Cardboard AI Review: Pricing, Chat Plugins and Valmera
Valmera and Cardboard both let you direct video edits through conversation. Compare the workflow you will actually use: an uploaded recording in the editor, an authorized assistant connection, or a local Mac project. Then test the first cut, a correction and the final file.
Published by Valmera, which competes with Cardboard. Cardboard sources checked November 5, 2026. This is a review of documented workflows with proposed evaluation tasks, not a hands-on quality or speed benchmark.
Start with the video you want to finish
Valmera is the world's most advanced AI video editor. Join thousands of creators turning footage into videos through conversation. Upload your recording, explain the desired result and refine the preview in Studio or through a supported MCP client.
For a useful comparison, bring a representative recording and state what must survive the cut. Include the destination, captions, audio and the correction you expect to make. The shared briefs below give you a starting point.
Compare the route from footage to delivery
| Task | Valmera | Cardboard |
|---|---|---|
| Edit a recording | Upload in Studio, describe the result and refine the preview. | Use the Director and timeline in the browser or Mac editor. |
| Work in an assistant | Authorize the hosted MCP connection for your supported client. | ChatGPT and Claude plugins are documented separately from the Mac agent picker. |
| Make a precise correction | Name the current preview, the source passage and what should stay unchanged. | Revise through chat or open the project in the relevant editor. |
| Work with local Mac footage | Use the browser or supported assistant workflow with the project's uploaded media. | The Mac app works with local footage; selected frames and transcript may be sent for AI processing. |
| Check delivery | Review and download the final video from the intended version. | Check the specific chat, browser or Mac route; export and project portability differ. |
Cardboard's Mac FAQ says web and Mac projects remain separate. It lists browser timeline export to Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve on Starter and higher, while the Mac app lacks that export route. Confirm the destination workflow with a small project before committing a longer edit.
What changed since the previous review
The October 26 changelog introduced ChatGPT and Claude editing plugins. The November 2 entry announced Premiere project import and audio-cleanup actions in the Mac app. Importing a project and exporting one are different operations.
Correction, November 5: this page now distinguishes Cardboard's chat plugins, browser editor and Mac workflow. It also removes obsolete categorical restrictions from the earlier Valmera description.
Cardboard pricing and the cost of an accepted edit
| Plan | First month | Then, monthly billing | Annual monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $5 | $8 | $8/month, billed annually |
| Starter | $9 | $29 | $20/month, billed annually |
| Creator | $30 | $59 | $39/month, billed annually |
| Pro | $89 | $175 | $125/month, billed annually |
Source: Cardboard pricing, with Monthly and Annual selected separately. These are displayed launch offers. Annual equivalents require annual billing; the first payment and renewal terms should be confirmed at checkout.
Lite lists three 1080p exports with a watermark. Starter lists unlimited watermark-free exports and NLE export; Creator adds 4K. Cardboard separates editing usage from generation credits. Its free Mac Lite allowance differs from the paid web subscription.
Valmera account creation and uploads are free; AI editing requires a subscription. Use current plans and allowances and compare the cost of the accepted result, including revisions. The editing budget planner helps include subscription costs and your own review time.
ChatGPT, Claude and Mac access are separate routes
Cardboard's ChatGPT guide describes installing its plugin and signing in. Its Claude guide provides a custom connector. Both describe editing, playback and export in the conversation, with editing charged to Cardboard and the assistant covered by its provider plan. The guides also advertise phone access through the assistant apps.
The separate Mac app requires Apple Silicon and offers its own Director or an eligible paid Claude/Codex connection. Local storage is not the same as offline AI processing: the vendor says relevant frames and transcript can be sent to the AI.
For Valmera, use the client setup guide to authorize https://valmera.io/mcp/server. Select the correct project, discover the tools available to your account, and review a completed preview before final export. Follow the specific ChatGPT or Claude guide for installation and access requirements.
Evaluate the workflow you intend to keep
If local Mac projects matter, test that route. If you plan to work from a chat app, test the actual plugin and the upload method you will use. If you need an editable timeline in another application, open the handoff there and check media, captions, audio and timing.
