PricingWho wrote this, and why that matters
This shortlist is published by Shorty, and Shorty is one of the tools in it. Treat it as a vendor round-up, because that is what it is. We have tried to earn the read anyway: every competitor description comes from that product’s own documentation, we name the jobs where another tool is the better answer, and we say plainly where Shorty is the wrong choice. There are no affiliate links and no paid placements.
We are not claiming an independent benchmark. What follows is a map of which product is built for which starting point, which is the thing that actually decides the answer.
Why people look past InVideo AI
InVideo AI is broad: its agents plan, generate and assemble, and its help describes uploading your own footage, requesting an assembly and refining it on a multitrack timeline. It also documents replicating an edit from a reference video, so test it on the same job before you switch.
People usually move for one of three reasons. The footage is real and must stay real, such as a product, a venue or a team. Generated or stock-heavy drafts are spending credits without getting closer to the brand. Or the job is a presenter or explainer video, which a dedicated avatar or document tool does better.
The shortlist at a glance
Pick the row that matches what you have before you start.
| Tool | Start from | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Shorty | Your own clips and photos plus a brief or reference video | A finished edit of real footage, optionally narrated |
| Pictory | A script, URL, presentation or recording | Explainers and social assets from written content |
| Lumen5 | Articles and documents, or a recording for Clip Maker | Repurposing written marketing content and webinars |
| HeyGen | A script, brief or product link | Avatar-led explainers, outreach and translated versions |
| Synthesia | A script, document or presentation | Repeatable training and internal videos in many languages |
| Runway | Creative direction, references or uploaded footage | Generating and transforming shots inside a project |
| Canva | Uploaded clips plus a Magic Video prompt, or a template | Video as one part of a design workspace |
1. Shorty — when the footage is real and has to stay real
Shorty edits the clips and photos you supply. It chooses the shots, orders them, sets pacing, captions, framing and colour, and renders one MP4 from a written brief or an optional reference video. Ask for a voiceover in the brief and it writes the script, casts a voice and cuts the picture to the voice, with captions on every word.
When the brief calls for a shot your footage does not have, Shorty’s director can cut in a free Pixabay stock video or photo. It does not generate scenes, avatars or presenters.
Where Shorty is the wrong choice: if you need exact frame trims, masks, keyframes or layered audio work, Shorty will frustrate you — its browser timeline is for reviewing and inspecting the rendered cut, not for authoring it. It also edits footage you supply; it does not generate scenes you never shot. If you have no footage at all, you want a generator, not this.
Pricing: Creator US$19, Pro US$49, Studio US$99 or Max US$199 per month; annual billing is discounted by 30% across all paid plans. Paid plans include monthly credits for analysis and rendering (4,400 on Creator), an edit uses about 594 credits on Auto, the default director (Shorty Nitro since 28 October 2026), or about 100 with GPT 6 Luna (about 7 or 44 edits a month on Creator), and the actual cost of an edit varies with the footage processed.
2. Pictory — for turning written content into video
Pictory builds scenes from a script, URL or presentation and also edits existing recordings by transcript. Choose it when the source is a document rather than footage.
3. Lumen5 — for marketing teams repurposing articles
Lumen5 turns blogs, PDFs or bullet points into scenes, and its Clip Maker selects highlights from an uploaded recording by topic and keywords.
4. HeyGen — for presenter-led marketing videos
HeyGen builds videos from briefs, scripts and product information with presenters, voiceovers, scenes and captions, and supports localization. Review generated copy and product depictions before approving a draft.
5. Synthesia — for training and internal communication
Synthesia drafts scripts and visuals with an Assistant, lays them out on a storyboard and adds presenters, generated B-roll and your own assets. It suits repeatable business video more than social edits.
6. Runway — for generating or transforming shots
Runway’s agent can plan a project, generate assets and build multi-clip cuts, and Edit Studio changes what happens inside a shot. Choose it when the missing piece is a shot you could not film.
7. Canva — when video sits inside a design workflow
Canva’s Magic Video cuts and sequences uploaded clips from a prompt, adds transitions and chooses music, and the rest of Canva handles thumbnails, posts and brand assets.
Pick by what you are starting with
If you only read one section, read this one.
| If your situation is… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Real footage of your product, venue, team or event | Shorty |
| Real footage that needs narration | Shorty, with a voiceover in the brief |
| A blog post, script or slide deck and no footage | Pictory or Lumen5 |
| A presenter speaking to camera, without filming one | HeyGen or Synthesia |
| A shot you could not film | Runway |
| A campaign of graphics, posts and short video together | Canva |
Sources: InVideo AI · Pictory · Lumen5 · HeyGen · Synthesia · Runway · Canva. Feature descriptions come from each product’s own pages, checked on the dates in the pricing table below.
How to switch from InVideo AI to Shorty
Switching takes one project, not a migration weekend. InVideo AI projects, timelines and templates do not import into Shorty, so you bring across two things: your raw footage and the look of an edit you already like.
- Export one finished InVideo AI video you like as an MP4. Upload it to Shorty as the reference video (MP4, MOV or WebM up to 256 MB) and name the traits to keep: pacing, shot length, transitions, captions or colour. Shorty builds the new cut from your footage, not the reference’s frames.
