Kiru

Kiru is a video editor for people who want to shape spoken footage by editing its transcript and automating routine cuts. It is strongest for desktop creators cleaning up dialogue-heavy recordings; its monthly video caps and more limited browser version narrow its appeal.

Overview

Kiru transcribes video, syncs words to the timeline and lets you edit from the text. It can also detect false starts, stammers, retakes, filler words and silences for automatic removal. Together, those tools focus Kiru on repetitive cleanup in interviews, narration and similar speech-led material, rather than establishing it as a general-purpose editing suite.

Original video files stay on the computer, while extracted audio is sent for remote transcription. After that step, editing, detection and export work offline. Low-resolution proxies are uploaded for AutoCataloging only if you opt in. Kiru says it does not permanently store video or audio files on its servers, though transcriptions are stored locally and in its database.

Key features

Transcript editing and automatic cuts

Word-level transcript sync gives speech editors a way to navigate and cut footage by reading rather than relying only on timeline scrubbing. Automatic removal can save time on common mistakes and pauses, but editors should still review the resulting cut. Monthly video allowances also make the workflow less suitable for high-volume production.

Captions, color and exports

The desktop app supports styled AutoCaptions and .cube LUT files in its effects panel. Kiru exports MP4 and WAV, as well as project files for DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. That project handoff makes it more useful to editors who want Kiru to handle initial cleanup before continuing in one of those tools; the Free plan, by contrast, only includes MP4 export.

Privacy and security

Kiru names Deepgram for transcription, Polar for payment processing and cloud hosting providers among its service providers. Its privacy policy says it uses TLS encryption in transit, secure authentication, regular security assessments and access controls, while cautioning that absolute security cannot be guaranteed. It also says the company does not sell personal information. Because audio leaves the computer for transcription, Kiru is not an entirely local workflow.

Pricing

Kiru has a free plan and two paid monthly plans. Plus is $15 a month and allows 10 hours of video per month, automatic removal of bad takes, silences and mistakes, MP4 export, and project exports for Resolve, Premiere and Final Cut. It is the practical step up for regular creators who need those handoff formats but can stay within ten hours.

Pro is $30 a month and raises the allowance to 30 hours, with the same automatic cuts and exports plus priority support. It suits heavier use or creators who value that support; the higher price buys more processing capacity rather than a different editing feature set. Both paid plans also offer an annual option labeled “Save 33%.”

Free costs nothing and includes one hour of video per month, automatic cuts and MP4 export. It is a useful way to try the transcript-led workflow on occasional short projects, but the small quota and lack of the paid plans’ listed project exports make it a poor fit for sustained production.

Platforms

Kiru is available for macOS, Windows, Linux and web browsers. The browser version has limited features, so desktop is the stronger choice for the full editing workflow. Linux users can install an AppImage, an Arch AUR package or the Kiru Nix flake; the AUR package depends on ffmpeg.

Who it's for

Kiru is a good fit for creators and editors who regularly clean up speech-heavy footage, want transcript-based navigation and value offline work after transcription. It is less suitable for users whose work exceeds the monthly quota, requires an entirely offline process from the outset, or depends on the browser version for full functionality.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Word-synced transcripts and automated cleanup target time-consuming dialogue edits directly.
• Pros: Editing, detection and export can continue offline after remote transcription is complete.
• Pros: Paid plans include project exports for three named editing applications, supporting a handoff to an existing workflow.
• Cons: Transcription requires sending extracted audio to a remote service, which rules out a fully local start-to-finish process.
• Cons: The free plan is capped at one hour per month, while Plus and Pro cap usage at 10 and 30 hours respectively.
• Cons: The browser version has limited features, and Free lacks the project exports included with paid plans.

Alternatives

Choose CapCut if mobile-focused editing, free templates and cloud storage matter more than Kiru’s transcript-led cleanup; it spans Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows. Descript is another freemium, text-based option for macOS, web and Windows, with a free tier offering 60 minutes per month and 100 one-time AI credits.

FireCut may suit short-form work: its free tier allows 25 videos per month up to five minutes, at 720p with a watermark, and includes silence cutting, transitions, sound effects and zoom cuts. Pick Captions instead if its AI video creation and digital twins or custom AI actors are the priority; its Max plan is $24.99 a month for 500 monthly credits.

Gling is a narrower alternative for macOS and Windows users: its free plan covers one hour of AI-edited media monthly, but exports carry a watermark. VEED offers a browser-based alternative whose free exports are limited to 720p and carry a watermark.

NewTake is an iOS-only alternative with three AI-edited videos per month on its free plan, including caption and music previews without watermarks. OpusClip is another freemium option, with its free tier providing 60 credits per month and clips up to 1080p, but with watermarks, no editing and exports that stop being available after three days.

Browse more options in AI Video Editing Software and AI Video Editors.

Verdict

Choose Kiru if transcript-based edits, automatic spoken-footage cleanup and offline work after transcription match your desktop workflow. The main reason to look elsewhere is the combination of monthly video caps and remote audio transcription, especially if you need more volume or a fully local process.