Final Cut Pro for iPad Reviews: Worth the Wait, But Some Limitations

The first reviews of Final Cut Pro for iPad were published today, providing a closer look at the touch-optimized video creation app in action. We also shared our own hands-on video of the app, which is available now on the App Store.

Final Cut Pro iPad UI
Final Cut Pro for the iPad is a subscription-based app priced at $4.99 per month or $49 per year in the U.S. after a one-month free trial. The app is compatible with iPads equipped with the M1 chip or newer, and requires iPadOS 16.4 or later.

The Verge's Vjeran Pavic:

Final Cut Pro for iPad is a carefully designed app that gets a lot of the basics right. It's a great adaptation of its desktop app, and FCP users will feel right at home. It also takes advantage of the iPad's touch-first interface and utilizes accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil well. It's also priced accessibly — Apple is selling it as a subscription at $5 per month or $50 per year, which makes it easy to use for a month or two to see if it's something you want to stick with.

But if you're hoping that it's a complete drop-in replacement for the Mac version of Final Cut Pro, you'll likely come away disappointed. There are still many features omitted from this version that I missed throughout my testing of it. And if you're the type of editor who wants to work on both the iPad and the Mac, you're going to need to be careful with how you organize your projects and which device you start out with.

iMore's Daryl Baxter:

If you're a videographer and you've been waiting for Final Cut on iPad, it's been worth the eight-year wait. But it feels like there's already a need for a 1.5 update that's going to line up feature parity on the same level as what Logic Pro for iPad already manages. Swapping between devices with projects and not experiencing any bugs when moving from a Mac to iPad and vice versa is critical.

Final Cut Pro brings out the best in iPad, from its multi-touch focus to the fun features of Live Drawing and the jog wheel. It gives some rare clarity to a confused device category, and buggy software features like Stage Manager that have bogged down the iPad for the past year. And for that alone, it's worth the subscription price.

Six Colors' Jason Snell:

After quite a few hours in Final Cut Pro iPad, my impressions are mixed. There were moments where I really did get into a groove and felt great about the app—generally when I was using the Magic Keyboard since it gave me access to shortcuts that haven't been properly translated into the touch interface.

But I also felt a lot of familiar frustration at an app that's packed with features but hasn't quite realized that multi-touch gestures and the Apple Pencil can make the process go smoother even without an attached keyboard. The pieces are all in place for Final Cut Pro to become a great iPad app, but it's still got a lot of growing up to do.

More Reviews and First Impressions

Videos





Popular Stories

Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

Apple Responds to U.S. Class Action Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features

Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation. The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false. In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...
iphone 17 ceramic shield

Regular iPhone 17's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Friday September 26, 2025 9:01 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the standard iPhone 17 model's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 27W to 28W with these Apple chargers:29W USB-C Power Adapter 30W USB-C Power Adapter 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
maxresdefault

Review: A Week With the iPhone 17 Pro

Friday September 26, 2025 12:51 pm PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 models have been out for a week now, so we thought we'd do a longer-term review of the flagship iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max now that we've been able to spend more time with them. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has a Silver iPhone 17 Pro and a Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, and despite a lot of concern over...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
31 months ago
Biggest drawback: Monthly/Yearly Subscription. ?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
31 months ago

$5/month isn't too offensive for what's on offer. I mean FCP on Mac is $300 (i.e. about 5-years at $5/month). If you're an occasional user then you can dip in/out. If you're a pro, then $5/month is a steal.

There's also Lumafusion, which is superb at $30 forever, and is a pretty good solution if you need to edit video on the go using an iPad.
Valid points! But I rather pay One Time Fee for a photo/video editor and not have to worry about paying monthly or yearly. Apple could have followed the Aperture pricing model.?



Attachment Image
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CalMin Avatar
31 months ago

Biggest drawback: Monthly/Yearly Subscription. ?
$5/month isn't too offensive for what's on offer. I mean FCP on Mac is $300 (i.e. about 5-years at $5/month). If you're an occasional user then you can dip in/out. If you're a pro, then $5/month is a steal.

There's also Lumafusion, which is superb at $30 forever, and is a pretty good solution if you need to edit video on the go using an iPad.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Naraxus Avatar
31 months ago
Surprise surprise. Apple's bubbly PR spokeswoman iJustine is gushing over an Apple product....
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
31 months ago
IMO, best thing about these hitting now is that obviously Apple did not think they could fit into up to 3 hours at WWDC. These certainly SEEM like something "new" that could have been revealed there and probably filled upwards of 20+ minutes with some "ooooh" and "ahhhhhh."

I recall them spending a good chunk of time during the AppleTV portion a few years ago to basically talk about the release of Amazon Prime. These apps seem much BIGGER than yet another streaming service.

What's coming at WWDC that moved Apple to go ahead and let these cats out of the bag only a few days before? (that's somewhat rhetorical, more so expressing anticipation instead of actually asking the question. If we don't know by now, we've been reading rumors wrong). Bring on the goodies! Show us something entirely NEW!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Minxy Avatar
31 months ago

Surprise surprise. Apple's bubbly PR spokeswoman iJustine is gushing over an Apple product....
I’ve come to completely disregard the ’reviews’ of many content creators precisely because they’ve allowed themselves to become part of Apple’s PR machine, meaning all the viewer gets its hype and no critical evaluation of substance.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)