PricingShorty Nitro is the new engine behind Auto, Shorty’s default AI video editor. Give it your clips and say what you want, and it makes the finished edit: the cut, captions, music, effects, cutouts, tracking and speed ramps. A typical edit costs $1.38 on Max billed annually, 39% less than our previous model, and the median edit is ready 23% sooner. That makes Shorty the cheapest way we found to get a finished edit from your own footage. It’s on for every plan, today.
Shorty Nitro at a glance:
- $1.38 an edit: a typical edit uses about 594 credits: $1.38 on Max billed annually, $1.75 on Creator billed annually.
- 39% cheaper, 23% faster: than our previous model, on the same requests, with the median edit ready in 17 minutes instead of 22.
- The cheapest finished edit we found: of the AI editors that cut your own raw clips into a finished video, Shorty is the cheapest with a published price. The next one, CenaCut, costs $3.16–3.80 a video, and generating a 30–60 second video on Runway or InVideo costs about $4.50–10.
- Still does the hard stuff: cutouts, tracking, film effects, 3D captions, speed ramps, photo-to-video and voiceovers, from one written request.
- On every plan: Creator included. Every new edit on Auto uses Nitro; there’s nothing to switch on.
What Is Shorty Nitro?
Shorty Nitro is an AI video editing model. It watches the clips and photos you upload, reads your request and an optional reference video, plans the cut shot by shot and renders a finished MP4 with captions, music, sound effects, transitions and effects. You don’t touch a timeline.
It now powers Auto, the director every Shorty edit uses unless you pick another one. Compared with the model Auto used before, a typical edit uses 39% fewer credits and the median edit is ready 23% sooner.
Made With Nitro
Every video here is a finished edit Nitro made from one written request and the clips we gave it, with no manual editing. Turn the sound on.
Mask every window of a building separately, then switch them from day to night one after another.Each window is cut out and switched on its own, in order.
Track the blue sports car, write “SHORTY TRACKING” above it and keep a bracket around the whole car.The label and bracket stay locked to the car as it drives.
Recreate the HAND TRACK template from my footage: a strip held between her hands, with the grade inside it swapping on every move.The strip stays pinned between her hands while the grades swap. HAND TRACK is the second most-clicked template on shortyedit.com.
Copy the style of my Tokyo night vlog reference, but punchier: faster cuts on the beat, speed ramps, whip-pans and zoom punches, a neon grade.Ramps, whips and punches land on the beat.
A 7-second beauty ad from one clip: heavy film grain, flicker, black-and-white bursts and double exposures, ending on the product.Grain, flash frames and double exposures, cut to seven seconds.
Seventeen car-detailing clips cut like a rap video, with “8 Mile” in cursive, glitches and mask transitions.Picked a real hip-hop beat and cut all seventeen clips to it.
Scatter these thirteen photos around a hand-drawn clock, in the same chaotic layout as my reference, with no borders.Made from photos alone, laid out like the reference.
Recreate my reference’s edit with my own footage: copy its rhythm, grade, graphics and sound design, not its content.The reference’s timing, graphics and grade, rebuilt on different footage.
Turn this one drone shot of a blue sports car into a 15-second street-racing movie trailer, with slow motion on the turns and hard ramps back to full speed.One drone shot, cut into a trailer with ramps and a colour flash.
Turn this Tokyo night walk into a 12-second anime opening: katakana titles with English under them, a freeze frame with a name card, glitches on the hits and a neon grade.Katakana titles, a name card and a neon grade, cut to the track.
What an AI Video Edit Costs in 2026: Shorty vs VEED, CapCut, InVideo, Higgsfield and More
Here is what one finished 30–60 second short costs in each popular AI video editor, on its cheapest plan for the job, billed annually where that’s offered. We read every price from the vendor’s own pricing and help pages between 24 and 28 October 2026.
