Pencil is built for brand teams: its homepage pitches every major AI model in one place and enterprise governance, and its pricing page lists launching and tracking ads on seven networks from the $14 plan. What changed on September 23 is how the 50 credits are counted. Pencil renamed generations to credits and gave every model its own rate, so an image now costs 0.1 to 3.2 credits, video 0.5 to 6.5 credits a second, and the agent's text work lands in one of seven size buckets, XS to XXXL, after it runs.
Pencil vs AdMakeAI: who wins each row
Entry plan
A static ad made by the agent
Price known before you click
30 s of AI video
Resizing
Models
Where ads go live
Creative scores
Competitor ad research
Bulk variations
Running out mid-month
Enterprise terms
Free start
Swipe sideways to see every column
| Feature | AdMakeAI | Pencil |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | $39 a month for 500 credits | $14 a month for 50 credits ($11 yearly) |
| A static ad made by the agent | $0.62 Sharp or $0.16 Fast; the conversation is free | About 4.5 credits ($1.26 on Core) in its own example, text work included |
| Price known before you click | A fixed price per image and clip | Per-model media rates; agent text work sized into one of seven buckets after it runs |
| 30 s of AI video | $2.65 at Sharp: a person holding your product, 720p, 9:16 | 15 credits ($4.20 on Core) on Runway Gen-4 Turbo to 120 on Veo 3.1, at 1080p |
| Resizing | 2 credits ($0.16) per aspect ratio | 1 credit ($0.28 on Core) per new format |
| Models | Picked for you by tier: Fast, Sharp, Max | Choose from 39 text, 31 image and 27 video models |
| Where ads go live | Paused draft in your Meta ad set (3 credits) | Launch and track on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google Display, DV360 and LinkedIn |
| Creative scores | No scores; agents can read your Meta campaign analytics | Scores and performance predictions from your connected ad accounts |
| Competitor ad research | Meta Ad Library tracking by brand and keyword | Not on its pricing page |
| Bulk variations | Ad sets of 1 to 15 from one brief | Product feeds: 1 credit a variation in every format, 0.1 with Feed Sync |
| Running out mid-month | Top-up packs from $19 that never expire | Core and Growth stop at the allowance: upgrade or wait for the reset |
| Enterprise terms | Single-user accounts | SOC 2 Type II, no-train policy; IP assignment and indemnification on Pro |
| Free start | 30 free credits on your own brand, no card | Six ads through a guided setup, free |
Pencil facts from its pricing page, credits article and homepage. We didn't buy a Pencil plan, and Core prices assume its monthly $0.28 a credit.
Pencil pricing in 2026: what one ad costs
Pencil Core
One static ad: $1.26, about 11 a month
- Price a month
- $14 ($11 yearly)
- Credits a month
- 50
- 30 seconds of video
- $4.20 on Runway Gen-4 Turbo, $5.88 on Kling 2.5 Turbo; Veo 3.1 needs 120 credits
Pencil Growth
One static ad: $0.99, about 55 a month
- Price a month
- $55 ($44 yearly)
- Credits a month
- 250
- 30 seconds of video
- $3.30 to $26.40 by model (15 to 120 credits)
Pencil Pro
One static ad: Not published
- Price a month
- Custom
- Credits a month
- Unlimited generations
- 30 seconds of video
- Not published
AdMakeAI Starter (ours)
One static ad: $0.62 Sharp or $0.16 Fast, 62 or 250 a month
- Price a month
- $39 ($27.30 yearly)
- Credits a month
- 500
- 30 seconds of video
- $2.65 at Sharp with your product in hand, 14 a month
Swipe sideways to see every column
| Plan | Price a month | Credits a month | 30 seconds of video | One static ad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pencil Core | $14 ($11 yearly) | 50 | $4.20 on Runway Gen-4 Turbo, $5.88 on Kling 2.5 Turbo; Veo 3.1 needs 120 credits | $1.26, about 11 a month |
| Pencil Growth | $55 ($44 yearly) | 250 | $3.30 to $26.40 by model (15 to 120 credits) | $0.99, about 55 a month |
| Pencil Pro | Custom | Unlimited generations | Not published | Not published |
| AdMakeAI Starter (ours) | $39 ($27.30 yearly) | 500 | $2.65 at Sharp with your product in hand, 14 a month | $0.62 Sharp or $0.16 Fast, 62 or 250 a month |
Plans from Pencil's pricing page and rates from its credits article, checked November 9, 2026, monthly billing unless marked. A static ad is Pencil's own worked example, GPT-5.5 for the text work and Nano Banana Pro images, at 4.5 credits an asset. Its video rates are for 1080p, before voice and text work; AdMakeAI video is 720p, 9:16.
