8 Best AI Tools to Edit Videos in 2026

Key takeaways

• Melius tops this list because you can trim and assemble clips in its built-in editor and change the footage itself on the same canvas, with Ditto applying up to 30 character, prop and background swaps in one generation.

• Descript lets you cut video by deleting words from its transcript, and its Underlord co-editor handles bulk jobs such as removing retakes and filler words.

• Adobe Premiere's Generative Extend adds up to 2 seconds of video or 10 seconds of audio to a clip, though the single-app plan includes only 25 generative credits a month.

• Descript, CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, OpusClip and Kapwing all have free versions, though free exports are often watermarked or limited to 720p.

• Decide first whether you need to cut footage down or change what's in it, because most tools on this list do one far better than the other.

How we ranked

"AI video editing" covers two different jobs. One is assembly work, such as trimming by transcript, removing silences and filler words, captions, reframing and turning long videos into short clips. The other is changing the footage itself, by swapping people and objects, restyling a scene, extending a shot or re-syncing lips to new audio. We ranked tools on how much of both they cover, how well they fit into a normal editing workflow and then on price. Plans and features come from each company's own pages on November 8, 2026.

AI video editing tools at a glance

1. Melius: Best for editing and changing footage in one place

Melius calls itself the AI-native operating system for creatives, and its AI agents for creative work run on a node-based canvas.

What works: You can trim and assemble clips in the built-in video editor, then change the footage without leaving the canvas. Ditto takes a reference image for each character, prop or background you want swapped, up to 30, and applies them all in one generation while keeping the original audio. Kling 3.0 Omni, Flux 3 Edit and Luma Ray 3.2 handle prompt edits, MiniMax H3 Max Extend adds 5 to 15 seconds to a shot and Kling Lipsync matches a clip to new audio. Mel, the Melius agent, builds those steps from a plain-language brief and chooses which model runs each one. Creator is $17/mo billed yearly.

What doesn't: The edit models take short clips, between about 15 and 18 seconds depending on the model, so long takes need cutting into sections first.

Best for: Creators and teams who want to cut, swap, restyle and extend footage without moving between apps.

2. Descript: Best for editing talking footage by transcript

Descript is a video and podcast editor built around a transcript of everything you record.

What works: Delete a sentence from the transcript and it disappears from the video. Underlord, Descript's agentic co-editor, takes bulk requests such as cutting retakes or tightening a recording to its best parts, and AI actions remove filler words, fix eye contact and clean up audio with Studio Sound. Dynamic captions are unlimited on every plan, and Create Clips turns long recordings into short ones. Hobbyist costs $24 a month or $16 billed yearly.

What doesn't: Media hours and AI credits cap use on every plan, and it doesn't swap or restyle what's in the frame the way generative edit models do.

Best for: Podcasters, educators and YouTubers who mostly edit people talking.

3. Adobe Premiere: Best for AI inside a professional editor

Premiere, which Adobe now sells without the "Pro" in its name, is on version 26.5.

What works: Generative Extend drags a clip longer with Firefly, adding up to 2 seconds of video or 10 seconds of ambient audio to cover a cut. Object Mask selects and tracks a subject with one click, Media Intelligence finds shots by describing them and Paper Edit builds a sequence from a transcript. Speech to Text captions translate into 27 languages, and Enhance Speech cleans up dialogue. The single-app plan costs $22.99 a month on an annual commitment.

What doesn't: Generative features draw on a pool of just 25 credits a month on the single-app plan, and Premiere takes far longer to learn than a browser editor.

Best for: Professional editors who want AI tools inside a full editing timeline.

4. CapCut: Best free editor for social video

CapCut, from TikTok's parent company ByteDance, runs on desktop, in the browser and on phones.

What works: Auto Captions, Remove Filler Words, Auto Reframe and video background removal cover most short-form editing jobs, and the free plan includes basic editing tools and templates. Seedance 2.5 generation is built in for making new clips. Pro costs $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year with 1,200 monthly AI credits.

What doesn't: CapCut doesn't say clearly which AI tools need Pro, and prices vary by region.

Best for: Social creators who want captions and quick cuts on a budget.

5. Runway: Best for prompt edits to a single clip

Runway's Aleph 2.0 is an in-context video editing model used in its Edit Studio.

