Free tier reality check:
- CapCut: free, no watermark, excellent auto-captions. You find the moments yourself.
- VN: free, no watermark, full manual control.
- Opus Clip free: 60 credits a month, but exports are watermarked and clips expire after 3 days.
- Vizard free: 60 upload minutes, 720p export, one social account.
When paid makes sense:
- Opus Clip Starter ($15/month): watermark gone, 150 minutes. Worth it the month you publish daily. - Opus Clip Pro ($29/month): the editor, scheduler, and B-roll. Worth it when clipping is a job, not a hobby. - Vizard Creator (about $29/month): worth it for the schedule-and-post loop alone. Sources: FFmpeg, HandBrake The math: if clipping eats three hours a week of your time, even the $29 tier pays for itself immediately. If you publish sporadically, stay free. And if you hate subscriptions and credit meters entirely, ReelCut clips each video for a flat $9.99 one-time per video. No credits, no monthly bill, no watermark.