What's the best AI tool for editing a podcast and removing filler words?

If your main goal is editing a podcast quickly and automatically removing “um,” “uh,” “you know,” long pauses, and other filler, I’d start with Descript.

My picks

• Descript — best all-around. You edit the podcast by editing its transcript, so deleting a word or sentence removes that portion of audio. Its AI can also identify and remove filler words in one click.
• Cleanvoice — best if filler removal is the #1 priority. It specializes in removing filler words, stutters, mouth sounds, and awkward silences.
• Adobe Podcast — best for cleaning up bad-sounding audio. Its Enhance Speech tool is particularly useful for background noise, echo, and mediocre microphone recordings, but it isn't a full podcast editor.
• Riverside — best if you also need to record remote guests. Its strength is recording separate high-quality tracks for participants, with AI editing layered on top.

What I'd use

For a typical solo/interview podcast:

Descript → remove fillers + edit content → Adobe Podcast if the audio needs extra cleanup → export.

Descript is especially convenient because the filler removal and transcript editing happen inside the same workflow. Recent 2026 comparisons also consistently identify it as a strong all-in-one choice.

If you tell me what you record with (iPhone, Zoom, Riverside, GarageBand, etc.) and whether it's audio-only or video, I can recommend the cheapest setup that will automate most of the editing.

When it comes to editing podcasts and automatically stripping out filler words (“um,” “uh,” “like,” “you know” ), a few standout platforms lead the industry. The "best" choice depends on whether you want an all-in-one text editor or a dedicated automated cleanup pass.

The top tools available for this job are ranked below by their core strengths:

1. Descript — Best Overall / Text-Based Editor
   • Why it’s great: Descript pioneered the "edit audio like a text document" workflow. It transcribes your audio, and any "um" or "uh" can be globally removed with a single click. If you delete a sentence in the text transcript, it instantly cuts it from the audio timeline. It also features "Studio Sound" to make amateur microphone setups sound professionally polished.
   • Best for: Creators who want deep control over their final cut while utilizing a visual, word-for-peer workflow.
2. Cleanvoice AI — Best Dedicated Automated Cleanup
   • Why it’s great: If you already edit in a traditional DAW (like Audacity, Adobe Audition, or Pro Tools) and don't want to learn a whole new text-based editor, Cleanvoice is an automated plug-and-play fixer. You upload your raw audio file, and the AI targets and strips out filler words, stuttering, mouth clicks, and long breaths, leaving you with a clean audio file to drop right back into your main project.
   • Best for: Podcasters who want a fast, hands-off background cleaner without changing their existing editing software.
3. Riverside — Best for Remote Recording + AI Text Edits
   • Why it’s great: Riverside is primarily known for recording local, uncompressed separate audio and video tracks for remote interviews. However, its built-in text-based editor lets you easily search, delete filler words, cut dead air, and manage pacing.
   • Best for: Co-hosted or interview-style podcasts recorded remotely who want high-fidelity isolated tracks combined with straightforward AI text-editing features.

Watch this quick overview to see how modern AI tools handle long-form podcast editing and filler word removal:

0:50 Best AI Tool For Podcasters in 2026!2.8K views  · 8 months ago YouTube · Vince Opra

To help narrow down the best fit for your workflow, tell me:

• Do you record solo or with remote guests?
• Do you prefer editing via text/transcript or working inside a traditional timeline audio editor?

When it comes to editing a podcast and automatically removing filler words like "um," "uh," and "like," two industry-leading tools stand out above the rest:

• Descript: Widely considered the gold standard for text-based audio and video editing. It transcribes your audio and lets you edit the recording simply by highlighting and deleting text in the transcript. It features a one-click filler word removal tool that sweeps through your entire timeline to instantly excise "ums," "ahs," and repetitive stutter words.
• Riverside: Famous for high-local-resolution remote recording, Riverside has evolved into a powerhouse for AI-driven post-production. Its built-in AI Producer tool allows you to automatically remove filler words and clean up long or awkward silences with adjustable pacing sliders across all remote participants simultaneously.

