OpusClip
Takes one long video — a podcast, webinar or talk — and cuts it into captioned short clips, ranked by how likely each one is to perform.
What you'd use it for
Turning a long podcast or webinar recording into ranked, captioned short clips without editing each one by hand.
- Upload a video file, or paste a link to one already hosted on YouTube, Vimeo or Google Drive, and get clips cut automatically from the highlight moments
- See a score on each generated clip showing how likely it is to perform, before deciding what to post
- Get burned-in captions and automatic reframing for vertical, square or landscape formats
- Have a moving speaker or object tracked across the reframed clip so they stay in frame
- Auto-post clips directly to YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram from the Starter tier up, or use the Pro-tier scheduler to queue posts across those plus LinkedIn, Facebook and X
The verdict
OpusClip is good at the one thing it is built for: turning a long recording into a ranked shortlist of clips with captions and reframing already done, sparing you the scrub-and-cut work of finding the good moments yourself. The free tier is a real trial rather than a teaser, but the file expires after three days and the output is watermarked, so it proves the workflow without giving you anything postable. It suits someone already producing long-form video, such as a weekly podcast or a webinar series, who wants a queue of short clips without hiring an editor; it will not replace an editor's judgment on a close call, and it does nothing for footage you have not filmed yet.
What it costs
| Tier | Price | For | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Trying the clipping and scoring workflow on a real video. | Limited monthly export minutes with OpusClip's core auto-clipping and virality scoring. |
| Starter | $15/mo | A solo creator or small brand posting short clips regularly. | More export minutes, captions, and reframing for vertical formats. |
| Pro | $29/mo | Someone running short-form content as a real channel of the business. | Higher export limits and Pro-tier editing features over Starter. |
| Business | Contact us | Agencies or teams clipping video at volume for multiple clients or brands. | Team seats and volume-appropriate limits, negotiated directly. |
Read from OpusClip's own pricing page on 25 Sep 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
What you need to start
- An OpusClip account (email signup; no credit card needed for the free tier)
- A video already hosted somewhere reachable, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive or Zoom, or a file to upload directly
- A paid plan, Starter at $15 a month or above, for unwatermarked exports beyond the free tier's 3-day storage window
A few minutes to create the free account; the first batch of clips comes back in 20 to 40 minutes depending on the length of the source video.
Your first run Paste a link to a video already hosted somewhere (or upload a file) and OpusClip returns a set of ranked, captioned clips in roughly 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the source video's length.
Where it breaks
Exact usage limits (minutes included per tier) were not fully readable from the pricing page's static content and are not stated here — only the tier names and monthly prices are confirmed. Confirm current minute allowances on the live pricing page before committing to a tier.
Browser-based, no install required; upload a long-form video file or a link and clips are generated and exported from the browser.
First entry in this reference. There is no previous check to compare it against.
When not to use it
Not for someone who has not filmed anything yet — OpusClip only works on video you already have, it does not generate footage. And not for someone testing on a single clip: the free tier's 3-day storage window and watermark mean you need at least the Starter tier before the output is something you would actually post.
The problem OpusClip solves is specific to anyone doing long-form video: a podcast episode or a webinar recording is genuinely valuable content, but almost nobody watches an hour of it on social media, and manually finding and cutting the three good 45-second moments takes longer than most people are willing to spend every week.
OpusClip automates that judgment call. It watches the full video, scores segments by a “virality” model trained on what has performed well on short-form platforms before, and hands back a ranked list of clips with captions and vertical reframing already applied — the part that used to require an editor’s eye now happens in the time it takes to upload the file.
What you are actually paying for
The tiers step up on more than export volume. Starter adds a proper editor, watermark removal, and one-click posting straight to YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram on top of Free’s clipping and scoring engine. Pro is a bigger jump again: AI B-roll, extra aspect ratios, a scheduler that covers LinkedIn, Facebook and X as well as the three Starter platforms, export to Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, and API access, alongside a higher monthly credit allowance. A creator posting three clips a week from one weekly podcast episode can likely stay on Starter; anyone who wants to schedule across more platforms or wire OpusClip into another tool via API will need Pro or the negotiated Business tier.
Where it fits next to a broader content pipeline
OpusClip will post clips itself from the Starter tier up, and Pro adds its own scheduler, so you do not strictly need a separate posting tool. Reach for Later or a native platform scheduler instead when you want one calendar across content that is not coming out of OpusClip, or when you are still on the free tier, which only exports — it does not post or schedule anything.
Alternatives
Marketing & socialAppsDescript
Edit video and podcasts by editing the transcript — delete a word from the text and the matching footage or audio disappears with it.
CapCut
A video editor built for short-form social, with automatic captions, background removal, templates and AI tools that cut a long recording down to postable clips.
Marketing & socialAppsSubmagic
Takes a short video you already filmed and adds animated captions, b-roll and sound effects in one pass, so a raw phone clip comes out looking edited.
Get OpusClip
Buying the tool is not the hard part.
The ebook is about what to hand over, in what order, and how you find out when it goes wrong. One payment, no subscription.