Similar situation here - I went through this last year when I was trying to post daily and literally almost quit cuz the manual editing was such a grind. I mean, spending 3 hours just to cut out 'ums' and 'errs' is actual soul-crushing work lol.

I realized most tools are pricey cuz they process everything in the cloud, which costs them money for server time. I started looking for local alternatives that run on your own hardware instead. Ngl, CapCut Desktop has been a total game changer for me! The auto-captions are freakishly accurate and it handles basic AI stuff really well. LOVE it.

But for silence removal specifically? I've been using Wisecut lately. It’s got a much more chill pricing structure than the big names. Also, if you’re brave enough for a tiny bit of techy stuff, check out AutoEditor. It’s an open-source command line tool that LITERALLY deletes silence for free. It’s amazing for the budget!! Hope that helps u out!

Ok so I've been in the content game for like 6+ years now and honestly... i feel u. I used to spend hours just staring at audio waves trying to find gaps and it literally drained my soul lol. I've tried many tools over the years, and honestly, you dont need to drop $30/month anymore.

For your situation, here's what I recommend:

- CapCut Desktop - This is highkey the goat for beginners. It's basically free for most auto-captioning and AI cuts. The silence removal is realy reliable and way faster than doing it manually.
- Wondershare Filmora 13 Perpetual License - If you want a one-time payment, this is solid. I've used it for ages and the AI silence detection and auto-reframe are lifesavers for social media.

Lesson learned: dont get sucked into the hype of expensive "pro" tools. Most free or low-cost stuff is insanely powerful now. cheers!

Any updates on this?

In my experience, those monthly subs are a total money pit that ends up costing a fortune over time. If you want something rock-solid and safe, I'd suggest looking into Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio 19. Its a one-time payment and you get free updates forever, which is basically unheard of now. The newer versions have killer AI for auto-captions and silence removal that run locally on your hardware. Ngl the learning curve is a bit steep compared to web apps, but once you own it, you never have to worry about monthly bills again. Definitely worth the investment if you're in this for the long haul.

Honestly, I've been looking into this a lot lately because I'm super paranoid about "cloud" tools just leaking my raw footage or going out of business right after I pay for a subscription. Tbh, if you want something really reliable that won't break the bank, you should look at Recut. It’s a one-time payment (no annoying monthly bills!!) and it runs entirely on your own computer. It’s way safer since it doesn't have to upload anything to a server, and it's basically built specifically for that silence removal stuff you mentioned. It’s super stable, at least that's what I've found so far. If you're okay with something a bit more technical, there's this tool called Auto-Editor. It's actually open-source and basically free, so it's the ultimate budget option!!! It’s a command-line tool, which sounds scary (I was super nervous to try it lol), but you just type a simple command and it trims the silence based on the audio levels you set. Since it uses your own hardware specs to process the video, it’s super reliable and you don't have to worry about server lag or anything like that. Do you know if your laptop has a decent graphics card? That usually helps these kinds of tools run way smoother!

Can confirm

Honestly, I was so paranoid about those monthly sub fees and where my data was going that I almost didnt start my channel. I spent weeks looking for something that wouldnt suck my bank account dry every month... Eventually found a DIY workflow thats basically zero cost if you have a decent computer. Here is what I ended up doing to save cash:

• Downloaded SubtitleEdit which uses OpenAI Whisper to do the captions for free on your own hardware.
• Used LosslessCut for the actual trimming since it doesnt mess with the video quality.
• If you really want a one-time buy, TimeBolt is what I finally caved and bought during a sale last year. It took me a bit to figure out the settings but not having a recurring bill is such a relief. Plus I know my raw footage isnt sitting on some random server somewhere. Its a bit more work to set up but it works for me.