Guide
Best AI video editor for YouTube Shorts: OpusClip if you have long videos, CapCut if you don't
OpusClip is the best AI video editor for YouTube Shorts if you already post long videos: it cuts them into Shorts for you. If you film new Shorts, CapCut is the best free editor.
In short
- The best AI video editor for YouTube Shorts is OpusClip if you have long videos, and CapCut if you film new Shorts.
- Vizard and Klap also cut long videos into Shorts. Vizard lets you trim by deleting words, and Klap is cheapest per clip.
- Descript is best if you edit the long video and its Shorts in one project.
- A YouTube Short can be up to 3 minutes long, in a square or vertical format.
- All six tools are free to start, but most free plans add a watermark.
- the longest a YouTube Short can be
- 3 min
- OpusClip Starter a month
- $15
- clips a month on Klap Basic, $14 a month billed yearly
- 100
The best AI video editors for YouTube Shorts at a glance
An AI video editor for Shorts makes a vertical video of up to 3 minutes without you cutting it all by hand. Here are six, with what each does and costs.
Six AI video editors for YouTube Shorts, side by side
Prices as published on each company's own pricing page on the day shown. Plans change, so check before you pay.
| Tool | Best for | Editing approach | Platform | Pricing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 OpusClip | Turning long videos into many Shorts | Picks clips from a long video, makes them vertical with the speaker in the middle, and adds captions | Web, mobile | Free plan (watermark); Starter $15/month |
| Vizard | Cutting webinars and interviews into Shorts | Picks clips from a long video; you trim them by editing the transcript | Web | Free plan (720p, watermark); Creator $14.50/month, annual ($29 monthly) |
 Klap | Lots of Shorts from YouTube videos for little money | Finds the main topics in a long video and turns each into a vertical clip | Web | 1 free video; Basic $14/month, billed yearly |
| Editing a long video and its Shorts as text | You edit the transcript and the video follows | Web, Mac, Windows | Free plan (watermark); Hobbyist $16/person/month, annual ($24 monthly) | |
 CapCut | New Shorts built from your own clips | A timeline with templates and AI tools; you make every cut | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web | Free; Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year (varies by region) |
| Cutroom | A new clip of you talking, finished as a Short | Edits your clip for you: b-roll, captions and an opening headline | Browser | First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month |
- OpusClip
- Best for
- Turning long videos into many Shorts
- Approach
- Picks clips from a long video, makes them vertical with the speaker in the middle, and adds captions
- Platform
- Web, mobile
- Pricing from
- Free plan (watermark); Starter $15/month
Vizard
- Best for
- Cutting webinars and interviews into Shorts
- Approach
- Picks clips from a long video; you trim them by editing the transcript
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free plan (720p, watermark); Creator $14.50/month, annual ($29 monthly)
- Klap
- Best for
- Lots of Shorts from YouTube videos for little money
- Approach
- Finds the main topics in a long video and turns each into a vertical clip
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- 1 free video; Basic $14/month, billed yearly
Descript
- Best for
- Editing a long video and its Shorts as text
- Approach
- You edit the transcript and the video follows
- Platform
- Web, Mac, Windows
- Pricing from
- Free plan (watermark); Hobbyist $16/person/month, annual ($24 monthly)
- CapCut
- Best for
- New Shorts built from your own clips
- Approach
- A timeline with templates and AI tools; you make every cut
- Platform
- iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web
- Pricing from
- Free; Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year (varies by region)
Cutroom
- Best for
- A new clip of you talking, finished as a Short
- Approach
- Edits your clip for you: b-roll, captions and an opening headline
- Platform
- Browser
- Pricing from
- First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month
Prices and plans read from each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026.
What is the difference between these Shorts editors?
The main difference is where your Short starts: a long video you already posted, or new footage.
- OpusClip, Vizard and Klap start from a long video. They find the moments, make them vertical and add captions.
- Descript edits a recording as text, so the long video and its Shorts can share one project.
- CapCut is a free timeline for Shorts built from your own clips, where you make every cut.
