How Much Does Short Video Editing Cost? DIY, a Freelance Editor or Automatic Editing
An honest look at the time and money it takes to edit Reels, Shorts and YouTube videos from your own clips — three options, what each costs and when to choose which.
You filmed a trip, an event or a property and want to post it on Reels, Shorts and YouTube. The first question: what will it cost, in money or in your own time? Here are three options, without marketing promises and with numbers you can check.
Option 1. Edit it yourself
In money it is close to free: there are free editors for phones and computers. You pay with your time.
Editors themselves give a rule of thumb: a vlog-style YouTube video takes about an hour of editing per minute of finished video — that is the estimate given, for example, by the editing service Veedyou. Beginners take longer. So a minute-and-a-half YouTube video plus a separate vertical short can easily take an evening.
How to work it out for yourself: remember how many hours your last edited video took and multiply by what an hour of your time is worth. If you post regularly, multiply again by the number of videos a month. That number is usually what sends people looking for another way.
Good fit when: you enjoy editing, you post rarely, and you want control over every cut.
Option 2. Hire an editor
An editor saves your time and does what no automation can: a storyline, voice-over, graphics, brand-specific changes.
Prices depend heavily on experience. According to the same Veedyou article, editors' hourly rates range from 20–45 USD per hour for beginners to 60–120 USD per hour for experienced ones. With "an hour per finished minute", a 90-second horizontal video already costs several tens of dollars with a beginner, and the vertical version and covers are extra work. Add the time spent briefing, reviewing and waiting.
Good fit when: it is a commercial video, an ad, or a scripted piece with voice-over where a unique result matters.
Option 3. Automatic editing
The third way is to hand your raw clips to an algorithm that picks the strongest moments and assembles finished videos. That is how NICS Video works: you upload clips and, a few minutes later for a small folder, get a package of six files — a vertical video of about 30 seconds, a horizontal one of about 60–90 seconds and 4 covers in English and Russian.
Only your footage is edited: nothing is generated or invented, and the style stays yours.
Pricing is in credits; one package is 10 credits:
| Plan | Price per 30 days | Packages | Price per package |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free start | €0 (once) | 1 | €0 |
| Start | €14.99 | 6 | about €2.50 |
| Creator | €34.99 | 25 | about €1.40 |
| Pro | €69.99 | 70 | about €1.00 |
Good fit when: you regularly make content from trips, walks, events or property showings — lots of footage, no time to edit it.
One example, three options
Example: 30 clips from one trip, and you need a short and a YouTube video.
| Yourself | Editor | Automatic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your time | an evening or more | briefing and revisions | upload and download |
| Money | €0 | tens of dollars and up | €0 (first package) to €2.50 |
| Storyline, voice, graphics | if you make them | yes | no |
| Two formats + covers in two languages | extra work | extra work | included |
What not to expect from automation
So the choice is fair:
- Automatic editing does not replace an editor where you need a script, voice-over or brand graphics.
- Subtitles are not burned in by default.
- With little footage the video gets shorter: shots are not repeated to fill time.
- No one can make a good short from a single long static clip — you need varied footage.
Bottom line
If you edit rarely and enjoy it, do it yourself. If you need a unique ad, hire an editor. If clips from trips and events keep piling up and you never get to them, automatic editing costs a few euros per package and saves your evenings. The easiest way to check is on your own footage — the first package is free.
Get 10 free credits