Arcads alternatives for AI UGC product ads (2026)
Last updated: 9 November 2026 · competitor prices checked 9 November 2026
Disclosure: we make CartViral. Every competitor number on this page comes from the vendor's own page, linked next to it, read on 9 November 2026; where a page did not state something, we say so or leave it out. CartViral prices come from our own price table. Credit prices change often: check before you buy.
Arcads pricing and free trial, from its own pages
| Question | What Arcads says |
|---|---|
| Public price list? | No. arcads.ai/pricing returns 404; prices are shown at sign-up |
| Plans | Starter 8,000 credits a month, Creator 16,000, Pro 48,000, Scale 96,000, Business 192,000, Enterprise custom; yearly billing is 20% off (pricing help) |
| One talking-actor video | Arcads 1.0, up to 2 minutes: 800 credits. Audio-Driven or OmniHuman 1.5: 800 credits per started minute |
| Free trial | A card is required at sign-up; 1,000 trial credits for 72 hours. The saved card is charged when the trial ends unless you cancel (refund policy) |
| Unused credits | Roll over on Pro, Scale and Business; reset on Starter and Creator |
| API and MCP | The Arcads MCP on every plan; the public API on Pro and above |
| Actors | 1,000+ AI actors; actors can hold your product and wear your clothes (arcads.ai) |
So Starter makes about 10 talking-actor videos a month (8,000 / 800), and the trial's 1,000 credits cover one.
Cheaper alternatives to Arcads, with public prices
| Tool | Price from | Free start | AI actors or avatars | Product focus | API / MCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CartViral | $49/mo billed yearly, or $59 monthly; 240 credits | 18 credits once, no card | An AI creator cast for each product, or your own brand character | Paste a product or store link; every shot is checked against your product photos | MCP server and REST API |
| MakeUGC | Starter $29/mo billed yearly; 500 credits | Any plan for $1 to try | 300+ actors (1,000+ on Pro) | Product in Hand: actors hold your product; Ad Remake | API and MCP on every plan |
| Creatify | Standard $15/mo, or $10/mo billed annually; 55 credits | Free plan: 10 credits a month, watermarked | 300 actors (1,500 plus custom avatars on Pro) | URL to Video (Amazon, Shopify, App Store, Google Play links); Ad Clone on Pro and up | MCP for Claude and ChatGPT on every paid plan; API plans from $99/mo |
| HeyGen | Creator $29/mo, or $24/mo billed annually; 600 credits | Free plan: 3 videos a month, watermarked, up to 1 minute | 700+ stock avatars on paid plans (500+ free) | Product Placement: your product image, an avatar and a script in one video | API (priced separately) and an MCP server |
| Topview | Plus $18/mo billed annually ($216 a year, shown at 50% off); 100 credits a month | No free plan found | AI avatars and product avatars | Product URL to marketing and ad video | API and MCP |
| Pippit | Free plan; Starter shown at EUR 87 a year from Europe | Free daily credits, no card; watermark removal is a paid feature | AI avatars; 1 custom video avatar from Starter | Product link to video; schedules and publishes posts | Not found on its pricing page |
Cost per actor video: Arcads vs the alternatives
| Tool | Talking-actor or avatar video | What that means per video |
|---|---|---|
| Arcads | Arcads 1.0 talking actor, up to 2 minutes: 800 credits | About 10 a month on Starter's 8,000 credits; the dollar price is not public |
| CartViral | Creator UGC video: 12 credits | $2.45 on Starter billed yearly, $2.95 monthly, $1.50 on Scale billed yearly |
| Creatify | Avatar video: 5 credits per 15 seconds, rounded up (help center) | About $1.36 per 15 seconds on Standard monthly, $0.91 billed annually |
| MakeUGC | Depends on model, length and resolution | No fixed price per video on its pricing page |
| HeyGen | Credit-based | No fixed price per video on its pricing page |
CartViral: $49 / 240 credits x 12 on Starter billed yearly; $290 / 2,320 x 12 on Scale. Creatify: $15 / 55 credits x 5, and $10 billed annually. Arcads' dollar price is not public, so its cost per video in dollars can't be worked out.
Arcads vs Creatify, HeyGen and MakeUGC
- Arcads vs Creatify: Creatify publishes its prices, has a free plan and is cheap per short avatar video; Arcads has the bigger actor library and longer talking videos per credit. More: Creatify vs Arcads.
- Arcads vs HeyGen: HeyGen is built for presenter videos (700+ stock avatars, 175+ languages, a free plan); Arcads for UGC-style ads with actors who hold the product. See HeyGen alternatives.
- Arcads vs MakeUGC: both are actor-first; MakeUGC publishes prices, starts at $1 and includes API and MCP on every plan. See MakeUGC alternatives.
Arcads for Claude and AI agents
Arcads lists its MCP on every plan (it needs an active subscription with credits) and the public API on Pro and above (Arcads MCP help). MakeUGC includes API and MCP access on every plan. CartViral's MCP server (https://app.cartviral.com/mcp) works with any CartViral account and its credits, the free start included: an agent can import products, make creator videos, photos and remakes and return the links. Setup: CartViral MCP.
How CartViral differs from Arcads
Arcads starts from an actor library; CartViral starts from your product. Paste a product or store link (a Shopify storefront imports up to 750 products), and a creator UGC video casts a person who fits the buyer, has them talk to camera in their own voice and show your product, with every shot checked against your product photos. It costs 12 credits, and the price shows before you generate. The same credits also make AI stories (6), photo montages (1), product photo sets (8) and listing copy (1).
When Arcads is still the better pick: you want to choose from a large library of real-looking actors, custom actors, videos up to 2 minutes for one price, and credits that roll over on the bigger plans.
Related: best AI UGC ad generators · Arcads pricing · AI UGC vs creator UGC cost
FAQ
Is there a free Arcads alternative?
CartViral gives 18 free credits with no card (1 creator UGC video and 1 AI story, or 3 AI stories). Creatify has a free plan with 10 credits a month and HeyGen 3 free videos a month, both watermarked. Arcads' own trial needs a card.
How much does Arcads cost?
Arcads doesn't publish prices: they are shown at sign-up. Its help center lists plans by credits, from Starter with 8,000 credits a month to Business with 192,000, with 20% off on yearly billing (checked 9 November 2026).
Does Arcads have a free trial?
Yes, a 3-day trial with 1,000 credits, but a card is required at sign-up and is charged when the trial ends unless you cancel.
What is a cheaper alternative to Arcads?
Among tools with public prices: Creatify's 15-second avatar video is about $1.36 on Standard monthly; CartViral's creator UGC video is $2.45 on Starter billed yearly and $1.50 on Scale; MakeUGC starts at $29 a month billed yearly.
Can I use Arcads with Claude?
Yes: the Arcads MCP is listed on every plan and needs an active subscription with credits; the public API comes with Pro and above. CartViral's MCP server works with any CartViral account, including the free start.
Arcads vs HeyGen: which is better for product ads?
Arcads, for UGC-style ads with actors who hold your product. HeyGen, for presenter-style videos in many languages and Product Placement, which combines your product image with an avatar and a script.
18 free credits, no card: a creator UGC video and an AI story of your own product.
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