The best AI video editing tools in 2026
As of October 2026, Submagic and Riverside share our top rating among AI video editing tools, 4.6 out of 5. Submagic is our pick for turning talking-head footage into captioned short clips, Descript for editing by text, and Riverside for recording remote guests.
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Our picks for October 2026
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Best overall
Our rating: 4.6 / 5Captions, zooms and B-roll for short clips. From $12 a month.
Best for editing by text
Our rating: 4.5 / 5Edit video by editing the transcript. Free plan, then $16 a month.
Best for remote interviews
Our rating: 4.6 / 5Records each guest on a separate track. Free plan, then $24 a month.
Best value desktop editor
Our rating: 4.2 / 5Timeline editor for Windows and Mac. Free version, then $49.99 a year.
All AI video editing tools, ranked
Ordered by our rating. Prices: lowest paid plan on annual billing, per month unless the row says otherwise, checked on 12 October 2026. This article contains affiliate links.
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Submagic Reviewed
Best for turning talking-head footage into captioned short clips
Note: Starter takes videos up to 2 minutes
No free plan 3-video trial
From $12 per user a month
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Riverside Reviewed
Best for recording remote interviews in high quality
Note: Pro includes one studio; a second studio needs Grow
Free plan 2 hours of recording, once
From $24 a month
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Descript Reviewed
Best for podcasts and long videos you edit through the transcript
Note: AI tools draw on monthly credits
Free plan 720p with a watermark
From $16 per user a month
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StreamYard Reviewed
Best for live shows and recordings with remote guests
Note: Core is for one person; company email domains need Business
Free plan logo on streams
From $35.99 a month for one user
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PowerDirector Reviewed
Best for a full timeline editor with AI tools
Note: a subscription covers Windows or Mac, not both
Free version watermark on exports
From $79.99 a year
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Async Reviewed
Best for recording, editing and dubbing in one browser studio
Note: formerly Podcastle
Free plan 720p with a watermark
From $11.99 a month
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VEED Reviewed
Best for editing and subtitling in the browser, with nothing to install
Note: Creator exports up to 1080p
Free plan 720p with a watermark
From $147 per user a year
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Pictory Reviewed
Best for turning scripts, articles and slides into videos
Note: text-to-video works in English only
No free plan 14-day trial
From $25 a month for one user
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Filmora Reviewed
Best for beginners who want a desktop editor with many AI tools
Note: AI tools use credits; Basic includes none
Free version watermark on exports
From $49.99 a year
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SendShort Reviewed
Best for captioned shorts and faceless videos
Note: long video to shorts needs the Professional plan
No free plan 3 videos to try
From $15 a month
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Gling Reviewed
Best for rough cuts of talking-head YouTube videos
Note: built for videos with speech
Free plan 1 hour a month with a watermark
From $10 a month
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Movavi Reviewed
Best for beginners editing their own footage on a Mac or PC
Note: prices differ across Movavi's store pages; confirm at checkout
No free plan 7-day trial
From $54.95 a year
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CapCut Reviewed
Best for free short-form editing for TikTok, Reels and Shorts
Note: final price shows after you sign in
Free plan no 4K export
From $179.99 a year
Our picks in detail
What each pick does well, where it falls short and who should skip it. Strengths and limits come from our full reviews and each vendor's own pages, checked on 12 October 2026.
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Best overall: Submagic
Our rating: 4.6 / 5Submagic turns a talking-head recording into a short vertical clip, with animated captions, zooms, B-roll and tighter cuts added for you. It runs in the browser.
Strengths
- Captions, zooms, B-roll and silence removal in one tool
- Pro and Business publish clips to your social accounts
- An API for teams that automate video production
Limits
- No free plan: trial videos download with a watermark
- Starter takes videos up to 2 minutes, Pro up to 5
- Turning a long video into clips is a $19 a month add-on
Skip it if you edit long videos such as tutorials, courses or podcasts. Descript is built for those.
Go deeper: Submagic vs SendShort
No free plan, 3-video trial. Paid from $12 per user a month.
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Best for editing by text: Descript
Our rating: 4.5 / 5Descript transcribes your recording so you can cut the video by editing the text. Underlord, its AI co-editor, runs editing tools for you when you ask from its side panel.
Strengths
- Delete words in the transcript to cut the video
- Studio Sound and filler-word removal clean up audio with AI
- Free plan with 60 media minutes a month
Limits
- Free plan exports at 720p with a watermark
- AI tools use monthly credits, and top-ups start on Creator
- Underlord, the AI co-editor, is still in beta
Skip it if you mostly make short vertical clips with animated captions. Submagic is built for that.
Go deeper: Descript pricing, plans and AI credits
Free plan. Paid from $16 per user a month.
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Best for remote interviews: Riverside
Our rating: 4.6 / 5Riverside records each guest locally, on their own device and on a separate track. You can then edit, clip and publish the episode in the same place.
Strengths
- Up to 4K video and 48 kHz audio on Pro
- Magic Clips and Magic Audio use no AI credits
- Podcast hosting and publishing to YouTube, Spotify and Apple
Limits
- Free plan: 2 hours of recording, once, at 720p with a watermark
- Pro includes one studio; a second studio needs Grow
- Collaborative editing is a Business plan feature
Skip it if you already record on your own and only need an editor. Descript's paid plans start lower.
Free plan. Paid from $24 a month.
