Best Free and Cheap Opus Clip Alternatives in 2026

Opus Clip is everywhere. It's the default recommendation for AI clipping, and for good reason: the output looks polished, the face tracking works, and the "Virality Score" feature gives you something to obsess over.

But then you look at the pricing. Pro is $29/month for 5 hours of video, and it goes up to $145/month for 25 hours. If you stream 15-20 hours a month like many creators, you're looking at $60-90+ just to process your VODs—before you've even edited or posted anything.

That adds up. And for a lot of creators, especially those just starting out, it's hard to justify $720+ a year on a clipping tool when you're not sure the clips will even perform.

What Opus Clip Actually Does Well

Before we look at alternatives, let's be fair about what you're paying for with Opus Clip:

• AI clip detection. It analyzes your video and finds engaging moments. This is the core feature, and it works.
• Auto-captions. Transcription with styled captions built in. Multiple style options.
• Face tracking. When you crop to vertical, it keeps the speaker centered. Works decently with avatars too.
• Virality Score. A number that predicts how well a clip might perform. Take it with a grain of salt, but it's a useful filter.
• Templates and B-roll. Pre-built styles and stock footage to make clips look more produced.

It's a complete package. If you want an all-in-one solution and money isn't the main concern, Opus Clip delivers.

But here's the thing: most of those features exist to justify the subscription price. The core value—finding the good moments in your video—doesn't require all that overhead.

What You Actually Need vs. What You're Paying For

Let's break down the clipping workflow:

1. Find the moments. This is the hard part. Scrubbing through hours of footage is tedious.
2. Download the clips. Click a button. Easy.
3. Edit for vertical. Crop, reframe, maybe add some motion. CapCut does this for free.
4. Add captions. CapCut auto-captions are pretty good. Free.
5. Post everywhere. Upload to TikTok, Reels, Shorts. Free.

Step 1 is the bottleneck. That's what you should pay to solve. Steps 2-5? You can handle those with free tools, and you probably already have a workflow you like.

Opus Clip charges you for the whole package when you might only need the first piece.

The Alternatives

ClipFinder ($2/hour, pay-as-you-go)

Full disclosure: this is our tool. But here's why we built it and how it compares.

ClipFinder focuses on the hard part: finding clip-worthy moments in long videos. You paste a YouTube or Twitch URL, the AI analyzes it, and you get a list of suggested clips with timestamps and descriptions.

What you get:

• AI clip detection (same core feature as Opus Clip)
• Works with videos up to 10 hours
• Captions included as .srt/.vtt files
• Trim controls to adjust clip boundaries
• 2 free hours per month, then $2/hour

What you don't get:

• Auto-reframing to vertical (use CapCut)
• Styled caption overlays (use CapCut)
• Templates and B-roll (use CapCut)
• Virality scores

The tradeoff is clear: you do more editing yourself, but you pay 60-70% less. For most creators who already edit their clips anyway, this makes sense.

Best for: Creators who want to find moments cheaply and handle editing themselves.

Eklipse (Free tier + $19.99/month premium)

Eklipse started as a gaming clip tool and it's still best for that use case. If you're streaming competitive games, the action detection (kills, wins, clutch plays) is genuinely good.

The free tier gives you 15 clips per month at 720p with a watermark. Premium is $19.99/month (or ~$12.50/month if you pay annually at $149.99/year), which removes the watermark and bumps you to 1080p.

The catch: it's optimized for gaming spikes. If you do Just Chatting, podcasts, or variety content, the AI might miss the moments that matter. It's looking for action, not conversation.

Best for: Competitive gamers who want automated kill detection.

Klap ($29-189/month)

Klap is similar to Opus Clip in features: AI detection, captions, reframing, the whole package. Pricing is also similar, starting at $29/month for 10 videos.

The main differentiator is AI dubbing—it can translate your clips into multiple languages. If you're actually trying to reach international audiences, this is valuable. For most creators, it's a feature they'll never use.

Klap also has stricter video length limits (45 minutes on Basic, up to 3 hours on Pro+), which can be a problem for streamers with longer VODs.

Best for: Creators who need AI dubbing and don't mind paying Opus-level prices.

Manual Clipping (Free)

You can always do it yourself. Watch the VOD, note timestamps, cut clips in CapCut or DaVinci. The software is free. The only cost is your time.

For a 4-hour video, expect 1-2 hours of scrubbing to find the good moments. That's a lot of time, especially if you stream frequently.

Manual clipping makes sense if you stream rarely, enjoy rewatching your content, or have more time than money. For everyone else, even a cheap AI tool will pay for itself in hours saved.

Best for: New creators, infrequent uploaders, or those who enjoy the process.

Feature Comparison

The Real Question: What's Your Time Worth?

Every clipping tool is essentially selling you back your time. The question is how much you're willing to pay.

Let's say you stream 12 hours a month:

• Opus Clip Pro: $29/mo gets you 5 hours. You'd need to buy more credits for the rest. Realistically $40-50/mo.
• ClipFinder: 2 free hours + 10 hours at $2/hr = $20/mo total.
• Eklipse Premium: $19.99/mo (or ~$12.50/mo annual).
• Manual: $0, but 6+ hours of scrubbing time.

The savings between Opus Clip and cheaper alternatives add up to $240-360 per year. That's a new microphone, better lighting, or just money in your pocket.

When Opus Clip Is Actually Worth It

To be fair, there are situations where Opus Clip's premium makes sense:

• You have zero editing skills. If you've never opened CapCut and don't want to learn, the all-in-one output is valuable.
• You need the polish. For professional content where production quality matters, the templates and styling save time.
• You're an agency. Managing multiple clients with brand kits and team permissions? That's what the enterprise tier is for.
• Money isn't the constraint. If you're making enough from content that $30-50/mo is trivial, optimize for convenience.

For everyone else—solo creators, new streamers, anyone watching their budget—the cheaper alternatives do 80% of the work for 30% of the cost.

The Bottom Line

Opus Clip is a good tool with premium pricing. For many creators, that premium isn't justified.

The core problem—finding clip-worthy moments in long videos—can be solved for much less. ClipFinder does it for $2/hour with no subscription. Eklipse has a free tier if you're gaming-focused.

The fancy features (auto-reframe, styled captions, templates) are nice to have, but CapCut offers most of them for free. You're paying a premium for convenience, not capability.

Start with a cheaper tool. See if it finds the moments you need. If you outgrow it and want the full automation, Opus Clip will still be there. But most creators never need to upgrade.

The best clipping tool isn't the most expensive one. It's the one that solves your actual problem without breaking your budget.