// siftino edition November 9, 2026993 AI tools419 with a free plan51 task rankings613 comparisonsprices from vendor pricing pages36 guides
Guide · Sources checked on November 8, 2026 · 711 words

AI Tools for YouTube: CapCut, OpusClip and Riverside Compared

No single AI tool covers every YouTube job. CapCut fits editing full videos, OpusClip fits cutting Shorts from long footage, and Riverside fits recording and repurposing interviews.

Piotr Olszewski · updated Sources checked on November 8, 2026

Disclosure: Siftino may earn affiliate commissions on some links in this article. That can influence which tools are highlighted, so treat the links as affiliate links, not neutral references.

This is a selection of three options for different YouTube jobs, not a ranking of the whole market. I did not test these tools. Everything below comes from the vendors' own pages, checked on 2026-11-08.

Use cases

  • Editing a full video with AI help and templates: CapCut. The homepage lists an AI video generator, a smart editor, auto captions and templates.
  • Cutting long videos into short clips: OpusClip. The pricing page lists AI clipping and auto posting to YouTube Shorts, TikTok and IG Reels.
  • Recording interviews or podcasts, then repurposing them: Riverside. The pages describe recording up to 4K, text-based editing, Magic Clips and publishing to YouTube.

CapCut

According to the CapCut homepage, the product includes an AI video generator, an AI image generator, a smart editor, auto captions, text-to-speech in 40+ languages and a one-click background remover. It is available online and as a desktop download, and the page says no credit card is required to try it online.

Limitations: the homepage excerpt does not state plan prices, watermark rules or export limits, so these are unknown from my sources. Check them before building a workflow around it.

OpusClip

The pricing page lists these plans:

  • Free: $0 USD per month, 60 credits per month, up to 1080p clips, watermark, no editing. Clips can no longer be exported after 3 days.
  • Starter: $15 USD per month, billed monthly, 150 credits per month. Features include AI clipping with Virality Score, animated captions in 20+ languages, auto posting to YouTube Shorts, TikTok and IG Reels, and watermark removal.
  • Pro: $29 USD per month on the monthly option, or $14.5 USD per month shown for annual billing ($174 billed annually, 3600 credits over 12 months). It adds Viral Hook, AI B-Roll, a social media scheduler, export to Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, and a team workspace with 2 seats.
  • Business: custom pricing.

Limitations: the Free plan has a watermark and a 3-day export window. Starter is only available monthly.

Riverside

The pricing page lists:

  • Free: $0 per month, with 2 hours of multi-track recordings, up to 720p video and a Riverside watermark.
  • Pro: $288 billed annually, with a 14-day free trial. It includes up to 4K video, 48kHz audio, no watermark, unlimited text-based editing, Magic Clips and podcast hosting.
  • Grow: $408 billed annually, adding social scheduling, live streaming to multiple destinations and 2 studios.
  • Webinar: $408 billed annually, with webinars for up to 100 registrants.
  • Business: contact sales.

Limitations: the pricing page says it is a staging view that may be out of date, so confirm prices on the official site. The excerpt shows no monthly Pro price, so I cannot state one.

How to choose

  • If you already have long recordings and want Shorts, start with OpusClip.
  • If you record guests or podcasts and want clips from the same session, look at Riverside.
  • If you edit full videos and want templates and AI generation in one editor, look at CapCut.
  • Compare free tiers first. OpusClip and Riverside both add watermarks on Free, and CapCut's terms are unknown from my sources.
  • Confirm prices on the vendor page the day you sign up.

What is the best AI tool for making YouTube Shorts?

It depends on your footage. OpusClip's pricing page lists AI clipping with auto posting to YouTube Shorts, which suits creators with longer videos to cut down.

Is there a free AI video tool for YouTube?

OpusClip lists a Free plan with 60 credits per month and a watermark. Riverside lists a Free plan with up to 720p video and a watermark. CapCut says you can try it online for free, but plan terms are not in my excerpt.

Can AI edit my YouTube videos automatically?

Partly. CapCut's homepage describes an EditPilot helper and smart editing tools, OpusClip lists AI clipping and captions, and Riverside lists AI editing and filler-word removal. The excerpts do not say how much of the result needs manual fixing.

Sources