Traditionally, your editing software purchase has been decided by the type of computer you own. Apple owners have used Final Cut Pro, whereas PC users went with Avid. Avid has now made the program available to Apple users also, however, making Apples more versatile than PCs when it comes to film editing.
Avid is the industry standard and could initially only be found in professional studios. As an alternative to this very expensive software, Apple released Final Cut Pro with the average user in mind. It was such a hit that Final Cut Pro soon took over much of the market for independent and professional editors alike. Because of this, Avid released a cost effective editing software for both Mac and PC. Both editing programs are excellent and offer similar features.
Final Cut Pro costs $999 in 2010. Avid Media Composer is capable of the same things that Final Cut Pro can do, and it is around $2,295 to $2,495 in 2010. If you are a student, make sure to get the student discount on both of these.