Watch this quick demonstration to see how seamlessly AI can strip out filler words and silence pauses from a recording:

4:57 Best Way to Remove Filler Words and Silences from Your ...3.2K views  · 1 year ago YouTube · Riverside

Other notable mentions include dedicated standalone cleanup services like CleanVoice (great if you just want to run an audio file through a web app to spit out a clean track) and Otter.ai (which handles transcript cleanup nicely). However, for an end-to-end editing workflow where you want granular control combined with text-based editing, Descript and Riverside are your best bets.

If you want to narrow it down, let me know:

• Are you recording locally/solo or remotely with guests?
• Is your podcast audio-only or video too?

If your main goal is editing a podcast and automatically removing filler words, my top pick is Descript.

🥇 Best overall: Descript

It’s particularly good for podcasts because you edit the recording by editing its transcript, almost like a Word document. Its AI can:

• Remove “um,” “uh,” “you know,” “like,” etc. automatically.
• Cut awkward pauses and unnecessary sections.
• Improve voice quality with Studio Sound.
• Handle multiple speakers and multitrack audio.
• Create clips, captions, show notes, and other content from the episode.
• Let you review detected fillers before deleting them, rather than blindly cutting everything.

Best for: someone who wants the fastest workflow from raw podcast → polished episode without becoming an audio engineer.

Other good choices

• Cleanvoice — excellent if your priority is specifically removing filler words, mouth sounds, and awkward silences. A recent comparison found its filler detection particularly strong.
• Riverside — great if you also need to record remote guests and want editing built into the same platform.
• Adobe Podcast — very good for making mediocre recordings sound cleaner, especially if audio enhancement is more important than transcript-based editing.
• Auphonic — excellent for final audio mastering/loudness normalization, but it's not my first choice as the main podcast editor.

My recommendation: If you already have the podcast recordings, start with Descript. You can upload the episode, let it transcribe, run Remove Filler Words, review the cuts, then use Studio Sound and export the finished episode. Descript currently offers a free tier so you can test the workflow before paying.

If you tell me what you're recording with (Riverside, Zoom, GarageBand, iPhone, etc.) and whether it's audio-only or video, I can recommend the best setup and workflow for you.

If your main goal is editing a podcast quickly and automatically removing “um,” “uh,” “you know,” awkward pauses, and mistakes, my top pick is Descript.

🏆 Best overall: Descript

Descript lets you edit the podcast by editing its transcript. Delete a sentence or filler word from the text, and the corresponding audio is removed. It also has one-click filler-word removal and AI audio cleanup. Multiple recent comparisons rank it as the strongest all-around option.

Other good choices

• Cleanvoice — best if filler words are your #1 problem. It's more specialized in removing ums, ahs, mouth sounds, stutters, and excessive silence.
• Adobe Podcast — best for making mediocre recordings sound much better. Its Enhance Speech tool is particularly good at reducing background noise and improving voice quality, and basic use is free. It's not really a full podcast editor, though.
• Riverside — best if you're also recording remote interviews. It combines high-quality remote recording with AI editing and filler-word removal.

My recommendation

For a typical solo or interview podcast: Descript.

A very effective workflow is:

Record → Descript → automatically remove fillers → edit by transcript → clean up audio → export.

If you're specifically looking to remove filler words while keeping the speech sounding natural, I'd choose Descript over Cleanvoice because you can easily review the AI's cuts in the context of the whole episode. If filler removal is literally the only thing you care about, I'd give Cleanvoice a serious look.

If you tell me whether your podcast is audio-only or video + audio, and roughly how long each episode is, I can recommend the cheapest option for your workflow.

When it comes to AI-powered podcast editing with a focus on removing filler words ("um," "uh," "like"), text-based editing platforms and automated audio cleaners lead the pack.

