Ivy · The Shorts Desk
Faceless, avatar or you: three stacks for one script
The same 90-second script, routed three ways through the tools on this page.
Picture one 90-second script. It can go through the tools on this page three ways, depending on who's on screen. This is a planning sketch built from vendor feature lists, not a test we ran.
Faceless: an AI voice over visuals, then cut into shorts. Avatar: a presenter reads the script and translation handles other languages. You: record, edit by transcript, then clip.
ElevenLabs The voice track
Write the script, pick or clone a voice, and direct the delivery with tags in the text.
| Voice library | 17,500+ voices, or clone or design one | source |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | 90+ with Eleven v4 | source |
| Direction | Audio tags like [laughs] or [whispers] in the script | source |
| Editor | Studio: edit the narration by editing the text | source |
| Dubbing | Dubbing v2, 90+ languages, in a clone of the original voice | source |
| Also makes | Sound effects and music | source |
What independent reviewers report: TechRadar calls it an excellent choice for creators who need high-quality narration, but says voices can still sound slightly robotic in highly emotional speech. Zapier lists life-like voices and a large multilingual library, with occasional inconsistent output, especially for sound effects.
Sources: TechRadar (Feb 11, 2025); Zapier (updated Sep 8, 2026). Paraphrased; accessed Oct 23, 2026.
Visit ElevenLabs Official site · not an affiliate link
HeyGen The AI presenter
Type a script and a stock or custom avatar presents it, in 175+ languages with lip sync.
| Avatars | 1,100+ stock avatars, or create your own | source |
|---|---|---|
| Translation | 175+ languages and dialects, with lip sync | source |
| Direction | A doc-style editor for words, gestures and emotion | source |
| From slides | Turn a PPT or PDF into avatar scenes | source |
| Voice | Clone your voice or pick a stock voice | source |
| Consent | Custom avatars need on-camera ID verification | source |
What independent reviewers report: TechRadar's test found the visuals almost perfect and properly lip-synced, but called the voice too robotic and lacking in emotion. It also notes free-plan videos export at 720p.
Sources: TechRadar (Oct 9, 2024). Paraphrased; accessed Oct 23, 2026.
Visit HeyGen Official site · not an affiliate link
Descript The edit bay
Edit the video by editing its transcript. Delete a sentence and the clip goes with it.
| Editing | Edit the words to edit the video; one-click filler and retake removal | source |
|---|---|---|
| Co-editor | Underlord, the AI video co-editor | source |
| Audio | Studio Sound noise removal and voice enhancement | source |
| Recording | 4K multitrack with remote guests in Rooms | source |
| Voice | Custom voice clones or stock AI voices | source |
| Languages | Dub and subtitle into dozens of languages | source |
What independent reviewers report: Zapier highlights intuitive controls and editing video by editing the transcription, and warns that the editor can lag on complex projects.
Sources: Zapier (updated Oct 9, 2026). Paraphrased; accessed Oct 23, 2026.
Visit Descript Official site · not an affiliate link
OpusClip The shorts cutter
Feed it one long video and it hands back short clips with captions, ready to post.
| Clipping | One long video into multiple short clips | source |
|---|---|---|
| Captions | Added automatically; the vendor states over 97% accuracy | source |
| B-roll | AI B-roll in one click | source |
| Branding | Brand templates: font, color, logo, intro and outro | source |
| Hand-off | Edit in Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve | source |
| Languages | English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese and 20 more | source |
What independent reviewers report: Zapier rates it for high-volume strategies and a fast repurpose-to-publish workflow, but says the built-in video editor isn't very reliable.
Sources: Zapier (updated Oct 9, 2026). Paraphrased; accessed Oct 23, 2026.
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