- Bring the raw clips and photos, not the InVideo AI project. Upload them from your device, drop a whole folder (subfolders included), or add videos from a shared Google Drive folder or Dropbox.
- Write the brief the way you would brief an editor: length, format (9:16, 4:5, 1:1, 16:9 and more), what happens first, the caption words and the ending. The table below translates the InVideo AI habits that matter.
- Review the rendered first cut. Ask for changes in the revision chat, or click an editable title or graphic and describe the change.
- Keep the look for next time. Uploaded references are saved to your account, and up to ten images or videos can become a reusable style for later edits.
What you did in InVideo AI, and what you write in Shorty
Shorty has no timeline to operate, so each habit becomes a line in the brief or a revision request. Where Shorty has no equivalent, the table says so.
| If you used InVideo AI to… | In Shorty… |
|---|---|
| Type a prompt and get a draft built from stock or generated media | Upload your own clips and write the brief. Where the story needs a shot you do not have, the director can use a free Pixabay stock clip or photo. |
| Add an AI voiceover | Ask for one in the brief: Shorty writes the script, casts a voice, speaks every line and cuts the picture to it. |
| Change the draft with commands | Ask in the revision chat, or click an editable title or graphic and describe the change. |
| Use an AI presenter or avatar | Not available. Film yourself, or keep a presenter tool for that part. |
| Fix clips by hand on the multitrack timeline | Not available; Shorty’s timeline is for review. Download the MP4 and finish in a timeline editor if you need frame-level changes. |
| Watch generation credits | Shorty charges per edit: about 594 credits on Auto or about 100 with GPT 6 Luna. |
What does not carry over from InVideo AI
Projects, generated media, stock you placed on the timeline and unused credits stay in InVideo. Download any generated shots you have the right to reuse and add them to Shorty as source footage.
Music needs one check. If the edit you use as a reference has a soundtrack, Shorty may carry it into the render, and a track licensed inside InVideo AI’s library is not automatically licensed elsewhere. Ask Shorty for a different track, or attach a song you have the rights to.
Your first Shorty brief after InVideo AI
Open it in Shorty with the brief already written, add your clips and the reference video, then change the details to fit your project.
Edit my own clips into a 30-second vertical video with an AI voiceover. Write a short script about what the footage shows, cast a warm, clear voice and cut the picture to the voice, with captions on every word. Use the attached reference for pacing only. Use my footage first, and a stock shot only where the story needs one I do not have. End on my logo shot held for two seconds.
Pricing and source review dates
These are dated plan descriptions, not live quotes. Follow the current-plan links to check billing period, seats, export limits and AI usage before buying. A lower monthly subscription does not establish a lower cost per finished video.
| Tool | Plan description when reviewed | Source reviewed | Current plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shorty | Creator US$19, Pro US$49, Studio US$99 or Max US$199 per month; annual billing is discounted by 30% across all paid plans. Paid plans include monthly credits for analysis and rendering (4,400 on Creator), an edit uses about 594 credits on Auto, the default director (Shorty Nitro since 28 October 2026), or about 100 with GPT 6 Luna (about 7 or 44 edits a month on Creator), and the actual cost of an edit varies with the footage processed. | See current pricing | Shorty plans and credits |
| InVideo AI | Starter was US$10 per seat/month billed annually (US$120 a year) or US$20 billed monthly, with 400 credits per seat a month and Agent Two Lite only, when reviewed; Plus and Max add credits and agents. Manual timeline edits and downloads use no credits; AI work does. Monthly credits do not roll over. Check agent access and seats for the selected tier. | 2026-10-24 | InVideo AI plans |
| Pictory | A 14-day trial with 300 credits, then Starter US$25, Professional US$35 and Teams US$119 a month billed annually, or US$29, US$59 and US$199 billed monthly, when reviewed. Credits are one shared pool across AI features; annual plans grant them upfront and Teams pools them per workspace. | 2026-10-24 | Pictory plans |
| Lumen5 | Free allows five videos per month, up to two minutes, with a branded outro. Paid Basic, Starter, Pro and Team plans differ in resolution, branding and collaboration; voiceover and animation have separate allowances. Check the billing term and Clip Maker access before batching. | 2026-10-07 | Lumen5 plans |
| HeyGen | Current paid web plans use credits across generation and asset creation. Creator and Pro expand usage through plan upgrades; Business has a shared pool that extra seats do not increase. Mobile purchases, API billing and legacy unlimited plans have different terms. | 2026-10-05 | HeyGen plans |
| Synthesia | Free/basic access plus paid credit-based plans; credits cover avatar video, dubbing, and other AI usage. | 2026-10-05 | Synthesia plans |
| Runway | Free one-time credits; paid plans started at US$12/month billed annually and meter model usage with credits when reviewed. | 2026-10-05 | Runway plans |
| Canva | Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans; AI allowances and premium assets vary by plan. Check regional pricing and the allowance for your intended workflow. | 2026-10-05 | Canva plans |
Sources: InVideo AI pricing · Pictory pricing · Lumen5 pricing · HeyGen pricing · Synthesia pricing · Runway pricing · Canva pricing. Review dates are listed with each source in the table.