Guide
Best AI video editors for YouTube: Descript, Gling and 4 more
Descript is the best AI video editor for long YouTube videos, and Gling removes silences and mistakes from raw recordings. OpusClip cuts Shorts from long videos, and Cutroom turns one short clip of you talking into a finished Short.
In short
- The best AI video editors for YouTube are Descript, Gling, CapCut, Kapwing, OpusClip and Cutroom.
- Descript is best for long videos, because you edit the recording like a text document.
- Gling cleans a raw recording for you. It removes silences, filler words and the lines you repeated or stumbled over.
- OpusClip cuts Shorts from long videos. Cutroom turns one clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes, into a finished Short.
- All six let you start for free, and CapCut's full editor is free with 8K export.
- tools compared
- 6
- to start on all six
- $0
- the longest clip Cutroom accepts
- 3 min
The best AI video editors for YouTube at a glance
Here is what each editor does, what it costs and who it suits.
AI video editors for YouTube compared
Prices and plans read from each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Editing approach | Platform | Pricing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long episodes and tutorials edited as text | You edit the transcript and the video follows | Web, Mac, Windows | Free plan; Hobbyist $16/person/month, annual | |
 Gling | Removing silences and mistakes from a recording | Removes silences, filler words and repeated lines automatically | Desktop app | Free plan; Plus $10/month, annual |
 CapCut | Free editing on your phone or computer | Timeline editor with templates and AI tools; you do the cutting | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web | Free; Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year, varies by region |
 Kapwing | Browser editing with subtitles and a team | Drag-and-drop browser editor with AI tools | Web browser | Free plan; Pro $16/member/month, annual |
 OpusClip | Cutting Shorts out of long videos | AI finds the best moments, turns them vertical and adds captions | Web, mobile | Free plan; Starter $15/month |
| Cutroom | Turning one clip of you talking into a finished Short | You upload the clip; Cutroom adds b-roll, captions and a hook | Web browser | First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month |
Descript
- Best for
- Long episodes and tutorials edited as text
- Approach
- You edit the transcript and the video follows
- Platform
- Web, Mac, Windows
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Hobbyist $16/person/month, annual
- Gling
- Best for
- Removing silences and mistakes from a recording
- Approach
- Removes silences, filler words and repeated lines automatically
- Platform
- Desktop app
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Plus $10/month, annual
- CapCut
- Best for
- Free editing on your phone or computer
- Approach
- Timeline editor with templates and AI tools; you do the cutting
- Platform
- iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web
- Pricing from
- Free; Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year, varies by region
- Kapwing
- Best for
- Browser editing with subtitles and a team
- Approach
- Drag-and-drop browser editor with AI tools
- Platform
- Web browser
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Pro $16/member/month, annual
- OpusClip
- Best for
- Cutting Shorts out of long videos
- Approach
- AI finds the best moments, turns them vertical and adds captions
- Platform
- Web, mobile
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Starter $15/month
Cutroom
- Best for
- Turning one clip of you talking into a finished Short
- Approach
- You upload the clip; Cutroom adds b-roll, captions and a hook
- Platform
- Web browser
- Pricing from
- First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month
How these YouTube editors differ
The biggest difference is what you start with. The second is whether you get a horizontal video or a Short.
- Descript, Gling and OpusClip start from a long recording. Descript lets you edit it as text, Gling removes the silences and OpusClip cuts Shorts from it.
- CapCut and Kapwing are editors where you place every clip yourself. CapCut is free, and Kapwing is a browser editor a whole team can share.
- Cutroom starts from one clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes, and gives you a finished vertical video.
- Descript, Gling, CapCut and Kapwing can edit the long horizontal videos for your main channel. OpusClip cuts short clips out of those videos, and Cutroom only makes vertical videos for Shorts.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
YouTube's own free tools
YouTube has free tools of its own, and they already cover captions and simple edits.
- YouTube adds automatic captions to your videos for free, using speech recognition. YouTube says they can contain mistakes, so check them in YouTube Studio.
- YouTube Studio has a simple editor on a computer. You can trim a video you uploaded, blur parts of it, and add an audio track, end screens and info cards.
- YouTube Create is YouTube's free editing app for iPhone and Android, with no ads. It adds captions, removes background noise and can arrange your clips into a first draft with AI.
- YouTube Create is only available in some countries, and on an iPhone it needs an iPhone XR or newer with iOS 17.
- A YouTube Short can be up to 3 minutes long.
AI features compared
This is what each editor does for you, and what is still left for you to do.
