Submagic alternative for talking-head videos
Choose Submagic if you want a short-form toolkit that goes past captions: B-roll, music, sound effects, AI avatars, scheduled posting and clips cut from long videos. Choose Rushly AI if you have one raw take of yourself talking to the camera and want it cut, captioned and zoomed in one pass, ready to post as a 9:16 MP4. Rushly AI is a competitor of Submagic, and Submagic's own pages say it removes bad takes too.
By Quentin, video editor, founder of Rushly AI. Rushly AI competes with Submagic. Prices and features read on November 3, 2026.
Submagic in brief
| What we read | |
|---|---|
| What it is | An AI video editor for short-form content: captions, cuts, B-roll, music, posting. It works from the transcript (Submagic home page). |
| Plans | Starter $19 a month; Pro $39; Business $69; custom on quote. Billed yearly: $12, $23, $41 a month. The same numbers appear in euros for EU customers (pricing page). |
| Credits | 45, 120 and 300 credits for about 15, 40 and 100 videos. Premium features (captions, B-roll, Magic Clips) use them; extra packs can be bought. How long credits last: not found. |
| Video length | 2 minutes on Starter, 5 on Pro, 30 on Business. |
| Export | 1080p at 30 fps on Starter and Pro (the comparison table also says 2K on Pro, which contradicts the plan card); 4K at 60 fps on Business. |
| Free | No permanent free plan. A free trial, no credit card; length and limits not stated. |
| Watermark | None listed on paid plans. For the trial: not found. |
| Languages | Captions in 120 to 123 languages depending on the page (pricing page: 120; home page: 123). Languages for the cuts: not stated. |
| Limits | Per-video length caps; usage counted in credits; cuts driven by the transcript; the pages do not explain how zooms are chosen. |
How Submagic's credits and trial work
Submagic counts usage in credits, not in minutes. According to its pricing page, premium features such as captions, B-roll and Magic Clips use credits, and you can buy extra packs at any time. The page gives each plan an approximate number of videos, but the number of credits a given video uses depends on the features you switch on.
We did not find, on the official pages we read, how long unused credits last or what happens to them when you cancel. We also did not find the length or limits of the free trial. If either matters to you, ask Submagic's support before you pay. The pricing page also contains small inconsistencies (for example in its API minutes), so read it the day you decide.
If you want this, choose that
| If you want… | Choose… |
|---|---|
| B-roll, music, sound effects and AI avatars on top of captions | Submagic |
| Clips cut from a long video | Submagic (Magic Clips) or a clipping tool, see Rushly AI as an alternative to Opus Clip |
| A raw talking-head take cut, captioned and zoomed for you, with the voice cleaned | Rushly AI |
| A full editor with a timeline | CapCut, see Rushly AI as an alternative to CapCut |
| Editing by transcript with a team | Descript, VEED or Kapwing, see the comparison |
Submagic and Rushly AI on a talking-head video
| Submagic | Rushly AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Silences and long pauses | Listed on all paid plans (pricing page) | Cut as part of the edit (remove silences) |
| Bad or repeated takes | "Remove bad takes" listed on all paid plans (pricing page) | Cut; an idea said only once is never cut |
| Captions | 120 to 123 languages claimed, many styles (home and pricing pages) | Animated word-by-word captions in a style you pick (animated captions); edits in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese |
| Zooms | "AI Auto zooms" listed on the Pro plan card; how it works is not explained | Placed as part of the edit |
| Voice and sound | "Clean audio" listed | Voice cleanup, and the exported sound brought to -14 LUFS |
| B-roll, music, effects | Listed | Not included |
| Video length | 2, 5 or 30 minutes by plan | Raw footage up to 7, 20 or 60 minutes by plan |
| Price | $19, $39, $69 a month | Solo $24, Creator $49, Pro $99, $189 or $349 a month; 30% off billed annually. Prices shown on the home page on November 3, 2026 |
| Free | Trial, details not stated | First video free, no credit card, with a watermark; paid plans remove it |
Each Submagic row comes from the pages listed under Sources. We did not test Submagic's cuts, zooms or captions.
When Submagic is the right choice
- You want more than a cut and captions. Submagic lists B-roll, music, sound effects, AI avatars, transitions and hook titles. Rushly AI has none of these.
