Comparison guide
AI video editing tools: prices, free plans and billing cycles compared
Quick answers
- Cheapest monthly entry: invideo AI Starter at US$20 per seat per month.
- Biggest annual discount: VEED Creator drops from US$25 monthly to US$10 per month billed annually - a 60% gap.
- Standing free plans: Descript (60 media minutes a month) and Riverside (a one-off 2 hours of recording).
- Watch the seat count: invideo AI and VEED bill per seat, so a team multiplies the figure.
How we compare
Every figure below was read from the official vendor pages linked under Sources; each row shows the date it was last checked. Rows are ordered by monthly-billed entry price, lowest first. This is a price and plan comparison, not a ranking or a recommendation.
| What we compare | What it means |
|---|---|
| Entry price | The cheapest paid plan, monthly-billed in US$ as displayed on the official page. Annual-billed equivalents are labelled, never substituted. |
| Billing unit | Whether the price is per person, per seat or flat, so team costs are not a surprise. |
| Free plan | A standing US$0 plan, a one-time allowance, a time-limited trial, or none. |
| Usage meter | Whether usage is flat, or metered in credits, hours or requests, and whether unused amounts roll over. |
| Checked date | The day the figure was last read on the official page. Prices change; the date is the freshness signal. |
Side by side
| Tool | Entry price | Annual-billed | Billing unit | Free plan | Usage meter | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| invideo AI Prompt-to-video social content with stock footage assembly | US$20/seat/mo (Starter) | US$10/seat/mo (50% off label; may be promotional) | Per seat | Free plan | 400 credits/seat/mo on Starter; no rollover | 27 Oct 2026 |
| Descript Edit video and audio by editing the transcript | US$24/mo (Hobbyist) | US$16/mo | Per person | 60 media min/mo | Media hours + AI credits (10 hrs + 400 on Hobbyist) | 30 Oct 2026 |
| VEED Online editor with AI generation, subtitles and translation | US$25/mo (Creator) | US$10/mo | Per seat | Start for free offer | 500 credits/mo on Creator; reset each period | 27 Oct 2026 |
| Riverside Browser studio for recording podcasts and video | US$29/mo (Pro) | US$24/mo | Flat | 2 hrs one-off | 2,000 AI credits included (period not stated) | 27 Oct 2026 |
The billing cycle changes the price materially
- VEED's annual-billed Creator (US$10 per month) is 60% below its monthly-billed price (US$25) - the largest monthly-to-annual gap in this category.
- Descript's annual view saves a third: Hobbyist US$16 per month billed annually versus US$24 monthly (Creator: US$24 annual versus US$35 monthly; Business: US$50 annual versus US$65 monthly).
- invideo AI's annual figures (US$10, US$30 and US$75 per seat per month) carry "50% off" labels on the page, so they may be promotional; the standing monthly-billed figures are US$20, US$60 and US$135 per seat.
- Riverside's annual discount is gentler: Pro US$24 versus US$29 monthly, Grow US$34 versus US$39, Webinar US$79 versus US$99.
What a plan actually buys
- Descript measures in media hours plus AI credits: Hobbyist 10 hours and 400 credits, Creator 30 hours, 800 credits and 4K, Business 40 hours and 1,500 credits per person.
- invideo AI credits cover generation and creation, not downloads. Unused credits do not roll over, and the vendor notes it may change credit costs without notice.
- VEED credits reset each period and do not roll over. Its monthly and annual credit labels are inconsistent (500 per month versus "6,000" on the annual view).
- Riverside's Pro plan includes 2,000 AI credits; the page does not state the period they cover.
Free tiers
- Descript: a standing free plan with 60 media minutes that renew each month.
- Riverside: a one-off 2 hours of multitrack recording - a starting allowance, not a monthly plan.
- invideo AI lists a free plan; VEED leads with a "Start for free" offer. Neither page states the limits in the view read.
Common questions
What is the cheapest AI video editing tool?
invideo AI Starter at US$20 per seat per month, monthly-billed (checked 27 October 2026). Descript Hobbyist is US$24 monthly, VEED Creator US$25 and Riverside Pro US$29.
Which AI video editors have a free plan?
Descript has a standing free plan (60 media minutes a month). Riverside gives a one-off 2 hours of recording. invideo AI lists a free plan and VEED offers a free start.
Which AI video editors bill per seat?
invideo AI and VEED bill per seat, so team costs multiply. Descript bills per person; Riverside's individual plans are flat.
Do video-editor AI credits roll over?
No. invideo AI and VEED both state that unused credits do not carry over; VEED credits reset each billing period.
Is invideo AI's annual price real?
The annual-billed figures (US$10, US$30 and US$75 per seat per month) carry "50% off" labels on the page, so they may be promotional. The standing monthly-billed prices are US$20, US$60 and US$135 per seat.
Which tool suits podcast recording?
Riverside is built as a browser studio for recording podcasts and video, then turning them into edited clips with AI, from US$29 per month.
Sources
Tools in this guide
Listing a tool is not a recommendation. Browse the full video editing category or compare tools side by side.