The last two columns are the ones that matter. Shorty makes the whole edit from a folder of your own clips. Some tools are cheaper per video because they do a smaller job: they caption one video you’ve already recorded or clip one long video into shorts. Others generate brand-new footage, which costs more. Hands-on editors are cheap because you make every cut yourself.
| Editor and plan | Price | What you get | Edits your raw clips for you? | Per finished short video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorty Nitro, Max | $139 a month billed annually ($199 monthly) | 60,000 credits a month: about 101 finished edits with captions, music, effects, cutouts, tracking and speed ramps | Yes, the whole edit from your clips and a written request | $1.38 ($1.75 on Creator at $13 a month) |
| CenaCut, Studio | $79 a month; no annual plan | 500 credits, 1 per minute of raw footage | Yes | $3.16–3.80, assuming 20 minutes of footage a video, CenaCut’s own example |
| InVideo AI, Plus | $30 a month billed annually ($60 monthly) | 2,000 credits; generated video billed per second | No: it generates new footage; editing your uploads is hand work on its timeline | About $5–10 for a fully generated 30–60 s video |
| Runway, Pro | $28 a month billed annually ($35 monthly) | 2,250 credits; Gen-4.5 uses 12 a second | No: it generates or transforms footage | About $4.50–9 for 30–60 s of Gen-4.5 |
| Higgsfield, Plus | $47 a month billed annually ($59 monthly) | A monthly credit allowance; Katana edits run through Claude | Mostly generates: Katana remixes your idea into new shots | Not published; generated seconds are billed by the model used |
| Descript, Hobbyist | $16 a month billed annually ($24 monthly) | 10 media hours and 400 AI credits a month | Partly: its Underlord agent edits a recording you upload | Not published; no fixed price per AI action |
| Kapwing, Pro | $16 a month billed annually ($192 a year) | 1,000 credits a month | Partly: its Kai assistant arranges clips into a rough cut | Not published |
| VEED, Creator | From $9 a month billed annually | AI credits for generated video; prices shown in local currency | No: a hands-on editor, you make the cuts | You do the editing |
| CapCut, Pro | Regional pricing; final price shown after sign-in | 1,200 AI credits a month | No: a hands-on editor, you make the cuts | You do the editing (free plan available) |
| Submagic, Starter | $12 a month billed annually ($19 monthly) | 15 videos a month, up to 2 minutes each | No: captions, B-roll and cuts on one video you’ve recorded | $0.80 |
| Captions, Max | $24.99 a month (iOS) | 500 credits; one AI Edit uses 10–40 | Partly: AI Edit polishes a talking-head video | $0.50–2.00 |
| OpusClip, Pro | $14.50 a month billed annually ($29 monthly) | 300 credits, 1 per minute of source video | No: it clips one long video into shorts | About 5¢ per minute of source video |
| Pictory, Starter | $25 a month billed annually | 30 video minutes a month | No: it builds videos from a script or link with stock footage | $0.42–0.83 |
| Freelance editor on Upwork | Per project | One short video edit from an entry- to mid-level freelancer | Yes, by hand | $75–300 |
Sources: Shorty pricing · CenaCut · InVideo AI pricing · Runway pricing · Higgsfield pricing · Higgsfield Katana · Descript pricing · Kapwing pricing · VEED editor FAQ · CapCut pricing · Submagic pricing · Captions pricing · Captions AI usage · OpusClip pricing · Pictory pricing · Upwork short-form video editors.
Why Shorty Comes Out Cheapest
Most AI video tools charge for one of three jobs. Generating new footage is the expensive one: Runway, InVideo AI and Higgsfield bill every generated second, so a 30–60 second video costs about $4.50–10 even on their bigger plans. Polishing one video you’ve already recorded is the cheap one: Submagic, Captions and OpusClip add captions, cut bad takes or clip a long video into shorts for under a dollar.
Shorty does the job in between, the one a human editor does: it takes a folder of your own clips and photos and makes the finished edit, choosing the shots, the order, the music and the effects. Among tools that do that and publish a price, Shorty Nitro is the cheapest we found, at $1.38 an edit on Max and $1.75 on Creator, less than half of CenaCut’s $3.16–3.80. A freelance editor on Upwork charges $75–300 for the same short video.
