Cardboard AI: Pricing & Video Editor

Cardboard AI is an agentic video editor for the web and Mac that edits from chat prompts. Compare the free Mac Lite plan with paid tiers from $8 a month.

Cardboard (cardboard.ai) is a Y Combinator-backed AI video editor. You describe the video, add footage or start from a prompt, and its agent builds an editable first cut you refine by chat or on the timeline. Here is what the Cardboard video editor does and what it costs.

What is Cardboard AI and why is it new?

Cardboard has shipped weekly updates for months, but on September 28, 2026 it launched a native Mac app with a free Lite tier. The app edits footage locally by default, so nothing has to upload, and it lets you bring your own Claude or Codex agent instead of Cardboard’s built-in Director.

The week after, the changelog added support for pro camera formats, sharper background removal and 3D motion graphics. That pace is a big part of why “cardboard ai” searches picked up in early October.

How Cardboard works

1. Describe it: type a prompt, drop in footage, or both, and Cardboard builds an editable first cut.
2. Direct it: ask for changes in chat (“make the intro faster and add captions”) or edit on the timeline.
3. Build the story: generate video, images, music and sound effects, prompt motion graphics, clone your voice and pull web B-roll.
4. Shape the edit: cut dead air, filler words and retakes, find the best moments in long recordings, reframe to 9:16 with captions.
5. Share or export: send a review link, export MP4 or NLE timelines; Cardboard says an hour of footage renders in about five minutes.

Cardboard Pricing (2026)

We checked the official Cardboard pricing page on October 10, 2026. Launch pricing takes up to 78% off the first month; the table shows the regular monthly price after that, with the annual-billing rate next to it.

Plan	Monthly	Annual (per month)	Key limits
Lite	$8 (first month $5)	$8	Free in the Mac app; standard usage, 3 exports, 1080p, no generative AI
Starter	$29 (first month $9)	$20	2.5x usage, 400 generative credits, unlimited exports, NLE exports
Creator	$59 (first month $30)	$39	10x usage, 1,500 generative credits, premium models, voice cloning, 4K
Pro	$175 (first month $89)	$125	30x usage, 5,000 generative credits, all models, priority processing

Usage credits pay for the agent (analysis, edits, captions, voiceover); generative credits pay for AI video and image generation. Monthly credits renew each billing month, and Lite includes a one-time allowance of usage credits. Teams and high-volume users can ask for custom pricing.

Is it worth paying? Mac users should start with free Lite. Starter is the real entry point if you need generative B-roll or unlimited exports; Creator is the plan for 4K, voice cloning and premium video models.

Best use cases for Cardboard

• Launch and product videos: turn a demo recording into a polished launch cut.
• Podcast and interview clips: pull highlights from long recordings and reframe them vertically.
• Talking-head cleanup: remove filler words, dead air and retakes.
• Explainers and UGC ads: mix your footage with generated visuals and music.
• Agent workflows: drive edits from Claude Code or Codex, like HyperFrames Studio does for HTML video.

Limitations

• Lite is narrow: 3 exports and no generative AI.
• Launch pricing ends: first-month discounts give way to full monthly prices.
• Credit-based: heavy generative use can drain credits before the month ends.
• Mac only for the app: other platforms use the browser editor.
• Agent edits need review: AI-picked cuts and B-roll still need a human pass.

Cardboard alternatives

• Descript: text-based video and podcast editing with an AI co-editor.
• OpusClip: turns long videos into short clips automatically.
• Klap: AI shorts from YouTube videos and podcasts.
• Submagic: captions, B-roll and short-form editing.
• VEED: browser video editor with AI tools and avatars.

Cardboard is one of the more complete agentic editors: it plans a first cut, handles cleanup and captions, and generates the missing B-roll, all on an editable timeline. The new Mac app with local editing and bring-your-own-agent support makes it stand out.

Start with free Lite on Mac, and pay for Starter or Creator only when you need generative credits, unlimited exports or 4K.