- Cutroom starts from one new clip of you talking and hands back a finished Short.
Shorts editors side by side
From each company's own site.
| Tool | Starts from | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|
| OpusClip | A long video | Picks clips, makes them vertical and adds captions |
| Vizard | A long video | Picks clips and reframes; you trim by deleting words |
| Klap | A YouTube video | Picks topics, reframes and adds subtitles |
| Descript | A recording | You edit the transcript to edit the video |
| CapCut | Your own clips | A timeline; you make every cut |
| Cutroom | One new clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes | Edits it into a finished Short |
Tool: OpusClip
- Starts from
- A long video
- What it does for you
- Picks clips, makes them vertical and adds captions
Tool: Vizard
- Starts from
- A long video
- What it does for you
- Picks clips and reframes; you trim by deleting words
Tool: Klap
- Starts from
- A YouTube video
- What it does for you
- Picks topics, reframes and adds subtitles
Tool: Descript
- Starts from
- A recording
- What it does for you
- You edit the transcript to edit the video
Tool: CapCut
- Starts from
- Your own clips
- What it does for you
- A timeline; you make every cut
Tool: Cutroom
- Starts from
- One new clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes
- What it does for you
- Edits it into a finished Short
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
OpusClip
OpusClip turns a long video into many Shorts. It is the strongest choice here if you post a long video, podcast or stream every week.
- The AI picks the moments, keeps the speaker in the middle of the frame and adds captions. From Starter, it also rates how likely each clip is to do well.
- It clips any kind of long video, and captions are over 97% accurate by OpusClip's own figure.
- The free plan puts a watermark on animated captions and keeps exports for 3 days.
- Starter costs $15 a month and scores each clip on how likely it is to do well. Pro costs $29 and adds post scheduling, AI b-roll and saved brand templates.
Vizard
Vizard cuts long videos into Shorts and lets you fix each clip by editing its transcript. It is best for webinars, interviews and long explainers.
- The AI finds the moments and makes them vertical, and you trim a clip by deleting words.
- Captions can be translated into more than 100 languages, and Creator schedules posts to 6 accounts.
- The free plan gives you 60 minutes of video a month at 720p, with a watermark.
- Creator costs $14.50 a month billed yearly, or $29 monthly.
Klap
Klap turns YouTube videos into vertical clips at a low price per clip. It is best if you want many clips and no full editor.
- You paste a YouTube link or upload a file, and it finds the main topics, turns each into a vertical clip with the speaker in frame, and adds subtitles.
- Every plan includes unlimited social accounts and analytics.
- You can make 1 video free.
- Basic costs $14 a month for 100 clips and Pro $39 for 300, both billed yearly.
Descript
Descript is a full video editor where you cut the video by editing its transcript. It is best if you edit the long video and its Shorts in one project.
- Delete a sentence from the text and it disappears from the video.
- Underlord, its AI assistant, turns a raw recording into a first edit and pulls out clips.
- It also has Studio Sound, filler-word removal, and review and comments for teams.
- The free plan gives you 60 minutes of video a month, with 720p exports and a watermark.
- Hobbyist costs $16 a person a month billed yearly, or $24 monthly.
- You still add the b-roll and set up the vertical layout yourself.
CapCut
CapCut is a free video editor with a full timeline. It is best for Shorts built from several of your own clips.
- You edit on a timeline with templates, effects and AI tools, and you make every cut yourself.
- The free version lets you cut, trim and add text and effects yourself, and exports up to 8K.
- It does not pick moments from a long video, and its auto captions need Pro, according to CapCut's own site.
- Pro costs $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year. The price is set in the app and varies by region.
How much do AI video editors for Shorts cost?
All six are free to start. The table shows what the free option gives you and what the first paid plan costs.