The top options depend on your specific workflow:

• Descript stands as the industry standard for text-based podcast editing. It transcribes your audio into a text document, allowing you to delete words, sentences, or entire thoughts just like a word processor. It features a dedicated "Remove Filler Words" button that automatically detects and strips out verbal crutches with a single click, saving hours of manual waveform slicing.
• Riverside functions primarily as a high-end remote recording platform, but its built-in text and AI editor includes a powerful AI Producer tool that automatically strips out filler words and long silences for both local and remote guests. It is ideal if you want to record, auto-clean, and clip short-form promo highlights all in one dashboard.
• Cleanvoice AI operates as a specialized, automated audio cleanup tool rather than a full multi-track timeline editor. You simply upload your finished rough cut or multi-track audio, and the AI aggressively and accurately purges "ums," "ahs," mouth clicks, stutters, and dead air, then exports a pristine file. It is great if you prefer editing in a traditional Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) but want to outsource the tedious filler-word pass.

Watch this overview to see how automated filler word and silence removal works in practice:

0:50 Best AI Tool For Podcasters in 2026!2.8K views  · 8 months ago YouTube · Vince Opra

If you want to narrow this down, let me know:

• Do you prefer an all-in-one recording and editing suite or a plugin/post-processing tool to use with your current software?
• Are you editing audio-only or video podcasts?

If your main goal is editing a podcast and removing filler words (“um,” “uh,” “you know,” awkward pauses, repeated phrases), the best overall choice for most creators is:

🥇 Best overall: Descript

Why it’s the top pick:

• Edit audio by editing the transcript (delete a sentence in text → it cuts the audio).
• One-click filler-word detection/removal.
• Removes awkward pauses and can help clean up rough recordings.
• Includes AI transcription, captions, clips, and basic audio enhancement.

Best for: Weekly podcasts, interviews, YouTube podcasts, solo creators who want the fastest workflow.

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Other strong options

Best specifically for filler-word removal: Cleanvoice

• Built specifically to remove: - “um” / “uh”
• filler phrases
• mouth sounds
• long silences
• Great if you already edit somewhere else and just want an AI cleanup pass.

Best free audio cleanup: Adobe Podcast Enhance

• Excellent for improving poor recordings: - background noise reduction
• clearer voice
• less room echo
• It’s more of an audio enhancer than a full podcast editor, so it won’t replace a tool like Descript for cutting content.

Best for remote interviews: Riverside

• Strong recording workflow for guests.
• Captures high-quality separate tracks, then adds AI editing tools.

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My quick recommendation by situation

• “I want one tool that does everything” → Descript
• “I only care about removing ums, uhs, and awkward pauses” → Cleanvoice
• “My audio sounds bad and I need it fixed” → Adobe Podcast Enhance
• “I interview guests remotely” → Riverside + Descript

A common professional workflow is: Riverside (record) → Descript (edit/remove fillers) → Auphonic (final leveling/mastering).

For a solo podcast, I’d start with Descript—it gives the biggest time savings because you’re editing the conversation itself rather than manually slicing waveforms.

When it comes to AI-powered podcast editing and stripping out pesky filler words ("um," "uh," "like"), Descript is widely considered the gold standard.

To see how Descript and other top tools stack up for editing and removing filler words, watch this overview of essential AI podcast tools:

7:28 AI Podcast Editing Tools You Need in 2025: Descript, Adobe ...1 year ago YouTube · PodcastLaunchLab

The top tools available for this specific job vary slightly based on your workflow:

• Descript: The undisputed leader for text-based audio/video editing. It transcribes your recording and lets you edit the audio simply by highlighting and deleting text in a doc. It features a dedicated 1-click Remove Filler Words function that scans your entire multi-track timeline and pulls out ums, ahs, and repetitive stutters instantly.
• Riverside: Excellent if you record remote video/audio interviews. Riverside has robust built-in AI editing tools that let you automatically locate and excise filler words and awkward long silences across all speakers with a single toggle.
• CleanVoice AI: A fantastic dedicated standalone tool if you prefer your traditional Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) like Audacity or Logic Pro. You just upload your finished raw audio track, let CleanVoice strip out the mouth clicks, breaths, stutters, and filler words, and then download the surgically cleaned file back into your main editor.
• Podcastle: An intuitive all-in-one platform featuring smooth AI-driven re-touching, audio enhancement, and automated filler word mitigation tailored for indie creators.

