Which free tools turn a long video into short clips?
checked 2026-10-08 4 entries from the Tools Atlas
By Tori, last checked 2026-10-08. Each entry below was read against its own page or licence. The verdicts are written for someone who wants to use a tool in something they sell or publish; a skip is often about a licence or a heavy setup, not about quality.
At a glance
| Name | Licence | Cost | Rules check | Atlas verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenShorts | MIT for the core app (the cloud folder has other terms) | Free software. Some features use paid keys (Gemini, ElevenLabs, fal.ai, Upload-Post); the core clip path runs without them. | Careful, rules apply | Copy the idea, skip the tool |
| OpenClip | MIT | Free software. Needs a model service you already have access to. | Careful, rules apply | Copy the idea, skip the tool |
| SupoClip | AGPL-3.0 | Free software, but it needs a paid AssemblyAI key. | Careful, rules apply | Skip it |
| pyvideotrans | GPL-3.0 (self-described non-commercial) | Free software. | Allowed | Skip it |
One by one
OpenShorts Copy the idea, skip the tool
Turns your own long video into several vertical clips with face tracking and burned-in subtitles. A local model only scores the transcript to find the best moments. The steps worth copying: transcript, scoring in plain text, face-tracked crop, subtitles through ffmpeg. MIT for the core app. It downloads video with yt-dlp and its README has no copyright warning, so allow only footage you own or may reuse, and prefer file upload to pasting a link.
Licence. MIT for the core app (the cloud folder has other terms). Cost. Free software. Some features use paid keys (Gemini, ElevenLabs, fal.ai, Upload-Post); the core clip path runs without them.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
OpenClip Copy the idea, skip the tool
A clipper whose highlight-picking instructions are plain editable files. Three ideas to copy: score twice then combine, let the user steer what counts as a highlight, and add a judge, repair and re-judge pass. MIT, but only 567 stars and no independent testing. It downloads video from links, so own content only.
Licence. MIT. Cost. Free software. Needs a model service you already have access to.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
SupoClip Skip it
An open clipper that is AGPL-3.0, so its source terms would pass on to a product that bundles it, and its README requires a paid AssemblyAI key. The Atlas skips it.
Licence. AGPL-3.0. Cost. Free software, but it needs a paid AssemblyAI key.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
pyvideotrans Skip it
Translates and dubs video. GPL-3.0 and self-described non-commercial, and it bundles the F5-TTS and OmniVoice voices, whose model files are non-commercial. Study it, do not build on it.
Licence. GPL-3.0 (self-described non-commercial). Cost. Free software.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
Rules that apply to every clipper
Cut only footage you own or are licensed to reuse. Several of these tools download video from a link; that does not make the video yours.
If you ship a tool to others, an AGPL or GPL licence can reach your own code. That is why the Atlas favours copying the method over bundling the program.
Questions
Is SupoClip free?
The software is free under AGPL-3.0, but its README requires a paid AssemblyAI key.
Can I clip someone else's YouTube video?
Only if you own it or have the right to reuse it. A tool being able to download a video does not give you that right.
Which clipper licence is easiest?
OpenShorts and OpenClip are MIT. SupoClip is AGPL-3.0 and pyvideotrans is GPL-3.0.
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