Captions AI Pricing 2026: How Much Captions AI Costs, Plans and Credits
Every Captions AI plan, read off the company's own pricing page in July 2026, plus the number the plan cards do not show you: one credit is one second of video, so you can work out the cost of an actual ad before you subscribe. Or skip the reading and paste a product URL on the right to render a real UGC ad in minutes.
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Captions AI costs $0 on the free plan, $24.99 a month for Max with 500 credits, $69.99 for Scale 1x with 1,400, $139.99 for Scale 2x with 2,800, and $279.99 for Scale 4x with 5,600, with Enterprise priced on request. The number that turns those plans into a real budget is published in Captions' own API reference and nowhere on the plan cards: one credit buys one second of AI Creator video. A 30 second ad costs 30 credits. Run that through every tier and something unusual falls out, because $24.99 for 500 credits and $279.99 for 5,600 both work out to exactly five cents a credit. There is no bulk discount at any tier. You are buying a bigger bucket at the identical unit rate, so the only question that matters is how many seconds of video you will actually generate this month. At five cents a second, Captions is the cheapest per second of the mainstream AI actor tools, cheaper than Creatify at about thirteen cents and Arcads at about eighteen. Where it costs you is time, not render fees: Captions is an editor that added AI creators, so you still write and assemble each ad yourself.
$24.99
Max, 500 credits
1 sec
What one credit buys
$0.05
Per credit, at every tier
60s
Longest single generation
Captions AI pricing plans, side by side
These are the rates shown on Captions' own pricing page in July 2026, monthly billing. Annual billing is discounted, though the exact annual rates are not published on the plan cards. The cost per credit column is the one nobody prints.
| Plan | Monthly price | Credits | Cost per credit | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | None | n/a | The editor only: trimming, transitions, part of the media library |
| Max | $24.99 | 500 | $0.05 | Marked most popular. AI Edit styles, digital twins, chat based editor, custom B roll, music, sound effects, images |
| Scale 1x | $69.99 | 1,400 | $0.05 | Everything in Max plus access to the most capable generative models |
| Scale 2x | $139.99 | 2,800 | $0.05 | Identical features to Scale 1x, double the credits |
| Scale 4x | $279.99 | 5,600 | $0.05 | Identical features to Scale 1x, quadruple the credits |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Negotiated | Bulk discounts, custom seats, dedicated account management, training data exclusion, priority support |
| UGCGen | $49 flat | Not metered per second | n/a | Plans counted in finished ads, so retakes and clip length do not change the bill |
Two notes before you compare this with older reviews. Captions has sold lower priced tiers inside the iOS and Android apps in the past, including a $9.99 Pro tier that shows up in write ups from 2025, and those tiers are not on the web pricing page today. If you are quoted one in the app, confirm what it actually unlocks, because generative credits are the thing that costs money. Second, Captions is now part of Mirage after the 2025 rebrand, and the Mirage Studio pricing URL redirects here, so one subscription covers both products.
What Captions AI credits actually buy in finished ads
Captions publishes the rate in its AI Creator API reference: one credit per second, so a 30 second video consumes 30 credits. That single line converts every plan into a video count. The table below divides each credit bucket by the three ad lengths people actually run, and prices a 30 second spot.
| Plan | Credits a month | 15 second ads | 30 second ads | 60 second ads | Cost per 30s ad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No generative credits |
| Max, $24.99 | 500 | 33 | 16 | 8 | $1.50 |
| Scale 1x, $69.99 | 1,400 | 93 | 46 | 23 | $1.50 |
| Scale 2x, $139.99 | 2,800 | 186 | 93 | 46 | $1.50 |
| Scale 4x, $279.99 | 5,600 | 373 | 186 | 93 | $1.50 |
Treat those counts as ceilings rather than plans. The same credit balance also pays for generating images, prompt based editing, creating a new AI actor, and changing an existing actor's look, so anything you spend there comes straight out of your video allowance. Retakes are the bigger drain in practice. Nobody ships the first render of an ad, and a script you regenerate four times at 30 seconds has cost 120 credits for one usable clip, which quietly turns Max's sixteen ads into four finished ones. If you are testing creative properly you should assume a two or three to one shoot ratio and size the plan on that, not on the ideal case. The upside is that Captions lets unused credits roll over up to two extra months, so a light month funds a heavy one.
