# Open-source alternatives to Opus Clip

> We track 13 open-source alternatives to Opus Clip, but none currently has confirmed commercial use, local running and no paid services together. Clips Kitty covers all 5 Opus Clip jobs.

Opus Clip: Paid hosted AI clipping service that turns a long video into short vertical clips, with AI highlight picking, auto-reframe, animated captions, a virality score per clip and social scheduling. Pricing: See pricing page (checked 2026-10-15). Facts checked 2026-10-16.

## Projects

| Project | Jobs | Runs locally | Commercial use | Paid services | Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [OpenShorts](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/openshorts) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions, social-clip-publishing | Yes, self-hosted with Docker Compose; a paid hosted version also exists | Yes for the MIT core; the cloud/ billing folder may not be resold as a hosted service. Licences of bundled models (e.g. ultralytics YOLOv8) not checked | Clipping can run with a local LLM and no paid key; Gemini is the default and is needed for auto-layout and silent videos; posting, dubbing and AI actors use paid APIs | 8GB+ RAM; CPU works (5-8 min per 8-min video); optional NVIDIA GPU, 8GB VRAM enough for large-v3-turbo |
| [AutoClip](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/autoclip) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions, social-clip-publishing | Yes, desktop app, Docker web UI or CLI; cutting and rendering always local | Yes, MIT code; terms of your chosen model providers apply | None required with Ollama / LM Studio and local Whisper; cloud LLM, cloud ASR, AI images and publishing services are optional | Not documented beyond needing extra memory and disk for local models |
| [AI YouTube Shorts Generator](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/ai-youtube-shorts-generator) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, virality-scoring | Local mode runs on your machine except the LLM call; default API mode runs on MuAPI's servers | Yes, MIT code; terms of the LLM API you use apply | A cloud API key is required in both modes (MuAPI in API mode; OpenAI or Gemini in local mode); no local LLM option | Not documented; local faster-whisper runs on CPU or CUDA |
| [SupoClip](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/supoclip) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions, virality-scoring | Yes, self-hosted with Docker Compose; a hosted web and iOS version also exists | Allowed under AGPL-3.0 conditions; offering a modified version over a network means sharing its source | Quick start needs an AssemblyAI key and an LLM key (Ollama allowed); a fully local Whisper + Ollama route is documented in a blog tutorial; Pexels B-roll optional | Not documented |
| [AutoShorts (JayWebtech)](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/autoshorts) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe | Yes, desktop app; fully offline mode with Ollama and local Whisper | No licence granted for the code, so reuse or redistribution is not permitted by default | Not required (Ollama + local Whisper); the recommended setup uses paid Deepgram and DeepSeek or Claude APIs | Not documented; FFmpeg must be on PATH |
| [HotClip](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/hotclip) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions, virality-scoring | Yes, desktop app; transcription, captions, cutting and export are local, and the highlight LLM can be local Ollama | AGPL-3.0 code allows it with conditions; model licences are not stated; meant for your own or authorised content | None required with local Ollama; cloud LLM (the default), ElevenLabs transcription, AI covers and AI music are optional and billed to your key | No GPU needed; local ASR runs on CPU (a local Ollama LLM needs more); RAM not stated |
| [YT Short Clipper](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/yt-short-clipper) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions, social-clip-publishing | Yes, Windows desktop app; the LLM step can be local (Ollama, vLLM) or a cloud API | Yes, MIT code; you must have rights to the YouTube videos you re-cut | Not required with a local Ollama/vLLM model; cloud LLM APIs, the in-app AI wallet and Repliz upload are optional paid extras | Not documented |
| [ViralCutter](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/viralcutter) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions | Yes, local WebUI or CLI; the LLM can be a local GGUF model or a cloud API | GPL-3.0 code allows commercial use with copyleft conditions; licences of the models it uses are not stated | None required; Gemini (free key) or GPT-4 optional, or run fully offline with local GGUF models | NVIDIA GPU with CUDA 12.4+ strongly recommended; exact VRAM and RAM not stated |
| [AutoShorts (gameplay)](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/autoshorts-gameplay) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions | Yes, local Python CLI and dashboard, or Docker with NVIDIA Container Toolkit | Yes, Apache-2.0 code; check the terms of any cloud AI provider you use | Not required (local heuristic mode); Gemini or OpenAI analysis is optional and may cost money | NVIDIA GPU with CUDA and NVENC required; 6 GB+ VRAM and 16 GB RAM recommended for voiceovers |
| [VideoHighlighter](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/videohighlighter) | highlight-clip-selection | Yes, local desktop app; nothing is uploaded | Yes under AGPL-3.0 conditions; a separate commercial licence is available from the copyright holders | None required; a separate paid Pro edition and your own hosted-service keys are optional | CPU works; GPU optional (tested on Intel Arc A750, GTX 1060, Radeon RX 570); RAM not stated; Windows install about 3 GB |
| [BridgeClip](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/bridgeclip) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions, social-clip-publishing | Rendering runs locally; transcription and clip selection go to cloud models via OpenRouter | Yes, MIT code; model use is under your OpenRouter providers' terms | An OpenRouter API key with credit is required; Zernio publishing and Claude/ChatGPT subscriptions for the chat assistant are optional | Not documented |
| [Clips Kitty](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/clips-kitty) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions, virality-scoring, social-clip-publishing | Yes, Windows desktop app with a local LLM; cloud AI and publishing are opt-in | Yes for using it and monetising clips; AGPL applies if you distribute or host a modified copy; Gemma terms apply to the model | None required (local Ollama); cloud LLM or transcription and multi-platform publishing services are optional and paid by you | 16 GB RAM minimum, about 20 GB disk; GPU optional, GPU path from RTX 2060 6 GB (RTX 3060 12 GB recommended) |
| [podcli](https://repoquarry.dev/projects/podcli) | highlight-clip-selection, vertical-auto-reframe, burned-in-captions, social-clip-publishing | Yes, CLI and local web studio; transcription and rendering run on your machine | Yes under AGPL-3.0 conditions; a paid commercial licence is offered without AGPL terms | Not required for transcription and rendering; AI clip scoring uses Claude or Codex; AssemblyAI and podcli Pro are optional | Not documented; hardware encoding on VideoToolbox, NVENC or VAAPI with CPU fallback |

