Podcast clipping prices by option
The table shows what each option charges and what is still left for you to do. Per-month figures assume 20 clips, which is four to five clips from each weekly episode.
| Option | Per clip | Per month, 20 clips | You still do |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI clipping tool | Not priced per clip | $15 to $30 subscription | Pick, fix, caption, title, export |
| PromptPlay | $33 to $50 | $1,000 (Starter) | Review, about an hour a week |
| Marketplace gig (Fiverr type) | $5 to $35 | $100 to $700 | Brief, review, chase, re-hire |
| Experienced freelancer | $25 to $150 | $500 to $3,000 | Brief, review, manage |
| Specialist short-form agency | $40 to $150 | $1,500 to $5,000 | Approvals and calls |
| Full video agency | Usually not per clip | $3,000 to $7,000+ | Briefs and meetings |
Outside ranges are typical US market figures from vendor pricing pages, marketplace listings and rate guides, checked in web searches as of November 2026. Quotes vary by editor and by what is included. PromptPlay figures are our published plans.
Where the ranges come from
AI clipping tools charge a monthly subscription, not a per-clip price. Entry plans at the common tools run about $15 to $30 a month, with higher tiers for more upload minutes. The tool does not pick the moments for you in any dependable way, so the price buys software, not finished clips.
Marketplace gigs are the cheapest human option. New sellers list clips at $5 to $15 each, more experienced ones at $15 to $35. Quality and turnaround vary a lot between sellers, and most gigs cap revisions.
Experienced freelancers charge $25 to $150 per clip, or $15 to $75 an hour. A clip with motion graphics, b-roll and a custom caption style sits at the top of that range. A simple captioned cut sits at the bottom.
Specialist short-form agencies sell monthly packages. Small packages of around ten clips start at a few hundred dollars to $2,000. Packages with a dedicated editor, strategy and more clips run $1,500 to $5,000 a month.
Full video agencies are built for brand films and campaigns. Retainers of $3,000 to $7,000 a month are common, and clipping is usually one line in a larger scope.
Done-for-you clipping services like PromptPlay charge a flat monthly fee for a set number of finished clips. Our plans are $1,000 for 20 clips, $2,000 for 50 and $3,000 for 90, which is $50, $40 and $33 per clip. See pricing for what each plan includes.
What drives the price
Clip count
Per-clip prices fall as monthly volume rises. Twenty clips a month costs more per clip than ninety, with almost every provider.
Episode and clip length
A two-hour episode takes longer to go through than a thirty-minute one. Some editors charge by source minute for that reason.
Captions and branding
Plain auto captions are cheap. Word-by-word captions in your fonts and colors, a logo and a title card cost more time, so more money.
Turnaround
Two to three days is standard. Same-day or next-day delivery usually carries a rush fee or a higher plan.
Revisions
Gigs often include one or two rounds. Services usually include fixes for anything you flag. Ask before you buy.
Who finds the moments
The biggest hidden variable. If you mark the timestamps, the editor is cheaper. If the editor finds the moments, you pay for that judgement.
The costs that are not on the invoice
Your time picking moments. Finding the best 30 to 60 seconds in an hour-long episode means going through the hour. With an AI tool you then check every suggestion. If your time is worth $50 an hour, two hours a week is $400 a month that never appears on a bill.
Managing a freelancer. Writing the brief, answering questions, reviewing, sending revisions, chasing a late delivery. Most shows spend an hour or two a week on this, and start again when the editor moves on.
Fixing captions. Auto captions get names, numbers and jargon wrong. Someone has to read every clip.
Tools you keep paying for. A clipping tool, a caption tool and a scheduler add up to a second subscription stack next to the editor you are paying.
Clips that never get posted. The most expensive clip is the one that sits in a folder because the week got busy. Any option that depends on your spare hours has this cost built in.
Worked example: a weekly 60-minute show
One episode a week, about an hour long. You want four to five clips per episode, so 16 to 20 clips a month, captioned and branded. Here is what a month costs each way, including your own hours at $50 an hour.
| Option | Fees | Your hours a month | Total with your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI clipping tool | $15 to $30 | 8 to 12 hours | $415 to $630 |
| PromptPlay Starter | $1,000 | About 4 hours of review | $1,200 |
| Marketplace gig | $300 to $700 | 6 to 8 hours of briefing and review | $600 to $1,100 |
| Experienced freelancer | $1,000 to $2,000 | 4 to 6 hours | $1,200 to $2,300 |
| Short-form agency | $1,500 to $4,000 | 2 to 4 hours | $1,600 to $4,200 |
Hours are estimates for a show that reviews its own clips. Change the hourly rate to yours and the order may change, but the pattern usually holds: the cheapest fee is rarely the cheapest month.
Which option is worth it for you
An AI tool is the right spend if you post a few clips a month, have the hours, and enjoy editing. At $15 to $30 a month nothing else comes close on price.
A marketplace gig is the right spend if you can mark the timestamps yourself, want a simple captioned cut, and can live with variable quality.
A freelancer is the right spend if you want one person who learns your show and you are happy to manage them.
A done-for-you service is the right spend if what you lack is hours, not software, and you want a steady 20 to 90 clips a month without picking moments or managing anyone.
An agency is the right spend if you also need strategy, filming or paid distribution, and clips are one part of a bigger brief.
For a fuller comparison of how the options work, not just what they cost, read agency vs freelancer vs AI tool.
PromptPlay plans
Starter
- 20 finished clips a month
- Sized for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
- Captions and your branding
- 72 hour turnaround
- Titles and descriptions
Growth (most popular)
- 50 finished clips a month
- Audio-only episodes covered
- Back catalogue clipped too
- 72 hour turnaround
- Titles and descriptions
Scale
- 90 finished clips a month
- Multiple shows on one plan
- Custom motion graphics
- 48 hour priority turnaround
- Titles and descriptions
Month to month, no contract. Your first clip is free. Every clip stays yours, even if you stop.