The best podcast editing software, audio and video

How did we pick the best podcast editing software?

We make mouzeclick, so its section is labelled as ours and it isn't ranked first. Everything about the other eleven products comes from the makers' own pages, read on 3 November 2026 and linked under Sources. Prices are copied as shown that day, in US dollars. Where a maker didn't publish a price, a platform or a trial length, we wrote "Not published". There are no ratings or user counts here.

We judged each tool on three jobs: cleaning and cutting an audio-only show, editing a video podcast, and editing by transcript. The "best for" line under each tool matters more than the order.

How do the podcast editors compare on price and platform?

Checked on 3 November 2026. Where a page shows two prices without saying which is monthly and which is annual, we list both.

Is Audacity good enough for podcast editing?

For an audio-only show, yes. Audacity is free and open source, and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

The current version is 4.0.1. Audacity is tested on Windows 10 and 11, macOS 14 and 15, and Ubuntu 22.04. It loads third-party plugins, VST3 and Nyquist included. The exception is the ARM64 builds for Windows and Apple Silicon, which have no plugin support. The Windows ARM64 build also needs Windows 11 or later.

Two tools help with podcast work:

• Trim Audio keeps only the part you want, so it crops intros, outros and silence in one step. The features page gives Ctrl+T; a Mac key isn't published.
• Macros handle batch processing and effects automation, so the same effects run over many files.

Best for: free audio-only shows on any desktop system.

Can DaVinci Resolve edit a video podcast for free?

Yes. DaVinci Resolve 21 is free and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. It edits picture on its cut and edit pages and sound on the Fairlight page.

The free version works with virtually all 8-bit video formats at up to 60fps, in resolutions up to Ultra HD 3840 x 2160. It includes multi-user collaboration. Resolve's pages also list:

• subtitles and closed captioning on the edit page
• fully customizable keyboard shortcuts
• square and vertical resolutions for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram
• direct upload to YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo and X

Those pages don't say which of these four need Studio.

Studio 21 showed $236, down from $295. The page doesn't say whether that is a one-time purchase or a subscription. Studio adds AI voice isolation, a dialogue separator, text based editing, more Fairlight FX audio plugins and 10-bit video up to 120fps.

We also cover removing silence in DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve.

Best for: video podcasts with no budget, and Linux users.

Is Descript worth it for podcast editing?

Yes, if you'd rather edit sentences than waveforms. Descript transcribes the recording, and deleting words in the transcript cuts the media with them.

It runs on Mac, Windows and the web. What it does for a podcast:

• removes filler words and silences automatically
• takes out background noise, echo and hiss with Studio Sound
• makes captions from the transcript, with subtitles in 30+ languages
• exports a timeline through the Descript MCP as Premiere XML, DaVinci Resolve XML, FCPXML, AAF, SESX or EDL, so you can finish in another editor. Whether the app's own export menu offers these formats isn't published.

The Free plan is $0 with 1 media hour a month, 100 AI credits and 720p export. One Descript page calls that export watermark-free; the captions page says it has a watermark.

Each paid plan shows two prices, unlabelled:

• Hobbyist: $24 and $16 per person a month, 10 media hours, 1080p
• Creator: $35 and $24, 30 hours, 4k
• Business: $50 and $65, 40 hours

Our Descript vs Premiere Pro page covers how to split the work between the two.

Best for: talk shows where most edits are about content.

Is Riverside good for editing podcast recordings?

Riverside is good when you want per-speaker tracks and short clips in one place. Upload a recording and it separates the audio and video for each speaker.

You can edit in the transcript, on a timeline, or by chatting with an AI agent. It also:

• removes silences and filler words, with pace and sensitivity controls
• transcribes in 100+ languages
• mutes anyone not speaking, with Smart Mute
• gives each speaker an equalizer
• cuts short clips from the recording with Magic Clips

A Riverside blog post says there's a free plan and paid plans start at $15/month. Plan names and limits weren't in what we checked.

The web app works in Chrome and Edge, and there are apps for macOS, iOS, Android and tablet. The pages we read don't mention a Windows desktop app.

Best for: per-speaker edits and clips, from a browser or a phone.

Is Adobe Audition the best audio editor for podcasts?

For repair and loudness work beside Premiere Pro, yes. Audition has multitrack, waveform and spectral views for editing, mixing and restoring audio, on Windows and macOS.

The tools that matter for a podcast:

• The Essential Sound panel repairs audio and evens out levels.
• The spectral display and the Diagnostics panel handle restoration.
• Loudness correction has presets, EBU R128 and ITU BS1770 among them.
• From Premiere Pro, Edit in Audition sends a clip or a whole sequence across.