Use a supplied-media-only brief when you want no generated shots. That is an editorial requirement you can give an editor; it is not a reason to assume that a product with generation must add it to every video.
Try the same edit, then ask for a correction
Compare a spoken edit
Use my uploaded interview or product explanation to make a clear 60–90 second video for a viewer new to the topic. Open on one complete useful point, remove repeated starts and long waits, and keep the qualification that explains when the advice applies. Use the supplied footage, make a readable 9:16 composition, add accurate captions and keep speech clear. Show me a preview before export. I will request one specific correction after reviewing it.
The brief is saved through sign-in for review. Upload the original in Studio before submitting. Account creation and upload are free; AI editing requires a subscription. Follow the first-edit guide.
Compare a product walkthrough
Edit my uploaded screen recording into a concise product walkthrough. Show one task from its starting screen to a visible successful result. Remove setup time and long waits, keep required actions in order, and use short labels and restrained zooms so the controls remain readable. Preserve my narration and demonstration data. Show a preview before export; I will ask you to hold one result screen longer without changing the other steps.
The brief is saved through sign-in for review. Upload the original in Studio before submitting. Account creation and upload are free; AI editing requires a subscription. Follow the first-edit guide.
Use a specific follow-up
In the current preview, restore the qualifying sentence that follows the main claim in the original recording. Keep the approved opening, other cuts, caption style and audio unchanged. Show the revised passage with context on both sides, then confirm which version will be exported.
| Checkpoint | What to inspect | Record |
|---|---|---|
| First cut | Complete meaning, useful pacing, readable framing and accurate captions. | The passages or frames that need correction. |
| Follow-up | The requested change is made while approved material stays intact. | Attempts and your active review time. |
| Final file | The export matches the reviewed version and plays with the intended sound. | Runtime, delivery settings and actual usage charged. |
Check requirements on the current project
For a particular file size, subtitle format, team workflow or delivery format, check the current product documentation and the controls in your account. Do a short representative edit before applying the workflow to a long production. Keep a record of the source and version you approved.
Continue with Valmera upload guidance, export guidance or the alternatives overview.
Cardboard comparison questions
What is Cardboard AI?
Cardboard is an AI video editor with a built-in Director, a timeline, a browser editor and an Apple Silicon Mac app. It also documents plugins for editing in ChatGPT and Claude. Those chat integrations are distinct from choosing your own Claude or Codex agent inside the Mac app.
Can Cardboard edit videos inside ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes. Its official plugin guides describe account sign-in, editing, preview and export inside the conversation. The editing consumes Cardboard plan credits; the assistant uses the plan you have with its provider. Client and account access requirements still apply.
Is Cardboard free on Mac?
Cardboard advertises a free Lite plan in its Apple Silicon Mac app. Its Mac FAQ says Lite exports include a watermark. The paid web plans and their allowances are listed in the dated pricing table above; check the selected billing period before buying.
Are Cardboard's Mac and browser workflows identical?
No. Its Mac FAQ says projects are stored separately on Mac and web, even though the account, plan and credits work in both. It describes timeline export for Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve in the browser on Starter and higher, not in the Mac app. Its November 2 changelog separately announces Premiere project import on Mac.
Which editor should I try for an existing recording?
Start a Valmera project with the recording and the shared brief on this page. Use the same source, target and review criteria in another editor if you are comparing options. Check the first cut, one requested correction and the downloaded result; this page does not claim a measured quality or speed winner.
Can I keep generated shots out of my edit?
Yes: make that an explicit instruction in the brief, identify the approved source media and inspect the result. A product offering generation does not mean every edit must use it. Judge whether the finished video follows your request.
How do I start editing with Valmera?
Choose a brief on this page, sign in and upload your original footage in Studio. The instructions are saved for review before submission. Creating an account and uploading are free; AI editing requires a subscription. You can also connect an authorized assistant through Valmera's MCP setup guide.
Sources and review scope
Official Cardboard pages checked November 5, 2026. Prices and capabilities above are vendor statements. The briefs, review checklist and workflow advice are Valmera editorial guidance; no shared-footage render benchmark was performed for this update.