Captions is the cheapest per second, and upgrading buys you nothing but volume
Two findings sit inside the same arithmetic, and they point in opposite directions. Credit systems are hard to compare across vendors because a credit means something different at each one, so the table below converts all of them into one honest unit: what a second of AI actor video costs.
| Tool | What one credit buys | Entry paid plan | Cost per second | Cheaper on bigger plans? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captions AI | 1 second of AI Creator video | $24.99, 500 credits | About $0.05 | No, five cents a credit at every tier |
| Creatify | 5 credits per 15 seconds, rounded up | $39, 100 credits | About $0.13 | Yes, about $0.11 on the $99 Pro plan |
| Arcads | 800 credits per minute per talking actor | $110, 8,000 credits | About $0.18 | No, same rate on Creator |
| Zeely | Credits, plus up to 12% of your Meta ad spend | $29.95, 2,500 credits | Depends on ad spend | Not comparable, the fee scales with budget |
| AdCreative.ai | One download, not one generation | $39, 10 credits | Static creative, not per second | Yes, on the larger plans |
| UGCGen | Not metered per second at all | $49, counted in finished ads | Flat | Flat, retakes and length do not move the bill |
Give Captions the credit it is owed here. On raw render economics it wins, and it is not close: five cents a second against thirteen at Creatify and eighteen at Arcads. If your only question is what a second of AI actor footage costs, Captions is the answer and the free editor makes it cheap to find out. The second finding is the one to watch when your volume grows. Every other vendor on that list either discounts at higher tiers or prices the outcome instead of the render, while Captions holds five cents a credit from $24.99 all the way to $279.99. Spending eleven times more buys eleven times the seconds and not one cent of a break. That is fine while you are small and it starts to matter at the point most brands hit, which is when creative volume, not clip cost, becomes the constraint. Worth reading next to the Creatify pricing breakdown, the Arcads pricing breakdown, and the Zeely pricing breakdown, since those three meter in completely different units.
Captions AI limits worth checking before you subscribe
None of these are hidden, but they live in the docs rather than on the pricing page, and two of them decide whether the tool fits your format at all.
| What | The limit | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Length of one generation | 1 minute | Fine for TikTok and Reels ads. A 90 second explainer has to be stitched from multiple generations. |
| Script length | 800 characters | Roughly 130 spoken words, which is about a minute of delivery. Long scripts get split whether you like it or not. |
| Credit rate | 1 credit per second | The only rate you need to budget. Multiply your ad length by the number of variants you plan to test. |
| Credit rollover | Up to two extra months of balance | Better than most metered tools. Light months genuinely subsidize heavy ones. |
| Free plan credits | None | The free tier is an editor trial, not a way to make an AI ad. |
| Volume discount | None | Five cents a credit on Max and on Scale 4x alike. |
| Other credit draws | Images, prompt edits, new actors, look changes | Video counts on any plan are a ceiling. Everything generative shares one balance. |
How to decide which Captions AI plan fits you
Because the unit rate never changes, choosing a tier is not a value judgment. It is one multiplication: seconds of video you will generate, times the number of takes you will need.
You edit your own footage
Captions is genuinely excellent at this and the free plan covers a lot of it. The auto captions are the best in the category and the mobile editor is fast. You may never need a credit at all.
You want a few AI creator clips a month
Max at $24.99 is the right call. Five hundred credits covers about sixteen thirty second renders before retakes, which is a reasonable pace for one product and a couple of angles.
You are testing creative weekly
Do the retake math before you pick. Twenty variants a week at 30 seconds with a two to one shoot ratio is 4,800 credits a month, which is Scale 4x territory at $279.99, not Max.
You need volume, not a better editor
This is where the model works against you. There is no bulk rate, and the assembly work stays manual. A generator priced in finished ads keeps the bill flat while your variant count climbs.
The honest summary is that Captions AI prices its render engine well and its workflow not at all, because there is no workflow to price. It is a video editor with generative features bolted on, which is why the AI creator output is cheap per second and why producing a finished, on brand product ad still takes you the same afternoon it always did. Tools built specifically for ad production start from a product URL and hand you a finished spot with hook, script, creator, voiceover, captions and aspect ratios already handled. If that is the job you are hiring for, read the Captions AI alternative comparison, which sets both approaches out side by side without pretending Captions is bad at what it is good at.
Captions AI pricing FAQ
How much does Captions AI cost?
As of July 2026, Captions AI costs nothing on the free plan, $24.99 a month for Max with 500 credits, $69.99 for Scale 1x with 1,400 credits, $139.99 for Scale 2x with 2,800 credits, and $279.99 for Scale 4x with 5,600 credits. Enterprise is custom priced. Annual billing is discounted. The free plan gives you the editor but no generative credits.
How much is the Captions app per month?