Audition is sold only inside Creative Cloud:

• US$22.99/mo on the single-app annual plan, billed monthly
• in Creative Cloud Pro at US$69.99/mo, or US$34.99/mo for the first 3 months (new subscribers only)

The 7-day trial is desktop only, one per person. You have 14 days after it ends to cancel for a full refund.

Best for: fixing noisy recordings and hitting a loudness spec.

What does Adobe Podcast do for podcasters?

Adobe Podcast is Adobe's browser tool to record, transcribe, edit and share audio, all on the web. Plans, prices, free limits and supported browsers were not published on the page we read, so check them before you build a show on it.

Best for: a quick start in a browser.

Is Hindenburg good for spoken-word podcasts?

Yes. Hindenburg PRO is spoken-word software built for journalists, broadcasters and podcasters.

It comes in three tiers: Standard, Plus and Premium. All three include Manuscript, which edits audio like a word processor, and a Video Track. Transcription is what separates them: none on Standard, 20 hours a month on Plus and 50 on Premium.

What it does:

• records multitrack, and records Zoom or Google Meet calls
• imports BWF, WAV, MP3, MP4 and PolyWav
• sets broadcast-ready loudness
• edits non-destructively and dialogue-first, with fast ducks and soundbeds
• includes a Soundly sound library

Prices, trial length and platforms weren't in the page text we read.

The licence terms:

• a licence runs on two computers at once
• there's no refund once it's activated
• perpetual version 2 licences get updates up to 2.99

Best for: interview and narrative shows built like radio.

Is REAPER good for podcast editing?

Yes, if you want a full DAW and will set it up yourself. REAPER offers a free, fully functional 60-day evaluation with no registration.

It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS 10.5 to macOS 26. Version 7.84 came out on 28 October 2026, and a REAPER 7 licence includes updates through 8.99. The licence price wasn't on the pages we read.

For podcast work:

• Razor Edits cut, split, move, copy or stretch sections of media and automation envelopes, individually or together.
• It loads VST, VST3, LV2, AU, CLAP, DX and JS plugins.

One thing to know: its auto-bypass on silent input only stops effects processing. It doesn't remove silence. For that, see removing silence from audio in any DAW.

Best for: deep control and a long trial.

Should Mac users edit podcasts in Logic Pro?

On an Apple silicon Mac, for shows with music, yes. Apple describes Logic Pro as a music creation app for Mac and iPad.

You can buy it two ways, with the same features either way:

• $199.99 as a standalone Mac app
• as part of Apple Creator Studio, at $12.99 a month or $129 a year for new subscribers ($2.99 a month or $29.99 a year for students and educators), with a 30-day free trial

It needs macOS 15.6 or later on Apple silicon. The Logic guide covers removing silent passages from audio files. GarageBand projects open in Logic, so a show started in GarageBand can move across.

Best for: Mac-only shows with music beds and sound design.

Can Auphonic fix podcast levels and cut pauses automatically?

Yes. Auphonic sets loudness to a target and cuts silences, pauses, coughs and filler words in several languages.

• Loudness. You set the target loudness, true peak and MaxLRA. Its podcast example is -16 LUFS.
• Checking cuts. You can review them in the Auphonic Audio Inspector, or export cut lists for your own editor.
• Video. Cutting works on video too: 1080p on the free plan, 4K on paid plans.

The free plan covers 2 hours of audio a month. Unused credits don't carry over, and free productions get a jingle. Paid prices and platforms weren't in the text we read.

Best for: a final pass on levels and pauses, whatever you edit in.

Is Alitu the best podcast editor for beginners?

It's built for them. Alitu records, edits and publishes in one place, with a text-based editor beside a simple waveform.

• It starts removing noise and polishing your voice straight away.
• Edits are non-destructive, so a removed part comes back in 2 clicks, even after the episode goes live.
• Re-usable episode templates in the block editor hold your intro and outro.
• You can add music under voice clips, with a fade between music and voice.
• It has over 20 royalty-free music collections.
• The recorder is recommended for up to 10 participants.
• Hosting is free up to 1,000 downloads a month.

The 7-day trial processes up to 2 hours of audio with every feature. One account is designed for one podcast at a time. The plan price and platforms weren't in what we checked. You can cancel in two clicks, or claim your money back within 30 days of the first charge.

Best for: beginners who want editing, music and hosting without a DAW.

How do I edit a podcast, step by step?

Work in this order: clean the sound, make the content edit, remove the gaps, then set loudness and export. Setting loudness last means later cuts can't undo it.

