Best AI Tools for Video Editing in 2027
The best AI video editing tools in 2027 cut silences, add captions, reframe wide video for vertical screens, and sometimes generate whole clips from a text prompt. Across the 10 tools here, entry paid plans start under $20/mo, and seven offer a free plan or trial. An AI video editor is software that uses machine learning to cut, caption, reframe, or generate video instead of leaving every decision to a human on a timeline. Every price below was checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 10 November 2026.
How to choose an AI video editor
Start with the job, not the brand. Long talks that must become short clips point to OpusClip; training videos point to Synthesia or Pictory; client work points to Adobe Premiere Pro, because clients expect project files they can open. Second, watch the meter: most tools bill by credits, minutes, or generations, so the monthly price is only half the cost. Third, check the free tier honestly: a watermarked export is fine for testing, but it is not publishable for a business.
Best AI video editing tools 2027: prices at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Entry paid price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descript | Yes | $16/mo annual (Hobbyist) | Text-based editing |
| Runway | Yes, 125 credits once | $12/mo annual (Standard) | Generative video |
| CapCut | Yes | $19.99/mo (Pro) | Short-form social video |
| OpusClip | Yes | $15/mo (Starter) | Long video to clips |
| Pictory | 14-day trial | $25/mo annual (Starter) | Script to video |
| Synthesia | Yes (Basic) | $19/mo (Starter) | AI avatar presenters |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | 7-day trial | $22.99/mo annual plan | Professional editing |
| Filmora | Yes, watermarked | $49.99/yr (Basic) | Budget desktop editing |
| InVideo | Limited free tier | $20/seat/mo (Starter) | AI-generated marketing video |
| VEED | Yes | $25/seat/mo (Creator) | Browser-based team editing |
1. Descript
Descript edits video by editing its transcript: delete a sentence and the video cut follows, making it the fastest option here for talking-head videos and podcasts. Its AI removes filler words, cleans audio, and generates captions. Free: 60 media minutes a month, watermarked 720p exports. Hobbyist $24/mo ($16 annual) with 10 media hours and watermark-free 1080p export. Creator $35/mo ($24 annual) with 30 media hours and 4K export.
2. Runway
Runway is the generative-video specialist here: its Gen-4.5 model creates video from text or images, and its Aleph and Act-Two tools edit existing footage with AI. Everything is sold in credits: 12 credits buys one second of Gen-4.5 video, so a five-second clip costs 60 credits. Free: a one-time 125 credits, watermarked output. Standard $15/mo ($12 annual) for 625 credits; Pro $35/mo ($28 annual) for 2,250 credits; Max $95/mo ($76 annual) for 9,500 credits.
3. CapCut
CapCut is the short-form editor most TikTok and Reels creators already know. Owned by ByteDance, its strength is speed: templates, auto-captions, background removal, and AI effects in a mobile, desktop, and web editor sharing one account. Free covers basic editing. Pro is $19.99/mo ($179.99/yr), adding premium templates, 4K export, 1TB of cloud storage, and 1,200 monthly AI credits. CapCut warns that displayed prices are for reference only and final pricing appears after sign-in, so treat $19.99 as the published reference price.
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| Illustration: Video creator editing footage on a laptop timeline in a home studio |
4. OpusClip
OpusClip turns one long video into many short clips. Upload a podcast, webinar, or interview, and its AI finds the strongest moments, reframes them to vertical, and adds animated captions, scoring each clip for likely virality. One credit equals one minute of source video. Free: 60 credits a month, watermarked. Starter $15/mo for 150 credits, monthly billing only. Pro $29/mo ($14.50 annual, $174/yr) for 300 credits a month, plus a scheduler and export to Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve.
5. Pictory
Pictory turns a script, article, or URL into a finished video with stock footage, AI voices, and captions, built for marketers who need video at scale without filming anything. The 14-day free trial includes 300 credits. Starter $25/mo annual ($29 monthly) with 24,000 credits a year. Professional $35/mo annual ($59 monthly) with 72,000 credits and voice cloning. Teams $119/mo annual ($199 monthly). A Black Friday offer showed Professional at $29.50 annual; budget on the standard $35.
