Video Blackout

Offline Windows video redaction that detects faces and license plates on-device

Freemiumvideoredaction.ioUpdated 26 Oct 2026

About Video Blackout

Video Blackout is Windows desktop software that redacts faces and license plates in video entirely on the user's own PC. An on-device detector finds faces and plates automatically, and the reviewer can add manual boxes for anything it misses, such as badges, screens or paperwork. Redaction (mosaic, blur or solid fill) is written into the video frames and exported as H.264 MP4, so the mask cannot be removed afterwards. Footage is never uploaded; the website only handles accounts, billing and downloads.

Best for

Bodycam and CCTV redaction
FOIA and GDPR/DSAR video release
Air-gapped or privacy-restricted environments
Bodycam release: Blur bystander faces and plates before releasing police body-worn camera footage.
CCTV requests: Hide third parties in surveillance video before sharing it with a requester.
FOIA responses: Prepare public-records video releases with identifiers permanently masked.
GDPR/DSAR handling: Redact other individuals from video supplied to a data subject.
Batch processing: Redact a folder of fleet or facility videos in one run on a Pro license.

Not ideal for

Mac or Linux users
Automatic redaction of spoken words or on-screen text
Teams needing cloud collaboration

Popular with

Law enforcement and public safety teams
Public-records and FOIA officers
Data protection officers
Schools and facilities security teams
Legal and compliance teams

Screenshots

Key features

On-device face detection
License plate detection
Burned-in redaction
Manual boxes
Keep selected people clear
Manual audio redaction
Batch processing
Offline operation
Multilingual interface
Open-source code

Pros and cons

Pros

Detection and export run locally, so footage never leaves the PC
Redaction is burned into H.264 frames and cannot be removed afterwards
Works offline, including on air-gapped machines
Manual boxes cover what the detector misses
Source code is public under AGPL-3.0
Interface in eight languages

Cons

Windows only (64-bit Windows 10 or 11)
Audio redaction and non-face identifiers are manual
Exports to H.264 MP4 only
Basic plan is capped at 10 minutes per video, and the free plan adds a large watermark
Detection accuracy figures and the plate detector model are not published; legal entity is not stated

Pricing

Plans as listed by the vendor on 26 Oct 2026. Check their site for current prices.

See videoredaction.io

Free

Try the detector on one video at a time with a watermark.

One video at a time
Up to 10 minutes per video
Large watermark on export
Face and plate auto-detect
Manual boxes and audio ranges

Basic

$29/month

Watermark-free export for single videos up to 10 minutes.

One device
Single video up to 10 minutes
No watermark
Face and plate auto-detect

Pro

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team.

7.8overall

Detection Automation: 7.5
Privacy & Data Handling: 9.0
Redaction Permanence: 8.5
Workflow Breadth: 6.5
Pricing Clarity: 7.5

Platforms

Windows

Video Blackout alternatives

Other tools people compare with Video Blackout.

All 7 alternatives

OpusClipFreemium
Turn long videos into captioned, platform-ready short clips with AI
Compare
LTX StudioFreemium
Script, storyboard, generate and edit AI video in one browser workspace
Compare
Kling AIRated4.0Freemium
Generate AI video and images from text, photos and references in one studio
Compare
HeyGenRated4.0Freemium
Create avatar videos from text and translate them into 175+ languages
Compare
CreatifyRated5.0Freemium
Turn product URLs into AI video and image ads with avatars, tested at scale
Compare

Reviews

No reviews yet

Used Video Blackout? Help others decide by sharing your experience.

Frequently asked questions

Is my video uploaded anywhere?

No. Detection and export run on the PC that opened the file, and the website does not accept video uploads. Sign-in is only needed to get a paid license.

Can the redaction be reversed?

The site describes redaction as irreversible because it is written into the video frames, with no un-redact or deblur option. Keep the original file as the master copy.

Which export format is supported?

Export is H.264 MP4 only.

What are the system requirements?

64-bit Windows 10 or 11 with at least 8 GB of memory and about 1 GB of free disk space. A GPU is optional; the app falls back to the CPU, which is slower.

Does it redact audio automatically?

No. Audio redaction is manual: you mark time ranges to mute or beep. The site states there is no speech recognition.

What does the free plan include?

One video at a time, up to 10 minutes, with a large watermark on the export. It works without an account.

Is there a refund?

The Terms say fees are non-refundable once a license has been issued or the software downloaded, unless mandatory consumer law applies.