The model you pick moves the price more than the plan does. On Core a Nano Banana Pro image is 2.4 credits ($0.67), GPT Image 2 is 1 ($0.28) and Imagen 4 Fast 0.2 ($0.06), and editing an image counts as a new one. Pencil's pricing FAQ adds two limits: on Core and Growth you can't go past the monthly allowance, and unused credits don't roll over.
Pencil reviews
Pencil has seven reviews on Trustpilot, 3.8 stars, too few to show a pattern. The three from August 2026 are teams praising its models and customer success staff; the one-stars, from 2025, are about an invoice on an old account and a locked agency account.
"they are pretty quick with getting the latest models into the platform."
"Pencil is a powerful tool that brings the latest cutting-edge AI models into a single platform"
"Now years later I get an invoice out of nowhere."
"I have an agency account with them that they have locked me out of."
What $39 makes in AdMakeAI
Starter is $39 a month for 500 credits on our pricing page, and every output has one price whatever the agent did to get there: 250 Fast images at $0.16, 62 Sharp at $0.62, or 14 thirty-second UGC ads at $2.65. The batch above came out of Ad Set Studio for 30 credits. Talking to the agent costs nothing.
Video here is a person in a real-looking room holding your product, made from one product photo in the UGC generator, with a 2-credit still and a free voiceover preview before you pay for motion. Briefs can start from competitor ads you track in the Meta Ad Library, and finished ads go to your Meta ad set as paused drafts. Where Pencil stays ahead: AdMakeAI publishes only to Meta, so if your plan includes Google Display, DV360, YouTube or LinkedIn, Pencil covers ground we don't.
Other Pencil alternatives
Omneky: best if you want one tool to launch on several networks
Like Pencil, Omneky generates ads and launches them beyond Meta, with a self-serve plan and an Enterprise tier. Omneky alternatives.
AdCreative.ai: best if you want creative scoring on static ads
Unlimited generating, paid per download, with scoring on its higher plans. AdCreative.ai alternatives.
Creatify: best if most of what you need is avatar video
$15 a month for 55 credits, $2.73 a 30-second avatar ad, with a launcher for Meta, TikTok and AppLovin. Creatify alternatives.
Five ad generators priced per finished ad are in our AI ad generator comparison.
Stay with Pencil or switch
Stay with Pencil if you
- Run ads on Google Display, DV360, YouTube or LinkedIn as well as Meta and TikTok
- Want to pick the model for each job from dozens
- Need SOC 2 Type II, a no-train policy or IP and indemnity terms for a brand team
- Build variations from a product feed
- Want the lowest entry price: $14 a month
Switch to AdMakeAI if you
- Mostly run Meta ads and want each image priced before you click
- Want UGC video with your product in the person's hand for $2.65 per 30 seconds
- Want to start from competitor ads you track in the Meta Ad Library
- Would rather top up mid-month than wait for a reset
- Want a paused draft in your Meta ad set, not a file to upload
Pencil alternatives: questions people ask
Is Pencil worth it?
For a brand team running ads on several networks, it can be: one workspace launches and tracks ads on seven of them, with dozens of models and enterprise terms. For a small Meta advertiser, $14 buys 50 credits, about 11 static ads by Pencil's own example, and video uses credits fast.
How much does Pencil cost?
Core is $14 a month for 50 credits and Growth $55 for 250, or $11 and $44 a month billed yearly. Pro is custom-priced, with unlimited generations, bulk generation from feeds and enterprise terms.
How does Pencil count credits?
Since September 23, 2026 every model has its own rate: an image costs 0.1 to 3.2 credits, video 0.5 to 6.5 credits a second at 1080p, and the agent's text work is billed in seven size buckets after it runs. Failed generations aren't charged, and unused credits don't roll over.
Does Pencil have a free trial?
You can make six ads through a guided setup for free; the full platform needs a paid plan. Pencil says it can't refund fees once you've used the free trial and upgraded.
Can Pencil make video ads?
Yes, with models such as Veo 3.1, Kling, Runway and HeyGen avatars, priced per second. 30 seconds costs 15 credits on Runway Gen-4 Turbo, 21 on Kling 2.5 Turbo or a HeyGen avatar, and 120 on Veo 3.1, against Core's 50 credits a month.
What is the best Pencil alternative for Meta ads?
AdMakeAI, if Meta is most of your spend: a Fast image is $0.16 and a Sharp one $0.62 on the $39 plan, a 30-second UGC ad with your product in hand is $2.65, and finished ads go to your ad set as paused drafts. If you need Google and LinkedIn too, Omneky also launches on several networks.
Is there a free Pencil alternative?
AdMakeAI gives you 30 free credits with no card, enough to try 15 Fast ads on your own brand. Running them in campaigns needs a paid plan, as does video.
Make 15 ads from one brief, priced before you click
A Fast image is 2 credits and a Sharp one 8, whatever the agent did to get there. Starter is $39 for 500 credits, and 30 free credits let you try it on your own brand first.