The Best Autopod Alternative for DaVinci Resolve

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The Best Autopod Alternative for DaVinci Resolve

If you edit multicam podcasts in DaVinci Resolve, you’ve probably searched for an Autopod alternative that actually runs inside Resolve. I ran a hands-on test of the three biggest options — DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch, Podmate, and Autocut — to see which one saves the most time while still producing an edit you’d actually publish.

Table of Contents

The contenders for Autopod Alternative

DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch — the built-in Resolve option.
Podmate — a dedicated multicam auto-editor.
Autocut — a fast single-cam-focused tool.

I compared them on three questions that matter most:

How does the AI edit actually perform?
What customizations can you make?
How long does it take to run?

Podmate pictured, which is a Autopod Alternative plugin to Davinci Resolve Free and Studio versions — Podmate is an Autopod Alternative which is a plugin to Davinci Resolve Free and Studio versions

How I tested it

To keep things fair, I used 3 randomized 1-minute sequences and applied the same rules to every tool:

I chose 3 random 1-minute sequences.
I only fixed an issue where the camera stayed on the wrong person for a long stretch.
I turned off reaction shots on every tool.
For full transparency, I posted the entire editing videos online.

One note going in: I couldn’t tell the difference between DaVinci SmartSwitch and Podmate at a glance, while Autocut is obviously the non-multicam option of the group. Since it doesn’t support the multicam tool

Davinci Resolve Smartswitch pictured, an Autopod Alternative built into Davinci Resolve Studio — Davinci Resolve Smartswitch is an Autopod Alternative built into Davinci Resolve Studio

Round 1: How good is the actual edit?

The real question is how much cleanup each edit needs afterward. Fewer fixes = more time saved. Across 3 minutes of footage:

Tool	Fixes needed (3 min of footage)	Verdict
DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch	3 fixes	Best
Podmate	4 fixes	Best
Autocut	10 fixes	Medium

DaVinci SmartSwitch and Podmate are essentially tied for the cleanest edit; Autocut needed noticeably more cleanup.

Autocut pictured, which is a Autopod Alternative plugin to Davinci Resolve Free and Studio versions — Autocut is an Autopod Alternative which is a plugin to Davinci Resolve Free and Studio versions

Round 2: How long does the edit take to run?

A great edit is no good if you’re waiting forever for it. Here’s how long each tool took to process a 12-minute timeline:

Tool	Time to run (12 min timeline)	Verdict
DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch	21:43 mins	Poor
Podmate	1:01 mins	Best
Autocut	54 secs	Best

Podmate and Autocut finish in about a minute. SmartSwitch took over 20 minutes for the same timeline.

A Reddit post where users appear to be complaining that Davinci Resolve Smartswitch takes too long to run — Reddit users appear to be having the same problem with Davinci Resolve Smartswitch, namely that it takes too long to run

Round 3: Does it support the multicam tool?

Tool	Multicam support
DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch	Yes
Podmate	Yes
Autocut	No

The Davinci Multicam Tool pictured, which is the fastest way to make tweaks to an edit. Letting you use number keys on your keyboard to switch angles. — The Davinci Multicam Tool is the fastest way to make tweaks to an edit. Letting you use number keys on your keyboard to switch angles. Podmate and Davinci Smartswitch both integrate with it.

Round 4: What useful customizations can you make?

Tool	Customizations
DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch	Widecam frequency, minimum clip size, L-cut length
Podmate	Edit/reaction shot pacing, widecam/splitcam frequency, minimum clip size, multicam vs regular export
Autocut	Edit/reaction shot pacing, cut audio alongside video, speaker priority

Round 5: Does it support a Widecam?

Tool	Widecam support
DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch	Yes
Podmate	Yes
Autocut	Yes

Round 6: Does it directly support Splitcam?

Tool	Splitcam support
DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch	No
Podmate	Yes
Autocut	No

A splitcams is depicted, where the two hosts are pictured side by side inside a video editor where an AI edit has been completed. — Podmate supports splitcams, where the two hosts are pictured side by side. It can manufacture the splitcam for you.

The verdict: Best Autopod Alternative on Davinci Resolve?

Tool	Pros	Cons
DaVinci Resolve SmartSwitch	Best basic edit, multicam supported, widecam	Slow to run
Podmate	Best basic edit, fast, multicam supported, widecam, splitcam	—
Autocut	Fast, widecam	No multicam tool support

Bottom line: Podmate is the tool I’d try first. It matches SmartSwitch on edit quality, runs about 20× faster, keeps full multicam support, and is the only one of the three with direct splitcam support.

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