An Arcads 1.0 talking-actor video costs 800 credits whether it runs 15 seconds or 2 minutes, so Starter's 8,000 credits make ten of them, about $11 each at the reported price. Where Arcads is strong is faces: its 1,000+ actors are based on real people who are paid for their likeness.
What a take costs in AdMakeAI, next to Arcads' reported ~$11
“I used to hide under heavy foundation every single morning because my dull skin made me feel so invisible.”
Story angle, a first take at Sharp: 12 seconds for 15 credits, $1.17.
“Secret reason everyone keeps asking why my skin looks radiant before eight in the morning.”
Curiosity angle, same photo, same request: $1.17.
“My wife thinks I learned to cook. Three weeks now.”
Our top tier (Max), from a hand-written brief: 18 seconds for 50 credits, $3.90.
Arcads vs AdMakeAI: who wins each row
Price before you sign up
Faces
Your product in hand
Languages
Formats
Changing one line
Licence
Static ads and competitor research
Into your ad account
Agency features
Trial
Cancelling
Swipe sideways to see every column
| Feature | AdMakeAI | Arcads |
|---|---|---|
| Price before you sign up | $39, $79, $139 on the pricing page | Not published: arcads.ai/pricing returns 404; plans appear in the app |
| Faces | 32 generated people, or describe your own | 1,000+ actors based on real, paid actors |
| Your product in hand | Your photo composited into the first frame; the whole scene moves | Generate the actor holding it, then make it talk; "Static actor", face-cam only |
| Languages | English scripts | 74 for talking actors; Translate Video 176 |
| Formats | 9:16 at 720p | 9:16, 4:5, 1:1, 16:9 from one generation |
| Changing one line | Re-render one clip: 15 credits on Sharp | A new generation: 800 credits on Arcads 1.0 |
| Licence | Generated people; commercial use on paid plans | Non-exclusive; if a library actor withdraws, Arcads can require you to delete the video; other edits need written approval |
| Static ads and competitor research | Ad sets of 1-15 statics; Meta Ad Library tracking | 100 free images a day on paid plans |
| Into your ad account | Paused draft in your Meta ad set (3 credits) | Files "ready to upload" |
| Agency features | Single user; MCP server and REST API | Seats and API from Pro; MCP on all plans; Workflows; Pro+ rollover with no cap |
| Trial | 30 free credits to try it on your brand, no card; static ads only, video needs a plan | 72 hours, 1,000 credits (one video), card hold |
| Cancelling | From the dashboard in two clicks; access to period end | At least 72 hours before the period ends; Starter and Creator credits are lost |
Arcads facts from its help center and Terms. We didn't buy an Arcads plan.
Arcads pricing in 2026: what each plan buys
Starter
Per video: ~$11.00
- Credits a month
- 8,000
- Reported price a month
- ~$110; customers report €100 and £85
- Talking videos a month (800 each)
- 10
- Unused credits
- Reset each cycle
Creator
Per video: ~$11.00
- Credits a month
- 16,000
- Reported price a month
- ~$220
- Talking videos a month (800 each)
- 20
- Unused credits
- Reset each cycle
Pro
Per video: ~$9.17 to $11.00
- Credits a month
- 48,000
- Reported price a month
- ~$550 (reported on 40,000 credits)
- Talking videos a month (800 each)
- 60
- Unused credits
- Roll over, no cap, no expiry
Swipe sideways to see every column
| Plan | Credits a month | Reported price a month | Talking videos a month (800 each) | Unused credits | Per video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 8,000 | ~$110; customers report €100 and £85 | 10 | Reset each cycle | ~$11.00 |
| Creator | 16,000 | ~$220 | 20 | Reset each cycle | ~$11.00 |
| Pro | 48,000 | ~$550 (reported on 40,000 credits) | 60 | Roll over, no cap, no expiry | ~$9.17 to $11.00 |
Credits and rates from Arcads' help center, which says it "tests new pricing from time to time". The dollar prices are reported, not checked by us: by reviewers who reached the in-app paywall (Marketer Milk, Fastlane, Wireflow, Shhots, AdRoast, several of them Arcads competitors) and by Trustpilot customers. Yearly billing is 20% off.
What a month of Starter buys, drawn to scale in dollars
One block up close: 800 credits, for a video up to 2 minutes
A 15-second ad still bills the full 800 credits
14 × $2.65, plus 24 credits left
Arcads now has a trial: 72 hours and 1,000 credits behind a card hold, then Starter charges automatically. That covers one 800-credit talking video, so one take and no retake, and "Cancelling during the trial cuts your access immediately."
Arcads reviews: what customers complain about
Arcads has 2.5 stars from 186 reviews on Trustpilot: 49% one star, 41% five stars. The one-stars are mostly about credits, re-renders and billing.
