There is a very big difference when working with Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express. People who plan to do a lot of video editing tend to go all out and buy the Final Cut Pro studio, which carries a hefty price tag of $1,300. The less expensive alternative is Final Cut Express. It gives the user a professional looking video but has a less painful price tag, $199. If you plan to buy Final Cut Express, but want to switch back and forth from it to Final Cut Pro, you’ll want to reconsider.
Final Cut Pro does not allow you to switch back and forth between it and Final Cut Express. Project files and encoded video that are brought in through Final Cut Pro are attached a codec which are encoded commands within the files dealing with compress settings. This coding is not however recognized by Final Cut Express. This becomes a problem when you want to switch from the computer using Final Cut Pro for the project to Final Cut Express.
Determine which version will work best for your needs then buy that version for all the computers you plan to use for video building.