- You post to several networks on a schedule. Submagic lists scheduled publishing to TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and three publishing profiles per network on Business.
- You turn long videos into clips. Submagic lists Magic Clips for any video length. Rushly AI has Smart Clips for videos of 8 minutes and more, but it is not built around clipping.
- You need 4K. Submagic's Business plan exports up to 4K at 60 fps. Rushly AI exports 1080×1920.
- You work with a team, an API or captions in many languages. Submagic lists all three.
When Rushly AI is the right choice
- Your video is one person talking to the camera, filmed vertically, as an MP4 or MOV.
- You want the whole edit in one pass: silences, filler words and failed or repeated takes cut, animated captions, zooms, a cleaned voice and a standard sound level.
- Your raw footage is long. Compare the caps before you pay: Submagic's per-video limits run from 2 to 30 minutes by plan, and Rushly AI's raw-footage limits run from 7 minutes on Solo to 20 on Creator and 1 hour on Pro.
Rushly AI's limits: it works in the browser only (a mobile version is planned), adds no B-roll, music or sound effects, exports only 1080×1920, and is built for a raw take rather than as an editor with a timeline. The ready-to-post MP4 is yours to publish where you want; we do not promise direct posting.
Cancel or switch
- Submagic: cancel from your profile, My Account, then the Stripe portal. A pause is offered in the same help article. Fees are described as non-refundable in the help center and the terms, with a 14-day consumer withdrawal right in the terms (section 12).
- Credits left: we did not find what happens to Submagic credits on cancellation.
- Rushly AI: you cancel in one click from your account.
The full table for Submagic and six other tools is in how to cancel an AI video editor subscription.
Sources
Pages read on November 3, 2026:
- Submagic, home page: submagic.co
- Submagic, pricing: submagic.co/pricing
- Submagic help center, how to cancel your plan: care.submagic.co/en/article/how-do-i-cancel-my-plan-uxq6z9/
- Submagic help center, refund policy (updated December 15, 2023): care.submagic.co/en/article/do-you-have-a-refund-policy-1mlsrxg/
- Submagic, terms of use, section 12: submagic.co/terms-of-use
- Rushly AI: prices and features as shown on the home page on November 3, 2026.
Want to see what Rushly AI does with your talking-head video? Upload it and pick a style: your first video is free, with no credit card.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Submagic cost?
On its pricing page, read on November 3, 2026: Starter $19 a month ($12 a month billed yearly), Pro $39 ($23 billed yearly) and Business $69 ($41 billed yearly), plus a custom plan on quote. Submagic says yearly billing is up to 41% cheaper. The page shows the same numbers in euros for customers in the EU.
Is there a free Submagic plan?
We did not find a permanent free plan. The pricing page offers a free trial with no credit card. It does not state the trial's length or limits, and we did not find whether trial exports carry a watermark. A help page mentioning three short videos is not an official statement, so we do not rely on it.
How long can a Submagic video be?
The pricing page limits each video to 2 minutes on Starter, 5 minutes on Pro and 30 minutes on Business. Quotas are counted in credits: 45 credits (about 15 videos) on Starter, 120 (about 40) on Pro and 300 (about 100) on Business, according to the page. Rushly AI accepts raw footage up to 7 minutes on Solo, 20 on Creator and 1 hour on Pro.
Does Submagic remove bad takes and silences?
Yes, according to its pricing page: all paid plans list removal of bad takes and long silences, which the page defines as automatically cutting mistakes and long pauses. Rushly AI also cuts failed and repeated takes, with one rule: it never cuts an idea you said only once. We did not test Submagic's cuts.
Can I get a refund from Submagic?
Submagic's help center and its terms of use (section 12) say monthly and yearly fees are not refundable. The same section gives consumers a 14-day right of withdrawal from the date of subscription, unless the service has been fully performed before the end of that period with the consumer's prior express consent. Do not read that as a refund within 14 days: it depends on how much you used the service.
How do I cancel Submagic?
According to Submagic's help center: click your profile, open My Account, choose Go to Stripe Portal, then Cancel Subscription and follow the Stripe steps. The same article says you can pause for a few months instead. Our full table for Submagic and six other tools is in the page on cancelling an AI video editor subscription.
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