Step 1
Upload your raw footage
Add your interview, tutorial, vlog, or product demo. Editly handles long recordings and multi-clip projects without pre-organization.
Editly AI
Best AI Video Editor
What is the best AI video editor in 2026?
The best AI video editor for most content creators is one that removes the manual timeline entirely. Editly does this — you describe the edit in plain English and the AI builds it. For specific use cases like podcast editing, Descript is strong. For visual effects, CapCut or Filmora have AI-assisted tools. The 'best' depends on what you're editing and what kind of AI automation you need.
Traditional Editors vs Editly: The AI Editing Difference
This comparison shows what AI editing actually changes for a content creator workflow.
| Decision | Other Apps | Editly |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial decision-making | Traditional editors: all editorial decisions are manual — you decide what to keep, what to cut, how to structure every video | Editly: AI makes editorial decisions from your prompt — clip selection, timing, structure are automated |
| Captions | Traditional editors: auto-caption is a feature you enable and then review manually per video | Editly: captions are a prompt instruction — generated and applied automatically as part of the edit |
| Silence removal | Traditional editors: a tool you apply manually or a plugin you configure per project | Editly: a single phrase in your prompt — 'remove silences over 0.8 seconds' — applied automatically |
| Iteration speed | Traditional editors: each revision requires reopening the project, finding the section, editing, re-rendering | Editly: each revision is a follow-up prompt — no project to reopen, no timeline to navigate |
How to Edit With the Best AI Video Editor
Step 2
Write your edit prompt
Be specific about the outcome you want. Example: 'From this 25-minute interview, create a 4-minute highlight video. Remove silences. Add bold white captions. Start with the strongest answer.'
Step 3
Review the AI-generated edit
Editly returns a complete cut in minutes. Watch it through — the first pass from a specific prompt is typically close to final.
Step 4
Refine with follow-up prompts
Request specific changes: 'Tighten the intro by 15 seconds' or 'Add a transition at 2:30'. Each follow-up prompt is processed without touching a timeline.
Try the Best AI Video Editor Free — 3 Exports
The best test of an AI video editor is your own footage with your own prompt. Upload a real clip, write a real brief, see if the output meets your standard.
- 3 free AI-edited exports — test on actual footage
- No timeline to learn — just write what you want
- Pro $28/month for 100 exports per month
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