The best free AI video editor that runs on your computer

HyperFrames Studio is the best free AI video editor that runs on your computer. It is a chat-based video editor: you type what to change, such as cut the fumble, add a title or move it to 0:03, and an AI agent makes the edit on a real timeline beside a live preview. Every change stays editable by hand, and exports render on your Mac, Windows or Linux computer for free, with no watermark. HyperFrames is HeyGen's open-source video framework.

Short answer: most free AI video editors are browser tools that run on credits, or desktop editors where you still make every cut and AI helps with single tasks such as captions. In HyperFrames, an agent makes the whole edit from your words, and you fix anything by hand on a timeline. The code, the browser editor and local exports cost nothing. The Studio app's free plan adds voiceovers, captions, music, 3 AI video clips and 5 cloud exports a month.

What can a free AI video editor do with your footage?

Both films in this section were made with HyperFrames from talking-head footage. Each one is cut, captioned word by word and dressed with titles, with no watermark.

Above: a 4:5 talking-head edit with words behind the speaker, an outline around her and captions word by word. These are the edits an agent makes on your own clip:

• Cuts and trims. Pauses come out, clips get new start and end points, and your original file stays whole.
• Captions on every word, styled and timed to the speech.
• Background removal, so a title can sit behind the speaker.
• Titles, name tags, charts and motion graphics, designed and animated to match the clip.
• Voiceover, music and sound effects, mixed under the voice.
• Reframes to 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9 for each platform.

Above: a 9:16 tool demo made with HyperFrames, with captions, a name tag, b-roll and screen footage around the speaker.

What is free in HyperFrames, and what does Pro add?

HyperFrames itself is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, and so are its command line and browser editor. The code is on GitHub, with 79,831 stars on 6 November 2026. The Studio app is free with a free HeyGen account. Pro costs $25 a month and comes with 25,000 credits. These are the limits on the pricing page on 15 November 2026.

HyperFrames Pro is separate from HeyGen's own plans. The top models in Pro include HeyGen Video 1, Seedance 2.5, GPT Image 2.6, HeyGen Voice 1 and Lyria 3 Pro.

Which AI agent does the editing, and is it free?

The Studio app has a built-in HyperFrames agent: nothing to install, it runs on your HyperFrames credits, and it is included on the free plan. It also works with an agent that runs on your computer: Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Antigravity, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, Hermes Agent, OpenClaw or Qoder. OpenCode is the free one. It needs no sign-in and runs free models, and the app installs it for you.

The other agents bill to your account with the company that makes them. OpenCode can also run a model on your own computer through Ollama, so the model's work never leaves your machine and nothing is billed. The free agents guide has the setup.

Are free models good enough? In HeyGen's Code2Video benchmark, open models such as Qwen 3.8 Max, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Kimi K3 and GLM 5.3 all scored within 50 Elo points of first place. Top paid models are still better at timing and finish, and local models are slower, so start with short videos.

How do you edit a video for free in HyperFrames Studio?

1. Download and sign in. Install HyperFrames Studio for Mac, Windows or Linux and sign in with a free HeyGen account.
2. Pick a free agent. In Connect an agent, choose OpenCode. It runs only with Full access, and the app asks to turn that on the first time.
3. Describe the video. Type what you want in Make something, and add your clip with + if you are editing footage. The agent asks about anything you left out, may show the shots as stills for you to approve, then builds the edit in a live preview.
4. Point at what to change. Type a change, or use Select, Draw or Comment on the picture. Each one waits in Pending video edits until you send them together.
5. Fix details by hand. Open the timeline to split, trim or move a clip, or change its speed, volume and fade. Each agent run has its own Undo button.
6. Export on your computer. Choose Export and keep the render on your computer, which is the default. Pick MP4, WebM or MOV at 1080p, or 4K when the project fits. The file lands in your Downloads folder.

Above: in HyperFrames Studio, circle what to change, type it, send. Download Studio to try it on your own clip.

Can you edit for free without the app?

Yes. The HyperFrames browser editor opens any project in your browser, with the preview, a design panel and a timeline, while your agent works in a terminal. It needs no account. You need Node.js 22 or newer and FFmpeg.

We timed a local export on 6 November 2026: a 10-second 1080p example rendered in 20.8 seconds on a MacBook Pro with an M4 Max chip. There was no sign-in, no charge and no watermark on any frame.