1. Copy and label the raw files, one track per speaker where you can. Riverside splits speakers from an upload, and Hindenburg records multitrack and calls.
2. Clean each voice with Audition's Essential Sound panel, Descript's Studio Sound, Alitu's noise removal or Resolve Studio's voice isolation.
3. Make the content edit. Cut tangents and false starts. A transcript reads faster than a waveform: Descript, Riverside and Alitu edit from one. Hindenburg's Manuscript edits audio like a word processor, and its Plus and Premium tiers transcribe.
4. Remove pauses and filler. Descript, Riverside and Auphonic do it automatically, and Audacity's Trim Audio crops intros, outros and silence. Listen back afterwards: cutting every breath makes talk sound rushed.
5. For video, cut between cameras to follow whoever is talking.
6. Add the intro, outro and music, with the music ducked under speech.
7. Set loudness. Auphonic's podcast example is -16 LUFS, and Audition has EBU R128 and ITU BS1770 presets.
8. Export and submit. Apple advises the smallest file size possible so episodes stream easily. You submit shows through Apple Podcasts Connect with an Apple Account.

To do all of this inside one app, read podcast editing in Premiere Pro, start to finish.

Where mouzeclick fits (we make it)

mouzeclick isn't a podcast editor on its own. It adds tools inside Premiere Pro and After Effects, plus a mouse app. It fits only if you already edit your video podcast in Premiere Pro, or you want shortcuts on your mouse in the editor you use.

In Premiere Pro, on Windows and Mac

Studio's Silence tab reads the sound on your computer, draws the waveform and marks every pause. By default, a pause is anything quieter than −40 dB for 0.40 s, and 0.12 s is kept around speech.

• Untick a pause to keep it.
• Remove cuts on every track and leaves a music bed alone.
• A copy of the sequence is kept.
• Nothing is uploaded.

The walk-through is on our Premiere Pro silence remover page. mouzemark turns markers into YouTube chapters.

Windows only

The Premiere Pro workspace adds Cut desk:

• Silence & Cut reads audio levels. It has a Podcast preset at −44 dB beside Dialogue (−48) and Aggressive (−38), and you choose Remove + ripple or Cuts only.
• AutoCamera cuts 2 to 8 camera angles to whoever is talking, measured from each speaker's mic. Off-air angles are disabled, never deleted.

Two Studio tabs are also Windows only:

• Retakes keeps the last take of each restarted sentence (retake remover).
• Captions are written on your computer by Whisper, in 47 languages (auto captions in Premiere Pro).

The Mac app does not include the workspaces, captions or Retakes.

Any audio editor, on Windows and Mac

The mouse app puts shortcuts, macros and gestures on any mouse, with no driver. Each app gets its own profile, so Audition, Audacity and REAPER can each have their own button layout. Mac setup is on the Mac install page.

It's one plan with everything included (see pricing). The 3-day trial needs no card, and every Premiere Pro and After Effects tool works fully during it.

There's no DaVinci Resolve panel. For an audio-only show, Audacity, Audition or Auphonic is the better pick.

How do I choose the right podcast editing software?

Start from what you publish and what you already pay for.

• Audio only, no budget: Audacity, plus Auphonic's free 2 hours a month for loudness and cuts.
• Video, no budget: DaVinci Resolve. More options are in best free video editing software.
• You think in transcripts: Descript, Riverside or Alitu.
• You already pay for Adobe: Audition for sound and Premiere Pro for picture.
• Mac with music: Logic Pro.
• Radio-style stories: Hindenburg PRO.
• Deep control: REAPER.

Use the trials. Cut the same 10-minute segment in two tools and keep the one you finish faster. If pause removal is the main job, our silence remover roundup compares those tools on their own.

Questions people ask

Sources

Checked on 2026-11-03. Prices and features change: each link goes to the maker's own page.

1. DaVinci Resolve (Blackmagic Design)
2. DaVinci Resolve Studio
3. DaVinci Resolve: what's new
4. Descript
5. Descript video editor and plans
6. Descript captions
7. Descript video editing and Business plan
8. Descript MCP export formats
9. Riverside blog: video podcast software
10. Riverside
11. Riverside video editor
12. Riverside platforms
13. Adobe Audition
14. Adobe Audition free trial
15. Adobe audio recording software
16. Adobe Podcast
17. Audacity
18. Audacity downloads
19. Audacity for Windows
20. Audacity for Mac
21. Audacity for Linux
22. Audacity features
23. Audacity manual
24. Hindenburg
25. Hindenburg PRO tiers
26. Hindenburg licensing FAQ
27. REAPER
28. REAPER download
29. Logic Pro (Apple)
30. Logic Pro user guide
31. Auphonic
32. Auphonic pricing
33. Auphonic features
34. Auphonic automatic video cutting
35. Alitu
36. Alitu podcast editing software
37. Alitu podcast hosting
38. Alitu podcast recording
39. Alitu podcast music
40. Apple Podcasts Connect account
41. Apple Podcasts for Creators support

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