What the AI does in each YouTube editor
| Tool | What the AI does for you | What you still do |
|---|---|---|
| Descript | Makes a shorter first version, removes filler words, cleans the audio | Add b-roll and graphics |
| Gling | Removes silences, filler words and repeated lines; adds captions, zooms and b-roll | Check the cuts, then export or open the edit in Premiere, Final Cut Pro or Resolve |
| CapCut | Auto captions, background removal and noise reduction, all on Pro | Make every cut |
| Kapwing | Subtitles, translation, clips from long videos | Place every clip |
| OpusClip | Finds the best moments, turns them vertical, adds captions | Record the long video first |
| Cutroom | Cuts the pauses, places stock clips over the words they match, adds captions and a hook | Film one clip of you talking |
Tool: Descript
- What the AI does for you
- Makes a shorter first version, removes filler words, cleans the audio
- What you still do
- Add b-roll and graphics
Tool: Gling
- What the AI does for you
- Removes silences, filler words and repeated lines; adds captions, zooms and b-roll
- What you still do
- Check the cuts, then export or open the edit in Premiere, Final Cut Pro or Resolve
Tool: CapCut
- What the AI does for you
- Auto captions, background removal and noise reduction, all on Pro
- What you still do
- Make every cut
Tool: Kapwing
- What the AI does for you
- Subtitles, translation, clips from long videos
- What you still do
- Place every clip
Tool: OpusClip
- What the AI does for you
- Finds the best moments, turns them vertical, adds captions
- What you still do
- Record the long video first
Tool: Cutroom
- What the AI does for you
- Cuts the pauses, places stock clips over the words they match, adds captions and a hook
- What you still do
- Film one clip of you talking
Prices and free plans
All six let you start for free. Most free plans add a watermark or a monthly limit.
AI video editors for YouTube: price and tradeoff
Yearly means the monthly price when you pay for a year up front.
| Tool | Free option | Paid from | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descript | 60 minutes a month, 720p, watermark | $16/person/month yearly, $24 monthly | Priced per person |
| Gling | 1 hour of AI-edited media a month, watermark | Plus $10/month yearly, $20 monthly | Desktop app; Plus edits 10 hours a month |
| CapCut | Full editor, 8K export | Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year | Auto captions only on Pro |
| Kapwing | 720p, 4-minute exports, watermark | Pro $16/member/month yearly, $24 monthly | You place every clip yourself |
| OpusClip | 1080p, watermark on animated captions | Starter $15/month | Needs a long video to start from |
| Cutroom | First video free, no card, 7 days | Lite $19.99/month | 9:16 only, clips up to 3 min |
Tool: Descript
- Free option
- 60 minutes a month, 720p, watermark
- Paid from
- $16/person/month yearly, $24 monthly
- Tradeoff
- Priced per person
Tool: Gling
- Free option
- 1 hour of AI-edited media a month, watermark
- Paid from
- Plus $10/month yearly, $20 monthly
- Tradeoff
- Desktop app; Plus edits 10 hours a month
Tool: CapCut
- Free option
- Full editor, 8K export
- Paid from
- Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year
- Tradeoff
- Auto captions only on Pro
Tool: Kapwing
- Free option
- 720p, 4-minute exports, watermark
- Paid from
- Pro $16/member/month yearly, $24 monthly
- Tradeoff
- You place every clip yourself
Tool: OpusClip
- Free option
- 1080p, watermark on animated captions
- Paid from
- Starter $15/month
- Tradeoff
- Needs a long video to start from
Tool: Cutroom
- Free option
- First video free, no card, 7 days
- Paid from
- Lite $19.99/month
- Tradeoff
- 9:16 only, clips up to 3 min
Descript
Descript is a strong editor for long YouTube videos. Delete a sentence in the transcript and the video is cut with it.
- Descript is best for creators who publish episodes and tutorials every week.
- Underlord, Descript's AI assistant, makes a shorter first version of your recording. Studio Sound cleans up the audio, and filler words go in one click.
- It cuts Shorts from the long episode, and a collaborator can review and comment.
- The free plan gives you 60 minutes a month at 720p, with a watermark.
- Hobbyist costs $16 per person a month billed yearly, or $24 month to month, for 10 hours a month at 1080p.
- Creator costs $24 per person a month billed yearly, for 30 hours a month, 4K and unlimited stock footage.
- You still place the b-roll yourself, and a two-person channel pays twice.
Gling
Gling cleans up a long recording for you. When you upload, it removes silences, filler words and the lines you repeated or stumbled over.
- Gling is best for talking-head YouTubers who record in one long sitting.
- It adds AI captions and AI b-roll, removes background noise, zooms in and out on you automatically and handles recordings from several cameras.
- It also writes YouTube titles and chapters for the video.
- Gling is a desktop app. You can export the cleaned video, or send the edit to Premiere, Final Cut Pro or Resolve as a project file and finish it there.
- The free plan gives you 1 hour of AI-edited media a month, with a watermark.
- Plus costs $10 a month billed yearly, or $20 month to month, for 10 hours a month. Pro is $20 a month billed yearly, for 30 hours, and Elite is $50.
CapCut
CapCut gives you a full video editor for free, on your phone and your computer.
