CastCutPodcast editing that runs on your Mac, with nothing uploaded
No render queue, no per-minute billing, no footage sitting on someone else's server. CastCut does the whole job locally on Apple silicon.
Try 2 exports free See pricing
Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer), macOS 14+. No account or card. Trial MP4 exports carry a small getcastcut.com mark.
Why this matters more than it sounds
Most automatic podcast editors are websites. You upload the footage, wait in a queue, pay by the minute, and trust that whoever runs the service handles your recordings properly. For an eighty minute episode on two 4K cameras that is a long upload before any work starts.
CastCut never does that. Everything happens on the machine in front of you, which changes three things: there is no upload, there is no queue, and the cost does not grow with the length of the episode.
What runs where
- Sync: every camera and mic lined up. Local.
- Who is talking: built into the app. Local.
- Who is on camera: built into the app. Local.
- Transcription: downloaded once, then local.
- Finding clips: downloaded once, then local.
The two downloaded models total about 4.4 GB and are kept in your Application Support folder. Settings shows exactly how much space CastCut is using and lets you remove them again.
License checks and optional usage counts
Your license key is checked with the payment provider when you activate it and about once a day after that. It keeps working offline for a week on the weekly plan, two weeks on monthly, three months on annual and six months with a founding license. The app sends no usage data unless you choose to share anonymous counts, and there is no account and no email required for the free trial.
What you give up
Being honest about the trade: it needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later, and the first run downloads those models. A cloud service works on any machine with a browser. If you are on an Intel Mac or a PC, CastCut is not for you.
Questions
Does CastCut upload my footage anywhere?
No. Sync, voice separation, face matching, transcription and finding clips run on your Mac. License checks and optional anonymous usage counts are separate from your media; your footage, transcripts and file names are not uploaded.
Can I use it without an internet connection?
Yes, once the AI models are downloaded. Transcription and finding moments need a one-time download of about 4.4 GB, and after that everything works offline. An activated license keeps working without a connection for a week on the weekly plan, two weeks on monthly, three months on annual and six months with a founding license.
Is there a per-minute or per-upload charge?
No. Cloud editors charge by the minute because they pay for the compute. CastCut uses your own Mac, so an eight hour episode costs the same as an eight minute one.
Which models run locally?
All of them. Telling voices apart and matching them to faces are built into the app. Transcription and finding clips download once, about 4.4 GB, and then run offline on Apple silicon.
What about client confidentiality?
Nothing is sent to a third party for processing, so unreleased footage, embargoed interviews and anything under NDA never leave the machine you are editing on.
Try it on your next episode
2 free exports, everything unlocked. No account, no email, no card. Apple silicon Macs (M1 or newer), macOS 14 or later.