Shorty also shows the credits an edit will use before you start, charges only what it actually used, and doesn’t charge for an edit that doesn’t finish.
What a Nitro Edit Costs on Each Plan
Here is every plan billed annually, with a typical edit worked out in dollars. Max billed annually is the cheapest way to edit with Shorty: $1.38 for a finished edit. Billed monthly, an edit costs $2.56 on Creator and $1.97 on Max.
| Plan | Billed annually | Credits a month | Edits a month | Per edit | Per change to a finished cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | $13 a month ($156 a year) | 4,400 | About 7 (was 4) | $1.75 (was $2.89) | 22¢ |
| Pro | $34 a month ($408 a year) | 12,600 | About 21 (was 12) | $1.60 (was $2.64) | 20¢ |
| Studio | $69 a month ($828 a year) | 27,600 | About 46 (was 28) | $1.49 (was $2.44) | 19¢ |
| Max | $139 a month ($1,668 a year) | 60,000 | About 101 (was 61) | $1.38 (was $2.26) | 17¢ |
23% Faster Than Our Previous Model
We ran nine real requests through Auto on our previous model and on Nitro, with the same clips and the same brief each time: a talking head with 3D captions, a 17-clip rap edit, a trailer cut from a 27-minute video, a photo collage and more. From upload to finished video, the median edit took 22.4 minutes before and 17.2 minutes with Nitro, 23% less. Nitro was faster on seven of the nine.
The time saved is in the part where the director watches your clips and builds the cut. Rendering takes as long as before. You never have to watch it work: close the page, and the finished video will be waiting in Edits.
The Test, Edit by Edit
Here is every request from the test, with the credits each edit would cost at today’s rates and its minutes from upload to finished video. These requests are heavier than most edits, so they use more credits than a typical one. Across the nine edits both models finished, Nitro used 37% fewer credits in total.
A blind judge watched each pair twice, in swapped order, and picked the better edit; when its two verdicts disagreed we count a tie.
| Request | Credits before | Credits with Nitro | Minutes before | Minutes with Nitro | Judge preferred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian talking head with 3D captions | 3,206 | 1,555 | 23.5 | 18.1 | Nitro |
| Skincare ad with heavy film grain | 1,444 | 1,072 | 12.5 | 18.4 | Tie |
| Fashion capsule from handheld clips | 1,806 | 1,004 | 29.7 | 17.5 | Tie |
| Car-detailing rap edit from 17 clips | 2,650 | 1,500 | 14.6 | 13.4 | Nitro |
| A trailer from a 27-minute video | 2,370 | 1,355 | 31.4 | 28.3 | Before |
| Photo collage around a clock | 1,517 | 1,185 | 11.5 | 14.4 | Before |
| Alps reel cut to its own beat | 1,258 | 762 | 22.4 | 14.4 | Before |
| Tracking label on a moving car | 761 | 489 | 25.5 | 17.2 | Before |
| Windows switching from day to night | 1,692 | 1,567 | 15.7 | 14.3 | Nitro |
| Talking head with typed prompt bars | 2,817 | Didn’t finish, not charged | 42.8 | — | Before |
| Median of the nine both finished | 1,692 | 1,185 (−30%) | 22.4 | 17.2 (−23%) | Nitro 3, before 4, tie 2 |
How Good Is Nitro?
Judge the videos above for yourself: every one is a first edit, straight out of Nitro. In the blind side-by-side, Nitro won or tied five of the nine requests both models finished, while costing 37% less across them. It won the talking head, where it kept the opening line and captioned every sentence; the 17-clip rap edit, where it picked a real hip-hop beat and cut to it; and the window cutouts, where it kept all three scenes of the reference.
