example, you have the ability to add interactive quizzes to edit videos which can be dotted throughout, or at the very end.
The simple fact is however that because it’s designed to be as intricate and customizable as possible, Filmora gives you a tremendous amount more options to experiment with from simple lighting changes to logos and symbols which can draw viewers’ attention to certain parts of the screen.
One of these fantastic effects that Filmora allows you to make use of which doesn’t come with Camtasia is the ‘Elements’ which essentially refers to animated graphics and icons that can appear near the start or end of a video such as a ‘Share’ or ‘Subscribe’ prompt.
The sheer number of features can be a little overwhelming at first, however, so if you’re only just getting started with video editing and intend to only try out the more essential effects, Camtasia is probably the better option, however, it all depends on how many effects you want at your disposal, and how much you think you will end up using them since they are more of an afterthought for more casual editors.
Cursor Effects
Since they don’t show up on the actual video itself, it can initially seem a little pointless to worry about cursor effects, however, when you’re at your desk for a few hours moving around multiple different video clips and audio queues, this handy feature can make things far easier by letting you know what you’re clicking, and giving you options to zoom in and out.
Camtasia is far better in this department, offering users 16 different effects that can be applied to their cursor such as playing a sound or making a ripple effect when clicking the left or right side of the mouse.
You also get the options to highlight, magnify and spotlight with your cursor which makes keeping track of clips and being able to quickly zoom in far easier.
In comparison, Filmora has barely any cursor effects to offer its users, only giving you the option to create a green, yellow or purple ring when you click, and these effects cannot be applied once you start screen recording.
While this therefore may be a small feature, if you think it would greatly benefit your editing experience, then Camtasia offers better cursor effects.
Transitions
Moving from one scene to the next is one of the most important parts of the editing process since an abrupt or messy cut can massively harm the pacing of the video while also creating some inconsistencies in the audio.
Luckily, both Filmora and Camtasia come with more than enough transition styles and effects for you to experiment with.
While Camtasia comes with 121 different transitions to choose from, Filmora gives you 233 different options, allowing you to customize the style and aesthetic of a video in so many different ways.
On the whole, while Camtasia offers decent looking transitions and a wide variety to choose from, Filmora does have some much more advanced and unique transitions such as their warp transitions which quickly zoom in and out of the screen recording to seamlessly move to the next scene.
Filmora usually gives you a few different kinds of the same transition to try out granting the user an incredible amount of customization over each and every video.
While Camtasia, therefore, has a good amount of flashy transitions that can easily add some flair to a video, with nearly double the amount to choose from, Filmora is better in this department.
Screen Recording
Camtasia and Filmora both come with an integrated screen recorders feature, allowing you to capture your desktop or applications, and both will give you the basic features, allowing you to capture your:
- Full or windowed screen
- Computer audio
- Microphone audio
- Camera
Both screen recording bars also look nearly identical with a large red icon near the top menu to click on when you’re ready to begin.
Clicking on the menu will also give you a neat selection of what is currently being captured, however, this is far easier to see on Filmora which sets out each device in a separate box while Camtasia is a little more cluttered with options and information.
The major difference with the decent screen recorder however has to do with how you actually export videos, and how you can then edit the file.
With Filmora, the videos will save the recordings as an MP4 file which means you can use and edit them elsewhere on other programs.
This isn’t the case with Camtasia which saves the recordings to a TREC file that can only be accessed within Camtasia itself.
This can make it more annoying when you want to put the recording to one side where it can be edited on another video editing software.
Ease Of Use
As mentioned previously, out of both of these video editing software, Filmora is the one more suited to experienced video editors or those who want a program that can offer the most in-depth and intricate features possible while Camtasia is the better option for those only just getting to grips with video editing, or who might want to pass on all the fancy video effects and only have the essentials.
This does mean that, because of its tremendous amount of additional features and few video effects, it can be much harder to start using Filmora and feel instantly comfortable, the same way you would with Camtasia.
While both have very easy-to-understand interfaces, with each menu being clearly labeled and icons letting you know where everything is, and while they are much easier to get to grips with compared to other advanced video editing programs, when it comes down to it the much more streamlined experience offered by Camtasia means you won’t have to spend a few additional hours learning the ropes, simply boot the software up and start editing.
In comparing Camtasia, if you want to make full use of all of Filmora’s capabilities you will need to spend some time learning about all of its additional features and how they work including keyframes, sequencing adjustment, and color adjustment.
If you don’t mind taking this extra time to learn, it will benefit you tremendously in the long run when using Filmora, however, if you just want to jump straight in and have a smooth editing experience without all the bells and whistles, Camtasia is the better option.
Price
Both programs can be bought at a one-time fee. For pricing Camtasia, this is $299 with there also being an option to upgrade for an extra $140.
In comparison, Filmora is $89.99, however, because the software is upgraded every few years, you can also subscribe to its yearly plan which is an extra $61.99 that will automatically install the latest features onto the editing software as soon as they come out.
Despite having more features, Filmora is still cheaper than Camtasia both for the upfront price and for the subscription plans that will give you all the latest updates that are released in the future.
Should I Buy Camtasia Or Filmora?
While Filmora may be the cheaper editing software, it’s not recommended to buy it for this reason alone since the extensive amount of features can easily turn the powerful video editor away, even after a purchase.
It should therefore depend on how many features you really think you would need, along with how much editing experience you’ve already had that should influence your decision.
If you have a decent knowledge of how to navigate your way around the more basic editing tools and you want to have some of the more advanced features at your disposals such as being able to edit keyframes and color adjustment, along with having a more extensive list of better quality transitions and effects to choose from, then Filmora is the better option.
If you’re more of a beginner however or you just want to have a more streamlined experience where you will have all the tools and features you need without it being too overwhelming, Camtasia is still a fantastic option that will edit video and audio incredibly well.
Summary
Whether you purchase Camtasia vs Filmora, you can be sure that both will serve you incredibly well in the long term for all your video editing needs, however choosing which one to invest in really depends on what you’re looking for out of the experience.
For a much more streamlined experience that is far easier to use that isn’t packed with additional in-depth features, Camtasia is the better option, however, if you do want those in-depth tools and want to be able to customize each section of your videos down to the smallest details, Filmora is the better option.
We hope that you have liked or detailed Camtasia vs Filmora review!