Avidemux vs LosslessCut: Which Lossless Cutter Should You Use?

Q: Which one is faster for simple cutting, Avidemux or LosslessCut?

LosslessCut is faster for simple cutting. It starts almost instantly and saves the trimmed file as soon as you confirm, while Avidemux takes longer to open and navigate, especially on large files.

Q: I am a total beginner. Which should I pick, Avidemux or LosslessCut?

Pick LosslessCut. Drag the video in, set the start and end points, and export — there is almost nothing to learn. Graduate to Avidemux when you need filters or re-encoding.

Q: What can Avidemux do that LosslessCut cannot?

Avidemux can apply video filters such as resize, denoise and deinterlace, re-encode to a different codec or size, burn in subtitles, and run batch jobs and scripts across many files at once.

Avidemux and LosslessCut are both free, open-source video cutters that can trim footage without re-encoding, so there is no quality loss and no long rendering wait. The difference is scope: LosslessCut is a purpose-built, FFmpeg-based trimming tool that opens and exports in seconds, while Avidemux is a fuller utility that adds filters, re-encoding, batch queues, and scripting on top of lossless cutting.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Avidemux	LosslessCut
Interface	Classic desktop UI with menus, dialogs, and a job queue; a dependable workhorse	Minimal drag-and-drop window; almost no menus or setup required
Format support	Broad: MP4, MKV, AVI, MPEG, and more, with both copy and re-encode output modes	Built on FFmpeg, so it opens nearly anything; lossless cutting is the main mode
Filters & re-encoding	Built-in filters (resize, crop, denoise, deinterlace, subtitles) plus full re-encoding presets	Essentially none; cutting, merging, and remuxing only
Scripting & batch	Project scripts and a job queue for batch processing many files	Command-line flags and a simple queue; no real scripting engine
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux (BSD builds exist too)	Windows, macOS, Linux
Learning curve	Moderate; you need to understand output formats and codecs	Near zero; drop a file in, set cut points, save

The Honest Verdict

For pure cutting, LosslessCut is faster and lighter. It launches instantly, scrubs through footage with FFmpeg speed, and exports a trimmed clip with two clicks. Avidemux wins on everything beyond cutting — video filters, resizing, re-encoding to another codec, burning in subtitles, and automating repetitive work through its scripting and batch queue. Both programs are completely free and open-source, so there is no cost to installing both and using each for what it does best.

Want the step-by-step workflow? See our guide to cutting video without re-encoding, and grab the latest stable build (v2.8.1) from the download page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which one is faster for simple cutting?

LosslessCut. It starts almost instantly and saves the trimmed file as soon as you confirm, while Avidemux takes longer to open and navigate, especially on large files.

I am a total beginner. Which should I pick?

LosslessCut. Drag the video in, set the start and end points, and export — there is almost nothing to learn. Graduate to Avidemux when you need filters or re-encoding.

What can Avidemux do that LosslessCut cannot?

Apply video filters (resize, denoise, deinterlace), re-encode to a different codec or size, burn in subtitles, and run batch jobs and scripts across many files at once.

Are both Avidemux and LosslessCut really free?

Yes. Avidemux is released under the GPLv2 license and LosslessCut is also open-source; neither costs anything nor watermarks your videos.

Can I use both together?

Absolutely. Many users rough-cut clips in LosslessCut for speed, then open the results in Avidemux when they need filtering or re-encoding.