Free options and paid plans
Prices from each company's own page.
| Tool | Free option | Paid from |
|---|---|---|
| OpusClip | Free plan, watermark on animated captions | Starter $15 a month; Pro $29 |
| Vizard | Free plan: 60 minutes of video a month, 720p, watermark | Creator $14.50 a month, billed yearly ($29 monthly) |
| Klap | 1 video free | Basic $14 a month, billed yearly, for 100 clips |
| Descript | Free plan: 60 minutes of video a month, 720p, watermark | Hobbyist $16 a person a month, billed yearly ($24 monthly) |
| CapCut | Free | Pro $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year |
| Cutroom | First video free, no card | Lite $19.99 a month |
Tool: OpusClip
- Free option
- Free plan, watermark on animated captions
- Paid from
- Starter $15 a month; Pro $29
Tool: Vizard
- Free option
- Free plan: 60 minutes of video a month, 720p, watermark
- Paid from
- Creator $14.50 a month, billed yearly ($29 monthly)
Tool: Klap
- Free option
- 1 video free
- Paid from
- Basic $14 a month, billed yearly, for 100 clips
Tool: Descript
- Free option
- Free plan: 60 minutes of video a month, 720p, watermark
- Paid from
- Hobbyist $16 a person a month, billed yearly ($24 monthly)
Tool: CapCut
- Free option
- Free
- Paid from
- Pro $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year
Tool: Cutroom
- Free option
- First video free, no card
- Paid from
- Lite $19.99 a month
Which AI video editor should you choose for YouTube Shorts?
Choose by where your Shorts come from.
Which AI video editor should you choose for YouTube Shorts
Choose OpusClip if you post a long video or podcast every week and want Shorts picked, reframed and captioned, starting free.
Choose Vizard if your long videos are webinars or interviews and you want to trim each clip by deleting words.
Choose Klap if you want the most clips a month for the lowest price and do not need a full editor.
Choose Descript if you edit the long video as text and want its Shorts in the same project.
Choose CapCut if your Short is built from several of your own clips and you want a free timeline with full control.
Choose Cutroom if you film a new clip of you talking and want it back as a finished Short with b-roll, captions and an opening headline. Your first video is free.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is for Shorts that start as one new clip of you talking, not a long video. Its 3-minute limit matches the Shorts limit.
- You upload one clip of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom cuts the pauses, puts b-roll on your words, and adds captions in 40 styles and an opening headline.
- You get a finished 9:16 MP4, ready to upload as a Short.
- You can trim the opening or the ending, change the pace, or delete a line in the transcript.
- It does not clip long videos. OpusClip, Vizard and Klap do that.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
Questions people ask
- What is the best AI video editor for YouTube Shorts?
- OpusClip if you already post long videos, because it cuts them into Shorts for you. CapCut is the best free editor for new Shorts built from your own clips. Vizard, Klap and Descript are good alternatives for clipping.
- Which AI tools turn a long YouTube video into Shorts?
- OpusClip, Vizard and Klap, and Descript can pull clips from a project too. Each finds the moments, makes them vertical and adds captions. OpusClip and Vizard have free plans with a watermark, and Klap gives you 1 video free.
- Which AI video editors for Shorts are free to start?
- All six, with limits. OpusClip watermarks animated captions. Vizard and Descript give you 60 minutes of video a month at 720p with a watermark. Klap gives you 1 video free, and CapCut is free. Cutroom's first video is free, with a Cutroom mark.
- How long can a YouTube Short be?
- Up to 3 minutes, according to YouTube's own help pages, and it must be square or vertical. That is enough for a full answer or a short tutorial. It is also the longest clip Cutroom accepts.
- OpusClip, Vizard or Klap for Shorts?
- OpusClip if you want a free plan to start; from $15 a month it also scores how likely each clip is to do well. Vizard for webinars and trimming by deleting words, from $14.50 a month billed yearly. Klap for volume: 100 clips a month for $14, billed yearly.
- Can I make YouTube Shorts without a long video?
- Yes. Film a new clip for the Shorts feed and edit it in CapCut, or upload a clip of you talking to Cutroom and get the finished Short back. The clipping tools need a long video to start from.
Record one clip of up to 3 minutes and see the finished Short before you pay. Your first video is free.