10 Best YouTube Shorts Apps: Editing, Recording & AI (2024)

What is YouTube Shorts?

Let’s start by looking at what YouTube Shorts actually are. You might have seen them pop up on your screen while browsing YouTube. Shorts are YouTube’s version of TikToks or Instagram Reels. Essentially, vertical short-form videos that you can scroll through on a TikTok or Instagram-like feed. Unlike Instagram and TikTok though, YouTube shorts have a limit of 60 seconds maximum.

What should you use to make YouTube Shorts?

You can make YouTube Shorts using all kinds of different apps. You can keep your workflow in one place by shooting, editing, and uploading it from the YouTube app itself. Alternatively, you can use a dedicated video-making app or platform to give yourself more freedom when it comes to how you record it and what it ends up looking like. Though it’s tempting to keep everything within the YouTube interface, opting for third-party apps opens up your video making capabilities, gives you access to better features, and can result in higher-quality videos.

Best Apps for YouTube Shorts on PC and mobile devices

If you’re creating YouTube shorts on your computer or mobile, here are the tools you should know about:

Best overall YouTube Shorts App

Riverside

Price: Starts from $0/month up to $24/month, depending on your chosen plan.

Compatibility: Browser-based, so you can use it on any device. You can also use the iOS and Android apps.

Though it’s hard to choose a single best option, Riverside offers a professional, high-quality and easy user experience that will suit any type of creator. Here’s a quick recap of why:

Firstly, Riverside makes it easy to record high-quality video and audio every single time. You can do so from your browser or using the Riverside mobile app. Secondly, Riverside’s Magic Clips feature helps you to seamlessly incorporate short-form video into your overall video making workflow with the least effort possible.

AI-poweredAnd Riverside’s not just a video recording platform. It also offers extensive editing capabilities, with many of the features powered by AI. Here’s a closer look at some of Riverside’s editing features:

• High-quality video and audio recording. Up to 4K video and 48kHz audio.
• Easy to use.
• Highly accurate AI-powered transcription tool makes it easy to create captions or subtitles for your Shorts
• Background noise removal and audio clean-up tools for the best-sounding videos
• Text-based video editor which makes editing as easy as editing a Google doc. For faster and more seamless video editing. Search for keywords to quickly navigate your video.
• Short-form AI clip creator If you’re recording long-form video with the intention of creating Shorts out of them, then let Riverside do the heavy listing. This AI powered feature automatically selects key moments and turns them into short videos.
• Easily fit your videos to platform-specific formats. The editor has custom layouts and dimensions, all geared for creating suitable content for YouTube and other social media platforms.
• Automatic speaker recognition and differentiation in your transcripts
• Record with up to 7 remote guests
• Browser-based and mobile app so you can record on any device, anywhere
• Ability to live stream to major platforms and any custom RTMP
• Media board means you can live mix with sound effects and other media during your recording session
• Built in teleprompter so you can keep on track of your recording, all from one platform.

Best for:
‍Creators looking for flexibility, versatility, and don’t want to compromise on quality. You can create both long and short-form videos using Riverside and edit them within the same platform. Riverside’s AI-powered tools also streamline, speed up and simplify your workflows.

Best YouTube Shorts Recording Apps

Here’s a look at some of the best apps for recording YouTube Shorts easily, quickly and the highest-quality you can:

YouTube

Price: Free

Compatibility: Android and iOS devices

Of course you can keep things simple and record YouTube Shorts from the actual YouTube app on your mobile. Here, you can film, edit, and publish your Shorts super quickly.

Key features:

• Easy and contained within one app
• Toolbar with special effects and elements
• Filters, retouching, and green screen features

Best for:

Creators who want to keep things as simple as possible and like recording on the fly.

Best YouTube Shorts Editing Apps

CAPCUT

Price: CapCut is available for a monthly subscription starting from $7.99

Compatibility: Browser-based and mobile app

Capcut is a video creation and editing tool that gives you everything you need to create compelling shorts easily in one place. Record from the mobile app and edit your video from there or online on the browser-based platform.

Key Features:

• Quick video templates for fast content creation
• Innovative tools like background remover, AI color correction, video resizer and upscaler
• Speech-to-text accurate caption generator
• Text-to-speech feature lets you convert text into natural sounding vvoice-overs
• Collaborative working where you can transfer editing permissions to another remote member of your team. This makes it possible to pass edits back and forth even when you’re not in the same location.
• Customizable stickers, texts, music, and sound effects
• Mobile app that you can use to record, edit, and share your videos
• Online video editor that’s browser-based so you can work anywhere.

Best for:

Creators who want to use a social-media savvy video creation and editing tool. Also, if you’re working with a whole team, the collaboration features are sure to come in useful too.

iMovie

Price: Free with all Apple devices

Compatibility: MacOS

iMovie is free with all Apple devices and an easy-to-use, beginner-friendly video editing software. It’s an ideal solution if you’re new to the whole content-creation world or are working on a budget. If you’re a more seasoned professional, then you’ll probably feel limited by iMovie’s functionality.

