Pricing
Shorty is an AI video editor that turns your own clips into a finished short video from a written brief or a video you want to copy. Canva is a design suite with a video editor inside: Magic Video drafts a video from your clips and a prompt, and a multi-track timeline lets you finish it by hand next to your posts, thumbnails and brand kit. There is no single best one. There is a best one per job: Canva when the video is one piece of a branded campaign, when you want to edit by hand, or when you need it free; Shorty for Reels, TikToks and Shorts cut from several clips, especially when you have a reference. Paid plans start at $19 a month on Shorty ($13 billed annually) and $18 on Canva Pro ($12 billed annually), and Canva also has a free plan.
What Is the Difference Between Shorty and Canva?
Shorty starts from the video you want. You add clips or photos, then describe the result or upload a reference, and Shorty plans the cut, picks the shots, adds captions, music and effects, and renders an MP4. You change it by asking: select a title or a moment in the preview and say what should happen.
Canva starts from a design. You open a video design, start from a template or a blank timeline, and build it from your uploads and Canva’s library of stock video, music, graphics and fonts. Magic Video speeds up the start: upload 1 to 10 clips or photos, type a prompt, pick a style, and Canva applies a template, transitions and music. Around that sit Captions, Beat Sync, Highlights, Enhance Voice, a video background remover and AI video clips.
Both reach past their core. Shorty grades color, tracks objects and narrates with an AI voiceover; Canva makes the thumbnail, the carousel and the presentation that go with the video, and keeps them on brand. The difference is where each one is strongest.
This comparison is published by Shorty. Canva’s side comes from its own pricing page, help center and product pages, checked on 28 October 2026. There are no affiliate links.
Shorty and Canva, Feature by Feature
| Task | Shorty | Canva |
|---|---|---|
| Where you start | Your clips or photos, plus a written brief or a reference video to copy | A video design: a template, a blank timeline, or Magic Video from 1 to 10 clips or photos and a prompt |
| Editing by instruction | The brief, then revisions: select a title, object or moment and describe the change | A prompt and a style for Magic Video; after the draft, you edit in the editor |
| Editing by hand | No timeline; changes are made by asking | A multi-track timeline: trim, split, layer clips, text and audio, adjust timing |
| Copying a video’s style | Upload it as a reference: Shorty follows its pacing, shot structure, text and color | No reference video upload described for Magic Video; choose a style, a template or video building blocks |
| Footage | Up to 150 clips or photos and 8 GB per edit, from uploads, Google Drive, Dropbox or a dropped folder; Pixabay stock | Magic Video takes 1 to 10 clips under 10 minutes each; 4.7+ million stock items on Free, 141+ million on Pro; 5 GB storage on Free, 100 GB on Pro |
| Sound | Your own track or suggested music, sound effects, noise reduction and loudness levelling in the edit; AI voiceover and voice changer | Audio library, AI Voice, Beat Sync (manual on Free, automatic on Pro), Enhance Voice and sound effects on Pro |
| Captions | Designed for each edit; SRT or VTT download | Captions with 20+ style packs, edited on the timeline, translated before generating; downloaded as part of the MP4 |
| Generated shots | Bring generated shots in as clips | 8-second video clips with Canva AI (Ultra AI), 5-second Image to Video (Premium AI) |
| Beyond video | Video only: you get an MP4 | Social posts, thumbnails, presentations and more; Brand Kits (1 on Free, 5 on Pro); real-time collaboration |
| Export | MP4 in seven vertical, square and wide formats; write “4K” for a 4K delivery | MP4 up to 1080p and 30 minutes on Free; up to 4K and 2 hours on Pro (4K on desktop) |
| Plans | Creator $19, Pro $49, Studio $99, Max $199 a month; 30% off billed annually | Free; Pro $18 a month ($144 a year); Business $25 a month per person ($250 a year); Enterprise on request |
Sources: Canva pricing (US) · Canva Magic Video · Canva video timeline · Canva captions · Canva video download limits · Canva AI video clips · Shorty pricing.
How Does Editing Work on Each Platform?
