------------------------------------------------------------VEGAS Pro----------------------DaVinci Resolve

Pricing  

Purchase Option vs. Subscription-----------One-Time Fee and Subscription ---------OptionsOne-Time Fee

Editing  

Workflow---------------------------------Intuitive, logical, and easy to learn---------------Steeper Learning Curve

Timeline---------Extensive hardware decoding with support for AMD, Intel, and Nvidia-------Hardware decoding with Nvidia CUDA and AMD OpenCL

Customizable Interface---------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------No

Mode-Based Workflow---------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------Yes

Automatic Crossfades-----------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------No

Nested Timelines----------------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------Yes

Storyboards----------------------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------No

Screen Recording----------------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------No

Smart Split-----------------------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------Yes

Scripting--------------------------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------Yes

Animated Transitions------------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------Yes

360° Editing / VR Support---------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------Yes

Advanced Media Management-----------------------------Yes-----------------------------------------Yes

Color Grading  

Unified Color Grading Panel---------------------------------Yes---------------------------------------Yes

Complete Set of Color Grading Filters----------------------Yes--------------------------------------------Yes

HDR Support------------------------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------------Yes

HDR-Ready Scopes--------------------------------------------Yes----------------------------------------Yes

Environment-------------------------------------------------ACES 1.1---------------------------------RCM

LUT Import / Export--------------------------------------------Yes--------------------------------------Yes

Visual Effects  

Planar Motion Tracking-----------------------------------------Yes-------------------------------------Yes

Pin Objects-------------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

3D Tracking-------------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Optical Flow Slow Motion-------------------------------------Yes------------------------------------Yes

Mesh Warp Tool-------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Lens Correction---------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

OpenFX Support--------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Noise Reduction--------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Flicker Filter-------------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Black Bar Fill (for vertical footage)-------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Audio  

Multitrack Recording--------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------No

Extensive Audio Effects--------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Audio Buses-------------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Multicam Audio Synchronization---------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Included External App Integration -------------------------------Yes---------------------------------No

Export  

GPU Accleration for AVC and HEVC-------------------------------Yes---------------------------------No

Wide Format Support--------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Customizable Presets--------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Batch Rendering---------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Share Online-------------------------------------------------------Yes----------------------Yes (no Facebook)

Collaboration  

Note Window-------------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Cloud-based Storage / Organization---------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Platform  

Windows--------------------------------------------------------------Yes---------------------------------Yes

Mac------------------------------------------------------------------No---------------------------------Yes

Linux------------------------------------------------------------------No---------------------------------Yes

Minimum System Requirements  

Platform----------------------Windows 10 64-bit-----------Windows 8.1; Mac OS 10.10.5; Linux CentOS 6.6

Processor-------6th-Generaion Core i5 or AMD equivlanet or better.  2.5 Ghz 4 Core Minimum-----Socket 2011-v3 Core i7 or AMD equivalent or better

RAM--------------------------------------------8 GB, 16 GB recommended; 32 GB for 4K-----------16 GB

GPU------------------------------------------------------------------X----------------------4 GB of GPU VRAM

Drive Space-------------------------------------------------------1.5 GB-----------------512 GB SSD minimum

Other---------------------------------Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 SP 1 (included)------------------X

Internet Connection---------------------------------For registration / activation----------------------No

VEGAS Pro vs. DaVinci Resolve - Pros and Cons

VEGAS Pro -----------------------------------------------------------------------------DaVinci Resolve

Pros  

✓ Intuitive timeline ------------------------------------------------------✓ More like traditional editors

✓ Faster editing --------------------------------------------------------✓ Outstanding color correction

✓ GPU decoding for more real-time playback -----------✓ Upscalable with DaVinci hardware and controls

✓ ACES 1.1 environment------------------------------------------------- ✓ Wider format support

✓ Extensive native VFX -----------------------------------------------✓ Integrated Fusion FX capability

✓ Full digital audio workstation----------------------------------- ✓ Multi-platform – Windows, Mac, Linux