"Instead it regenerated the rest of the ad without asking and burned ~3,000 credits."
"The adverts on Instagram dont make the true cost clear."
"My Arcads subscription renewed for €100 without me intending to continue it."
"The workflow feature has truly given us the opportunity to test new products without extra time in the video studio"
Change one line without paying for a whole new video
AdMakeAI splits a 30-second ad into steps you approve before paying for motion: two start-frame stills, a free voiceover preview, then two clips. A retake re-renders only the clip you change.
One 30-second ad in AdMakeAI, with one retake
49credits$3.82
Start frames, 2 stills
4 credits
Total 4
Voiceover preview
Free
Total 4
You approve
0
Total 4
Clip 1 renders
15 credits
Total 19
Clip 2 renders
15 credits
Total 34, $2.65
- only this clip
Retake clip 2 only
15 credits
Total 49, $3.82
On Arcads' rate card a talking-actor video is one 800-credit generation, so a changed line is another 800, about $11 at the reported Starter price.
What $39 makes in AdMakeAI
The price is on our pricing page: Starter is $39 a month for 500 credits. That buys 14 thirty-second ads at Sharp, $2.65 each, or 33 twelve-second takes like the serum ones at the top of this page, $1.17 each, against a reported ~$11 per Arcads take. At our top tier, Max, a 30-second ad is about $8.11, still under Arcads' reported entry price per take.
Every take starts from your own product photo, composited into the person's first frame, and in the Video Agent the script can start from competitor ads you track. Your static ads and a paused draft into your Meta ad set come out of the same 500 credits. Monthly credits reset each cycle, as on Arcads Starter, but top-up packs from $19 never expire, and you cancel from the dashboard in two clicks.
What happens to an Arcads ad if the actor withdraws
Arcads' Terms, in force since October 16, 2026, let you use a video worldwide, paid placements included, under a "non-exclusive, personal and non-transferable license on the Video". Edits beyond cropping, music, text, emoji, B-roll, GIFs, sound effects, a format change and your name, brand and logo "must be approved in writing". Videos made with one of its library actors carry one more clause:
"FRESHR may ask the Client to delete any Videos from all supports where they are used in the event of a withdrawal request made by the Creator."Arcads Terms, 13.3.2. FRESHR is the company behind Arcads, and a late deletion costs "a hundred (100) euros per day of delay". The clause doesn't cover videos made from your own footage or a prompt.
In AdMakeAI the person is generated from a prompt, so there's no actor who can withdraw, and commercial use comes with every paid plan. That's our reading of both sets of terms, not legal advice.
Other Arcads alternatives, priced per 30-second ad
Every tool below makes a 30-second talking ad for less than Arcads' reported ~$11, MakeUGC only on yearly billing. AdMakeAI isn't the cheapest per second: HeyGen and TopView are, and so is Creatify on its Pro plan.
AdMakeAI (ours)
One 30-second ad: $2.65 (Sharp, two 15 s clips joined)
- Entry plan, monthly
- Starter $39, 500 credits
- 30 s ads a month
- 14
- Your product in the person's hand
- Every paid plan: your photo in the first frame
- Free plan or trial
- 30 free credits to try it on your brand; video needs a plan
HeyGen
One 30-second ad: $0.39 (Avatar IV, photo) to $1.16 (Avatar V)
- Entry plan, monthly
- Creator $29, 600 credits
- 30 s ads a month
- 25 to 75
- Your product in the person's hand
- Product Placement (Avatar IV), small items best
- Free plan or trial
- Up to 3 videos a month, evaluation only
Arcads
One 30-second ad: ~$11.00 (reported)
- Entry plan, monthly
- Starter ~$110 (reported), 8,000 credits
- 30 s ads a month
- 10
- Your product in the person's hand
- Actor holding it, then talking; static face-cam
- Free plan or trial
- 72 hours, 1,000 credits (one video), card hold
Creatify
One 30-second ad: $2.73 ($1.96 on Pro)
- Entry plan, monthly
- Standard $15, 55 credits
- 30 s ads a month
- 5
- Your product in the person's hand
- From Pro ($55)
- Free plan or trial
- 10 credits a month, watermarked
MakeUGC
One 30-second ad: $11.80 ($5.80 yearly)
- Entry plan, monthly
- Starter $59 ($29 yearly), 500 credits
- 30 s ads a month
- 5
- Your product in the person's hand
- Every plan
- Free plan or trial
- $1 trial
TopView
One 30-second ad: $1.08 (yearly only)
- Entry plan, monthly
- Plus $36/mo, billed yearly ($432)
- 30 s ads a month
- 33
- Your product in the person's hand
- Product Avatar from one photo
- Free plan or trial
- 10 one-time credits; free use can't be commercial
Swipe sideways to see every column
| Tool | Entry plan, monthly | 30 s ads a month | Your product in the person's hand | Free plan or trial | One 30-second ad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdMakeAI (ours) | Starter $39, 500 credits | 14 | Every paid plan: your photo in the first frame | 30 free credits to try it on your brand; video needs a plan | $2.65 (Sharp, two 15 s clips joined) |
| HeyGen | Creator $29, 600 credits | 25 to 75 | Product Placement (Avatar IV), small items best | Up to 3 videos a month, evaluation only | $0.39 (Avatar IV, photo) to $1.16 (Avatar V) |
| Arcads | Starter ~$110 (reported), 8,000 credits | 10 | Actor holding it, then talking; static face-cam | 72 hours, 1,000 credits (one video), card hold | ~$11.00 (reported) |
| Creatify | Standard $15, 55 credits | 5 | From Pro ($55) | 10 credits a month, watermarked | $2.73 ($1.96 on Pro) |
| MakeUGC | Starter $59 ($29 yearly), 500 credits | 5 | Every plan | $1 trial | $11.80 ($5.80 yearly) |
| TopView | Plus $36/mo, billed yearly ($432) | 33 | Product Avatar from one photo | 10 one-time credits; free use can't be commercial | $1.08 (yearly only) |
Prices from each pricing page and help center, checked October 18, 2026, monthly billing unless marked. One single-person 30-second ad, no retakes. Arcads doesn't publish prices; its figure is the Starter price reviewers report after signup.