The previous model still did better at copying a reference video’s exact style shot for shot, at tucking titles behind a moving subject and at spacing photos evenly. If your edit leans on that, you can still pick GPT 6.1 Sol from the model menu. Edits you started before today, and changes to them, keep the director they started with.
Compare Shorty With Your Editor
Shorty vs VEED
Hands-on editing in VEED, or a finished cut from Shorty.
Shorty vs CapCut
When CapCut’s free timeline is enough, and when it isn’t.
Shorty vs InVideo AI
Generating new footage versus editing yours.
Shorty vs Descript
Transcript editing versus a directed edit from clips.
Every comparison
Shorty next to 30 video editors, with prices and sources.
Plans and pricing
Every plan, the credits it includes and how many edits it makes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shorty Nitro?
Shorty Nitro is the AI video editing model behind Auto, Shorty’s default director. It turns your clips and a written request into a finished edit with captions, music, effects, cutouts, tracking and speed ramps. A typical edit costs $1.38 on Max billed annually, 39% less than our previous model, and the median edit is ready 23% sooner. It’s on for every plan.
What is the cheapest AI video editor in 2026?
It depends on the job. To have your own raw clips edited into a finished video, Shorty Nitro is the cheapest we found with a published price: $1.38 an edit on Max billed annually and $1.75 on Creator, against $3.16–3.80 on CenaCut. Tools that only caption or clip one video you’ve already recorded, like Submagic, Captions and OpusClip, cost less per video. Generating a 30–60 second video on Runway or InVideo AI costs about $4.50–10.
How much does an AI video edit cost with Shorty?
A typical edit made from one clip uses about 594 credits with Nitro: $1.38 on Max billed annually, $1.75 on Creator billed annually and $2.56 on Creator billed monthly. A change to a finished cut uses about 75 credits, 17¢ on Max. Long clips, lots of footage or a reference video add to that. Shorty shows the estimate before you start and charges only what the edit used.
Is Shorty cheaper than VEED?
For a finished edit, yes. VEED is a hands-on editor: plans start at $9 a month billed annually, but you make the cuts yourself, and its AI credits pay for generated video. Shorty makes the whole edit from your clips for $1.38–1.75.
Is Shorty cheaper than CapCut?
CapCut’s free plan costs nothing if you’re happy to edit every clip yourself on its timeline. If you want the edit made for you, Shorty does it from a written request for $1.38–1.75 an edit.
Is Shorty cheaper than InVideo AI?
For editing your own footage, yes. InVideo AI mostly generates new footage, which costs about $5–10 for a 30–60 second video on its Plus plan billed annually; editing your uploads there is done by hand on its timeline. Shorty edits your clips into a finished video for $1.38 on Max billed annually.
How does Shorty compare with Higgsfield on price?
Higgsfield’s Plus plan is $47 a month billed annually, and its Katana edits mostly remix your idea into newly generated shots, which are billed per generated second; Higgsfield doesn’t publish a price per edit. Shorty edits the footage you already have, at $1.38 an edit on Max billed annually.
Is Shorty cheaper than hiring a video editor?
Yes, by a lot. Upwork puts one short video edit from an entry- or mid-level freelancer at $75–300. A Shorty Nitro edit costs $1.38 on Max billed annually and the median edit is ready in about 17 minutes.
Is Nitro’s quality as good as before?
Close, for a lot less. In a blind side-by-side on nine real requests, Nitro won or tied five while using 37% fewer credits; it won the talking head, the 17-clip rap edit and the window cutouts. The previous model was better at copying a reference’s exact style shot for shot, and you can still pick it, GPT 6.1 Sol, from the model menu.
Do I need to switch anything on?
No. Every new edit on Auto uses Nitro, on every plan, Creator included. Edits you started before 28 October 2026, and changes to them, keep the director they started with.
Same plans, more edits, sooner. Go make something.
The Shorty Team
Nitro is already on.
Add your clips, write what you want, and get the finished cut with captions, music and effects, from $1.38 an edit.
Start creating