✓ GPU encoding for faster renders ------------------------------------------------------X

Cons  

x Non-traditional ---------------------------------------------------------x Non-customizable interface

x Doesn't integrate with Adobe apps -------------------------------------------x Fewer VFX tools

x Windows-only -----------------------------------------------------------------x Fewer audio tools

VEGAS Pro vs. DaVinci Resolve - Recommended For

VEGAS Pro is recommended for:

✓ People making the jump up to pro software

✓ Small and large video production companies

✓ Editors who work on the fly

✓ Post-production professionals

✓ Independent feature-film producers

✓ People needing an all-in-one solution

✓ Audio editors

DaVinci Resolve is recommended for: 

✓ Multi-platform users (Windows, Mac, Linux)

✓ People who work primarily with ProRes or DNxHD

It is just an ad for when people type in resolve vs vegas into google

They got one for premiere pro vs vegas too, they may have 'reviews' for other editors as well

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/video-editing/vegas-pro-vs-adobe-premiere-pro/

And all so it has fairlight has dolby atmos

Vegas pro doesn't or sound forge

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products/davinciresolve/fairlight

Person x once said to person y: "I have a much bigger and more powerful one" ......

... "I have a much bigger and more powerful one"

I assume that he was referring to having a bigger DELETE key/button.

It is interesting that Vegas has published these comparisons - and there's nothing wrong with that - it's marketing after all. Comparative marketing/advertising is nothing new. Remember, "Where's the beef?" as being a succinct advertising comparison?

With all the comparisons of Vegas Pro to many other NLEs made on this forum over recent years, the fundamental failure of some to understand is that customers (us) have a choice. It's the same when buying a car. If you have a large family, a Merc Smart Car is probably not going to be a practical choice. If you want a small city runabout, a Toyota LandCruiser probably won't appeal. Or if you want a car to impress your clients, a BMW 7 or Audi A8 is probably going to be a better choice than, say, a Mazda 3 (or if on a severe budget, a used Datsun 120Y).

There are a number of NLEs on the market each with advantages and disadvantages. Work out the balance which works best for you and go with that NLE. Going back to the car example, there's no point buying a Toyota Camry (which is a great car) and then complaining that it doesn't have the same performance as a Suburu WRX.

No NLE is going to be a Jack-of-all-Trades because it would then most likely end up being a Master-of-None. The only way an NLE could possibly be a be-all-and-end-all is if all the NLE companies got together and developed a single comprehensive combined NLE with absolutely 'everything' on board - and that then would be the only NLE on the market worldwide. Having a stranglehold on the market, the cost would likely be so unaffordable that only those with extremely deep pockets or in medium to large businesses who would be able to afford it. And you would be trapped as there would be no alternative if your needs changed.

To address the often used argument that Resolve (basic) is free, remember that BMD is primarily a successful and respected hardware manufacturer - Resolve (either free or Studio for a one-off purchase price) is effectively a loss-leader for the company. If BMD's product line was limited to only NLEs, how long would they survive in business with such a free or low-cost purchase price arrangement? And note that Premiere Pro and Avid are not free.

" DaVinci Resolve evolved from industry standard DaVinci color grading tools and provides editors with an incredible, complete set of color correction tools and scopes beyond what VEGAS Pro offers."

Pretty honest here.

I think the Vegas points about flexibility and workflow are right and why I'm still using it vs slogging in Resolve even if the color grading is far superior.

I just looked at the comparison table and while one or two factors are debatable, I don't find anything here that is "blatantly dishonest."

If you really want to get technical about it, then yes, they should probably say "VEGAS PRO vs Davinci Resolve Studio"

Otherwise *shrugs*

 

" DaVinci Resolve evolved from industry standard DaVinci color grading tools and provides editors with an incredible, complete set of color correction tools and scopes beyond what VEGAS Pro offers."

Pretty honest here.

I think the Vegas points about flexibility and workflow are right and why I'm still using it vs slogging in Resolve even if the color grading is far superior.

