The best AI tools for YouTube Shorts in 2026
The best AI tool for YouTube Shorts takes a long video's YouTube link and hands back vertical clips that are already Shorts: 9:16, framed on whoever's talking, captioned, and well under YouTube's 3-minute limit. For that, we rank Clyper first: paste any public or unlisted YouTube link and get up to 30 1080 × 1920 clips of 20 to 60 seconds, each cut to whole sentences and scored for its hook. We make Clyper, so weigh that. Below, the tools people weigh against it for Shorts, ranked from each tool's own pricing pages and help centers, which its comparison links.
By the Clyper team · Updated · 14 tools, each checked on its own site
The short answer
- Best for Shorts from long videos:
- Clyper. Paste any public or unlisted YouTube link, up to 4 hours long, and get up to 30 vertical clips of 20 to 60 seconds, cut to whole sentences, framed on whoever's talking, captioned and scored, as 1080 × 1920 MP4s with no watermark on any plan. Why Clyper
- Runner-up:
- Vizard. It takes YouTube links (not live streams), follows who's speaking on every plan, gives each clip a viral score and has a free plan, at 720p with a watermark. See Vizard
- Made for Shorts, with a free plan:
- 2short.ai turns YouTube videos into Shorts with face tracking and animated subtitles, and has a free plan; its site lists no score for each clip. See 2short.ai
- For editing each Short by hand:
- CapCut, a free editor with effects and templates that shares straight to Shorts; its Long video to shorts tool works from uploaded files, not links. See CapCut
The ranking at a glance
| # | Tool | YouTube links | Vertical framing | Clip length | Clip score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clyper | Any public or unlisted video, no channel check | 9:16, following whoever's talking and switching between speakers | 20 to 60 seconds, cut to whole sentences; up to 30 a video | A hook score on every clip, on every plan |
| 2 | Vizard | Yes | Auto reframe on every plan, following who's speaking | You choose a length, from under 30 seconds to 3 minutes, or let it decide | A viral score on each clip |
| 3 | 2short.ai | Yes | Face tracking that keeps the active speaker centered; vertical, square or horizontal | AI picks the best moments; how many and how long isn't listed on its site | Not listed on its site |
| 4 | Klap | Yes | AI reframe with active speaker detection, plus split-screen, screen and gaming layouts | You can set a target length, and tell it what to look for | A virality score from 0 to 100, with the reasons |
| 5 | quso.ai | Yes | Face and speaker tracking to 9:16, with 9 layouts for speakers and screens (CutMagic, on paid plans) | AI picks, each cut at a natural start and end; segments over 60 seconds also come as 16:9 chapters | A virality score on each clip, and a predicted-retention score on paid plans |
| 6 | Reap | Yes | Face tracking (in beta) and speaker detection on paid plans, with Fill, Fit and Split layouts | No setting for how many: its help center says 23 to 32 from a 30 to 60 minute video, in length ranges from under 30 seconds to 3 minutes | A virality score on each clip, on paid plans |
| 7 | WayinVideo | Yes | Auto Reframe follows faces and switches layouts, for videos up to 10 minutes on Free, 30 on Starter and 120 on Pro | AI Clipping and Game Clipping give a set of clips from each video, in short, medium or longer lengths; Find Moments finds ones you describe | A viral score on each clip; paid plans add feedback on hook, story, value, engagement and reach |
| 8 | Spikes Studio | Yes | Auto reframe and AI face tracking on PRO+ | AI picks; custom clip length and topic search on PRO+ | An AI virality score, on every plan |
| 9 | Choppity | Yes | 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9, tracking the active speaker, with split screens for several speakers | 20 to 50+ from a long video, its home page says; you set a length from 15 seconds to 3 minutes and can add instructions | A composite score, with a hook score, and five goal scores from 0 to 100 |
| 10 | OpusClip | After a channel ownership check | Auto reframe on every plan; tracking of moving subjects on Pro | You choose the clip length, from under a minute up to 15 minutes | A virality score, from Starter up |
| 11 | Submagic | With Magic Clips | Face tracking in Magic Clips | 20+ clips from each long video (Magic Clips) | A virality score on Magic Clips |
| 12 | SendShort | Yes | Tracks the speaker and keeps them centered; its pricing table lists 1:1 and 16:9 versions on Business | You tell it how many, up to 3 minutes each on Professional and 10 on Business; every finished clip counts against the month's shorts | Its home page says it scores every moment for retention; its pages show no score on each clip |
| 13 | Kapwing | Yes, up to 2 hours | 9:16 by default, or 4:5 or 16:9 if you ask; Speaker Focus resizes videos to keep the speakers in frame | 3 to 5 by default; prompt it for topics, or for longer or shorter clips | None listed |
| 14 | CapCut | No, uploads only | Auto reframe with subject tracking, from 16:9 to 9:16 (a Pro feature) | Long video to shorts picks several moments; otherwise you cut each clip yourself | None |
Each tool's row is from its comparison with Clyper, as its own site gave it on the date checked; its plans, prices and sources are there, linked below.
