12 Best Side-by-side Video Apps (Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android)

Key takeaways:

• Side-by-side video apps let you display two clips in one frame, making them perfect for interviews, reactions, and duets.

• Pick an app based on your device, editing skills, and creative needs.
• The best overall app is Riverside. For desktop, you can try iMovie, Filmora, or Premiere Pro. On your phone, you can try InShot, Splice, or LumaFusion.

From TikTok reaction clips to interviews on LinkedIn, side-by-side videos are everywhere.

And for good reason: they’re eye-catching, easy to follow, and perfect for podcasts, duets, educational content, or anything in between.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best apps to create this flexible video format, whether you're on desktop or mobile, and whether you're a total beginner or looking for more control.

The 12 best apps for side-by-side videos

After evaluating dozens of tools, these are my top recommendations for side-by-side video apps. Below, we explore each one in detail; but first, here’s a quick summary for easy comparison.

Best overall for recording & editing side-by-side videos

Riverside

Ideal for: Users of all skill levels who want to create high-quality side-by-side videos with minimal editing work.

Price: Free plan, paid plans starting at $24/month.

Riverside captures studio-quality, multi-speaker videos to create side-by-side videos without any editing.

Unlike conventional video editors, you don’t have to stitch together different clips in a single frame. Instead, Riverside’s editor allows you to easily create a side-by-side and even switch between full and side-by-side screens with a click. 

And if you’re hosting a live, you can set a side-by-side layout right in the studio too.

Invite your guests by sending them a link, and record your content. The platform records in up to 4K resolution and captures everything directly from your device so that an unstable internet connection doesn’t ruin your video quality.

But what truly sets Riverside apart is its intuitive and powerful editor. Use the text-based editor to trim your videos by deleting any part of your transcript. I also love the Magic Clips tool for automatically generating short clips you can use to promote your content on social media.

Key features:

• Automatic side-by-side layouts without any manual editing.
• Screen sharing allows you to capture your screen as a separate track and use it in a split layout.
• Smart Scenes allows for dynamic layout switching to enhance viewer engagement.
• Records a separate track for each participant, making editing easier.
• Mobile app where you can record and edit side-by-side videos, too.
• Easily  add sound effects, music, and pre-recorded clips
• Clean up audio with noise reduction/removal and AI-powered audio enhancement.
• Delivers show notes, summaries, and chapters with a click.

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Best side-by-side video apps for Mac

Final Cut Pro

Ideal for: Professional video editors who need advanced features and Apple ecosystem optimization.

Price: $299.99 for a lifetime subscription.

Final Cut Pro is a dedicated video editing app for Mac users. To make side-by-side videos, you can use the “Compound Clips” feature to display 2 videos next to each other.

A flexible and powerful software, Final Cut Pro offers lots of built-in tools to help create, resize, and align clips side by side. It is also compatible with several third-party plugins that offer additional side-by-side functionality and customization. 

However, the learning curve is pretty steep, and creating side-by-side videos will require some effort.

Key features:

• Built-in tools to help you resize, reframe, and align clips.
• Compound Clips feature that lets you group multiple clips and apply the same effects.
• Smart Collections to effectively organize clips. 
• Apple Silicon optimization for fast rendering.

iMovie

Ideal for: Beginners and casual creators looking for a simple and free side-by-side video app.

Price: Free.

iMovie is a free built-in video editing app for Mac users. Compared to Final Cut Pro, it’s more suited for beginners.

To create a side-by-side video, simply drag one clip above another one in the timeline and go to the “Video Overlay” settings. Then, choose the “Split Screen” option.

While it lacks advanced editing features, what I like about iMovie is how seamlessly it integrates with the Apple ecosystem. You can add footage directly from your iPhone or iPad into your Mac and create these side-by-side videos without much extra effort. Overall, it’s also very easy to use.

Key features:

• Ability to insert a border between clips.
• Ability to easily swap the position of clips in your layout.
• Lots of effects, like pan and zoom.
• Automatic scene detection and stabilization.
• Built-in soundtracks and sound effects library.

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Best Side-by-Side Video Apps for Windows

Adobe Premiere Pro

Ideal for: Professional video producers who need advanced editing capabilities and Creative Cloud integration.

Price: $22.99/month, $69.99/month for the full Creative Cloud Pro.

Adobe Premiere Pro is advanced video editing software designed for professional-grade video production.

Creating side-by-side videos using this tool is a bit complicated, but this is because it provides a high-level of customization that some editors will appreciate. 

The easiest way is by cropping 2 clips to fit the complete frame. If you don’t want to crop your videos, you have to use a combination of features like the transform effect, resizing, and more. All of these options require multiple steps, and getting them right entails a steep learning curve.

