OpenShortsA free AI clip generator that is actually free
OpenShorts self-hosted is a free AI clip generator under the MIT licence. No watermark, no usage cap, no subscription. You run it with Docker and supply your own Google Gemini API key, whose free tier covers 1,500 requests a day.
It turns a long video into 3 to 15 vertical clips: faster-whisper transcribes at word level, PySceneDetect finds the cuts, Gemini 3.0 Flash scores the moments, and MediaPipe face tracking reframes each one to 9:16.
If you do not want to run anything, OpenShorts Cloud gives you 20 free minutes a month with a watermark, and paid plans from $12/month without one.
What does "free" actually mean here?
Most tools marketed as free clip generators are free trials with a watermark and a monthly cap. This one is different in a specific way that is worth stating precisely, because the two editions are not the same offer.
OpenShorts comes in two editions and they are priced very differently, so it is worth being precise. OpenShorts (self-hosted) is free and open source under the MIT licence: Free and open source under MIT. You run it with Docker on your own machine and bring your own API keys. No watermark, no usage cap, no subscription. What it costs you is hardware and time: on a typical CPU an 8-minute video takes 5 to 8 minutes to process. OpenShorts Cloud is the hosted service: The same software with the compute and API keys covered. An NVIDIA GPU clips that same 8-minute video in about 50 seconds. Free plan is 20 minutes a month with a watermark and no credit card. Paid plans start at $12/month for 100 minutes with no watermark, up to $59/month.
The self-hosted edition has no watermark and no cap because there is no metering code in it. It is the same pipeline the hosted service runs, released under MIT, and you can read all of it.
How do you generate clips from a long video for free?
- Clone the repository from GitHub and start it with
docker compose up --build. - Create a Google Gemini API key. The free tier covers 1,500 requests a day, which is far more than a single creator uses.
- Paste a YouTube link or upload a local file. Podcasts, webinars, livestreams, interviews and vlogs all work.
- The pipeline transcribes, detects scenes, scores moments and returns 3 to 15 clips of 15 to 60 seconds each, already cropped to 9:16 with subtitles burned in.
- Download them, or connect an account and post straight to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
What do you need to run it?
Any machine with Docker. 8GB of RAM and a modern multi-core CPU is the realistic floor. An NVIDIA GPU is optional and changes the numbers a lot: on CPU an 8-minute video takes roughly 5 to 8 minutes to process, and on a GPU the same video takes about 50 seconds. Linux, macOS and Windows via WSL2 all work, and Docker Compose pulls Python 3.11, FFmpeg, YOLOv8, MediaPipe and faster-whisper for you.
Is a free clip generator good enough for real posting?
It depends on what you are comparing against. The moment detection uses the same class of model the paid tools use, Google Gemini 3.0 Flash, and the reframing uses MediaPipe with a YOLOv8 fallback and a stabiliser that holds the camera still inside a safe zone rather than chasing every head movement. Where the commercial tools are ahead is caption styling: they ship more presets and more polish. If your clips live or die on animated caption design, budget for that either in time or in a second tool.
Why does this matter for reach?
Short-form video delivers the highest ROI of any content format, according to HubSpot's State of Marketing 2025 report, and 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool according to Wyzowl's 2025 Video Marketing Statistics. The constraint for most people is not whether short video works, it is that cutting a 60-minute recording into 12 posts by hand takes longer than recording it did.
Common questions
- Is OpenShorts free forever or a trial?
- The self-hosted edition is free forever under the MIT licence, with no watermark and no cap. It is not a trial and there is no metering in it. OpenShorts Cloud is a separate hosted service with a permanently free 20 minute per month tier and paid plans from $12/month.
- Does the free version add a watermark?
- The self-hosted edition never adds a watermark. The free tier of OpenShorts Cloud does; paid Cloud plans from $12/month do not.
- Do I need to pay for an API key?
- You need a Google Gemini API key for the self-hosted edition. Its free tier covers 1,500 requests a day, which is more than enough for individual use. ElevenLabs for dubbing and fal.ai for AI UGC video are optional and billed by those vendors. OpenShorts Cloud includes the keys.
- How many clips does it generate per video?
- Between 3 and 15, each 15 to 60 seconds long. The number depends on how much of the source actually holds up as a standalone clip rather than on a fixed quota.