In my experience, manual editing is a grind but AI saves time by automating cuts. Id suggest Descript Creator Plan for $15/month; you just edit text to trim video. Best value tho!

> I really need something budget-friendly (ideally under $15/month) that offers solid auto-captioning and smart trimming features. Honestly I am in the exact same boat right now. Spent way too long yesterday just staring at subscription prices and feeling like I was gonna go broke before my first upload lol. It is rough out there for beginners. I would suggest taking a look at Gling AI Video Editor. It is basically built for YouTube and handles that smart trimming thing perfectly by cutting out silences and filler words automatically. I think the pricing is around $15 depending on how much you use it. You might also want to consider Wondershare Filmora 13. It is super easy for beginners and has pretty solid AI captioning features now. Just be careful with a few things though:

• check your RAM because AI features can be heavy
• always look for a coupon code before buying
• try the trial to see if the interface clicks with you I know it is tempting to just pick the first one you see but definitely try a few free versions first. It saves a lot of headache later on... especially since some of these tools have hidden export limits. Good luck with the channel!

For your situation, AI has basically made video editing way less intimidating lately. It matters cuz manually cutting silences takes FOREVER and you wanna focus on your content. In my experience, I've used CapCut for years and it's honestly perfect: - Way under $15/month.
- Auto-captions and smart trimming are SO fast, i think.
- Super beginner friendly. Are you gonna be editing on mobile or PC? And what kind of videos are you making? gl!

Nice, didn't know that