The cheapest paid tier on the web pricing page is Max at $24.99 a month, and it is the first tier that includes generative credits. Older reviews and the mobile apps have shown lower entry tiers such as a $9.99 Pro plan, which is not listed on the web pricing page in July 2026. Check what any cheaper tier actually unlocks, because the credits are what cost money.
Is Captions AI free?
There is a free plan, but it has no generative credits. It covers the basic editor: trimming, transitions, and part of the media library. Every AI feature people actually sign up for, including the AI creators and generated video, needs credits, and credits start on the $24.99 Max plan. So Captions is free to try as an editor and paid the moment you want AI video.
How do Captions AI credits work?
One credit buys one second of AI Creator video, so a 30 second generation costs 30 credits and a 60 second generation costs 60. Captions publishes that rate in its own API reference. Credits are also spent on generating images, prompt based editing, creating a new AI actor, and changing an actor's look, so video is not the only thing drawing on the balance.
How many videos can you make with 500 credits?
At one credit per second, 500 credits on the Max plan buys about 33 fifteen second ads, 16 thirty second ads, or 8 sixty second ads in a month. That is a ceiling rather than a plan, because the same balance also pays for image generation, actor creation, and prompt based edits. Every failed take comes out of the same 500.
Do Captions AI credits roll over?
Yes. Unused Captions credits carry into the next month, and the balance can build up to two extra months' worth on top of your monthly allowance. That is more generous than most credit metered video tools, and it means an uneven production schedule does not punish you the way a strict use it or lose it bucket would.
Does buying a bigger Captions plan make each video cheaper?
No, and this is the detail worth knowing before you upgrade. Max is $24.99 for 500 credits, Scale 1x is $69.99 for 1,400, Scale 2x is $139.99 for 2,800, and Scale 4x is $279.99 for 5,600. Every one of those works out to five cents a credit. Paying eleven times more buys eleven times the volume at exactly the same unit rate, with no bulk discount.
How long can a Captions AI video be?
A single AI Creator generation is capped at one minute, with a script limit of 800 characters. For most UGC ad formats that is plenty, since the useful range on TikTok and Reels is 15 to 45 seconds. If you need a 90 second explainer or a long form testimonial from one continuous take, you have to stitch generations together in the editor.
What is the difference between Captions Max and Scale?
Credits, mostly. Max at $24.99 includes 500 credits and the full generative feature set. The Scale tiers add access to the most capable generative models and then simply multiply the credit bucket: 1,400 at $69.99, 2,800 at $139.99, and 5,600 at $279.99. Since the per credit rate is identical, moving up is a volume decision rather than a features decision.
Does Captions AI have a free trial?
Captions uses a free plan rather than a time limited trial of the paid tiers. You can use the editor indefinitely at no cost, but you cannot try the generative AI features that way, because the free plan carries no credits. In practice that means the only way to evaluate the AI creators is to pay for at least one month of Max.
Is Captions the same as Mirage?
They are the same company. Captions rebranded to Mirage in 2025 and folded the Mirage Studio AI actor product in alongside the original creator app. As of July 2026 the Mirage Studio pricing URL redirects to the Captions pricing page, so both products bill from one plan and one credit balance rather than two separate subscriptions.
Is Captions AI worth the price?
For editing, it is one of the best values in the category. The auto captions and the mobile editor are genuinely strong and $24.99 for both plus 500 credits is fair. It is weaker as an ad factory: Captions is an editor that added AI creators, so you still write the script, choose the angle, and assemble each ad yourself, which is the slow part when you need twenty variants a week.
What is a cheaper alternative to Captions AI for ads?
Per second of AI actor video, Captions is already the cheapest of the main options at about five cents, against roughly thirteen cents on Creatify Starter and eighteen cents on Arcads Starter. The saving elsewhere is in assembly time rather than render cost. A purpose built ad generator like UGCGen prices in finished ads at $49 a month, so the bill does not move with clip length or retakes.
How do I cancel a Captions subscription?
Where you cancel depends on where you subscribed. A plan bought on the website is managed in your Captions account settings, while a plan bought inside the iOS or Android app is an app store subscription and has to be cancelled through Apple or Google, not in Captions. Cancel before the renewal date, because credits you have already paid for stay usable until the period ends.
See what a finished ad costs, not what a second costs
Five cents a second is a good render price. It is still a render price, and you are the one assembling the ad. Paste a product URL, pick a creator, and watch a complete UGC ad come back with hook, script, voiceover and captions already done. Free to start with your account, no credit card, no per second meter running.
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