Our pick: a YouTube link in, Shorts ready to post out
Clyper
Best for
- YouTubers turning their own long videos into a week of Shorts that point back to the full video.
- Clippers making Shorts of other creators' videos for campaigns: any public or unlisted link, with no channel check.
- Channels with a back catalog: Studio takes 10 links at once.
The link is all it needs
No download and no channel check. Private, members-only and age-restricted videos, and streams that are still live, don't work; anything else public or unlisted does.
Short enough to be a Short
Every clip runs 20 to 60 seconds and starts and ends on a whole sentence, so it fits YouTube's limit with room to spare.
Vertical, on the speaker
Each shot is cropped to 9:16 and follows whoever's talking as they move, switching when someone else answers.
Scored, so you post the best first
Every clip gets a hook score. On Pro and Studio, each opens with its hook as a headline you can reword or remove.
Try Clyper on a videoSee pricing
What it costs
A credit is a minute of video, so a plan is how much video you can clip in a month, however many clips it makes. Turning an hour-long video a week into Shorts is about 240 minutes of video a month: Pro's 600 credits a month cover it, for up to 300 clips.
Starter
$20/mo
200 minutes, about 100 clips
Pro
$19/mo yearly
600 minutes, about 300 clips
Studio
$48/mo yearly
2,000 minutes, about 1,000 clips
Also as 2× or 4×, for more of both
AI clipping tool
Vizard
Best for
Creators who want a free plan to start on, a clip length they set from under 30 seconds to 3 minutes, and posting to YouTube from the same app.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its free plan exports at 720p with a watermark and projects expire after 3 days, it doesn't take live streams, and you refine clips in its editor.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper cuts each clip on whole sentences, 20 to 60 seconds, captions it in 50+ languages and scores it, ready to post as a Short as it arrives.
AI clipping tool
2short.ai
Best for
YouTube creators who want videos turned into Shorts with the speaker tracked, subtitles animated and a logo added by brand presets, starting on a free plan.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its site lists neither a score for each clip, nor how many clips you get or how long they run, nor uploads from your device.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper gives every clip a hook score, lets you choose how many, up to 30, and takes uploads as well as links.
AI clipping tool
Klap
Best for
Creators who want 4K exports, B-roll, a brand kit and scheduling to YouTube in one editor, with a virality score and a target length for each clip.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Downloading needs a paid plan, its plans are counted in clips, each one taken from a monthly allowance, and its docs put the longest video at 3 hours.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper counts minutes of video, so up to 30 Shorts from one video cost no more than one.
AI clipping and scheduling tool
quso.ai
Best for
Creators who want clips cut at a natural start and end, scored for virality, with segments over 60 seconds also as 16:9 chapters, and publishing from one app.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its free plan, in some countries, exports at 720p with a watermark, its speaker layouts are on paid plans, and its pages give different longest videos.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper frames whoever's talking on every plan and exports 1080 × 1920 with no watermark on every plan.
AI video editor with clipping
Reap
Best for
Creators who want Shorts, dubbing, translated subtitles and scheduling in one editor, with 50+ caption presets and a free plan to start.
Falls short for Shorts creators
There's no setting for how many clips you get, its clips run from under 30 seconds to 3 minutes in ranges, its face tracking is in beta, and its virality score is on paid plans only.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: On Clyper you choose how many clips, up to 30, each 20 to 60 seconds, framed and scored on every plan.
AI video platform with clipping
WayinVideo
Best for
Creators who want short, medium or longer clips, Find Moments to search a video for what you describe, and scheduling to many accounts, with a free plan to start.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its help center limits Auto Reframe to videos up to 30 minutes on Starter and 120 on Pro, and its free plan's credits are one-time.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper frames every clip on whoever's talking, from up to 4 hours of video at a time, on every plan.
AI clipping tool
Spikes Studio
Best for
Creators who want B-roll, music, transitions and clip analytics added in, with a virality score on every plan.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its pricing page keeps auto reframe, face tracking and animated captions for PRO+, so a free try gets demo clips at 720p with a watermark.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: On every Clyper plan, each Short is framed on whoever's talking, captioned word by word in an animated style, scored and exported with no watermark.
AI clipping and editing tool
Choppity
Best for
Creators who want to set a clip length from 15 seconds to 3 minutes and add instructions, then edit and schedule in the same app.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its help center caps YouTube imports at public videos up to 3 hours, it sets each clip up as a project in its editor, and its pricing page lists downloads from its first paid plan.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper takes public and unlisted links, up to 4 hours at a time, and hands back Shorts ready to post.
AI clipping tool
OpusClip
Best for
Creators clipping their own channel who like B-roll, templates and filler-word removal, and scheduling to YouTube and more.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its help center says adding a YouTube link asks you to confirm the channel is yours, and its clip lengths run up to 15 minutes, so set them under 3 for Shorts.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper takes any public or unlisted YouTube link with no channel check, and every clip it makes is short enough to be a Short.