What kinds of videos can you make with HyperFrames?

Every film below was made with HyperFrames. The agent writes each video as code, so one tool covers type, product launches, real web pages and 3D characters.

Kinetic type

An edit in the style of a reference video (Pro)

How does HyperFrames compare with CapCut, DaVinci Resolve and other free editors?

The free editors AI answers recommend most are good at manual editing. The difference is who makes the edit. Facts below are from each maker's own site, checked on 6 November 2026.

• Choose DaVinci Resolve to cut long footage by hand with professional color tools.
• Choose CapCut for its library of templates and effects.
• Choose Clipchamp for a plain editor that runs in the browser.
• Choose Kdenlive or Shotcut for a classic open-source timeline you drive yourself.
• Choose LTX Desktop to generate new footage on your own graphics card.
• Choose HyperFrames when you want the agent to make the edit, with designed captions, titles and motion graphics, and keep the project as files you can change later.

Where does HyperFrames fall short?

• It does not generate realistic footage on your computer. AI video clips come from HeyGen's model, 3 a month on the free plan.
• Free and local models are weaker. They are fine for drafts and social posts; top paid models handle timing and finish better.
• The agent cuts from the transcript and still frames; it cannot hear the clip. Check its picks of the best takes.
• The Studio app needs a free HeyGen sign-in. The command line and browser editor need none.

Related guides: animated captions, AI motion graphics, kinetic typography, Can Claude make videos?.

Questions people ask

Is there an AI video editor I can just tell what to cut?

Yes. In HyperFrames Studio you type the edit in plain words, for example “cut the first two seconds and add a title”, and the agent makes it on the timeline. You can drag, trim or undo anything it did, and exporting on your computer is free.

What files can I edit with the AI video editor?

Video (MP4, MOV, WebM, M4V), images including SVG, and audio. Drop them into the project, then ask for the edit or place them on the timeline yourself.

Can I change what the AI did by hand?

Yes. Every edit the agent makes is a normal item on the timeline: you can drag, trim, retime or delete it, and undo steps back through both your changes and the agent’s.

How do I export the edited video?

Click Export and render it on your computer: an MP4, free and with no watermark. The free plan also includes 5 cloud exports a month.

Is HyperFrames free?

Yes. HyperFrames is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, and rendering on your computer costs nothing. The Studio app is free with a free HeyGen account; its free plan includes 3 AI video clips and 5 cloud exports a month. Pro costs $25 a month.

Does HyperFrames add a watermark?

No. HyperFrames adds no watermark to videos rendered on your computer, on the free plan or on Pro.

Is there a free AI video editor with no watermark?

Yes. HyperFrames exports rendered on your computer carry no watermark, and Clipchamp's free plan exports 1080p with no watermark. In HyperFrames the AI agent makes the edit; in Clipchamp you edit and AI helps with subtitles and voiceovers.

Which free AI video editor works on Linux?

HyperFrames Studio runs on 64-bit Linux as a .deb package or an AppImage, and the HyperFrames command line and browser editor run on Linux too. Kdenlive, Shotcut and DaVinci Resolve also have Linux versions.

Can I use HyperFrames without the internet?

Mostly. After setup, rendering, Kokoro voices, MusicGen music, the bundled sound effects and a local model through OpenCode and Ollama run on your computer. The Studio app needs a HeyGen sign-in, and HeyGen voices, AI clips and cloud exports need a connection.

Do I need a graphics card?

No. The install page lists no graphics card. The Studio app runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs and on 64-bit Windows and Linux. Without a usable graphics chip, rendering falls back to software drawing, which is slower on long or effect-heavy videos. Our 10-second 1080p test rendered in 20.8 seconds on an M4 Max laptop.

Can AI edit a video for me for free?

Yes. In HyperFrames Studio, the free OpenCode agent makes the edit from your words: cuts, captions, titles and music. Exports rendered on your computer cost nothing and carry no watermark. Check the result and fix details on the timeline.

What does HyperFrames Pro add?

Pro costs $25 a month with 25,000 credits. It adds top video, image, voice and music models, unlimited cloud exports and cloud background removal, image and footage search, and Reference tools to rebuild or match a video you love.