Cardboard’s site says its Lite plan, which excludes generative AI, is free on Apple Silicon Macs because processing runs locally; its other plans are paid (checked October 6, 2026). With Valmera, creating an account and uploading are free; editing requires a subscription.

Does Cardboard work with Claude or ChatGPT?

Yes, through its Mac app. Since September 28, 2026, you can switch from Cardboard’s Director agent to your own Claude or Codex agent there. Valmera, Vyra and invideo run remote MCP servers that also work from web clients.

Which Cardboard alternatives don’t generate footage?

Valmera and Vyra don’t generate shots; they edit the footage you upload. DaVinci Resolve is a manual editor.

Which alternatives export to DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro?

invideo exports Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or Resolve projects, ChatCut exports Premiere or Resolve XML, and Descript exports timelines on Creator plans and above. Valmera delivers a finished MP4 instead.

How is Valmera different from Cardboard?

Cardboard combines an agent with generation, voice cloning, a manual timeline and NLE exports. Valmera focuses on editing real footage: its agent works from a word-level transcript and checks a rendered preview, you export a full-resolution MP4, and any MCP client can drive it, export included.

The best Cardboard alternatives in 2026

Cardboard is an agentic video editor for the browser and Mac that builds a first cut from your footage, a prompt or both, with generation, voice cloning and NLE exports. The best alternative depends on why you’re switching. Pick Valmera to have an agent edit real footage end to end and to connect from Claude or ChatGPT on the web; Vyra for chat plus a full timeline with your own AI; ChatCut or invideo to keep generation and add a pro handoff; Descript for editing speech as text; DaVinci Resolve to finish by hand.

Valmera publishes this guide and makes one of the tools in it. Competitor facts come from each vendor’s own site, checked October 6, 2026; sources are at the end.

What Cardboard does well, and why people switch

Cardboard’s Director agent cuts dead air, filler and retakes, pulls moments from long recordings, adds captions and reframes, then takes revisions by chat or on the timeline. It generates video, images, music and sound effects, clones voices, sources web b-roll and matches reference videos. Share links collect team comments, exports include MP4 (4K on Creator and up) and NLE projects such as DaVinci Resolve, and the changelog says the Director checks its own work (August 24, 2026). A Mac app launched September 28, 2026, editing local footage and letting your own Claude or Codex agent drive.

You want your own AI to drive edits from the web or any MCP client, not only through a Mac app.
You want no AI-generated shots in your videos.
You need a different handoff: Final Cut Pro projects, SRT files or CapCut drafts.
You edit on a phone or tablet, which Cardboard doesn’t support yet.

Cardboard alternatives compared

Generation, outside-AI access and export (checked October 6, 2026)
Alternative	Best for	Generates shots?	Claude/ChatGPT access	Export
Valmera	Hands-off edits of real footage	No	Remote MCP server; exports the MP4	Full-resolution MP4
Vyra	Chat + timeline, your own AI	No	Remote MCP; project open in a browser tab	MP4 or WebM, up to 1440p or 4K
ChatCut	Chat + timeline + generated shots	Yes	Plugin for desktop agent apps	MP4/WebM, SRT, XML, CapCut drafts
invideo	Agent on a multitrack editor	Yes	Remote MCP server	Video or Premiere/FCP/Resolve project
Descript	Editing speech as text	Yes, on Creator	API and MCP trigger Underlord edits	Video; timeline export on Creator and up
Kapwing	Browser teams	Yes	Chat editing in the browser	MP4, watermark-free on Pro
DaVinci Resolve	Finishing by hand	No	None listed	Professional delivery formats

The 7 Cardboard alternatives

Valmera

Best for: Edits of real footage, handed off end to end

Valmera’s agent edits what you upload and never generates shots. It cuts dead air, filler and retakes, adds word-timed captions, reframes, adds stock b-roll, music and sound effects, and turns long recordings into shorts. It checks a rendered preview before reporting back and exports a full-resolution MP4. Its remote MCP server works from claude.ai, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex, and your assistant can export the file itself.

Good to know: No generation, NLE export or team seats yet; captions are burned in. Valmera vs Cardboard

Vyra

Best for: Chat plus a full manual timeline, with your own AI

Edit uploaded clips by chat with Vyra’s built-in AI, or connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor over MCP, on a timeline with split, slip and ripple tools. Beat-synced cuts, word-timed captions, motion graphics generated as code and reference-style matching are the highlights.

