Comparison

iMovie vs YouTube

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

iMovie

Easily create stunning Hollywood-style trailers and beautiful movies with intuitive gestures and streamlined design. Features like Magic Movies and Storyboards simplify video creation, while advanced tools allow for detailed editing and effects.

Highlights
  • Create Magic Movies with a few taps
  • Use Storyboards for guided video creation
  • Design Hollywood-style trailers with templates
  • Edit movies with themes, filters, and titles
  • Add picture-in-picture, green screen, and split screen effects
  • Utilize soundtracks that adjust to video length
  • Transfer projects between Apple devices
Read full description

With a streamlined design and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures, iMovie lets you create Hollywood-style trailers and beautiful movies like never before. Instantly create Magic Movies • With just a few taps, you can create and share a beautiful, custom video • Select an album or group of videos or images and iMovie will create a video for you—no video editing required—with titles, transitions, and music • Easily rearrange or delete clips in the simplified shot list • Apply a different style to change up the look and feel of the whole video Learn storytelling with Storyboards • Choose from 20 Storyboards that help you get started with popular video types • Record video or take photos right into each placeholder clip, or add media from your Photos library • Add, reorder, and delete clips as needed to organize and customize your story • Apply a dynamic visual style that includes title layouts, fonts, filters, color palettes, and music Make Hollywood-style trailers • Choose from 14 trailer templates with stunning graphics and original scores by some of the world’s top film composers • Customize movie studio logos, cast names, and credits • Select videos and photos for your trailer or record video right in iMovie Create beautiful movies • Choose from 8 unique themes with matching titles, transitions, and music • Give your movie the perfect look with 13 Apple-designed video filters • Choose from 11 animated title styles like Split, Reveal or Pop-up • Adjust any title by changing its font, color, size, location, and more • Add solid, gradient, and patterned backgrounds to your movie • Import and edit video captured in Cinematic mode on iPhone 13 or later • Add, adjust, and delete focus points and modify the depth of field effect in video recorded in Cinematic mode* • Easily add picture in picture, green screen, and split screen effects • Select from more than 130 soundtracks that automatically adjust to the length of your movie • Add sound effects, songs from your music library, and your own narration • Connect a keyboard and use simple shortcuts to edit movies quickly • Connect a trackpad or mouse to iPad for fast and accurate moviemaking iMovie everywhere • Transfer projects between your iPhone and iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive • Send projects to your Mac via AirDrop or iCloud Drive to finish editing with iMovie or Final Cut Pro • Connect an external display to your iPhone or iPad and choose to mirror the iMovie interface or display your video fullscreen while you edit** Share with friends and family • Send videos with Mail and Messages • Save to your Photos library in resolutions up to 4K at 60 frames per second*** • Export videos optimized for Instagram, YouTube, and other popular video destinations * Requires iPhone XS or later, iPad mini (5th generation or later), iPad Air (3rd generation or later), iPad Pro 11-inch or iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later) ** External display support requires iPhone 7 or later, iPad (6th generation) or later, iPad Air 3 or later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) or later *** 4K at 60 frames per second support requires iPod touch (7th generation), iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 7, iPad (6th generation) or later, iPad mini (5th generation), iPad Air 3 or later, iPad Pro 10.5-inch or later

About

YouTube

Watch and subscribe to a vast array of videos, from music and gaming to news and learning. Discover trending content, connect with creators, and even upload your own videos. Offers options for ad-free viewing and exclusive perks.

Highlights
  • Personalized video recommendations
  • Subscribe to favorite channels
  • Explore trending and popular content
  • Connect with creators via comments and posts
  • Create and upload videos
  • Ad-free viewing with Premium
  • Save videos for offline playback
Features
Read full description

