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Simon Says Alternative: When You Want the Rough Cut, Not Just the Transcript
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In Summary Simon Says is a transcription tool with an assembly editor: you read the transcript, pick the soundbites and drag them into order, then export the sequence to your editing app. Eddie AI starts one step later. It transcribes and logs the footage, then builds the first cut from a brief you write in plain language, and sends it back to Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro. If you want a better transcript, Simon Says does the job. If you want the assembly done for you, that is what Eddie is for.
The short answer
Most editors who look for a Simon Says alternative are not unhappy with its transcripts. They want the next step done too. Choosing every soundbite from four interviews is still the slow part of the job, even when you are doing it in text instead of on a timeline.
Simon Says Assemble makes that manual step faster: you highlight lines in the transcript and drag them into a sequence. Eddie is an AI video editor that proposes the sequence itself. You tell it the story, the length and the speakers to favour, and it returns a structured cut you can review, change by chat, and send to your editing app.
Side by side
| Simon Says | Eddie AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Transcription, translation and subtitles | AI rough cuts from interviews and b-roll |
| Building the cut | You highlight soundbites and drag them into order | Eddie builds the cut from a written brief; you revise by chat |
| Export | XML to Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Avid | Round trip to Premiere Pro, Resolve and Final Cut Pro; Avid in beta |
| Languages | Many languages for transcription and translation | Transcribes 100+ languages and detects the language automatically |
| Pricing | Per hour of transcription or a monthly plan; check their current pricing | Pay-as-you-go credits from $10; 500 free credits to start; packs never expire |
Where Simon Says is the better fit
- You need transcripts, captions or translations as the deliverable. Simon Says was built for that, and its exports cover Word, SRT and the main editing apps.
- You want to pick every line yourself. If the selection is the creative work you want to keep, a transcript-first assembly tool fits the way you already think.
- Your team reviews in a browser. Simon Says describes Assemble as a shared web editor where producers can comment and sign off on a string-out.
Where Eddie is the better fit
- You have more footage than time. Eddie reads all of it, finds the speakers and the lines that carry the story, and proposes an order. You start from a cut, not a blank sequence.
- The story needs b-roll and more than one camera. Eddie logs b-roll by what is in the shot, syncs multicam and switches to the speaker, so the first cut already looks like an edit.
- You finish in Premiere, Resolve or Final Cut. The cut comes back as a sequence pointing at your original media. Colour, sound and titles stay where you do them now. See the Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro workflows.
- You work from a script or outline. Give Eddie the script and it follows your structure, picking the best take of each line (scripted edits).
How the switch works
- Bring the footage in. Send it from your editing app with the Eddie desktop app, or upload the files. Eddie transcribes and logs everything.
- Write the brief. For example: "A three-minute story about why the team moved to four-day weeks. Open on Priya, end on the customer quote, keep the jokes out."
- Review and revise. Ask for a shorter version, a different opening or more of one speaker. Each change is a message, not a re-edit.
- Send it home. Export the sequence to your editing app and finish as usual.
The step-by-step Premiere guide walks the round trip with every click.
What Eddie will not do
- It will not finish the film. Grading, mixing and the last pass of taste stay in your editing app.
- It does not replace watching the cut. Eddie edits from the transcript and what it logged in the footage. You still review it.
- It is not a captioning service for its own sake. Eddie writes captions and SRT files for your edits, but if a transcript or translation is the only thing you need, a transcription tool is the simpler buy.
FAQ
Is Eddie a transcription tool? It transcribes everything you import, in 100+ languages, because the edit is built from the words. You can export the transcript as SRT. But its job is the cut, not the transcript.
Can I still pick soundbites by hand? Yes. Ask Eddie to find lines on a topic, keep or drop specific moments, or rebuild the cut around the soundbites you choose.
Does it work with Avid Media Composer? Avid support is in beta, through the Eddie extension in the desktop app, with access from a waitlist. Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro are fully supported.
What does it cost? Eddie is pay-as-you-go. A new account starts with 500 free credits, packs start at $10, and credits never expire. About an hour of footage imported and edited fits in the $10 pack. See pricing.
Have interviews waiting for a first cut? Start a project for free and give Eddie the brief.
