DaVinci Resolve Studio

Resolve is four applications stitched together: an editor, a colour page that working colourists actually use, Fusion for compositing and Fairlight for audio post. Most people meet it because the free version exists and is not a demo — you can cut, grade and deliver a documentary without paying Blackmagic anything.

The $295 Studio licence buys the ceiling, not the basics. You are paying for output above UHD at 60fps, temporal and spatial noise reduction, HDR grading for Dolby Vision and HDR10+, the Neural Engine tools like Magic Mask and Super Scale, and about 45 extra Resolve FX. Collaboration is not on that list; multi-user project sharing is in the free version too, whatever a forum post told you.

There is no renewal and no subscription tier on the product page. Blackmagic has also never charged Studio owners for a major version, which is a long habit rather than a promise in writing — treat it as likely, not guaranteed.

Don't buy it because it looks like the professional option. If you shoot 8-bit footage, deliver at 1080p or UHD, and never reach for noise reduction, the free build is the whole app you need. Buy the licence the day a specific missing feature blocks a delivery, and not before.