Short answer — here are the top automated podcast-clip generators (what they do, when to pick them), plus a short checklist to choose one.

Top picks

• Descript — AI "Find clips" / Underlord that automatically picks highlight clips, plus transcription-based editing, captions, audiograms and full editing power when you want to fine-tune. Best if you want high-quality transcripts + manual control after automatic selection. (descript.com, help.descript.com)
• Repurpose.io — focused on full automation and publishing: converts podcast RSS or uploads into many short videos (vertical/horizontal/square) and can auto-publish to social platforms at scale. Best if you want hands-off batch repurposing + scheduling. (repurpose.io)
• Kapwing — browser-based AI podcast clip maker that auto-detects engaging moments, generates subtitles/audiograms and presets optimized for each social format. Good for quick, template-driven visuals. (kapwing.com)
• VEED — AI podcast-clip generator with auto-captions, noise removal, translate/auto-reframe and brand kit; useful if you want an all-in-one browser editor for clips + simple automation. (veed.io)
• Headliner (SpareMin) — long-standing audiogram/automation features (Automatic Audiograms, “Most Replayed” clipping, auto-transcription and promo-pack generation). Great for podcast-to-audiogram automation and promo packs. (learn.headliner.app)

Other notable / niche options

• Castmagic — auto-transcribe, find clipworthy moments and create audiograms; aimed at creators who want clips + show notes in one workflow. (castmagic.io)
• Recast Studio — generative-AI marketing assistant that extracts highlights and creates social-ready clip bundles + shownotes/blog posts. Good for makers who want marketing assets alongside clips. (recast.studio)
• Podcastle — browser clip-maker and audiogram tools with TTS/voice features; convenient free clip maker for creators who prefer a web UI. (Also note mixed user reports — test before committing). (podcastle.ai, wired.com)
• Vizard / Flowjin / Choppity / PodcastClipsAI and others — emerging AI tools focused specifically on auto-snippets, audiograms and bulk clip exports (useful if you want cheaper or highly automated single-purpose tooling). (simplified.com, podcastclipsai.com)

Quick pros & cons (high level)

• Descript — pro: best transcript-driven selection and manual polish; con: desktop/cloud workflow if you need heavy batch automation. (descript.com)
• Repurpose.io — pro: publish automation to many platforms; con: less hands-on editing finesse. (repurpose.io)
• Kapwing / VEED / Headliner — pro: easy templates, audiograms, auto-captions and quick exports; con: AI clip selection quality varies, you’ll often want to review clips. (kapwing.com, veed.io, learn.headliner.app)

How to choose (short checklist)

• Transcription quality: better transcriptions → better clip selection and captions.
• Clip-selection method: AI "most engaging moments" vs. timestamp/manual selection.
• Batch & workflow: do you need single-episode clips or fully automated RSS → social publishing?
• Export & formats: vertical/horizontal/square presets, captions burned-in vs. SRT export.
• Scheduling / integrations: native publishing to YouTube/TikTok/LinkedIn or Zapier/API support.
• Price & limits: check monthly limits on minutes, exports and team seats — many offer trials.
• Privacy / ownership: if you use AI voice cloning or cloud processing, confirm voice-model and content policies. (These are common evaluation criteria used in reviews.) (techradar.com, simplified.com)

Suggested picks by need

• Solo creator who wants quality clips and editing: Descript. (descript.com)
• Publisher who wants fully automated republishing at scale: Repurpose.io. (repurpose.io)
• Quick, template-driven social clips/audiograms: Kapwing, VEED, or Headliner. (kapwing.com, veed.io, learn.headliner.app)
• Marketing teams who want multi-asset repurposing (clips + show notes + blog): Recast Studio or Castmagic. (recast.studio, castmagic.io)

If you want next steps (I won’t assume): tell me which one of these goals matches you (e.g., “publish automatically to TikTok + YouTube Shorts,” or “best transcript-driven highlight extraction with manual polish”), and I’ll give a 1) short comparison table with pricing tiers and limits, or 2) a step-by-step workflow you can copy to automate clip creation.