In 60 seconds
- CapCut is free and powerful, but its music and some effects aren't licensed for business use outside CapCut and TikTok. Use your own or properly licensed music.
- Descript lets you edit a video by editing its transcript, like a document.
- Gamma builds a whole slide deck from one prompt. Canva does both video and slides with your brand colours.
- Adobe Premiere Rush support ends on 30 September 2026. If you use it, move now.
Video editing
| App | Price (US$) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| CapCut | Free; Pro about $19.99 a month (varies by country and app store) | Short vertical videos, captions, effects |
| Descript | Free; Hobbyist $16 a month billed yearly | Talking videos and podcasts: delete a word from the transcript and it's cut from the video |
| Canva | Pro US$144 a year on Canva's US page | Quick branded clips from templates |
| Adobe Express | Premium $9.99 a month | Simple edits with Adobe's AI features |
| Captions | Basic $9.99 a month | Talking-head videos filmed on your phone |
Watch out: CapCut musicCapCut's terms say its licence doesn't cover sound recordings and music, and some of its library is for non-commercial use only. If a video mixes commercial and non-commercial materials, the whole video counts as non-commercial. For business posts, especially on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, use music you've licensed, or a platform's own business-safe library, and keep a note of where it came from.
Phone video that looks professional
- Light: face a window. It beats any ring light.
- Sound: a clip-on microphone (about A$30 to A$60) matters more than a better camera.
- Captions: always. Plenty of people watch with the sound off.
- Length: say one thing. Sixty to ninety seconds is plenty for most business videos.
Presentations and pitch decks
| Tool | Price | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Gamma | Free to try; paid plans from about US$8 a month | A whole deck from one prompt; exports to PowerPoint or Google Slides |
| Canva | Free; Pro as above | Your brand kit and thousands of templates |
| PowerPoint with Copilot | Microsoft 365 Personal A$16 a month | Stays inside PowerPoint; AI for the account owner |
| Google Slides with Gemini | Google Workspace Business Standard and above | If your business already runs on Google |
| Beautiful.ai | Pro from about US$14.50 a month billed yearly | Slides that lay themselves out |
| Pitch | Plus £10 a month billed yearly | Working on a deck together |
A simple rule for decks
One idea per slide, as few words as you can bear, and a picture that shows the point. Let the AI build the first draft, then cut half of what it wrote.
What I useCapCut for editing video, Canva for graphics and slides.
Rather hand it over?
That's what I'm for. Book a free 30-minute call and you'll leave with a plan for your website and marketing, whether or not you hire me.
Book your free call More guidesSources (13) · facts and prices checked 27 September 2026
- CapCut: Standard vs Pro
- CapCut terms of service
- CapCut materials licence
- Descript pricing
- Canva pricing
- Adobe: Premiere Rush end of life
- Adobe Express pricing
- Captions subscriptions
- Gamma pricing
- Microsoft 365 plans (Australia)
- Google Workspace pricing
- Beautiful.ai pricing
- Pitch pricing
Prices change often and vary by country. Always check the company's own page before you buy.