Clyper vs OpusClip, in fullOpusClip alternativesOpusClip pricing
Captions and short-video editor
Submagic
Best for
Creators who want Shorts dressed up with 35+ caption styles, emojis, zooms, B-roll and sound effects added for them.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Clipping a long video is Magic Clips, a separate feature that its help center says draws on the same monthly credits as its editing, and its free trial adds a watermark.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: On Clyper, clipping long videos is the whole plan: up to 4 hours a video, up to 30 Shorts back, captioned and scored.
Clyper vs Submagic, in fullSubmagic alternativesSubmagic pricing
AI shorts maker with a scheduler
SendShort
Best for
Creators who want slideshows, faceless videos and AI avatars as well as Shorts, scheduled to TikTok and YouTube.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Clipping long videos starts with its Professional plan, every finished clip counts against the month's shorts, and its pages show no score for each clip.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Every Clyper plan clips long videos, for up to 100 clips a month on Starter, and each comes with a hook score.
Online video editor
Kapwing
Best for
People who edit as well as clip, and want subtitles, B-roll and a brand kit in the same browser editor as the clip maker.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its help center caps links at 2 hours, its free plan exports at 720p with a watermark, and by default its clip maker suggests 3 to 5 clips to finish in its editor.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper makes as many Shorts as you choose, up to 30, ready to post, with no editor to finish them in.
Video editor
CapCut
Best for
Hands-on editors who want to cut, crop and style every Short themselves, with effects and templates, share it straight to Shorts, and start for free.
Falls short for Shorts creators
Its Long video to shorts tool works from uploaded files, not YouTube links, it gives clips no score, and auto reframe is a Pro feature.
Why Shorts creators pick Clyper instead: Clyper finds, cuts, frames and captions up to 30 Shorts from one YouTube link, so the time a timeline takes goes into posting.
How we ranked them
- Takes a YouTube link A Short starts from a video already on YouTube. Tools that take any public link as it is ranked above ones that ask for a download and an upload, a channel check or a higher plan first.
- 9:16, on the speaker Shorts fill a phone's screen. We looked for a vertical crop that follows whoever's talking, on every plan.
- Short enough for Shorts YouTube counts vertical videos of up to 3 minutes as Shorts, and most that work are well under a minute. We noted how each tool sets a clip's length, and whether it cuts on whole sentences.
- Captions and a score Many people watch Shorts with the sound off, so captions come on every clip; a score on each tells you which to post first.
- No watermark Shorts go out on your channel, so we checked which plans add a watermark.
Every tool ranked for clippers: the best AI clipping tools. Every tool side by side, with prices: Clyper vs the other clipping tools. What Clyper costs for the hours you clip: the AI clipping cost calculator.
More on this from Clyper
From people clipping with Clyper
$1,200/mo
“Didn’t touch editing software once. Just dropped links in, posted what it spit out.”
Jordan MackeyFaceless clipper90 sec/clip
“Went from an hour per clip to under 2 minutes. Still can’t believe it.”
Hom NurkilSolo creator9 clients
“Tripled our client load without hiring anyone. Clyper is basically a second team.”
Dan ReyesLowkey Media
Questions
What is the best AI tool for YouTube Shorts?
For making Shorts from long videos, Clyper, and we make it, so weigh that. Paste any public or unlisted YouTube link and it gives up to 30 vertical clips of 20 to 60 seconds, cut to whole sentences, framed on whoever's talking, captioned and scored, with no watermark on any plan. Vizard is the runner-up, 2short.ai is made for Shorts and has a free plan, and CapCut suits people who edit each Short by hand.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to 3 minutes, square or vertical. Most that work run 20 to 60 seconds: one moment, from its hook to its payoff. Every clip Clyper makes runs 20 to 60 seconds.
Can AI turn a YouTube video into Shorts from its link?
Yes. Clyper takes any public or unlisted link, including finished live streams, from 1 minute to 4 hours long. Vizard, 2short.ai, Klap, quso.ai, Reap, WayinVideo, Spikes Studio and Choppity take YouTube links too; OpusClip asks you to confirm the channel is yours, Submagic takes them for Magic Clips, and CapCut works from uploaded files.
How many Shorts can I get from one video?
On Clyper, as many as you choose, up to one for every 2 minutes of video and 30 at most, for the same credits. Post one a day and a single upload fills your week.
What size should a YouTube Short be?
1080 × 1920, a 9:16 video in full HD, which fills a phone's screen on Shorts, TikTok and Reels alike. Clyper's clips download at that size with no watermark.
Can I make Shorts from someone else's video?
Only with permission, like a clipping campaign gives. Otherwise your Shorts can be taken down for copyright.
About this ranking
We make Clyper, and we ranked it first. What this page says about each other tool comes from that tool's own site, checked between October 10, 2026 and October 30, 2026; each comparison lists its sources and prices. Tools change, so check before you buy. The other tools' names and logos are trademarks of their owners, shown to identify their products; Clyper isn't affiliated with them.
Turn your next video into Shorts
Paste a YouTube link. Clyper finds the best moments, crops them to 9:16 on whoever's talking and captions every word: up to 30 Shorts, ready to post.
See plans and pricing