## Common questions

### Is there a free, open-source alternative to Opus Clip?

Yes. Clips Kitty, OpenShorts, HotClip, AutoClip and SupoClip are free to download and run on your own computer without paid API keys. Clips Kitty covers every job we list for Opus Clip; the others cover only part of it, so check which job you need.

### Can I do AI picks highlight clips from a long video locally without an Opus Clip subscription?

Yes, with OpenShorts (MIT), HotClip (AGPL-3.0-only) and VideoHighlighter (AGPL-3.0). Check the hardware notes and licence conditions on each page before you start.

### Can I do auto-reframe to vertical 9:16 (speaker or face tracking) locally without an Opus Clip subscription?

Yes, with OpenShorts (MIT), HotClip (AGPL-3.0-only) and AutoShorts (gameplay) (Apache-2.0). Check the hardware notes and licence conditions on each page before you start.

### Which Opus Clip alternatives can I use commercially?

Confirmed: AI YouTube Shorts Generator, AutoClip, AutoShorts (gameplay), BridgeClip, OpenShorts and YT Short Clipper. With conditions: Clips Kitty, HotClip, podcli, SupoClip, VideoHighlighter and ViralCutter. Not for commercial use: AutoShorts (JayWebtech), usually because the model weights are non-commercial. This is not legal advice; read each licence.

### Does any open-source project replace all of Opus Clip?

Clips Kitty covers every job we list for Opus Clip.

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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/alternatives/opus-clip). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.