HeyGen: best if you want a presenter who speaks 175+ languages
Better for presenters, twins and translation than for ads. Our HeyGen alternatives page splits it by job, and HeyGen vs Arcads, head to head puts the two side by side.
Watch out for: paying again to fix renders: "Users should not have to keep paying to fix errors created during previous generations." (Juan Diaz on Trustpilot, September 2026)
Creatify: best if you want avatar ads at the lowest monthly price
Credits expire after two months.
Watch out for: its help center says "payments are final and non-refundable", and a 31-second video bills as 45 seconds.
TopView: best if you'll prepay a year for the lowest avatar price
Watch out for: "unlimited" means a queue: "the unlimited queue is so long, it's almost not worth bothering (up to sometimes 8 hours wait)." (Matthew Gillespie on Trustpilot, September 2026)
MakeUGC: best if you want product-in-hand on the entry plan and pay yearly
Watch out for: billing after cancelling keeps coming up in its reviews: "I have canceled my subscription and they are still trying to bill me." (Jordan Chaplin, October 2026)
Seven tools priced the same way, including Higgsfield's Marketing Studio, are in our AI UGC video tools comparison.
Stay with Arcads or switch
Stay with Arcads if you
- Want faces built from real, paid actors, with Audio-Driven lip sync
- Need talking actors in 74 languages, or translation into 176
- Run an agency on seats, the API or Workflows
- Need 4:5, 1:1 and 16:9 cuts from one generation
- Already have hooks that work and just need volume
Switch to AdMakeAI if you
- Want to see the price before you sign up
- Want a 30-second ad for about $2.65 instead of a reported ~$11
- Want to change a line by re-rendering one clip
- Want your product in the person's hand, in a real-looking room
- Want scripts from competitor ads that keep running, plus statics and a paused Meta draft
Arcads alternatives: questions people ask
How much does Arcads cost in 2026?
Arcads doesn't publish prices. Reviewers who reached its in-app paywall report Starter at $110 a month (8,000 credits, ten talking videos), Creator at $220 and Pro around $550, and Trustpilot customers mention €100 and £85 for Starter. Yearly billing is 20% off.
Does Arcads have a free trial?
Yes. Arcads now gives you 72 hours and 1,000 credits with a card hold, then charges Starter. 1,000 credits covers one 800-credit talking video.
Is there a free Arcads alternative?
Arcads' own trial comes closest, with credits for one talking video. Free plans elsewhere don't give you an AI UGC ad you can run: HeyGen limits free videos to evaluation, TopView's free plan bars commercial use and Creatify watermarks free exports. AdMakeAI's 30 free credits are for trying static ads on your own brand; UGC video starts at $39 a month.
Can Arcads actors hold my product?
Yes: you generate an image of the actor with your product, then turn it into a talking actor. Arcads notes the actor stays static, in a face-cam style presentation.
Can I cancel Arcads anytime?
You have to cancel at least 72 hours before the period ends, and unused Starter and Creator credits are lost. Several 2026 reviews describe renewals after cancelling.
Is Arcads or HeyGen cheaper?
HeyGen, by far: $0.39 to $1.16 for 30 seconds on Creator against a reported ~$11 per Arcads take. Arcads has the more human actor faces.
Make your first UGC ad: $39 for 14 thirty-second ads
Prices are public, a changed line costs one 15-credit clip, and you cancel from the dashboard in two clicks. 30 free credits try static ads on your own brand; UGC video starts at $39.