Good to know: MCP edits need the project open in a browser tab; no generation. Valmera vs Vyra

ChatCut

Best for: The closest match if you rely on Cardboard’s generation

An AI panel and multitrack timeline on web, macOS and Windows, with Seedance, Kling and MiniMax video models, images, motion graphics, music, voice cloning and avatars. Exports include MP4 or WebM, SRT subtitles, Premiere or Resolve XML and editable CapCut drafts.

Good to know: Its Agent Plugin installs in the Claude Code, Codex and WorkBuddy desktop apps. Valmera vs ChatCut

invideo

Best for: An agent on a multitrack editor, with real-time team editing

invideo’s editing agent logs every clip, applies one instruction across many shots and works on a timeline you can take over at any frame, with generative models, custom agents and multiplayer editing. Its remote MCP server connects Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and Cursor, and exports a video or a Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or Resolve project.

Good to know: Plans are credit-based and built around generation. Valmera vs invideo

Descript

Best for: Talking-head video edited as text, with an agent on call

Delete words in the transcript to cut the video, and ask Underlord, Descript’s agent, for bulk edits and revisions. Studio Sound, filler-word removal, eye-contact correction, remote recording and a screen recorder are built in.

Good to know: Timeline export to Premiere, Resolve or Final Cut needs Creator or above. Underlord alternatives

Kapwing

Best for: Teams editing and reviewing in the browser

Upload or generate a video, then edit by chatting with Kapwing’s AI or with one-click tools: Smart Cut, subtitles, dubbing in 40+ languages, clip making and b-roll generation. Shared workspaces and comments handle review.

Good to know: Free exports carry a watermark. Kapwing alternatives

DaVinci Resolve

Best for: Finishing by hand, where Cardboard’s exports often land

If you already send Cardboard edits to Resolve, you can do the whole job there: editing, color, effects and audio post on Mac, Windows and Linux, with AI tools such as text-based editing and Magic Mask in the paid Studio edition.

Good to know: A manual editor; the free version handles Ultra HD up to 60 fps. Pro editor alternatives

How to choose

No AI-generated shots: Valmera or Vyra.
Generation stays in the loop: ChatCut or invideo.
Your own Claude or ChatGPT drives it, including on the web: Valmera, Vyra or invideo, which run remote MCP servers.
Handoff to Premiere or Resolve: invideo, ChatCut or Descript, or finish in Resolve itself.
Team review: invideo’s multiplayer editing or Kapwing’s shared workspaces.

Try the same edit in Valmera

Upload your recording in Studio (MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV or WebM, up to 14 GB and 3 hours).
Describe the edit, or connect Claude or ChatGPT through Valmera’s MCP server.
Review the preview the agent has already checked; revise in chat or on the timeline.
Export a full-resolution MP4 rendered from your original file.

Prompts to paste:

Cut this product walkthrough to 75 seconds: remove dead air and retakes, add captions, add stock b-roll where I describe the dashboard, and duck the music under my voice.

Make a 9:16 version that keeps my face centered, with punch-ins on the three key claims.

Creating an account and uploading are free. Editing requires a subscription. See plans. Related: remove silence, add b-roll, auto reframe.

Valmera’s limits

It edits footage you provide; it doesn’t generate video, images or AI music.
Captions are burned in, with no SRT/VTT import or export. English is the best-tested transcription language.
No NLE or XML export, team seats, direct social publishing, custom font uploads or audio denoise yet.
Paid exports end with a brief Valmera end card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Vendor pages checked October 6, 2026. Note that usecardboard.com now redirects to cardboard.ai.

Cardboard: Homepage · Pricing · Changelog
Vyra: Homepage · MCP
ChatCut: Homepage · Agent Plugin · XML export
invideo: Homepage · Remote agents (MCP)
Descript: Underlord and plans · Timeline exports
Kapwing: Kapwing AI
DaVinci Resolve: Product and editions
Valmera: MCP server card

Edit your real footage with Valmera

Describe the edit and get back a checked, full-quality MP4, from Studio or your own assistant. Creating an account and uploading are free; editing requires a subscription.

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