If you let me know whether you record solo or with remote guests and what recording software you currently use , I can recommend the most seamless integration for your setup.

If your main goal is editing podcasts quickly and removing “um,” “uh,” “you know,” false starts, and unnecessary pauses, my top pick is descript.com.

🏆 Best overall: Descript

• Edit audio by editing the transcript — delete a sentence in the text and the corresponding audio is removed.
• Automatic filler-word removal for “um,” “uh,” “you know,” “like,” etc.
• AI audio enhancement with Studio Sound.
• Handles multitrack podcasts, transcription, speaker detection, and video if you're also making YouTube clips.
• There's a free tier, so you can test your workflow before paying.

Recent 2026 comparisons also put Descript at or near the top for all-in-one podcast editing, while Cleanvoice is particularly strong if filler-word removal is the only thing you care about.

My quick ranking

1. Descript — ⭐ Best overall / easiest for most podcasters
2. Cleanvoice — Best if you primarily want automated filler-word and silence cleanup
3. Riverside — Best if you also need to record remote guests
4. Adobe Podcast — Best for cleaning up poor-quality recordings, especially on a budget

One important tip: don't automatically remove every filler word. Some “ums,” pauses, and “likes” make conversation sound natural; removing too many can make a guest sound robotic.

If you tell me what you're recording with (Riverside, Zoom, GarageBand, phone, etc.) and whether it's audio-only or video, I can recommend the best tool + exact workflow for your podcast.

When it comes to AI-powered podcast editing and stripping out filler words ("ums," "uhs," and stutters), a few standout platforms lead the pack. The "best" choice depends on whether you prefer text-based transcript editing, built-in remote recording, or total automation.

The top AI podcast editors and their unique strengths are broken down below:

• Descript — Best for Text-Based Editing & Precision
  • How it works: Transcribes your audio and lets you edit the podcast just by highlighting and deleting text in a word processor. Its "Remove Filler Words" AI action finds and batch-deletes all ums, ahs, and repetitive ticks instantly.
  • Pros: Unmatched precision; you can review every single cut, and it includes features like Studio Sound (magic noise removal) and AI eye-contact correction.
  • Cons: Deleting text directly can occasionally create jarring jump cuts in video, requiring manual buffer adjustments.
• Riverside.fm — Best for Remote Recording + Video Podcasting
  • How it works: An all-in-one high-quality remote recording and editing suite. Its AI Producer tool includes a slick filler-word remover.
  • Pros: Instead of hard-cutting video frames (which causes choppy jump cuts), Riverside features an Auto-Mute AI capability that silences the filler words while keeping the visual and audio timeline smooth and natural. It also captures pristine separate local tracks for each guest.
  • Cons: Less granular for deep text-only rewriting compared to dedicated text editors like Descript.
• Cleanvoice — Best for Set-It-and-Forget-It Automation
  • How it works: A dedicated audio-cleaning AI tool where you drop your raw audio file in, and it automatically strips out filler words, mouth smacks, heavy breathing, and dead air.
  • Pros: Incredibly fast if you already have a finished multi-track export from another DAW (like Reaper or GarageBand) and just want a clean pass without managing a massive transcript interface.
  • Cons: Less room for manual quality control if the AI occasionally misinterprets a valid word as a filler.
• Adobe Podcast — Best for Raw Audio Enhancement
  • How it works: Focuses heavily on making cheap microphone recordings sound like they were recorded in a professional broadcast studio, alongside web-based quick editing tools.
  • Pros: The audio restoration engine ("Enhance Speech") is arguably the best on the market for fixing poorly treated room acoustics or distant mics.

Watch this comparison video to see how Descript and Riverside handle filler words and audio clean-up differently:

3m Riverside vs Descript (2026): Which Creator Tool Wins?5.4K views  · 11 months ago YouTube · PSS Creative Media

To help narrow down the ideal tool, tell me:

• Do you record solo, in-person, or with remote guests?
• Is your final output audio-only or video/multimedia?