Get the official YouTube app on iPhones and iPads. See what the world is watching -- from the hottest music videos to what’s popular in gaming, fashion, beauty, news, learning and more. Subscribe to channels you love, create content of your own, share with friends, and watch on any device. Watch and subscribe ● Browse personal recommendations on Home ● See the latest from your favorite channels in Subscriptions ● Look up videos you’ve watched, liked, and saved for later in Library Explore different topics, what’s popular, and on the rise (available in select countries) ● Stay up to date on what’s popular in music, gaming, beauty, news, learning and more ● See what’s trending on YouTube and around the world on Explore ● Learn about the coolest Creators, Gamers, and Artists on the Rise (available in select countries) Connect with the YouTube community ● Keep up with your favorites creators with Posts, Stories, Premieres, and Live streams ● Join the conversation with comments and interact with creators and other community members Create content from your mobile device ● Create or upload your own videos directly in the app ● Engage with your audience in real time with live streaming right from the app Find the experience that fits you and your family (available in select countries) ● Every family has their own approach to online video. Learn about your options: the YouTube Kids app or a new parent supervised experience on YouTube at youtube.com/myfamily Support creators you love with channel memberships (available in select countries) ● Join channels that offer paid monthly memberships and support their work ● Get access to exclusive perks from the channel & become part of their members community ● Stand out in comments and live chats with a loyalty badge next to your username Upgrade to YouTube Premium (available in select countries) ● Watch videos uninterrupted by ads, while using other apps, or when the screen is locked ● Save videos for when you really need them – like when you’re on a plane or commuting ● Get access to YouTube Music Premium as part of your benefits Note: If you subscribe via Apple, payment will be charged to App Store Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the rate of the selected plan. Subscriptions and auto-renewal may be managed by going to Account Settings after purchase. YouTube paid service terms: https://www.youtube.com/t/terms_paidservice. Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy

Screenshots

iMovie4 screens
YouTube4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: iMovie at none against YouTube's 15. iMovie also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (59% vs 48%). YouTube's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (50M vs 320K). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. YouTube sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. iMovie asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

YouTube holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: YouTube has 50M ratings behind it against 320K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of iMovie's written reviews are positive against 48% of YouTube's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iMovie ships an update every 7 months, YouTube weekly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
iMovie versus YouTube: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriMovieYouTube
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (320K ratings)4.7 (50M ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.0% of reviews — better48.1% of reviews
Number of ratings320K50M — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#1 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS27.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size670 MB374 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperApple Inc.Google

Customer experience

iMovie

All ratings318,086 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral4.9%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews5,848 reviews
Positive59.0%
Neutral11.0%
Negative30.0%

YouTube

All ratings49,612,160 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews22,696 reviews
Positive48.1%
Neutral9.1%
Negative42.8%

User reviews

iMovie

From 320K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎥 Great for making movies and trailers
  • 💻 Works well on both mobile and desktop
  • 🎨 Lots of creative features and effects

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and glitches
  • 🗂️ Takes up a lot of storage space
  • 🔇 Limited music/audio options
  • 🔍 Difficult to find and delete old projects

YouTube

From 50M App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Great app
  • 🎨 Diverse content
  • 🎓 Educational videos
  • 🎶 Excellent music selection
  • 🌐 Vast library of videos

Room to improve

  • 💰 Too many ads
  • 🤖 Biased algorithm recommendations
  • 🔇 Inability to listen with screen off
  • 🔍 Difficult to find relevant content
  • 🔒 Censorship concerns

Bugs and requests

iMovie

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Videos and audio getting out of sync after exporting
  • Inability to move or edit green screen clips
  • Freezing and crashing when working on longer projects
  • Deleted videos/photos still affecting existing projects

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more customization options for text, transitions, and backgrounds
  • Improve video/audio syncing and editing tools
  • Allow portrait mode and better support for vertical videos
  • Integrate with more music/audio sources like Spotify

YouTube

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Video playback issues
  • Subscription tab bugs
  • Inconsistent UI changes
  • Syncing problems across devices
  • Unreliable video recommendations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Bring back dislike button
  • Improve playlist management
  • Add option to customize video quality
  • Enhance background playback
  • Improve comment section functionality

In-app purchases

None

iMovie

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

YouTube

Subscriptions7
  • Premium Lite$11.991 Month
  • Premium Lite1 Month trial$11.991 Month
  • FOX One3 Days trial$19.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • YouTube Premium1 Month trial2 variants$20.991 Month
  • YouTube Premium2 variants$20.991 Month
  • Youtube Premium Family1 Month trial$34.991 Month
  • YouTube Premium Family$34.991 Month
One-time5
  • Super Chat$1.99
  • Movies & Shows$2.99
  • Movies & Shows$3.99
Show 2 more
  • Super Chat$4.99
  • Movies & Shows$5.99

Questions

Is iMovie free?
iMovie is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is YouTube free?
YouTube is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iMovie or YouTube?
YouTube is rated higher. iMovie averages 4.4 out of 5 from 320K ratings, while YouTube averages 4.7 from 50M ratings.
Do iMovie or YouTube have ads?
YouTube shows ads; iMovie does not.
Which is updated more often, iMovie or YouTube?
iMovie ships an update every 7 months, and YouTube weekly. Most recently, iMovie was updated on October 30, 2026 and YouTube on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons