For your situation, I'd honestly stick to CapCut Desktop or DaVinci Resolve 19. CapCut is basically the best for fast AI auto-captions and background removal without a massive sub. If you want more stability, DaVinci Resolve 19 has solid smart trimming tools, tho the AI stuff needs the paid version eventually. Personally, I'm cautious with web-only tools cuz they glitch.

TL;DR: CapCut Desktop for easy AI speed; DaVinci Resolve 19 for pro-level control. gl!

sooo I've tried many tools over the years, and honestly, the best budget gem for cutting silence is Gling AI. I used it for a vlog last month and it literally saved me hours of manual trimming for basically pennies compared to high-end stuff. Pro tip: also check out Descript Free Plan... it's kinda limited but the AI transcript-based editing is actually wild for quick YouTube cuts. tbh sticking to these keeps costs low while still feeling like a pro.

TIL! Thanks for sharing

Saved for later, ty!

Quick reply while I have a sec - what kind of computer are you actually using for your edits? I'm asking because I'm still pretty new to all this AI stuff, and I've already learned the hard way that "cheap" can sometimes mean "super unreliable." Ngl, I tried one of those low-cost web tools a few weeks ago for a vlog - basically trying to save money like you - and it was a total disaster. It kept freezing while I was doing the smart trimming, and when I finally went to export, the whole thing just glitched out. I ended up having to restart the entire edit from scratch because it didn't save properly. It made me realize that even if a tool is budget-friendly, it doesn't matter if it can't actually finish the job without crashing. I'm still trying to find that sweet spot where it's affordable but won't ruin my night halfway through a project lol.

No way, I literally just dealt with this yesterday. Small world.

Saving this thread

Late to the party but honestly, I've spent the last few months just trying to map out this whole AI video market because the pricing models are so inconsistent. I went down a total rabbit hole comparing the big cloud-based platforms vs. the smaller, niche startups - it's wild how one brand wants $30 a month for a full suite while another gives you just the 'smart' trimming tools for a few bucks. I've been struggling to figure out if those 'all-in-one' brands are actually worth the premium or if it's better to piece together a workflow from specialized apps. Basically, my journey has been a lot of trial and error with different credit systems and it's still pretty confusing tbh. Are you mostly looking for 'utility' AI that helps with the boring parts of editing, or are you after the more generative stuff like background creation? Also, what's your actual hard limit for a monthly sub - like, is there a specific number that's a total dealbreaker for you?