For me, one of the biggest benefits of using Premiere Pro for side-by-side layouts is the ability to apply multi-camera editing to create complex layouts with different perspectives. (Like I said, this one isn’t for beginners!)

Key features:

• Tools for very precise trimming and alignment of clips for seamless side-by-side or grid layouts.
• Keyframe animation tools for creating dynamic screen layout sequences.
• The ability to customize graphical elements such as borders or dividers between clips.
• Multi-camera sequence editing for complex projects.

Filmora

Ideal for: Mid-level creators looking for intuitive layout presets and AI-powered features.
Price: Free plan available. Paid plans from $49.99/year.

Wondershare Filmora is another great side-by-side video app for Windows users. 

I particularly like Filmora’s collection of more than 250 layout styles, making it ideal for side-by-side videos but also other screen layouts. Once you pick a preset, you can customize settings, like adjusting each clip’s starting point or adding motion effects. 

You can also create side-by-side videos using its multitrack editor. Add video clips on top of each other and position them next to each other. 

Key features:

• Easy user interface allows you to select a template and drag and drop a clip.
• Add and adjust customizable borders between clips.
• Advanced editing options allow for detailed customization of each clip.
• Apply animation and motion effects.
• Picture-in-picture functionality offers additional ways to present multiple clips.

Camtasia

Ideal for: Educators and trainers creating instructional videos with interactive elements.

Price: Free plan available. Paid plans from $49.99/year.

Creating side-by-side videos in Camtasia is very easy. Add your clips and crop or resize them to fit your screen layout. Then, just adjust the placement of each clip, and you’re all set to download the finished video. 

You can separate the audio from each clip and mute the tracks you don’t want to play. Educators will like how you can record side-by-side videos with Camtasia’s interactive learning tools. You can even record your screen while teaching and add quizzes or annotations directly into the timeline.

The downside is that this tool isn’t as advanced as some of the others I’ve mentioned. However, you’ll still find user-friendly features to create instructional content.

Key features:

• Screen layout templates make it easier to place videos together.
• Multitrack timeline allows you to layer multiple media assets and simultaneously display different video clips.
• Easy-to-use crop and resizing tools.
• Offers a range of animations and transitions.
• Interactive quizzes, callouts, and cursor effects ideal for training videos.
  

Best side-by-side video apps for Android

Videoleap

Ideal for: Mobile-first creators who need AI-powered editing tools for creative effects.

Price: Free plan available. Paid plans starting at $5.99/month.

Videoleap is an AI-powered video editing app for Android. Its Video Merger tool lets you stitch multiple clips together in a single sequence to easily create side-by-side videos on the go. You can also use the video overlay settings to present 2 clips next to each other. 

Purpose-built for social media content, Videleap offers a range of AI editing capabilities as well to remove objects in your video or create effects by prompting.

Key features:

• Overlay functionality allows you to add multiple video layers to the main video track for easier layout arrangement.
• Blending options to adjust how video layers interact with each other.
• AI background generator and voice changer.
• Create slideshows, reverse, and loop videos.
• AI-powered object removal and scene replacement.
• An extensive library of video templates with AI effects.

InShot

Ideal for: Social media creators who value simplicity and speed for side-by-side videos.

Price: Free plan available. Paid plans starting at $4.99/month.

InShot is one of the most user-friendly side-by-side video apps for Android. Add your clips, press “Canvas,” and choose a side-by-side layout. This no-frills editor can also easily handle different aspect ratios, whether you’re editing long-form landscape videos or vertical videos for social media.

While InShot doesn’t give you advanced tools, I really like how easy it makes editing every aspect of a video (e.g., speed, frame, audio).

Key features:

• Picture-in-picture feature to overlay multiple video clips on the main video track.
• Border and frame adjustment tools for customizing the borders between clips.
• Animated stickers, customized text, and emojis.
• A wide variety of transition and animation effects.
• Intelligent background filled with blur, color, or patterns.

KineMaster

Ideal for: Intermediate users who need desktop-like precision and advanced audio controls.

Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $8.99/month.

KineMaster allows you to create side-by-side videos using the masking feature. Choose the split-screen masking effect to show two clips alongside each other. You can also crop each clip to fit them in a side-by-side frame. 

I also like KineMaster’s Blending Modes feature. It allows you to adjust how video layers interact with each other, which provides lots of options for creating side-by-side videos!

Key features:

• Frame-by-frame trimming precision.
• Support for multiple video layers for complex screen layouts.
• Predefined layout templates to simplify video creation.
• Asset Store for thousands of fonts, effects, and transitions.
• Supports 4K, UHD, and FHD video exports.

