The Short Answer
- Choose a cloud editor if several people work on the same project, you edit short videos from different devices, or your computer is too slow for video.
- Choose a local editor if you work with large or long footage, your internet is slow or unreliable, the footage is private or belongs to a client, or you'd rather pay once than every month.
- Many teams use both: edit locally, then share exports or projects through a cloud service for review.
Cloud vs Local, Side by Side
| Cloud-based editor | Local (installed) editor | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Open a browser, sign in, start editing | Download and install once |
| Hardware | Light: the heavy work runs on the provider's servers | Your PC does the work, so a faster machine edits faster |
| Getting footage in | Every file is uploaded first | Instant: files are read where they are |
| Large files and long footage | Limited by upload speed, storage plans and file-size caps | Limited only by your drives |
| Working offline | Needs a steady connection | Works without internet once set up |
| Collaboration | Built in: shared projects, comments, review links | Usually by sending files, or through a separate review service |
| Editing from any device | Yes, wherever you can sign in | Only on the computer it is installed on |
| Privacy | Footage is stored on someone else's servers, under their terms | Footage never leaves your computer |
| Pricing | Usually a monthly subscription, often with storage or export limits | Often a one-time purchase or free, though some are subscriptions too |
| Backups | The provider keeps copies | Your job: the files are only as safe as your backups |
"Cloud-based" covers editors that run in a browser and store your projects and footage online. "Local" means software installed on your computer that reads footage from your own drives. Some desktop editors add cloud features, like shared project libraries, while the editing itself still runs locally.
Where Cloud Editing Wins
- Collaboration. Several people can open the same project, leave comments on the timeline and see each other's changes, with no files to send back and forth.
- Any device. Start on a laptop, carry on from another computer, without installing anything.
- Modest hardware. Rendering and effects run on the provider's servers, so an older laptop can still produce a finished video.
- Nothing to maintain. Updates arrive on their own, and the provider keeps copies of your projects.
Where Local Editing Wins
- Large and long footage. Video is big: a project of several hours of footage easily runs to tens of gigabytes. A local editor reads it from your drive instantly, with nothing to upload. At 20 Mbps upload speed, 50 GB takes about 5.5 hours to upload before any editing starts.
- Speed while editing. Scrubbing, previewing and rendering run on your own drive and GPU, without waiting on a connection.
- Working offline. On location, while traveling, or on a restricted network, a local editor keeps working.
- Privacy and control. The footage never leaves your computer, which matters for client work, unreleased material and anything personal.
- Cost. Cloud editors are usually subscriptions, often with storage, resolution or export limits by plan. Many local editors are a one-time purchase or free.
Is Local or Cloud Video Editing More Secure?
"Secure" mostly comes down to where your footage is, and who else can get to it.
- Local editing: the footage never leaves your computer, so there is no copy on a server to leak or be accessed by someone else. The trade-off is that its safety is yours to manage: keep the computer secure and back the files up.
- Cloud editing: your footage lives on the provider's servers. Reputable services encrypt it and let you control access, but you are trusting their security and their terms, and your account's password is what stands between your footage and anyone else.
Whichever you pick, check:
- Where footage is processed and stored, and whether it is ever uploaded
- Whether the software needs an account or an always-on connection
- Whether it sends usage data, and whether you can turn that off
- For cloud tools: encryption in transit and at rest, sharing controls, and where your files are stored
Where Onset Engine Fits
Onset Engine is a local editor for one job: cutting your own footage to music automatically. Give it your clips and a song, and it analyzes both on your PC and builds a beat-synced edit. Your footage is read where it is and never uploaded.
It goes online only to activate your license, to download its AI model once, and for a license check at most once a day while you're online. It sends no usage data. It's a one-time purchase, with a free Demo to try first.
It has no cloud collaboration of its own. On Studio you can export the timeline to Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve and share it from there.
Cloud vs Local Editing Questions
Is cloud or local video editing better?
Neither is better for everyone. Cloud editing wins when a team needs to work on the same project, or when you edit short videos from different devices. Local editing wins with large or long footage, slow or unreliable internet, private material, and when you want to pay once rather than every month.
Why is most professional video editing software not cloud-based?
Mainly because of the size of video files. Professional footage runs to tens or hundreds of gigabytes per project, so uploading it takes hours and storing it costs money every month, while reading it from a local drive is instant. Editing also needs to respond to every frame immediately, which a fast local drive and GPU do better than a connection. Working offline, keeping client footage private and avoiding ongoing storage fees are the other usual reasons.
What is the most secure way to edit video?
Editing locally, on a computer you control, with the software working offline: the footage is never uploaded, so there is no copy on anyone else's server to leak or be accessed. You are then responsible for securing that computer and backing up the files. If you need a cloud editor, choose one that encrypts files in transit and at rest, lets you control who can view or share a project, and tells you where your files are stored.
Can I collaborate if I edit locally?
Yes, in a few ways: send project files and exports to each other, use a review service for comments on exports, or use a desktop editor with its own cloud project sharing, such as DaVinci Resolve's Blackmagic Cloud, where the editing still runs locally and only the project is shared.
How long does it take to upload footage to a cloud editor?
Divide the size by your upload speed. 50 GB over a 20 Mbps upload connection is about 5.5 hours, before any editing starts. Many home connections upload far slower than they download, so check your upload speed specifically.