On Shorty, you choose how to direct the edit. A brief can be one sentence or a paragraph: the length, the hook, where the product shows up, the captions you want or don’t. A reference is a video you like, uploaded or picked from Discovery, and Shorty rebuilds its rhythm, shot order, text and color with your own footage. You can use both in the same edit.
Shorty then watches every clip, picks the moments, cuts them to the music, reframes them for the format, and adds captions, titles and sound effects. The finished edit opens in a preview. Click the title and write “make it red”, or ask for a darker grade, a shorter hook or more clips, and Shorty makes a new version without starting over.
On Canva, Magic Video gives you a first draft. It fits your clips into a smart template with transitions and music, and makes a 60-second video. Canva’s help page lists its limits plainly: uploads must be under 10 minutes, and auto-framing isn’t supported yet, so some clips may be cropped in ways you don’t expect. From there you work on the timeline: trim and split clips, layer B-roll on an upper track, generate captions and pick a style pack, turn on Beat Sync, and edit text on the canvas.
Canva leaves you in a design you can keep editing by hand and reuse as a template. Shorty hands you a rendered video and keeps the changes in the conversation.
How the Editing Compares
| Criteria | Shorty | Canva |
|---|---|---|
| What the AI works from | Every clip’s pictures and sound, the brief, and the reference if you add one | Your clips, a prompt and a style, matched to a smart template |
| Your first result | A rendered edit with captions, music and effects | A 60-second Magic Video draft in the editor |
| Changing a title or a moment | Select it in the preview and describe the change | Edit it on the canvas or the timeline |
| Vertical framing | Shorty reframes every shot for the format | Choose a vertical design; Magic Video auto-framing isn’t supported yet, so you adjust crops by hand |
| Many videos at once | Batches of 4 to 50 videos, by plan | Bulk design creation on Pro makes versions of a design; a batch of separate edits from different footage isn’t described |
| Main limitation | No timeline for frame-exact trims, masks or keyframes: finish the MP4 in another editor | Magic Video works from templates and up to 10 clips; the story, B-roll placement and timing are yours to set on the timeline |
How Do You Make the Same Video on Each Platform?
The task: a 30-second vertical video for Reels and TikTok, made from your own footage: one three-minute talking-to-camera take and five 20-second B-roll clips of the product, with captions and music. Then one change to the finished video, and a subtitle file.
| Step | Shorty | Canva |
|---|---|---|
| Footage | Drop the six clips in, from your computer, Google Drive or Dropbox | Open a vertical video design, such as an Instagram Reel, and upload the six clips |
| Direction | Write the brief, for example “30 seconds, hook in the first line, B-roll over every product mention”, or upload a reference | Templates → type a prompt, add the clips, pick a style, then Generate a Magic Video draft |
| Length | Set in the brief | Trim the 60-second draft to 30 seconds on the timeline |
| Clean speech | Add “remove the ums” to the brief | Cut the ums by hand on the timeline; Enhance Voice for background noise on Pro |
| Vertical frame | Choose 9:16; Shorty reframes every shot | Check each clip’s crop and adjust it by hand |
| B-roll | Placed from the brief or the reference | Drag the B-roll onto an upper track over the product mentions |
| Captions and music | Arrive with the edit, with sound effects | Text → Captions → pick a style pack → Generate captions; keep the template’s music or pick a track, and Beat Sync it |
| One change | Select the hook title and write “shorter, and in red” | Edit the text on the canvas |
| Subtitle file | Subtitles → Download SRT | Captions download as part of the MP4; a separate SRT or VTT export isn’t described on Canva’s caption help pages |
| Export | MP4; write “4K” for a 4K version | Share → Download → MP4, up to 1080p on Free or 4K on Pro |
Which One Gets There Faster?
Shorty gets from six clips to a finished 30-second edit in fewer steps, because the story, the B-roll placement, the framing and the captions arrive together. Canva gets you a draft quickly too, but Magic Video starts from a template, so turning one long talking take into a tight 30-second story is mostly timeline work. In exchange, every frame stays in your hands, and if the video has to match a set of Canva designs, it is already in the same place. If you like editing and want it free, Canva is the shorter path. If you want the edit done, Shorty is.
Steps are based on each product’s documentation and help pages, checked October 2026.
