Hire a video editor or replace your video editor with a tool?
If you talk to the camera and post short vertical videos often, a tool can take over the mechanical part of the edit: cutting silences, flagging filler words, adding captions. Submagic's plans, for example, cost $19 to $69 a month (read October 29, 2026). Keep a human editor for ads, brand films and long videos, and for any video that needs someone to decide what the story is. Test both on one clip before you commit.
By Quentin, video editor and founder of Rushly AI. Prices read on pages on October 29, 2026.
Four situations, and what usually fits
| Your situation | Likely better fit |
|---|---|
| You are the only person on camera, in short videos, posting several times a week | A tool, or a tool plus a person who reviews |
| You need a plan for the story, the hook or the order of ideas | A person |
| It is an ad, a brand film, a launch video or anything over a few minutes | A person |
| You need music, sound effects or B-roll chosen for you | A person, or a tool that already ships them |
If you cannot place yourself in one row, you probably have a mix. See the hybrid option below.
What a person does that a tool does not
An editor decides. Which sentence opens the video, which story beat to cut, whether the pause before the number should stay, how the piece matches your other videos. They can also tell you that your video needs a different first line. A tool does what it was built to do on the footage you give it.
The mechanical part is where tools help. Vidico, a video production company, lists the extras that raise a human quote: revision rounds beyond the included ones ($50 to $200 or more each), rush delivery (25% to 50% on top) and licensed music ($15 to $500 a track). A subscription has none of those line items, but you do the reviewing.
What each option costs
Exact sources, dates and units are on the page about what a video editor costs. In short, what we read on October 29, 2026:
| Option | What we read |
|---|---|
| Seller listing on Contra | $20 to $50 per short video |
| Editing agency (Tasty Edits) | $80 to $94 per vertical video |
| General guide range (Hirevire) | $30 to $150 per clip |
| Monthly, 12 videos | roughly $200 to $1,500 in the offers we read |
| Automatic tool (Submagic) | $19, $39 or $69 a month for 15, 40 or 100 videos |
Do not compare a $1 tool video with a $50 edited video as if they were the same product. A subscription is fixed whether you make 4 videos or 40, and it covers cuts and captions, not direction. Count your review time on both sides.
Where to find an editor
- Marketplaces and platforms. We read four seller listings on Contra: starting prices of $20 (a TikTok a week), $40 and $50 per video, and $1,500 a month for 12 or more. Upwork and Fiverr refused our automated reading on October 29, so we cannot tell you what they show.
- Agencies and subscriptions. Tasty Edits lists packages from one vertical video to 30. Vidico mentions subscription models above $5,000 a month for production work, which is a different category from a Reel.
- Job boards. We read one OnlineJobs.ph posting for a part-time short-form editor (updated September 4, 2026): $300 to $600 a month, about an hour of editing per video expected.
Whichever route you take:
- Watch videos close to yours, not a polished ad.
- Pay for a test on one short clip before you send ten.
- Write down the price per video, the number of revision rounds and who pays for music before you start.
What to send
A brief saves rounds, and rounds cost money. Send the goal and the platform, the raw clips with the parts to keep marked, a transcript or script for the spelling of names and numbers, your logo, fonts and colors, a reference video, and the name of one person who gives the feedback. These are common sense, not rules from a source. They matter more when each extra revision round can cost $50 to $200.
The hybrid option
You do not have to choose. A tool can make the first cut, captions and zooms of your regular videos, and a person can handle the ones that matter most: a launch, an offer, a video you want to look different. A person can also check a tool's output. This is where Rushly AI fits: it makes the edit of a short video you filmed, and you decide whether a person looks at it afterwards. Rushly AI competes with the tools named above; for a side-by-side with Submagic, see Rushly AI as an alternative to Submagic.
For the tools side, read about the AI video editor category and what animated captions add. If you are curious whether a general chatbot can do the job, we looked at whether ChatGPT or Claude can edit your video.
A 60-minute test before you decide
Pick one raw talking-head clip. Send it to one editor with the same brief you would use for ten videos, and run it through one tool. Write down: the price, the time from sending to getting a usable file, how many fixes you asked for, and how long you spent reviewing. That comparison, on your own footage, is worth more than any price list, including this one.
When Rushly AI is not the right choice
- You need an ad or a brand film. Those need a person who directs.
- Your video has several speakers, or nobody talks to the camera. Rushly AI targets one person talking to the camera.
- You want to cut a long video into many clips. That is a clipping tool's job. Rushly AI has Smart Clips for videos of 8 minutes and more, but it is not built around that.
- You need music, sound effects or B-roll. Rushly AI does not add any.
- You want full control of every cut. A manual editor gives you that. Rushly AI makes the cuts for you, and you review the result.
Sources
Pages read on October 29, 2026:
- Vidico, “Video editor cost” (June 1, 2026): vidico.com/news/video-editor-cost
- Tasty Edits, “How much do video editors cost” (updated September 29, 2026): tastyedits.com/how-much-do-video-editors-cost
- Hirevire, TikTok video editor hiring guide (undated): hirevire.com/hiring-guides/tiktok-video-editor
- Contra seller listings (undated): contra.com/s/2emZQqcl-short-form-video-ads-reels-and-tik-tok; contra.com/s/ob2RE7ME-short-form-video-editing-for-reels-tik-tok-and-shorts; contra.com/s/Zsqk7vRo-tik-tok-or-reels-video-editing; contra.com/s/qsLFcr6L-monthly-short-form-video-editing-12-videos
- OnlineJobs.ph posting, “Short-Form Video Editor” (updated September 4, 2026): onlinejobs.ph/jobseekers/job/1449403
- Submagic, pricing page: submagic.co/pricing
Not read: Upwork and Fiverr returned an access error. We have not tested the tools named on this page on one same video; the comparison above is a price comparison, not a quality test.
Want to see how Rushly AI handles one of your own videos before you hire anyone? Try it with your first video free and compare it with your next quote.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI replace a video editor?
For part of the job, yes. For short videos where you talk to the camera, tools can cut silences, flag filler words, add captions and place zooms, and you review the result. They do not film, choose what the video is about or direct a brand project. Keep a human editor for ads, brand films and long videos.
How much does it cost to hire a video editor for Reels or TikTok?
In the listings and guides we read on Oct 29, 2026, most short vertical videos cost between about $20 and $150 each, and 12 videos a month cost roughly $200 to $1,500 depending on what is included. The sources, dates and unit of every number are on the video editor cost page.
Where can I hire a video editor?
Freelance platforms, seller marketplaces such as Contra, agencies, and job boards. We read listings on Contra and a posting on OnlineJobs.ph. Upwork and Fiverr refused our automated reading, so we cannot tell you what they show today. Whatever the channel, ask for a paid test on a short clip before you hand over ten videos.
When should I keep a human editor?
When the video needs direction: an ad, a brand film, a long video, a video where nobody talks to the camera, or one where the order of ideas is still open. A person can also tell you what to open with and what to cut.
Can I use both an editor and a tool?
Yes, and it is a common middle path: a tool makes the first cut, captions and zooms for your regular videos, and a person handles the few videos that matter most or reviews the tool's output. Compare the total cost, including your review time.
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