ClipLogger base app$0to browse, log, search and keep your work.
Use your Mac and existing storage. Local AI has no per-clip service fee. Rush and Your API are optional.
Start a free logging sessionpublished starting price; billing term is not specified
Axle Tags is separately listed from $200/month, or $2,400 for 12 months. This is not an all-in MAM quote.
Get the exact license term, included AI, hardware, setup and support in writing. We cannot call the MAM starting price an annual fee.
Check Axle AI pricingWhat ClipLogger adds
For an individual editor or a small video department, start with ClipLogger unless you already need a shared browser catalog. You can browse the existing drives, build a roster and palette, and run supported local models on your own Mac, including while you are away from the desk. Rush gives you a hosted route when local processing takes too long.
Make the archive you already own easier to search.
A folder of older footage can become useful again without rebuilding the storage system. Open it in ClipLogger, set the fields that matter and start a local batch before you leave the desk. Return to suggestions you can review, then use native search and directory filters to find material for the next edit.
Maya Torres + celebration + 4 stars
GameDay_Maya-Torres_Celebration_004.movGameDay_Maya-Torres_Celebration_004.mov.logger.jsonCompare the capabilities
✓ Supported · ✕ Not offered · ◐ Different scope · ? Not documented. Unknown does not mean absent.
| What you can do | ClipLogger | Axle AI |
|---|---|---|
| Search, browse and log without a paid subscription | YesFree base app, including native log search. | NoPaid MAM; no free equivalent base listed. |
| Work with footage on existing drives | YesUse readable folders on your Mac, attached media or mounted storage. | YesIndexes supported on-premises storage. |
| Scan clips as filmstrips and a continuous reel | YesSee how a clip develops, then move through the shoot. | Not documentedComparable filmstrip and continuous-reel views are not established. |
| See footage across nested folders | YesDrill-down brings the directory into one view. | Not documentedRecursive footage browsing is not established by the reviewed documentation. |
| Learn a logging palette from existing filenames | YesInfer editable fields and options from an already named directory. | Not documentedFolder-to-logging-palette workflow not established. |
| Define typed fields and reusable logging controls | YesSingle / multi-select, subjects, flags, ratings, text and more. | YesCustom metadata in the MAM. |
| Use a roster and code replacement for known names | YesMap your codes to subjects and field values. | Not documentedRoster code replacement not established. |
| Recognize people, items and places from examples | YesName a subject, provide face or appearance examples, and review suggested matches. | Partial / different scopeFace recognition in AI offerings; exact setup varies. |
| Suggest values using your own logging vocabulary | YesLocal, Your API or Rush; review the proposed log. | Partial / different scopeAI enrichment depends on purchased products/configuration. |
| Discover footage by meaning or visual similarity | YesSearch by meaning, use a prepared text-to-image model, or Find Similar. | Partial / different scopeVector search offered through Axle Tags. |
| Turn suggested ranges into virtual clips | YesInspect suggested spans; keep the useful range without duplicating the original. | Not documentedEquivalent suggested-span-to-virtual-clip workflow not established. |
| Copy and verify camera media | YesIngest with verification and a result you can inspect. | Partial / different scopeDeployment/connectors; verify the actual camera-copy path. |
| Turn your reviewed log into actual filenames | YesPreview field-based names, then rename files on disk. | Not documentedReviewed palette-to-disk naming workflow not established. |
| Keep readable metadata beside the media | YesEnable .logger.json output; retain written sidecars with the originals. | Not documentedConfirm export and sidecar behavior for your deployment. |
| Run vision-based logging on your own editing Mac | YesUse a supported model that fits your Mac; no per-clip local service fee. | Partial / different scopeOn-premises AI options; dedicated deployment and licensing may apply. |
| Share browser review links and collect team approvals | NoNo hosted video review or approval portal. | YesBrowser-based team catalog and review. |
From the folder to the edit
Browse nested folders together. Reuse supported XMP values or learn a palette from existing filenames. Name people, items and places, review AI suggestions, then search the log by words, meaning or the values in your directory.
Filmstrips, Reel, markers and virtual clips help you collect useful moments. Write reviewed fields into filenames and sidecars, then export supported selects to your NLE. See the workflow.
What you keep after cancelling
Axle’s exit path depends on the installed products and export options. Its public MAM description does not establish a universal export of its AI index or a free catalog you can keep using. ClipLogger lets you retain written sidecars and filenames and continue with the free base app after paid processing ends. Back up the project and catalog too for records that have not been written beside the media.
What the full workflow costs
Axle’s 2024 hardware announcement listed Mac mini bundles at $5,995 and $6,995, and a Mac mini plus Nvidia tower bundle at $8,995 with a 30-day Axle Tags license. These are dated examples, not a current quote or proof that a GPU farm is required. They show why the complete setup matters. ClipLogger requires a supported Mac and model headroom; Rush can avoid buying extra compute just for logging.
ClipLogger’s base app stays free. Local models use your Mac’s memory and time; start a batch overnight to work through an old shoot. Pro is $20/month with 150 Rush credits ($240 over 12 months); one eligible clip uses one credit. Your API requires eligible paid access plus your provider’s usage bill. Plans and submission limits.
Choosing the right combination
Several people need a centrally managed browser catalog, supported storage integrations and an administrator responsible for the deployment. Axle offers an on-premises MAM; that is more than a review layer.
ClipLogger fits when: You want the video logging workbench now, on your own Mac, without first buying a MAM license or commissioning a server setup.
ClipLogger currently requires an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 15 or later. It has no hosted video-review portal, and native RED R3D playback is not supported. Format and setup details.
If you use both
If your institution already runs Axle, use ClipLogger at the logging desk for the names, project vocabulary and useful ranges you want to keep with the footage. Agree on the fields and export the deployment actually accepts. Keep Axle when its shared catalog and team access earn their cost.
Try the work on one shoot
What can you discover in an old shoot using the Mac you already have?
Take a folder you already have on an editing Mac. Set up the roster and palette, then compare a small local batch with Rush. Record hands-on review time and whether the machine stays available for the rest of your work. Price an Axle configuration only against the team capabilities you would use.
Bring your current workflow into ClipLogger. ClipLogger does not import an Axle database or replace its browser catalog and connectors. It can remove the need to buy those layers when your actual job is local footage logging.
Sources & scope
Checked September 14, 2026. Comparisons use vendor documentation; we have not benchmarked the products against each other.
- Axle AI · AI-powered media asset management
- Axle AI · Axle AI MAM
- Axle AI · Mac mini M4 hardware bundles (2024 announcement)