They also give proper props to their advanced Chroma feature.

Other than being more verbose about the Vegas features than Resolve, it seems like a good honest comparison. I agree with @Mohammed_Anis

I just looked at the comparison table and while one or two factors are debatable, I don't find anything here that is "blatantly dishonest."

If you really want to get technical about it, then yes, they should probably say "VEGAS PRO vs Davinci Resolve Studio"

Otherwise *shrugs*

 

Other than being more verbose about the Vegas features than Resolve, it seems like a good honest comparison. I agree with @Mohammed_Anis

Interesting takes. Let's dive a little deeper:

Quick Hits:

1. Resolve Studio supports GPU Decode and Encode Acceleration with Intel GPUs, since years ago. VEGAS Pro's comparison omits this in multiple places.

2. Resolve Studio has full ACES Support.

3. Resolve | Fairlight has Multi-Track Recording. In multiple places, this comparison states that it is not there - and blatantly so.

4. "GPU Acceleration for AVC and HEVC" - Stated as "No" for Resolve Studio. This is blatantly false.

5. It also states the uses the recommended requirements for Resolve while using the minimum requirements for VEGAS Pro. This is misleading, but really doesn't matter, as most people using Resolve will have a decent machine, anyways..

Pricing:

Omits Resolve's Free SKU. Doesn't hesitate to mention VEGAS Pro 365 to downplay the higher cost of VEGAS Pro in comparison to Resolve Studio. Touche.

Editing:

VEGAS was designed from the ground up to edit like a DAW, before they changed their mind and decided to do Video. That's why it's different. That is all. People who learned on VEGAS will prefer it simply due to familiarity and the fact that other DAWs will generally not perform some actions/functions the way VEGAS is set up to - for historical reasons. People who learned on Avid, Premiere, and others editors will prefer "traditional" because VEGAS is not logical in several areas coming from traditional NLEs.

People often say that editing on VEGAS Pro teaches you bad habits, because of this. I see it often where new users to other NLEs ask for things to change in the workflow based on what VEGAS does. This rarely ever comes from people who are coming from other NLEs.

For example, Auto Fades (Transitions). These are common in DAWs (though often off-by-default, for a reason), but they're actually pretty terrible for video editing where you don't really want to create and edit transitions in this way - esp. when frame-level accuracy is the goal (not only for video, but also for lining up audio). This is touted as an advantage, but only if you buy into a fairly amateur way of editing that won't generally hold up well with any consistency under the scrutiny of more discerning viewers/reviews. Sound engineers notice these bad auto transitions when working on a timeline, for example, and often have to fix things because of them.

Interface Flexibility:

VEGAS Pro still has really rigid docking, and you can't even maximize windows on a second display to make a nice 2-display setup. Frankly, I don't think it is much better than Resolve when it comes to interface flexibility. Resolve's dual-display support is more usable than VEGAS Pro's, and it does support more than two displays. You might want a 3rd for your Scopes, and a 4th dedicated to video monitoring. This works.

Timeline:

Separating Video and Audio Tracks is done because the order of tracks affects the edit different for each track type. Additionally, when you are doing higher end video production, simply putting audio tracks everywhere makes no sense and does nothing but create an incredibly messy and disorganized timeline. This is not a good thing, especially when you're working collaborative and the other person isn't familiar with how you randomly mix these tracks up.

Putting anything anywhere works great for Jane's relatively simple Wedding Video Edit, but it doesn't work well on more complicated projects that use Video, VFX, Dialog, Foley, Music, Sound FX, ADR, etc.

Example - 7 Video Tracks and 24 Audio Tracks.

GPU Acceleration:

VEGAS Pro is the only editing app leveraging Intel, AMD, and Nvidia graphics cards to decode AVC and HEVC video for real-time playback, as well as accelerate numerous GPU-enabled effects, so you get smoother playback even in complex.