How Much Does the Same Video Cost?
Shorty charges credits for the AI edit, publishes what an edit uses on average and shows the estimate before you start. Canva charges a plan price; its help page says Magic Video is included with all plans, including Free, and its other AI tools draw on a monthly AI allowance counted in uses, not dollars. So these are the published numbers, not a bill. Plans used for the estimate, monthly billing:
| Criteria | Shorty Creator | Canva Free | Canva Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $19 a month | $0 | $18 a month |
| Allowance | 4,400 credits | Up to 20 uses of Standard or Premium AI tools | Up to 200 uses of Premium AI tools, or up to 20 of Ultra AI tools |
| Cost per unit | ≈$0.0043 a credit | Free | From ≈$0.09 a Premium AI use or ≈$0.90 an Ultra AI use, at the top of the published range |
| Also included | Every editing tool, effect and caption style | Magic Video, AI Voice, 1080p export | Enhance Voice, Highlights, automatic Beat Sync, background remover, 4K export, 141+ million stock items |
One Video, One Change and a Subtitle File
| Step | Shorty Creator | Canva Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Footage, 4 min 40 s | No separate allowance; more footage raises the edit’s credits | Counts toward cloud storage: 5 GB on Free, 100 GB on Pro |
| The edit | About 500 credits on Auto (≈$2.16), or about 100 on GPT 6 Luna (≈$0.43); more with lots of footage or a reference | Magic Video is included with all plans, including Free; the rest is your time on the timeline |
| Clean up the sound | Part of the edit | Enhance Voice, on Pro |
| Captions | Part of the edit | No separate charge listed |
| One change | Uses credits; Shorty shows the estimate before it runs | By hand: no charge |
| Subtitle file | No separate charge listed | Not described; captions come inside the MP4 |
| Total | From ≈$2.16 on Auto or ≈$0.43 on GPT 6 Luna, plus the change | $0 on Free with a 1080p export, or inside Pro’s $18 a month for Enhance Voice and 4K |
A Series of 10 Videos
Most people make more than one. Here is a month of ten videos like this one.
| Criteria | Shorty | Canva |
|---|---|---|
| Media | No separate allowance | About 47 minutes of uploads, inside Free’s 5 GB or Pro’s 100 GB depending on file sizes |
| Edits | About 5,000 credits on Auto: more than Creator’s 4,400, inside Pro’s 12,600 ($49). About 1,000 on GPT 6 Luna, inside Creator | Ten Magic Video drafts, each finished by hand; a monthly cap for Magic Video isn’t published on the pages checked |
| Your time | Review each edit and ask for changes | Trimming, B-roll, framing and captions on every video |
| Plan that fits | Creator on GPT 6 Luna, Pro on Auto | Free if you edit everything by hand at 1080p; Pro for Enhance Voice, automatic Beat Sync, premium stock and 4K |
Sources: Canva pricing (US) · Canva AI usage · Canva Magic Video · Shorty pricing · What a Shorty edit costs.
Retries, Top-Ups and Leftovers
AI edits sometimes take another try, so plan for revisions. On Shorty, a revision uses credits and a failed edit returns its credits. On Canva, a Magic Video that fails can be generated again with the same media, and anything you change by hand costs nothing extra.
Canva’s AI allowance resets every month: on your billing date on paid plans, even when you pay yearly, and on the first of the month on Free. A Pro trial has the same AI allowance as Free. For more, Canva sells AI Pass, a monthly add-on for Pro and Business, and one-time AI top-ups on Business that last 30 days. You can also pause Pro or Business for up to 3 months instead of cancelling. On Shorty, a bigger plan starts the day you switch and its credits are added on top of yours.
Prices were checked on 28 October 2026 on Canva’s US pricing page and help center and on Shorty’s pricing page, at monthly rates before tax. Credit costs that depend on a model’s work are shown in each app before you run them.
Which Should You Choose: Shorty or Canva?
