Whether you're a professional video editor or working on your first vlog, the monitor you use for editing is an important piece of equipment. While you can use almost any display to edit your videos, getting something that makes your content look life-like and realistic is beneficial. Different factors go into this, like the range of colors it displays and its accuracy, as the last thing you'll want is colors looking off in editing. Even having a high contrast helps provide good picture quality with deep blacks, making it ideal for editing videos in dark rooms. It's also important to consider the monitor's resolution, as a higher resolution helps deliver more detail and sharper images.
Before looking for a monitor, consider whether you'll be editing HDR video content. Most monitors with good HDR performance are expensive and have features like local dimming, bright highlights, and the ability to display a wide range of colors. However, a few monitors provide a good HDR experience at a lower cost. If you plan on editing in SDR, a number of monitors provide a good SDR editing experience at a lower price. While SDR is more common for content creation, HDR editing is increasing, and you may want to get a monitor capable of good HDR editing if you plan on using the monitor well into the future.
While there are high-end, professionally calibrated monitors that film studios use, many consumer-level monitors are excellent for video editing. Even low-cost options are good enough for casual editing, but those usually have fewer features and lower image quality, so it's important to think about your budget.
We've bought and tested more than 335 monitors, and below are our picks for the best monitors to use while video editing that are available to buy. See our recommendations for the best monitors for photo editing, the best 4k monitors, and the best 27-inch monitors. If you need more than just a monitor, check out the best cameras for vlogging and the best laptops for video editing.
The best monitor for video editing we've tested is the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx. Though it's designed with gaming in mind, it's still great for editing. It delivers sharp and detailed images thanks to its high 4k resolution, and it has great picture quality, as it displays incredibly accurate colors in SDR and a wide range of vivid colors in HDR for realistic images. It gets incredibly bright in HDR, enough for small highlights to pop against the rest of the image, which is ideal for editing your videos. On top of this, it uses Mini LED backlighting and has a decent local dimming feature to help display deep and inky blacks, making it great for working in dark rooms.
It has a few extra features to help with your workflow, like a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode and 90W of power delivery, so you can easily connect your laptop and charge it using a single cable. It also has two extra USB-A ports to connect to other devices, and it has an extremely ergonomic stand that makes it easy to adjust to an ideal position.
If you work with a long video timeline and find a 27-inch screen too small, consider an ultrawide monitor like the Dell U4025QW. You'll have to pay a premium for the size upgrade, but the large 40-inch screen and 21:9 aspect ratio allow you to see more of your video timeline simultaneously. That said, it has worse picture quality than the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx as it has a terrible local dimming feature, and blacks look gray in dark rooms, so only consider this monitor if you mainly care about the size upgrade. Luckily, it has a similar pixel density to the Acer as it has a 5120x2160 resolution and fantastic text clarity, and images are full of detail.
Regarding picture quality, it has a dedicated sRGB mode that's extremely accurate, and it doesn't have any oversaturated colors in SDR. Even in HDR, it accurately displays a wide range of colors in the commonly used DCI-P3 color space. The image also remains consistent if you view it from the sides, which is important if you need to share the screen with someone else next to you.
If you find the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx out of your price range or don't need the ultrawide screen of the Dell U4025QW, check out the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV. It has specs similar to the Acer's, like its 4k, 27-inch screen, but it doesn't use Mini LED backlighting. Its local dimming feature is terrible, so blacks look gray in dark rooms. On the plus side, it has a bigger USB hub than the Acer as it has two USB-C ports, one of which supports DisplayPort Alt Mode with 90W of power delivery. It also has Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture modes, which the Acer doesn't have, making it ideal for working with two sources at once.
This monitor is good for content creation because it has different picture modes for the various color spaces you may work with. For example, its dedicated sRGB mode comes factory-calibrated with remarkable accuracy, and it also has modes for DCI-P3 and Rec. 2020 color spaces. It even displays a wide range of colors in HDR but fails to make most of them look vivid.
If you're looking for a monitor for video editing and you're on a tight budget, look into the AOC Q27G3XMN. It's a versatile entry-level monitor because it features Mini LED backlighting, which most low-cost displays don't have. This means it displays deep blacks next to bright highlights, which is ideal for video editing in dark rooms, and small highlights really pop, too. However, it has a lower 1440p resolution than the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV, and it has fewer features, as it lacks a USB hub. This means you have to choose between a feature-packed monitor with a high resolution or one with a lower resolution, but better overall picture quality.
Besides that, it gets very bright, enough to fight glare and for highlights to pop in HDR. It also displays a wide range of colors in HDR and has an accurate sRGB mode. One thing to know is that it sometimes goes out of stock and is hard to find, so if that's the case, the Acer Nitro XV275U P3biipx is a good alternative. It also has Mini LED backlighting but has worse accuracy.
If you're just getting into video editing for the first time you should know that there aren't many entry-level monitors that are good for video editing, particularly if you're editing HDR content. However, if you're on a really tight budget, the Dell G2724D is a great choice for SDR video editing, which you can buy for a low cost directly from Dell's website. It's very accurate before calibration, and it's bright enough to overcome glare, even in brighter rooms. Additionally, it has good motion handling, so it works well for editing videos with lots of fast movement.
However, unlike the AOC Q27G3XMN, deep blacks appear gray in darker rooms with the Dell, and highlights don't pop. Additionally, it displays a limited range of colors, so it's not a good choice for HDR video editing. That said, this is what you must expect for a monitor at this price range.
The LG 40WP95C-W is a competitor of the Dell U4025QW that has the same 40-inch screen and 5k2k resolution. It's a good choice if you want something cheaper, but it has fewer features than the Dell, as it has a smaller USB hub.
See our reviewThe Dell P2425H is an entry-level monitor that costs less than the Dell G2724D. However, it has a smaller screen and lower resolution, and it's not as accurate before calibration, so it's not as good a choice for editing.
See our reviewReplaced the Dell P2425H with the Dell G2724D as 'Best Cheap,' as the G2724D has a higher resolution, gets brighter, and is more accurate before calibration. Replaced the Dell G2724D with the Dell P2425H as a Notable Mention.
Aug 21, 2024: We replaced the Dell S2721QS with the AOC Q27G3XMN, which has better picture quality. Because of that, we moved the Dell S2722QC to the Notable Mentions as it's close in price to the AOC, and we also added the Dell P2425H as the 'Best Cheap Monitor.' In the Notable Mentions, we removed the Dell U3223QE and the ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV and added the Dell G2724D to reflect changes in the article.
Jun 05, 2024: Replaced the LG 40WP95C-W with the Dell U4025QW as 'Best Ultrawide' as it has better performance and more features. Replaced the LG 38WN95C-W with the LG 40WP95C-W as a Notable Mention.
Apr 16, 2024: Replaced the Dell U2723QE with the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx as the Acer has better picture quality. Renamed the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV to 'Best Mid-Range' and Dell S2722QC to 'Best Lower Mid-Range' to reflect their market positions. Added the LG 38WN95C-W to the Notable Mentions.
Feb 14, 2024: Made sure that the monitors are still available for purchase. Also replaced the Gigabyte M34WQ and the Apple Pro Display XDR with the Dell U3223QE and the Apple Studio Display in the Notable Mentions.
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best monitors for videography currently available, including the best 4k monitors for video editing. They are adapted to be valid for most people in each price range. Our rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
If you would prefer to make your own decision, here is the list of all of our monitor reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.