Zella

Name: Zella
Brand: Zella
Price: 89 USD

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On-device AI video editing for polished content in seconds

Screen Recording Video Editing AI Assistants

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Tracked since2026

The Bottom Line

Entry price

Free plan available, paid tiers above

Biggest pro

Complete privacy: footage never leaves the device, works in airplane mode

Biggest con

Free exports limited to a set duration at a standard resolution

TL;DR - Zella

One-tap Auto-Polish edits raw takes: cuts silences, adds captions, cleans voice, and scores with music
100% on-device processing, no upload, no account, works in airplane mode
Free forever with no watermark; one-time payment unlocks longer exports and higher resolution

Pricing: Free plan available

Best for: Growing teams

What is Zella?

Editorial review

Zella is a screen recorder and AI video editor for Mac and iPhone that runs entirely on-device. It records your screen or camera, then a single tap of Auto-Polish cuts silences and filler words, writes captions, cleans voice audio, adds emphasis zooms, and scores the video with music. Everything runs on your own hardware, so no footage is uploaded and the app works in airplane mode. The tool is designed for content creators, SaaS teams, support staff, and educators who need to produce polished videos quickly. It includes background removal without a green screen, face-aware reframing to multiple aspect ratios, caption translation into multiple languages on iPhone, and a full timeline editor for manual adjustments. Free forever with no watermark, with a one-time payment to lift export limits.

LCLouis CorneloupUpdated Sep 17, 2026 · how we evaluateSourcezellahq.com ↗

Pros & Cons

Pros

Complete privacy: footage never leaves the device, works in airplane mode
Free tier is the full editor with no watermark, not a crippled demo
One-time payment instead of subscription for Pro features

Cons

Free exports limited to a set duration at a standard resolution
Requires a recent version of macOS or iOS, modern hardware recommended for best performance

Key Features

Auto-Polish one-tap editing: silence/filler removal, keyword captions with emoji, voice polish, emphasis zooms, music duckingScreen and camera recording on Mac (full screen, region, window, camera-only) and iPhone (front/back camera, screen, ReplayKit broadcast)On-device background removal with no green screen, 40 built-in scenes, blur, solid color, or custom image/video backgroundsFace-aware reframe to 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9 in one clickOn-device caption translation into 19 languages on iPhone (iOS 18+), SRT import, custom fonts, Text Behind SubjectAI Assistant (typed prompt, uses your own API key) and Auto B-Roll (stock footage, opt-in)Crash-safe segmented recording with pause/resume, system audio + mic capture, webcam bubble overlayCross-platform project files (.zella) that transfer between Mac and iPhone

Pricing Plans

Free Trial

Pricing checked Sep 17, 2026

Free

Complete editor and all AI features on Mac and iPhone
Unlimited recording
Exports up to 2 minutes at up to 1080p
No watermark on exports
Auto-Polish, Make it Viral, AI Assistant, Auto B-Roll
On-device captions and background removal
25 transitions and 42-43 colour looks
No account, no cloud, no upload

Pro

$89 one-time

Everything in Free
Unlimited export length
4K export (8K on Mac)
Transparent-background export (ProRes 4444 with alpha on Mac, HEVC with alpha on iPhone)
60 fps export and custom bitrate
Multi-aspect export queue (9:16, 1:1, 16:9)
Save your own templates
Depth toolset: keyframes with bezier curves, live luma scopes, Color Match, feathered effect masks, speed ramps, per-drum Beat Sync

Founder

$299 one-time

Everything in Pro
All future major versions free (covers 2.0 and beyond)
Three Founder-exclusive cinematic grades: Teal & Orange, Kodak 2383, Film Noir
Family Sharing (up to 5 other people)
No licence server and no kill switch
Priority support
Early access to new features

Calculate your cost View full pricing

Is Zella worth the price?

88/100

The pricing is generous and fair for the value delivered.

The Free tier is unusually full-featured (no watermark, unlimited recording, all AI features) while the Pro at $89 one-time is a steal compared to subscription competitors, and the Founder tier at $299 is a long-term bet for power users. Best for anyone who wants a pro-grade on-device editor without recurring fees.

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

Pro is one-time but future major versions (2.0+) cost extra without Founder tier

Founder tier excludes future major versions beyond 2.0? Unclear but only covers 2.0 and beyond

No cloud storage or collaboration features included at any tier

7-day trial of Pro is short if you need to test 4K/60 workflows thoroughly

No team/seat management except Family Sharing (up to 5) in Founder tier

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Zella FAQ

How does Auto-Polish decide what to cut and what to keep?

Auto-Polish uses the on-device transcript to remove silences and filler words (um, uh, so yeah), then adds extra cuts where you naturally pause. It applies cross-dissolves on the widest-spaced joins, adds keyword captions with emoji, cleans the voice, inserts a hook title with an opening punch-in, and adds emphasis zooms on lines that carry the point.

Can I use Zella to edit footage I didn't record with Zella?

Yes. On iPhone you can import from Photos or Files, and the editor accepts imported video on both platforms. The capture features are one part of the app, but the editing and Auto-Polish tools work on any footage you bring in.

What happens to my footage when I use the AI Assistant or Auto B-Roll features?

These are the only two features that touch the network, and both are opt-in. The AI Assistant sends only your typed prompt to the AI provider using your own API key — never your video. Auto B-Roll fetches stock footage clips and requires a free API key you add yourself. All other processing stays on-device.

How does background removal work without a green screen?

Zella uses on-device vision models to segment the subject from the background in real time. On iPhone, two vision models must agree on every frame to prevent gestures from dragging the room along. On Mac, it runs on both the webcam bubble and the main video. You see the final look in the viewfinder while filming, not after the fact.

Can I record system audio and my microphone at the same time?

Yes, on Mac you can capture system audio and mic together in one synced take, then balance them independently in the edit. You can also pause and resume mid-take instead of starting over. On iPhone, screen recording with sound is supported.

What is the difference between the free tier and Pro beyond export limits?

Free is the complete editor with every AI feature, no watermark, and unlimited recording. The only ceilings are export length (2 minutes) and resolution (1080p). Pro removes those limits with a one-time payment that covers both Mac and iPhone. Every new install also runs the full Pro feature set free for 7 days with no card required.

How does Zella handle long recordings or interruptions?

Takes are segmented and committed to disk continuously, so an interruption (like a phone call or app crash) costs you at most the last few seconds. Recordings are sleep-safe for long takes, and crash recovery is built in.

Can I transfer a project between my Mac and iPhone?

Yes. Projects are saved as .zella files that include clips, cuts, captions, titles, callouts, and effects. You can hand a project across devices and continue editing where you left off.

Source: zellahq.com

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