What Is Submagic? Captions and Clips for Short-Form Video

The short answer: Submagic does one job: it turns talking-head footage into captioned short-form video, with AI that writes the captions, removes silences, adds b-roll and zooms, and finds the moments worth clipping (homepage). A founder or marketing lead posting several shorts a week from podcasts and interviews fits it, and Pro at $39 per member a month on monthly billing takes 40 videos of up to 5 minutes each (pricing page, checked on 26 October 2026).

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Before you choose a plan:

1. The length cap picks the tier. Each upload may run 2 minutes on Starter, 5 on Pro and 30 on Business, up to 3,000 MB a file (length limits article). For example, a 25-minute podcast episode goes in whole only on Business at $69 a month, or through Magic Clips, a $19 monthly add-on with 10 uploads (cost article).
2. Feed it what you already record. Magic Clips takes a YouTube link, a file or a public Google Drive link and returns 20+ clips, each with a transcript and a virality score (Magic Clips guide).
3. Read the results where they land. Pro adds publishing and analytics for social accounts, and the API returns publishing and profile stats (API docs).

What Submagic does

Upload a short video or a link, set the language and the number of speakers, and captions appear in about 40 seconds in a template you can restyle word by word. From there it generates a hook title, cleans the audio, corrects eye contact, adds b-roll, transitions and zooms, and trims silences and bad takes (step-by-step guide). Magic Clips cuts long videos into shorts. Brand kits hold logos and colours, presets save a look, and videos can be scheduled to TikTok, Reels and Shorts. An API and an MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other clients share the same credits (MCP server docs).

Who it suits, and who it does not

It suits a solo founder, an agency running clients' channels, or a social team turning long recordings into weekly shorts. It suits less any edit longer than 30 minutes, a multi-camera timeline, or a training video: Submagic's tools are caption templates and presets, not tracks.

Prices on 26 October 2026

USD per member, from the Submagic pricing page.

API minutes come with the plan, 10 a month on Starter and Pro and 100 on Business, and extra packs start at $57 a month for 250. The free trial lets you upload 3 short videos, and downloads without a watermark need a subscription (trial article).

The plan cards translate credits into a count of videos, "= 15 videos", because a count sells volume. The number that binds a podcast team is the length cap.

How it compares

CapCut. CapCut is a general editor, online and as a download, with Pro listed at USD 19.99 a month and 1,200 AI credits; it notes prices are a reference until you sign in. Occasional captions inside wider editing favour CapCut.

Captions. Captions is phone-first: Max is $24.99 a month for 500 credits and turns a long video into a batch of clips, with prices quoted for iOS. Editing on a phone favours Captions.

Descript. Descript edits video by editing a document, with Hobbyist at $24 per person a month on monthly billing for 10 media hours. When the full episode needs editing before any short is cut, Descript comes first.

Getting started

How to use Submagic takes a podcast episode through Magic Clips, captions and brand kit to export, then shows the MCP route where a person corrects the transcript before anything renders.

FAQ

Is Magic Clips included in the plans?

No. It is an add-on subscription, $19 a month for 10 video uploads according to the cost article, activated from My Account.

How are API minutes counted?

By video length, rounded up: 1 credit covers up to a minute, so 61 seconds costs 2 (API credits article).

Can I reuse a style across projects?

Yes. Save Preset sits in the Export window and carries the theme, audio, logo and b-roll to the next project (preset article).