6. Synthesia
Synthesia replaces the camera with an AI avatar that speaks your script in more than 140 languages, making it the strongest pick here for training videos and product explainers where filming a presenter every time is impractical. Basic is free: 500 credits a month, 10 minutes of video, watermarked. Starter $19/mo after a $9 first month ($14 annual) with 1,250 credits and 125+ avatars. Pro $89/mo after a $49 first month ($59 annual) with 6,000 credits and five personal avatars. Prices vary by region, so confirm at checkout.
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| Illustration: Smartphone on a tripod filming a short vertical video with a ring light |
7. Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro, now branded simply Adobe Premiere, is the professional timeline editor here, and its AI features sit inside a tool editors already trust for client work. Text-Based Editing cuts by transcript, Generative Extend lengthens clips, and Media Intelligence finds shots by describing them. Single-app plan: $22.99/mo on an annual plan billed monthly, which Adobe labels as first-year pricing for new subscribers, so check the renewal rate. Month-to-month is $34.49/mo; a prepaid year is $263.88. Every plan includes Premiere on desktop and mobile, Adobe Express Premium, 100GB of storage, and 25 monthly generative credits, with a 7-day trial and no free plan.
8. Filmora
Filmora from Wondershare is the budget desktop editor here, and the only one with a one-time perpetual licence. Its AI tools include auto-reframe, AI captions, smart cutout, and text-to-video, in an interface beginners can learn in an afternoon. Free exports with a watermark. Basic $49.99/yr (no AI credits), Advanced $59.99/yr (1,000 AI credits a month), Premium $99.99/yr (2,000 credits, 100GB storage). A perpetual licence for Filmora 16 is $79.99 once. Do not be misled by the $19.99/mo figure on the shop page: that buys the Creative Assets library, not the editor.
9. InVideo
InVideo is an AI video agent that builds a video from a prompt, using models such as Seedance and Veo, then lets you edit the result on a timeline. Plans are priced per seat and metered in credits, and a free plan with a small weekly quota exists even though it does not appear on the public pricing page. Starter $20/seat/mo ($10 annual) with 400 credits a month. Plus $60/seat/mo ($30 annual) with 2,000 credits. Max $150/seat/mo ($75 annual) with 5,000 credits. One caution: InVideo shows different plan sets to different visitors, so verify the plan and price on the live page before you buy.
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| Illustration: Small business owner recording a product video in a tidy office |
10. VEED
VEED is a browser-based editor for teams, with auto-subtitles, translation, dubbing, and AI avatars alongside a full timeline that runs without installing software. Free exports at 720p with a watermark and 10 minutes of subtitles a month. Creator $25/seat/mo ($12.25 annual, $147/yr) with 500 AI credits a month and watermark-free 1080p export. Pro $45/seat/mo ($22.08 annual) with 2,500 credits and 4K export. Studio $79/seat/mo ($38.75 annual) with 15,000 credits. VEED charges per seat, so a team of three pays three times the listed price.
Which AI video editor should you pick?
For a solo creator on a budget, start with CapCut or Filmora: both are cheap, cover the full short-form workflow, and have free tiers worth testing. For a podcaster or coach, OpusClip is the clearest time-saver, because it converts content you already made. For a business that needs training or explainer video, Synthesia or Pictory removes filming from the process. For professional client work, Adobe Premiere Pro remains the standard, and if your goal is AI-generated footage itself, Runway is the only tool here built for that job first. Readers comparing last year's options can revisit our guide to the best AI video editing tools 2026, and creators working with newer generative models should see our coverage of Kling 4.0. For the same price-first comparison in another profession, see our roundup of AI tools for real estate agents.
Key Takeaways
- Entry paid plans run from about $4/mo (Filmora Basic, billed yearly) to $25/mo, so budget is rarely the blocker.
- Most tools bill by credits or minutes, not by finished video, so check the allowance before comparing headline prices.
- Seven of the 10 tools offer a free plan or trial, but only paid plans reliably remove watermarks.
- Match the tool to the job: OpusClip for clips, Synthesia and Pictory for presenter and script video, Premiere Pro for client work, Runway for generated footage.
- Prices change often and vary by region, so confirm the live price and the renewal rate at checkout.
Conclusion
The best AI video editing tool in 2027 is the one that matches the video you actually make. Short-form creators get the most from CapCut and OpusClip, businesses that need presenters should test Synthesia, and professional editors still belong in Premiere Pro. Start on a free plan, measure how many credits or minutes a real week of work consumes, and only then commit to a paid plan.
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