- CapCut is best for creators who enjoy editing and want full control at no cost.
- The free editor exports in 8K and has a large library of templates, effects and filters.
- Pro adds auto captions, background removal and noise reduction.
- Pro costs $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year. CapCut says the price varies by region, device and promotion.
- You make every cut yourself.
Kapwing
Kapwing is a video editor that runs in the browser, with AI tools built into the timeline.
- Kapwing is best for small teams that edit together in one browser workspace.
- Its Subtitler adds subtitles automatically, and Pro includes 1,000 subtitle minutes a month.
- It turns a long video into social clips and translates video, audio and subtitles.
- The free plan exports 720p videos of up to 4 minutes, with a Kapwing watermark.
- Pro costs $16 per member a month billed yearly, or $24 month to month, with 100 GB of storage. Business is $50 per member a month, billed yearly.
- You still place every clip on the timeline yourself.
OpusClip
OpusClip finds the best moments in a long video and turns them into captioned vertical clips.
- OpusClip is best for channels that already have many long videos.
- It keeps the speaker in the centre when it turns a clip vertical. OpusClip says its captions are over 97% accurate.
- The free plan takes uploads of up to 10 GB and exports 1080p, with a watermark on animated captions and a 3-day export window.
- Starter costs $15 a month. It removes the watermark, scores how likely each clip is to do well and posts to Shorts, TikTok and Reels.
- Pro costs $29 a month and adds a social scheduler, AI b-roll and a team workspace.
- It needs a long video to start from, so it does not make a Short from one short clip.
Cutroom
Cutroom makes one finished vertical video for Shorts from one clip of you talking.
- Cutroom is best for creators and founders who film short clips for Shorts.
- You upload one clip of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long, the same length as the longest YouTube Short.
- Cutroom cuts it, places stock video clips over the words they match, and adds captions in 40 styles and a hook. You can switch on music too.
- You change the video by editing the transcript. Delete a line and it is cut.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark, and Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
- Basic costs $39.99 a month and adds avatars and generated music. Premium is $79.99 a month.
- Cutroom takes one clip of up to 3 minutes and exports 9:16 only, so it is not for a long tutorial or for clipping a podcast.
Which one should you choose?
It comes down to the video you make most often.
Which AI video editor for YouTube to choose
Choose Descript if you edit long episodes and tutorials as text and want filler words gone.
Choose Gling if you record in one long sitting and want silences and repeated lines removed before you edit.
Choose CapCut if you want a free editor on your phone and computer, and control over every cut.
Choose Kapwing if you edit in a browser with a team and need subtitles and translations.
Choose OpusClip if you have hours of long video and want Shorts cut from it.
Choose Cutroom if you film one short clip of you talking and want a finished 9:16 Short back, with captions and b-roll.
Questions people ask
- What is the best AI video editor for YouTube?
- Descript is the best for long videos you want to edit as text. Gling is best for cleaning a raw recording, CapCut for a free editor, Kapwing for teams in the browser and OpusClip for Shorts from long videos. Cutroom is best for a Short made from one clip of you talking.
- Which AI video editor is best for long YouTube videos?
- Descript. It lets you edit a long recording like a document and removes filler words in one click. If you edit in Premiere, Final Cut Pro or Resolve instead, Gling removes the silences and repeated lines first and sends the result there. Cutroom is not for long videos: it takes clips of up to 3 minutes.
- Can AI edit a YouTube video automatically?
- Partly. Gling removes silences, filler words and repeated lines from a long recording, and Underlord, Descript's AI assistant, makes a shorter first version. You still check the edit and add graphics. For one short clip of you talking, Cutroom does the whole edit: cuts, b-roll, captions and a hook.
- Which AI video editor is best for YouTube Shorts?
- OpusClip is best if your Shorts come from long videos. It finds the moments, turns them to 9:16 and adds captions. Cutroom is best if you film one clip for the Short. A Short can be up to 3 minutes long, and Cutroom takes a clip of up to 3 minutes.
- Are there free AI video editors for YouTube?
- Yes. CapCut's editor is free with 8K export. Descript, Gling, Kapwing and OpusClip have free plans with a watermark, a monthly cap or both. Cutroom's first video is free, with no card, and carries a Cutroom mark until you move to Lite.
- Does YouTube have its own free video editor?
- Yes, two. YouTube Studio's editor trims, blurs and adds an audio track to a video you uploaded, on a computer. YouTube Create is a free editing app for iPhone and Android, available in some countries, with automatic captions, noise removal and an AI first draft. YouTube also captions your uploads automatically for free.
- Does Cutroom make horizontal YouTube videos?
- No. Cutroom exports 9:16 MP4 only, for Shorts and other vertical feeds. For a horizontal video on your main channel, use Descript, Gling, CapCut or Kapwing.
Film one short clip of you talking and get it back as a finished Short. Your first video is free.
Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it