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Best value desktop editor: Filmora
Our rating: 4.2 / 5Filmora is a timeline editor for Windows and Mac that adds AI tools to classic editing, paid for with AI credits. Version 16 arrived in September 2026.
Strengths
- One subscription covers Windows and Mac
- Watermark-free 4K export on every paid plan
- A free version with all the basic editing tools
Limits
- AI tools use credits, and the Basic plan includes none
- Some AI-generated assets are for non-commercial use
- The full asset library is a separate subscription
Skip it if you want to edit in a browser or by editing text. VEED and Descript suit that better.
Free version. Paid from $49.99 a year.
How to choose an AI video editing tool
Start from the videos you make, then compare price. Every tool on this list can be tried for free, so test one on your own footage before you pay.
You make short clips for TikTok, Reels and Shorts
Submagic adds animated captions, zooms and B-roll to a talking-head clip. SendShort also makes faceless videos and TikTok slideshows. CapCut is free to start, on phone, desktop and web. Our Submagic vs SendShort and VEED vs CapCut comparisons go further.
You edit podcasts, interviews or talking-head videos
Descript lets you cut by editing the transcript, and our Descript pricing guide explains its AI credits. Gling removes bad takes, silences and filler words from a talking-head recording, and can export the edit to Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve. To choose between the two, read Descript vs Gling.
You record with remote guests or go live
Riverside records each guest on a separate track in up to 4K. Async covers recording, editing and dubbing in one subscription. StreamYard is built for live shows streamed to several platforms at once.
You want a classic desktop editor
Filmora covers Windows and Mac with one subscription. PowerDirector pairs a full timeline with AI tools, one operating system per subscription. Movavi suits beginners, and we found it easy to learn when we tested it on a Mac in October 2026.
What happened to Podcastle?
Podcastle is now Async. The company announced the new name in October 2025 and moved to async.com, and it says accounts, projects, billing and pricing stayed the same. Async appears under its new name in the list above.
AI video editing tools FAQ
What is the best AI video editing tool in 2026?
Submagic and Riverside share the top rating in our October 2026 rankings, 4.6 out of 5. Submagic is our Best overall, for turning talking-head footage into captioned short clips, and Riverside is our pick for recording remote guests. Descript is our pick for editing long videos and podcasts by text, and it has a free plan. Filmora is our pick for a desktop editor that covers Windows and Mac.
Is there a free AI video editor?
Yes, several AI video editors have a free plan or a free version. CapCut is free on phone, desktop and web; 4K export and premium assets need Pro. Descript gives you 60 media minutes a month and exports at 720p with a watermark. VEED is free in the browser at 720p with a watermark, and Filmora and PowerDirector have free versions that add a watermark. Gling edits one hour of footage a month for free, with a watermark.
Which AI video editor is best for beginners?
Filmora and Movavi are good places to start for beginners who edit on a computer. Both are timeline editors that our reviews found easy to learn. Movavi includes auto subtitles, background removal and noise reduction, while Filmora's AI tools use credits that its Basic plan does not include. For editing on a phone, CapCut is free to start and made for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
Can AI video editors replace a human editor?
No, AI video editors take over the repetitive parts of editing rather than the whole job. They remove silences and filler words, write captions, suggest cuts and turn long videos into short clips. Choosing the story, the pacing and what to leave out still takes a person. Descript and Gling both work this way: the AI makes the rough cut, then you review it and finish the edit.
Is Podcastle still available?
Yes, Podcastle is still available under a new name, Async. The company announced the change in October 2025 and moved to async.com, and podcastle.ai now redirects there. It says accounts, projects, billing and pricing stayed the same. Async has a free plan, and paid plans start at $11.99 a month on annual billing.
How much do AI video editing tools cost?
Most tools on this list start between $10 and $25 a month on annual billing, as of October 2026. Gling starts at $10, Async at $11.99, Submagic at $12, SendShort at $15, Descript at $16, Riverside at $24 and Pictory at $25. Desktop editors are often sold by the year: Filmora from $49.99 and Movavi from $54.95. StreamYard, built for live streaming, starts higher, at $35.99 a month for one person.
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About this page
- What is listed
- AI video editors and editing tools, each with a full review on this site. Tools made mainly to generate video from a prompt are on our AI video generators page.
- Our picks
- Best overall is always the highest-rated tool on this page, or one of them when two tie. Each other pick is our choice for one kind of reader. The strengths and limits listed for the picks come from each tool's full review and the vendor's own pages.
- Ratings
- Each rating is our overall score for the tool on a 5-point scale, rechecked on 12 October 2026 against its latest releases, prices and recent independent reviews, and the list is ordered by it. A score rates the whole product, so a specialist short-clip editor can sit above a full desktop editor. The Best for line says who each tool suits.
- Prices
- The lowest paid plan on annual billing, read from each vendor's pricing or help pages on 12 October 2026. Billing units differ, so each row gives its own. CapCut shows its final price after you sign in. Movavi's $54.95 was its store price that day, shown as a discount from $79.95. PowerDirector is listed at its regular price, because the sale on its page had ended on October 11. Async's prices come from its help center.
- Update log
- 12 October 2026: new layout, picks explained in detail, every rating rechecked, and every price and free plan rechecked on each vendor's pages. Submagic, StreamYard and SendShort join the list, and Podcastle appears under its new name, Async.