Video and audio tools have become dramatically cheaper and dramatically more capable in the same period, which means the bottleneck has moved from software to hardware and time. A free editor now handles footage that needed a paid suite a decade ago. The real decisions are about workflow: whether you edit locally or in a browser, whether your recordings need multitrack separation, and whether you care about the file format you are locked into. Browser-based editors are convenient and terrible for large files; desktop editors are the reverse. The tools here cover editing, screen recording, podcast production, and live streaming, with notes on where each one struggles. If you are starting a channel or a podcast, the highest-leverage purchase is usually a microphone, not software.
DaVinci Resolve
Professional editing and colour grading for free.
CapCut
Fast editing built for short-form vertical video.
Descript
Edit audio and video by editing the transcript.
OBS Studio
The standard for screen recording and live streaming.
Audacity
No-frills audio editing that has not changed much on purpose.
Riverside
Records remote interviews locally, so the quality holds up.