Best AI Video Tools

AI video tools have split into distinct categories — editing, repurposing, avatar generation, and generative video from scratch. Choosing the right one depends on what you actually need to produce. We compared Descript, Pictory, Synthesia, and Runway ML across real workflows to see which delivers the most practical value.

Descript

Descript treats video editing like document editing. You get a transcript of your footage and you edit the video by editing the text. Delete a sentence from the transcript and the corresponding video clip is removed. This approach makes editing dramatically faster for anyone working with talking-head content, podcasts, interviews, or tutorials. It also includes screen recording, AI-powered filler word removal, and a capable audio editor. The learning curve is minimal compared to traditional video editors.

Pictory

Pictory is built for turning existing content into short video clips. Feed it a blog post or a long-form video and it extracts highlights, adds captions, and produces social-ready clips. It works well for content repurposing workflows where you need to turn one piece of content into several shorter pieces. The output is clean and professional enough for social media. It is less useful if you need to create original video content from scratch or do detailed editing work.

Synthesia

Synthesia generates videos with AI avatars — digital presenters that speak your script in a natural-looking way. This is useful for training videos, internal communications, and product explainers where you need a human presenter but cannot or do not want to film one. The avatar quality has improved significantly and the results look professional. The limitation is that it only solves one specific problem. If you need general video editing or creative video production, Synthesia is not the right tool.

Runway ML

Runway ML is the most technically ambitious tool on this list. It offers generative video features — creating video clips from text prompts or images. The results can be impressive for creative experimentation and short-form visual content. However, the output is still unpredictable enough that it works better for creative exploration than for reliable production workflows. For teams doing experimental creative work, it is worth exploring. For everyday video production needs, it adds complexity without clear practical returns.

Our pick

Descript is our top pick because it solves the most common video production bottleneck: editing takes too long. Its text-based editing approach is genuinely faster than timeline-based tools for most content types. It handles the full workflow from recording to export, the pricing is reasonable, and you do not need video editing experience to use it effectively. For creators and teams who produce video content regularly, Descript removes the most friction from the process.