u/StepUpPrep

These are some tools I found online

Step	Tool	Cost	Why it’s in the stack
Niche + idea research	OutlierKit or 1of10	Free / paid trial	RPM data + outlier detection
Scripting	ChatGPT or Claude plus Subscribr	$0–$20/mo	LLM for draft, Subscribr for retention frameworks
AI voice	ElevenLabs Starter	$5/mo	Best TTS at consumer pricing; commercial rights included
Visuals (stock route)	Pexels + Pixabay + Storyblocks	Free / $20/mo	Real footage avoids the “AI slop” detection
Visuals (AI route)	InVideo AI or Pictory	$19–$25/mo	Script-to-video pipeline; use sparingly
Avatar (optional)	Synthesia	$22/mo	A presenter without showing your face
Editing	CapCut, DaVinci Resolve	Free	CapCut for speed, DaVinci for serious work
Captions	Reel Video Captions	Free	Word-level burn-in, no watermark, no sign-up
Thumbnails	Canva or Photoshop	Free / $20/mo	Thumbnail CTR is your single biggest lever

I've been seeing tons of posts here about CapCut moving auto-captions to the Pro tier and it's honestly frustrating for casual creators.

I built Reel Video Captions specifically for people who just want a fast, free way to subtitle their TikToks/Reels without the $30 monthly sub or "surprise" watermarks at export.

Why use this instead of paywalled apps:

• Truly Free: No "limited free uses" or monthly fees for captions.
• In-Browser: No need to download bulky software or worry about your PC specs.
• No Friction: You don't even have to create an account. Just upload, let the AI transcribe, style it, and download.
• Bake-In: Captions are burned into the video pixels so they look exactly how you want on every platform.

I’m a solo dev just trying to keep basic tools accessible for everyone. Let me know if it helps your workflow or if there are features you’re missing from CapCut that I should add next!

Try it here: https://reelvideocaptions.com/