TimeBolt is a desktop app that auto-cuts silences and dead air from long recordings. REQO is a free browser editor: record a podcast or tutorial, then cut it by editing the transcript. One-click automatic silence removal is on REQO Pro ($19/mo).
TimeBolt is a macOS and Windows app you download and update. REQO opens in any browser tab, so you can cut a podcast on a machine where you cannot install software.
TimeBolt edits files you already have. REQO captures your screen and camera too, so you can record a long tutorial or podcast and cut it in the same tab.
Highlight words or whole sentences in the auto-generated transcript and delete them. The footage follows the words, so you can trim a rambling take without scrubbing the timeline.
On REQO Pro ($19/mo), one pass automatically detects and cuts silences and filler words, the same job TimeBolt is built for. On the free plan you do that cleanup by editing the transcript yourself.
To be clear about the one that matters most: automatic silence removal is TimeBolt's core, and in REQO it lives on the Pro plan. The free plan does the same cleanup manually by editing the transcript. Here is the honest side by side.
| Feature | REQO Free | REQO Pro | TimeBolt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs in | Browser | Browser | Desktop app (macOS, Windows) |
| Records screen & camera | Included | Included | No, edits existing files |
| Edit by Transcript | Included | Included | - |
| Auto silence removal | Manual (edit transcript) | One-click, automatic | One-click, automatic |
| Speed & jump cuts | Manual on timeline | Auto + manual | Automatic (its specialty) |
| Captions | Auto + burn-in | Auto + burn-in | - |
| Free export badge | Small "Recorded with REQO" | None | Paid app, no free tier |
| Price | $0 | $19/mo | Paid license |
Long-form creators, podcasters, and streamers compare these two constantly because they solve the same job: point them at a very long recording on your desktop and they automatically cut out the silences and dead air. Both are downloadable macOS and Windows apps built for batch silence cutting. Neither records, and neither lets you edit by reading a transcript, which is usually the next thing people reach for once the silences are gone.
| Feature | TimeBolt | Recut | REQO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Auto-cutting long recordings, podcasts, streams | Auto-cutting silences from long recordings | Recording plus a browser editor, cut by transcript |
| Runs as | Desktop app (macOS, Windows) | Desktop app (macOS, Windows) | Browser app, nothing to install |
| Records screen and camera | No, edits existing files | No, edits existing files | Yes, built in |
| Auto silence removal | Core feature | Core feature | On Pro ($19/mo) |
| Edit by transcript | No | No | Yes, on the free plan |
| Pricing | Paid license | Paid license | Free plan, Pro $19/mo |
The verdict: pick TimeBolt or Recut if your main job is batch auto-cutting silences out of very long recordings on the desktop, and pick REQO if you want a free browser editor that also records and lets you cut a talking video by editing its transcript. One-click automatic silence removal is available on REQO Pro at $19/mo. Prices and plans above are the vendors' published offerings as of July 2026.
Record, edit by transcript, and share, free in your browser.