Best side-by-side video apps for iPhone

Splice

Ideal for: Mobile-first content creators who need professional-grade editing tools in a mobile interface.

Price: Free.

Splice makes creating side-by-side videos on iPhone fast and easy. You can import multiple clips, then use the overlay tool to place them side by side, adjust framing, and fine-tune timing directly on your mobile timeline. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to align and sync shots or reactions without much editing effort.

You can also use the chroma key to change colors in your video and export in 4K resolution.

Key Features

• Aspect ratio adjustment allows you to select the preferred aspect ratio, ensuring clips fit seamlessly.
• Built-in animation and ability to create custom effects.
• Directly export and publish content to social platforms.

Detail 

Ideal for: Creators making reaction videos and looking for quick editing tools.

Price: Free version available. Paid plans start at $4.99/month.

Detail is a feature-packed iOS app for making reaction videos by simply importing any content you want to react to. 

The app also lets you create side-by-side videos by connecting two or more devices. You can invite guests or share the front and back of your iPhone to make side-by-side videos of your own screen.

I particularly like the app’s versatile text-based editor. You can cut and trim your video by editing the text, which is useful for polishing your videos quickly.

Key features

• Connect multiple cameras and devices to create a side-by-side layout.
• Upload content for reaction videos and dynamically edit your clip.
• Record course material using a teleprompter.
• Create and automatically edit podcast clips to focus on the speaker.

LumaFusion

Ideal for: Skilled video editors who work primarily to edit complex video content on their mobile devices.

Price: $29.99 for a lifetime license.

LumaFusion is among the most highly-rated video editing apps on the App Store. To create side-by-side videos, select the desired clips and drop them in your timeline editor. Layer two clips together, then open each clip, and reposition and resize it to fit your preferred layout. 

I like the precision of LumaFusion’s powerful multitrack editor. You can layer up to 12 videos together and use sophisticated editing tools like keyframing, color grading, and more, right on your iOS device.

Note that this tool is for intermediate-to-advanced level users. There’s definitely a learning curve to use the app to its full potential. 

Key features:

• Snapping tools to assist in accurately positioning video layers.
• Keyframe animation tools to enable dynamic transitions and movements.
• Multicam Studio to edit and manage multiple timelines.
• Powerful multitrack timeline with 12 audio and 12 video tracks.
• Touch-first interface built specifically for mobile-based editing.

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How to make a side-by-side video with Riverside

Before you start trialing every editing app in sight, take a minute to check how easy it is to make a side-by-side video with Riverside.

Just follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Log in to your dashboard and from your Projects page, choose the video you want to edit.

Step 2: Click on the “Edit” button right below the video to get into the Editor.

Step 3: Open the “Layout” tab on the right sidebar. Choose your desired side-by-side layout (usually “Grid”). 

Note that you can also click on the “Layout” button right below the video preview to further adjust the type of layout you prefer and apply it to all similar scenes.

Step 4: Adjust the aspect ratio of your video based on where you want to publish it, then click “Export” to finalize your edits.

FAQs about side-by-side video apps

How do you put two videos side by side in CapCut? 

To make a side-by-side video in CapCut, open the app and choose your video clips. Go to “Tools” then “Split Screen” and select a layout (i.e., vertical, horizontal, custom grid). When clips appear in a side-by-side format, adjust the timing and export your video.

How do you put two videos side by side in iMovie? 

Open iMovie and add both clips to a new project. Select the first clip and tap the menu icon with the three dots. Select “Split Screen.” Then, select your preferred layout style and drag the second clip into place.

How do I combine two videos into one screen on my phone? 

To combine two videos into one screen, download an app like InShot or Splice. If you have an Apple device, you can also use iMovie. Add both videos to a new project and look for the split screen option. This will allow you to combine both clips in a side-by-side format.

If you’re recording with just 2 people and want to include them side-by-side, you can do this on Riverside’s mobile app. Just record as usual on the app, then head to the editor. You’ll see your video already in a side-by-side format.

What’s the best side-by-side video editor?

The best side-by-side video editor depends on your needs, but Riverside is ideal for creators of all skill levels who want to create high-quality content with minimal editing.

You can record multiple participants locally in up to 4K, then instantly place their clips side by side in the browser-based editor. Layouts adjust automatically with Smart Scenes, and you can fine-tune framing or timing with a few clicks.

All video tracks are recorded separately and perfectly synced, so your final side-by-side video looks polished even if someone’s connection drops. Even better, you don’t need to juggle multiple tools: with Riverside you can record, edit, and repurpose all in one streamlined workflow.