What works: Describe a change, such as a new background or different lighting, or edit one frame, and Aleph 2.0 carries it through the rest of the clip. It handles clips up to 30 seconds at 1080p, including multi-shot sequences, and lets you preview an edit as an image before generating. Standard costs $15 a month or $12 billed yearly.

What doesn't: There's no transcript editing or captions, and Aleph 2.0 uses 140 credits per 5 seconds, so Standard's 625 monthly credits cover only about 22 seconds of edits.

Best for: Editors who want to change one shot without reshooting it.

6. DaVinci Resolve: Best one-time purchase

DaVinci Resolve is Blackmagic Design's editing, color and audio app, now on version 21.

What works: IntelliScript compares a script to the transcribed audio and builds a cut of the scene, and the new IntelliSearch finds objects or spoken words across your footage. Magic Mask selects people and objects with a click, CineFocus changes focus after the shot and Voice Isolation strips background noise from dialogue. The free version handles editing up to 4K at 60fps, and Studio costs $236 once on sale, down from $295.

What doesn't: The AI tools are in Studio only, and Resolve takes time to learn.

Best for: Editors and colorists who'd rather pay once than subscribe.

7. OpusClip: Best for turning long videos into shorts

OpusClip, now on version 4.0, cuts long videos into short social clips.

What works: It finds clips by spoken words, visual objects, sound and emotion, scores each for virality, reframes it for vertical video and adds animated captions in more than 20 languages. Paid plans remove silences and filler words, and Pro adds AI B-roll, dubbing and export to Premiere and DaVinci Resolve. Starter costs $15 a month, and Pro is $14.50 a month billed yearly.

What doesn't: It is not a general editor, and the free plan only clips by spoken words and watermarks caption templates.

Best for: Podcasters and streamers repurposing long recordings for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.

8. Kapwing: Best browser editor for teams

Kapwing is a browser video editor with an AI assistant built in.

What works: Ask it to trim footage, find highlights, replace objects or upscale to 4K, or trim with the transcript and let Smart Cut remove silences. Auto-subtitles, background removal and video inpainting for changing details in existing footage are included, and Pro costs $16 a month billed yearly.

What doesn't: Lip sync and voice clones need the $50 Business plan, and free exports are 720p with a watermark.

Best for: Marketing and content teams editing together in the browser.

VEED is another browser editor worth a look, with script-based editing and unlimited subtitles on its paid plans.

Editing a video in Melius

Upload your footage and trim it into a rough cut in the built-in editor. Then brief Mel on what to change, for example "Swap the presenter's jacket for the red one in this photo, replace the office background with a beach at sunset and add three seconds to the final shot." Mel sets up Ditto for the swaps and an extend model for the extra seconds, and you can swap the model on any node or edit its prompt and rerun it. Bring the new versions back into the editor to finish the cut.

How to choose an AI video editing tool

• Decide whether you mainly need to cut footage down or change what's in it.

• For talking-head video, look for transcript editing, filler-word removal and captions.

• For generative edits, check the maximum clip length and how many credits each second costs.

• Check how many AI credits the plan includes, since several tools cap generative features tightly.

• Try your own footage on a free plan or trial before paying.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best AI tool to edit videos?

Melius is the best AI tool to edit videos, because you can trim clips in its built-in editor and swap, restyle, extend and lip-sync footage on the same canvas, with an agent that picks the model for each step. Descript suits talking-head editing by transcript, and Adobe Premiere suits professional editors.

Can AI edit a video for me?

Yes, for many jobs. Descript's Underlord and Kapwing's AI assistant take plain-language requests such as removing retakes or finding highlights, and in Melius, Mel sets up the edits you describe. You still review the result and make the final calls.

Which AI video editors are free?

CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, OpusClip, Kapwing and Descript all have free versions. Descript and Kapwing export at 720p with a watermark, and DaVinci Resolve's free version doesn't include its AI tools.

Can AI remove objects or change backgrounds in a video?

Yes. Melius's Ditto swaps characters, props and backgrounds from reference images, Runway's Aleph 2.0 changes backgrounds and objects from a prompt and Kapwing has video inpainting for smaller changes.

Who owns videos edited with AI tools?

Ownership follows each tool's terms. Melius says: "You own the content you create on Melius and can use, publish, and distribute it commercially, subject to the underlying model providers' terms. Melius doesn't claim ownership of your work and doesn't use it to train AI models."