^- Nothing inaccurate about that statement, right? Also states that Resolve Studio only uses Nvidia and AMD for GPU Acceleration for these formats, which is false. Intel has always been supported.

Love the statement about Real-Time Playback, juxtaposed against the forums - full of complaints about people not being able to get real-time playback. Not to mention, VEGAS is pretty much known for having bad playback performance, at this point... That's going to be a hard sale to anyone with a search engine.

Storyboards:

Obliterated by Multiple Timelines and the Cut Page.

Media Management:

Ignorable, and VEGAS Pro has practically none and VEGAS Prepare is yet to exist for customers.

Color Correction:

VEGAS Pro adopts the Academy Color Encoding Systems (ACES) 1.1 standard developed by the MPAA, designed to be the industry standard. DaVinci Resolve uses Resolve Color Management, a non-ACES environment.

Nothing misleading about that statement, right?

Resolve has full ACES support, BTW. It also supports Dolby Vision.

Visual Effects:

This whole section is pretty much ignorable and simply desperately trying to make the two seem as if what they offer within certain segments is equivalent, when this is absolutely not the case. Anyone who uses or has used these two products knows that Resolves Trackers, Keyers, Noise Reduction, Stabilizers, etc. are just... far superior to what VEGAS Pro offers. Otherwise, they wouldn't be trying to sell it by including 3rd party products within those segments as a bonus.

The idea that VEGAS Pro is stated to have more VFX and VFX Tooling than Resolve Studio, which has 95% of Fusion Studio, and actually includes Fusion Studio Stand-alone for free (as of v17), is hilarious. They aren't even comparing with VEGAS Post.

Audio:

I can't even bother to go into detail here, because Resolve | Fairlight is on a completely different level to VEGAS, which is practically a toy in comparison to it. Better Bussing, Far Better Metering, Multi-Track Recording (stated multiple times to not be there, which is blatantly false), Better Editing, Better Effects, Support for Bigger Surround Setups and Dolby Atmos, etc. Literally usable for any type of work - from large surround setups for feature films, to recording an Orchestra (#MarketingSpeak).

DaVinci Resolve supports setting up and round-tripping with external Audio Editors. The setup is similar to VEGAS Pro and it does it in a similar way, from the Fairlight Page.

Automation is definitely superior in Resolve | Fairlight. Really, Comparing VEGAS Pro with Fairlight is like recording iMovie to Cubase Pro. As far as Audio, I don't even consider the two products to sit within the same product segment.

GPU Acceleration:

DaVinci Resolve also leverages your GPU to encode and render effects, but it does not support as large a selection of GPUs as VEGAS Pro.

Let me guess... There is nothing inaccurate about that statement. This is rich tho, considering VEGAS Pro literally had broken GPU support for an entire release, which is what drove a lot of people to consider Resolve in the first place.

Share Online:

Facebook was removed from most services after the Cambridge Analytica Scandal for security reasons. Even services like Xbox and PlayStation removed Facebook sharing.

Pros & Cons:

VEGAS Pro Pros

• GPU decoding for more real-time playback - Like Resolve Studio?
• ACES 1.1 environment - Like Resolve Studio?
• Full digital audio workstation - Like Resolve Studio?
• GPU encoding for faster renders - Like Resolve Studio?

DaVinci Cons

• Fewer VFX Tools - ...?
• Fewer Audio Tools - ...?

VEGAS Pro is Recommended For:

• People making the jump up to pro software - For $599 or a Subscription that costs almost as much as Premiere Pro CC, a superior NLE? Oh, and vs. Literally Free Resolve.
• Small and large video production companies - With Literally no Collaborative Tools, which have just been made freely available to all in ... Free Resolve.
• Post-production professionals - You're going to be limited to Wedding Videos and YouTube Content. VEGAS Pro is worthless to Post Production Professionals - General things with low channel count and where people are less discerning of quality differences. VEGAS' Plugins and Tooling are extremely dated, and just not that good. No decent metering, etc. Mediocre Audio Editing. No ADR. I don't know why any Post Production Professional would consider VEGAS Pro for this type of work. Spend that $599 on Pyramix Pro, instead..
• People needing an all-in-one solution - I. cannot. even...
• Audio editors - Why pay $599 for this when you can get WaveLab Pro for cheaper; or Samplitude Pro Suite/Pyramix Pro for a comparable price?

