If you work on the internet, a solid video presence is no longer optional. A tightly edited video is the perfect calling card to build your network, expand your social presence, or perhaps, score more business.
Unlike traditional video editors rooted in established workflows, online video editors are pushing the envelope in terms of ease of use, the addition of AI-based tools for productivity, quicker edits, and more without needing a powerful PC to boot.
I’ve spent the last week testing out some of the best online video editing tools. In this list, we pick the best online video editors for you.
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1. Veed.io
Veed.io’s thoughtfully designed interface might initially look simplistic, but a quick poke around reveals a full-featured video editor. Since I was putting together an Instagram reel, I instantly jumped to the timeline view, making it a breeze to position multiple layers of shots.
Essentials like the Split function or the ability to trim videos are right there, and so are more advanced tools. The online video editor makes it extremely easy to adjust video options like color, brightness, and more. You can even use filters to add a stylized look to your footage.
While a Pro tier is available for those who want AI-enhanced additions like removing backgrounds or adjusting eye contact, I found the sheer depth of features it offers to free users was more than enough to generate a high-quality video.
Now, a great video is only as good as the audio accompanying it. And that’s where Veed.io’s incredible audio tools left me impressed. Recording a voiceover straight to the timeline is covered, of course. But the app goes a step further with the ability to clone your voice.
In my testing, the AI-cloned voice managed to replicate my intonation and cadence of speech very well, though it lacked the pizzazz that only comes with human narration. However, the tool can come in handy if you need to spit out a couple of videos in a rush.
There’s a standard text-to-speech function, too, that can use existing personas to help you speed up the video narration process. Finally, I loved the fact that Veed.io includes a wide selection of copyright-free music to use as a background track. I found the perfect lo-fi beat for my Instagram reel in the library, and didn’t need to hunt around a third-party stock audio platform.
2. Descript
Descript is laser-focused on podcasts and audiograms. The entire interface is geared towards text-based editing, and you won’t find the usual timeline views here.
Once you upload your video to the platform, the text-based editor automatically generates a video script. Clipping out content is as simple as deleting sentences. Plus, it can detect multiple hosts on a single video timeline to assign name labels.
This makes editing podcasts incredibly quick and easy.
Similarly, the video editor’s template selection is geared towards multi-cam videos, audiograms, captions, and slides. These templates can be further customized using stock footage, photos, GIFs, and audio files.
While Descript has a limited selection of animations and progress indicators, the designs are elegant and feel premium. The tool also presents granular controls over these animations to tweak them to your personal style.
Finally, a screen recording option is also provided, though you’ll have to download the accompanying desktop app to use it.
Descript’s free plan gives you an hour of transcription and a single video export, which should be enough for you to experiment with. However, you’ll have to upgrade to one of several premium plans for full functionality.
3. Simplified
As an early adopter of new technologies, I’m excited about the possibilities of including AI-based tools in my workflow. Simplified promises just that with its plethora of AI-based tools that promise to make creating a video as simple as entering a prompt.
Much more than an online video editor, Simplified combines several tools like an AI-script generator, design tool, and video editor into a single interface. With my video idea in place, I decided to give the AI editor a shot.
Simplified makes it, well, simple to type in a script and generate a video. But that’s where the simplicity ends. While the AI could get the broad strokes right, the generated video was little more than a mish-mash of generic stock footage and didn’t do a good job of stitching together a comprehensive storyline.
After multiple attempts at AI-based video generation, I was ready to switch over to the more traditional editor. The app provides a pretty straightforward timeline view that makes it convenient to trim clips, adjust colors, saturation, exposure, and more.
Some of the design choices, like requiring multiple clicks to access commonly used tools, aren’t entirely conducive to rapid edits. However, by and large, Simplified is pretty easy to get started with.
The tool stands out in the extensive amount of animations and transitions it offers to blend clips. From overlays and filters to dozens of entry and exit animations that can be further customized, Simplified really helps dial in a high level of polish.
Like Veed.io, Simplified also sources a wide selection of copyright-free music and video clips from Storyblocks, Pexels, and Pixabay, making it a cinch to combine original footage and B-roll to better support the storyline.
Another stand-out feature here is the ability to convert long-form video into an Instagram-ready highlight reel using AI. This worked astoundingly well in practice, with Simplified offering multiple cuts and a virality score indicating which versions are best suited for posting online. Moreover, you can go back into the edit panel and further tweak the AI-generated clips to your liking.
Overall, even in its free avatar, Simplified is more than adequate as an online video editor, and comes right behind Veed.io in terms of ease of use.
4. Clipchamp
Microsoft’s Clipchamp is a surprisingly capable online video editor that subtly infuses AI flourishes into the video editing process.
Clipchamp stands out from the alternatives thanks to its generous feature set, most of which can be accessed for free. I wanted to see the AI editor in action, so that’s the first feature I tried. The resulting video is pretty underwhelming and didn’t take any context from the script, making it useless for editing informative podcasts or social videos.
I wasn’t a massive fan of the templates, either. Sure, Clipchamp includes a large variety, but all the templates give off a generic look and feel.
But if you’re willing to get down and dirty with edits, Clipchamp’s timeline-based editor is a perfect place to start. The tool keeps the look and feel similar to traditional desktop-based video editors, making it easy for anyone to get started.
All the most common features and settings, like trimming, split clips, adding filters, effects, and even speed ramps, are represented here.
Clipchamp’s library of stock footage and audio clips is also excellent, though some of the best clips are locked behind a paywall.
Another feature that makes Clipchamp stand out is its ability to simultaneously capture your screen and camera. Rare among online video editors, it’s an excellent option for users who want to publish screencasts. It can also come in handy for recording video podcasts while showing off your screen.
It’s not all perfect, though. Clipchamp’s subtitling feature needs a lot of work. While the editor can generate captions on the fly, there are no options to adjust the style, font, or animations to make the video more social media-friendly.
Clipchamp is an excellent choice because of its ease of use and fleshed-out timeline-based editing features. The free option will suffice for most users, and unless you need premium stock footage or 4K exports, you’ll find no need to upgrade. Shame about the lack-luster subtitling feature, though.
Tips for Editing Video Online
The backbone of a great video is an excellent throughline. Once you are done scripting, having a basic storyboard in mind is an excellent idea. Not only does this help you arrange your video script on a timeline, but it can also help visualize shots and catch aspects that might not translate well to the final clip.
Milanote, Visme, and StoryboardThat are all great options that include enough tools, even in their free versions, to get you started. You might also want to check out our list of the best screenwriting software to help you prepare scripts.
Another great idea is to shortlist a few backing tracks. I tend to pick out one right at the beginning of the editing process as it helps me set the cadence of the video.
While most of the video editors on our list include a selection of royalty-free audio, there are several other resources online. One of my favorites is FreeToUse.com, which includes a robust and frequently updated selection of background music. Better yet, the files are arranged by genre and mood, making it easier than ever to pick out the perfect soundtrack for your video.
Finally, while most online video editors lock 4K exports behind a paywall, it’s worth keeping in mind that you might not even need it. A Full HD or 1080p export is more than sufficient if your primary platform is social media. Instagram Reels, for example, top off at Full HD and do not benefit from the higher resolution uploads.
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