Arcads vs Pencil: AI Actors and Video Ads or Generations, Agents and Account-Trained Scoring
Arcads fits marketers who want talking-actor video ads made with AI instead of hired creators. Pencil fits teams that want agents and a model trained on their own ad account, at a low entry price.
Choose Arcads if you want video ads with AI actors and quick edits, without filming. Choose Pencil if you want a low entry price and scoring trained on your own ad account's data. If you also need next steps you approve or dismiss, Madgicx does that, from $45 a month.
See how we reached this recommendation| Arcads | Pencil | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Monthly credits: Starter 8,000, Creator 16,000, Pro 48,000, Scale 96,000 and Business 192,000, plus a custom Enterprise plan. Its public pages show no dollar prices. | Monthly generations: Core $14 a month ($11 billed annually), Growth $55 ($44 billed annually). Pro is custom. |
| Free plan or trial |
A 72-hour free trial with 1,000 credits and all features. A card is required but not charged during the trial, and Starter begins after 72 hours unless you cancel.
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No free plan and no trial of the full platform. A guided sign-up creates six ads at no cost.
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| Image ads |
Static ads from a product image, and product and lifestyle images.
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Agents generate images and ads from briefs and assets, using third-party image models.
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| Video ads |
A library of 1,000+ AI actors, a choice of video models and tools to edit, translate, extend, subtitle and remix video.
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Its blog and home page present video as live, but its pricing table marks AI video Coming soon on every plan, so its pages disagree.
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| Scoring new ads before launch |
We saw no scoring of new ads on its pages.
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A model trained on your own ad account data scores new creatives.
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| Analysis of your live ads |
Its agent, Mark, analyzes a Meta campaign and clones the winning ad. We saw no wider analysis of live ads.
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Shows which of your creatives perform best and why, from 90 days of history plus ongoing data.
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| Ad inspiration and research |
We saw no ad library or inspiration feed on its pages.
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Not confirmed: we read nothing on its pages about browsing other brands' ads. |
| Publishing to ad accounts |
Mark can publish a new Meta ad from a winning one. Other ads are ready to upload, so you upload them yourself.
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Its help center describes exporting finished ads to connected accounts, while its pricing and integrations pages say it launches or publishes, so its pages disagree.
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| G2 rating | No G2 rating found | 4.7 from 16 reviews |
Where they differ
How the price grows
Arcads: Plans grow by monthly credits, from 8,000 on Starter to 192,000 on Business, and the higher plans add API access, team seats and custom actors. Its public pages show no dollar prices. Pencil: Plans sell monthly generations: 50 on Core and 250 on Growth, with unlimited generations only on the sales-only Pro plan.
Who each is built for
Arcads: Arcads is built for marketers and ecommerce brands that want UGC-style video ads with AI actors. Pencil: Owned by The Brandtech Group, with larger brands and agencies named on its news page. The $14 Core plan reads as aimed at small teams.
What each one is built to do
Arcads: Arcads generates talking-actor video ads from a script, with AI actors you choose or create, and lets you edit the result with AI tools. Its agent, Mark, can analyze a Meta campaign and run scheduled routines. Pencil: Agents read a brief and make ads, and a model trained on your ad account's history scores them. Its Scribble agent, launched 28 September 2026, runs creative work in the background.
What reviewers say
Arcads: G2 shows no reviews yet for Arcads. Pencil: G2 lists 16 reviews. In 10 recent ones, 5 praise fast creation, resizing and feeds, 3 mention off-brand output needing manual edits and 3 mention instability or export problems.
Price
| Example | Arcads | Pencil |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | Starter: 8,000 credits a month. Its public pages show no dollar price | Core: $14 a month, or $11 billed annually (50 generations, 1 workspace) |
| Mid level | Pro: 48,000 credits a month, with API access, team seats, custom actors and ElevenLabs voices. Creator and Scale sit between Starter and Business | Growth: $55 a month, or $44 billed annually (250 generations, unlimited workspaces) |
| Larger or custom | Business: 192,000 credits a month. A custom Enterprise plan is also offered. Its public pages show no dollar prices | Pro: custom, sold through a demo (unlimited generations, users and brands) |
Our verdict
Choose Arcads if
- You get a 72-hour free trial with 1,000 credits.
- You get a library of 1,000+ AI actors, or you can create your own avatar.
- You get a choice of video models, including Seedance and Kling.
Choose Pencil if
- You get a low entry price: Core is $14 a month, or $11 billed annually.
- You get new creatives scored by a model trained on your own ad account data.
- You see which of your own creatives perform best and why.
Neither fits when
You need what happens after the creative. Madgicx lists next steps for your ad account that you approve or dismiss, so every change is approved by you. Madgicx has ready-made and AI audiences. Madgicx has ready-made and custom automation rules. Seats and ad generations are unlimited in every plan, from $45 a month.
How we compare: methodology
- What each tool generates, researches or analyzes: images, video, text and ad libraries.
- Whether the tool scores new ads, analyzes live ads or both.
- What the price buys: credits, generations or seats.
- What recent G2 reviewers praise and complain about.
Published by Madgicx, which competes with both tools. We use each vendor's pricing and product pages (arcads.ai and trypencil.com) and the most recent G2 reviews we could read, with dates listed below. This is our editorial view of fit, not independent test results. Confirm any capability not listed here with the vendor. Arcads has no public pricing page and its pages show no dollar prices, so we link no pricing source and quote no price. Pencil's pricing table marks almost every feature Coming soon, so we could not use it to tell what each plan includes.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Arcads and Pencil cost?
Arcads is priced in monthly credits, with no public dollar prices. Pencil is from $14 a month. Arcads entry level: Starter: 8,000 credits a month. Its public pages show no dollar price Pencil entry level: Core: $14 a month, or $11 billed annually (50 generations, 1 workspace)
Does Arcads have a free trial?
A 72-hour free trial with 1,000 credits and all features. A card is required but not charged during the trial, and Starter begins after 72 hours unless you cancel.
Does Pencil have a free trial?
No free plan and no trial of the full platform. A guided sign-up creates six ads at no cost.
Can Arcads publish ads to Meta?
Its agent, Mark, can analyze a Meta campaign, clone the winning ad and publish a new Meta ad. Other ads come ready to upload, so you upload them yourself.
Can Pencil make video ads?
Its blog and home page present video generation as live, but its pricing table marks AI video as Coming soon on every plan. Ask Pencil which plan includes it.
Sources
- Arcads on G2, reviewed 5 November 2026
- Arcads home page, reviewed 5 November 2026
- Arcads help center, reviewed 5 November 2026
- Pencil pricing, reviewed 5 November 2026
- Pencil home page, help center, blog and feature hub, reviewed 22 October 2026
- Pencil on G2, reviewed 22 October 2026
- Madgicx pricing, reviewed 5 November 2026