DaVinci Resolve is recommended for: 

• People who work primarily with ProRes or DNxHD - Lol. Let's all run to crack out our wallets for that feature! /eyeroll

@Ehemaliger User

Perhaps, you should give up working with video and become a consumer advocate. I usually find that trials of software are much more useful for determining the tools that I choose to use. I also find these threads tedious.

The only relevance I get from this entire missive is that the OP wishes Vegas was free...

@Ehemaliger User What do you want to happen?

Maybe he would like a software exactly as HE imagines it to be.
Then he should become a programmer.

Editor_101, at it again i see.

My .02 cents is this. Its a good idea to own more than 1 NLE because when there are time one NLE can't cut your footage and the other NLE can. Last week I was working on some 8K drone h264 footage. Import that into Vegas Pro 18, create proxy and am getting terrible preview, stutter and the the preview look like a corrupted file. Then, I try to import that into Resolve studio16. I got full frame rate 8K preview and cut it like butter. There are a lot thing to like in Vegas Pro as well. Its just not in the same level in editing performance, like Resolve.

Use what works - each person has different needs. For my particular type of work, Vegas 18 is all the tool I need. Nothing else to see here... move along...

For what it's worth, these were some of my stumbling blocks as a VEGAS user, when I tried Resolve a few months ago:

• No ripple editing.
• No auto cross-dissolve. Have to manually drag transitions.
• No ability to use lossless formats such as MagicYUV or UTVideo. Won't decode or encode.
• Have to manually set aspect ratio of HDV clips.
• Can't make just MOUSEWHEEL or SHIFT+MOUSEWHEEL do timeline zoom.
• Cannot make ENTER do play/pause timeline (so my mouse thumb button doesn't work (which I have set to ENTER)).
• Dark grey text on dark grey background is very difficult to read.
• Need paid Studio version to export H.265.

I tried Resolve mainly for the color correction, but was rather disappointed in the ability to accurately control black points and white points, to the extent that I've returned to doing my color correction with the "old" (non-CGP) Color Curves in VEGAS.

Just rendered a 30 second test project in both Vegas and the Resolve. Latest and greatest of both. A pair of 4K HEVC clips with a familiar one in an animated pip window. The other shot with my zcam in zlog2 requiring a rec709 lut attached to the media for edit. Render time with Resolve: 42 sec. Vegas: 30 sec... 40% faster. Screen capture follows. Btw, took hours of fiddling to get the pip window to animate properly in Resolve. About 5 minutes to recreate in Vegas.

Davinci Resolve is getting better day by day in all aspect from Edit tab, fusion & fairlight. It just work.

VEGAS introduce coloring panel, motion tracking, denoiser etc that is not really excel well. The warp stabiliser introduced in VP16 fixed properly in VP17 with few updates later. The motion tracking in VP18 still far from perfect. There is no yet solution for editor to fix jagged mask without destructing the tracking data, cant send beziere mask data to other media in VP18.

I'm really surprised VEGAS can introduce this heavy" Style Transfer FX" that required AI but not a simple Luma Keying FX or new type of deform FX that reflects/mirror the video infinitely which used alot in industry. (This FX come as default in all NLE out there except VEGAS)

Yes, we can appreciate VEGAS Pro crazy fast workflow which what NLE supposed to be, but for how long?

@alifftudm95 "Yes, we can appreciate VEGAS Pro crazy fast workflow which what NLE supposed to be, but for how long?"

For as long as it lets you get your job done. When it can't, augment or replace it.

There's nobody in the world that uses only one tool for video editing except for people slapping together crappy slideshows.

+++++1 @michael-harrison