There is no single best choice between Shorty and Canva. There is a best one per job.
| Your main task | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A video plus the posts, thumbnails and slides around it, on brand | Canva | One workspace for every format, Brand Kits and real-time collaboration |
| Editing by hand, on a budget | Canva | A multi-track timeline and Magic Video on the free plan, with 1080p exports |
| Captions in another language | Canva | Translate captions into another language before generating them |
| Reels, TikToks or Shorts from several clips | Shorty | Plans the cut across all your clips and renders it with captions, music and effects |
| Recreating a video you admire with your own footage | Shorty | Upload it as the reference; Shorty follows its pacing, shots, text and color |
| Many short videos every week | Shorty | Batches of 4 to 50 videos; about 44 GPT 6 Luna edits a month on Creator |
Choosing for Your Kind of Video
Campaigns and brands. If the video is one part of a launch, with a carousel, a thumbnail, a story and a deck that all need the same fonts and colors, Canva is the stronger tool. Everything lives in one workspace, your team can comment and edit together, and the video can become a template for the next one.
Short-form from your own clips. If you shoot on your phone and need a Reel, TikTok or Short out of it, Shorty does the part Canva leaves to you: choosing the best moments across many clips, putting B-roll in place, framing every shot for vertical and timing captions and music. You review a finished video instead of building one.
A style you want to copy. If you already know what the video should feel like because you have seen it, upload it to Shorty as the reference. Canva works from templates, styles and building blocks rather than a video to copy.
Switching. Designs don’t move between the two, only rendered video. Moving to Shorty, download a Canva video you liked as an MP4 and upload it as the reference, so your next edit keeps the style. Moving to Canva, upload your clips and start from a template or Magic Video. You can also use both: cut the Reel in Shorty, then bring the MP4 into Canva to sit next to the rest of the campaign.
Go Deeper
Shorty vs Canva: the quick comparison
Workflow, control, output and pricing on one page.
Canva video editor alternatives by editing job
Which editor to pick for each kind of video, and how to switch.
What a Shorty edit costs
Every plan, with the cost of an edit worked out in dollars.
Reference Match 2.0
How Shorty copies the details of a video you love.
Shorty Revisions
Select something in your edit and describe the change.
Shorty pricing
Plans, credits and batch sizes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shorty or Canva better for short-form video?
For short videos cut from several clips, Shorty: it chooses the shots, places B-roll, frames every shot for vertical and adds captions, music and effects, then renders the edit. Canva’s Magic Video gives you a quick template-based draft that you finish on its timeline. If the video is part of a branded campaign, or you want to edit by hand for free, Canva is the better fit.
Do Shorty and Canva have free plans?
Canva does: Canva Free includes Magic Video, 5 GB of storage and MP4 downloads up to 1080p, with up to 20 uses of its Standard or Premium AI tools a month. Shorty doesn’t; its plans start at $19 a month, or $13 a month billed annually, with every editing tool on every plan.
Can I give either tool a video to copy?
In Shorty, yes. Upload it as the reference, or pick one from Discovery, and Shorty follows its pacing, shot structure, text and color with your own footage. Canva’s pages don’t describe uploading a video to copy; you choose a Magic Video style, a template or video building blocks instead.
How much does an AI edit cost on each?
On Shorty Creator, an edit uses about 500 credits on Auto, about $2.16, or about 100 on GPT 6 Luna, about 43 cents, and Shorty shows the estimate before you start. On Canva, Magic Video is included with all plans, including Free, and Canva Pro costs $18 a month with up to 200 uses of its Premium AI tools; the finishing is done by hand.
Can I edit on a timeline in Shorty?
No. Shorty has no timeline, so there are no frame-exact trims, masks or keyframes. You change the edit by selecting a title, object or moment in the preview and describing the change. If you want to move every clip yourself, Canva’s multi-track timeline is built for that.
What happens after I cancel?
On Shorty, you cancel in your Stripe billing settings and the plan stays active until the end of the period you paid for. On Canva, you cancel from Settings → Billing if you subscribed through Canva, or through Apple or Google if you subscribed there, and you can pause Pro or Business for up to 3 months instead.
Design the campaign in Canva, cut the video in Shorty, or use both. Go make something.
The Shorty Team
Bring your clips. Get the finished cut.
Add your footage, describe the video or upload one you like, and Shorty makes the edit, captions and music included.
Start creating