Key features:

• Easy to use with simple and intuitive features and all the basic editing tools you need
• “Movie” templates and storyboarding feature makes it easy to create a story
• Add text and animation
• Free to use sound effects and music
• “Magic Movies” creates styled and edited videos (with titles, transitions and music) in seconds. It automatically chooses the most interesting parts of your footage and edits it together for you.
• Transitions between your different Apple devices - iPhone to iPad to Mac.

Best for:

Creators who are just starting out on their content-creation journey. iMovie will help you

Camtasia

Price: Individual subscription costs $299.99 per user (this is a one-time license that you can continue using)

Compatibility: Compatible with Windows and MacOS

Camtasia is a screen recorder and video editor. You can either record your screen and edit the recording or upload a pre-existing video. You can add effects, transitions, music, and more to your videos to add that crucial bit of flair.

Key features:

• Add text and automatically generate captions for your videos
• Jazz up your videos with effects, texts, and music
• High-quality screen recording. Camtasia records your mic, system audio, camera, and cursor and lets you edit them together or separately.
• Use pre-made templates to speed up the video-making process

Best for:

Creators looking to pay a one-time fee for a video editing software. If you’re particularly in need of screen recording capabilities as well, then Camtasia makes a lot of sense.

Final Cut Pro

Price: $299.99 (one time)

Compatibility: MacOS

Final Cut Pro is Apple’s professional-grade video editor. It’ll cover all the bases from short-form videos to much bigger projects. Packed with a whole range of features, Final Cut Pro is definitely geared towards a more experienced user - though there’s nothing stopping you from learning on the go.

Key features:

• Object tracker and cinematic mode
• High-powered editing, audio, motion graphics, color grading
• Works with footage you’ve shot on your iPhone using Cinematic mode
• Easy-to-use magnetic timeline and intuitive video editing tools
• Add closed captions to your videos

Best for:

Experienced content creators who want a tool that will slot into a wide range of video-related workflows. From Shorts to films to everything in between.

Premiere Pro

Price: $20.99/month

Compatibility: Available on Mac and Windows

Premiere Pro by Adobe is another high-powered video editor that will suit any well-seasoned video editor and creator. It now also comes loaded with a number of AI-powered tools that aim to speed up your video editing process.

Key features:

• AI tools and features that are powered by Adobe Sensei, such as color match and auto audio ducking
• Text-based editing lets you edit your videos as if you were editing a document
• Intuitive editing interface and tools
• Ready-to-use video transitions, effects, titles and templates
• Powerful color grading and correction

Best for:

Experienced video editors with an established workflow.

Best YouTube Shorts AI Apps

Klap

Price: Free trial available. After that, $29/month.

Klap is another AI-powered “clip cutter” that takes your long-form video and generates a number of short-form clips that are pretty much ready to go.

Compatibility: Browser-based

Key Features:

• AI curation of your video. Klap automatically selects the best moments to use for your Shorts.
• Auto-reframe of your clips to focus on faces
• Automatic captioning
• Supports 52 languages

Best for:

Creators looking for a time-saving tool that will produce Shorts that need little to no editing.

WOXO

Price: Starts from $17.99

Woxo is an AI video creator. All you need to do is input a topic or idea, and WOXO will come out with different video options. You can then post those to YouTube.

Compatibility: Browser-based

Key Features:

• Instant video generation with no intervention required from you
• Easy to use

Best for:

Creators looking for a time-saving tool that will produce Shorts that need little to no editing.

Bonus: 5 Tips on How to Create Engaging YouTube Shorts

Here’s a quick introduction to some of the best practices you should be incorporating to create compelling and engaging YouTube shorts:

• Use captions. Foregoing YouTube captions can make a bigger difference than you might think. Captions mean that people who don’t have their audio turned on or are hard of hearing can still engage with your content. And that’s especially important when it comes to beating the “endless scroll”. Captions also help search engines rank your content for specific keywords.
• Craft a story. Take your time to make sure your Short has a story to tell, even if it’s brief. This is how you can draw your viewers into watching the whole thing from start to finish.
• Pick the best moments (or let Riverside’s Magic Clips do it for you). You need to make sure to transform the most interesting and compelling moments from your longer-form content into Shorts. This is the most important way you can drive results from your YouTube shorts.
• Add your branded touch to your Shorts. It’s worth trying to create a sense of consistency across your content. This helps to cultivate a strong brand identity and makes sure anyone watching becomes familiar with your channel. It’s also a great way of elevating the production value of your short-form videos.
• Keep track of trends. Make sure you’re up to date with the latest trends and best practices. This will make sure you’re doing all the right things and coming up with the right content ideas to make your Shorts (hopefully) go viral.

FAQs on YouTube Shorts Apps

Does YouTube Shorts have an app?

YouTube Shorts doesn’t have its own dedicated app. Instead, you’ll find everything you need to create, edit, and enjoy Shorts on the normal YouTube app (or on the browser).

How do you make YouTube Shorts on iPhone?

There are a few different ways that you can create YouTube Shorts using your iPhone. You can shoot directly through the YouTube app if you want to keep everything in one place. Alternatively, you could use Riverside’s mobile app to open up your capabilities to remote recording and more.

How do I enable Shorts on YouTube app?

You should automatically see YouTube Shorts when you open your regular YouTube app.