Skip to content

iMovie vs Preview

Professional comparison and analysis to help you choose the right software solution for your needs.

iMovie icon
iMovie
Preview icon
Preview

iMovie vs Preview: The Verdict

⚡ Summary:

iMovie: iMovie is a free video editing software application for macOS and iOS developed by Apple. It offers basic to advanced editing features like trimming, splitting, transitions, effects, titles, and more for producing movies, trailers, photo videos, and personal videos.

Preview: Preview is a free and open-source document viewer application for macOS. It allows quick viewing of multiple file formats including images, PDFs, Markdown files, Office documents, and more. Preview has basic editing capabilities and annotation tools for PDFs.

Both tools serve their respective audiences. Compare the features, pricing, and user ratings above to determine which best fits your needs.

Last updated: May 2026 · Comparison by Sugggest Editorial Team

Feature iMovie Preview
Sugggest Score 31 —
User Rating ⭐ 3.7/5 (9) —
Category Video & Movies Office & Productivity
Pricing Free Open Source
Ease of Use 4.7/5 —
Features Rating 2.9/5 —
Value for Money 4.9/5 —
Customer Support 2.7/5 —

Product Overview

iMovie
iMovie

Description: iMovie is a free video editing software application for macOS and iOS developed by Apple. It offers basic to advanced editing features like trimming, splitting, transitions, effects, titles, and more for producing movies, trailers, photo videos, and personal videos.

Type: software

Pricing: Free

Preview
Preview

Description: Preview is a free and open-source document viewer application for macOS. It allows quick viewing of multiple file formats including images, PDFs, Markdown files, Office documents, and more. Preview has basic editing capabilities and annotation tools for PDFs.

Type: software

Pricing: Open Source

Key Features Comparison

iMovie
iMovie Features
  • Video editing
  • Audio editing
  • Titles and effects
  • Transitions
  • Chroma key
  • Slow motion
  • Picture-in-picture
  • Video stabilization
  • Green screen
Preview
Preview Features
  • View PDFs, images, text files and more
  • Annotate PDFs with shapes, text boxes, signatures
  • Basic image editing tools
  • Fill out and sign PDF forms
  • Combine PDFs and export as PDF or other formats
  • Tabbed interface to view multiple files
  • Quick Look support to preview files
  • Built-in screen capture tool

Pros & Cons Analysis

iMovie
iMovie

Pros

  • Free
  • Easy to use interface
  • Good selection of templates
  • Decent effects and transitions
  • Optimized for Apple devices

Cons

  • Limited advanced editing options
  • Not available on Windows
  • No collaborative editing features
  • Lacks detailed color correction tools
  • Only exports to limited formats
Preview
Preview

Pros

  • Free and included with macOS
  • Fast and lightweight
  • Supports many common file formats
  • Useful annotation and editing tools
  • Easy to use interface

Cons

  • Limited functionality compared to paid alternatives
  • Lacks advanced PDF editing features
  • No OCR for scanning text in images
  • No collaboration tools

Pricing Comparison

iMovie
iMovie
  • Free
Preview
Preview
  • Open Source

⭐ User Ratings

iMovie
3.7/5

9 reviews

Preview

No reviews yet

Related Comparisons

Adobe Premiere Pro
vs iMovie vs Preview
SumatraPDF
vs iMovie vs Preview
FastStone Image Viewer
vs iMovie vs Preview
Adobe Bridge
vs iMovie vs Preview

Learn More About Each Product

iMovie
iMovie
Reviews, pricing & alternatives →
Preview
Preview
Reviews, pricing & alternatives →

Ready to Make Your Decision?

Explore more software comparisons and find the perfect solution for your needs

iMovie Alternatives
Preview Alternatives
Browse More Software