Pictory vs Invideo: Which is The Best AI Video Editor? [2024]
Key Takeaways:
- Pictory is my top choice for creating social media videos that combine your own video footage with stock video footage. Pictory makes it easy to create these videos using AI—you can even use their high-quality AI voices from ElevenLabs!
- Pictory is my overall top choice for beginners to AI editing.
- Invideo is best for generating fast (yet surprisingly good) AI videos from text prompts.
- Invideo provides more complicated editing features, although it’s slightly less straightforward than Pictory.
In the last couple of years, several AI video editing platforms have arrived on the scene. They all promise to simplify the video editing process for people with non-technical backgrounds (like me!). Two of these programs, invideo and Pictory, stand out from the rest. This begs the question: Pictory or invideo—which is the better choice?
This Pictory vs invideo review will help you decide which program to use for your video editing process.
We compare their features, pricing models, ease of use, support, and more. When you reach the end of this article, you’ll be able to make an informed buying decision!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Pictory vs invideo | What Are the Differences at a Glance?
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Paid plans start at $23/month (or $19/month if you pay yearly)
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Paid plans start at $30/month (or $15/month if you pay yearly)
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Description: Pictory is best for anyone who wants to create social media videos and get access to the largest library of high-quality stock video footage available. Pictory also offers better AI voices, and has tons of great video effects. I find Pictory to be a simpler program to use, so it's great for beginners and anyone who just wants an easy-to-use video editing program! |
Description: Invideo is best for people who want to create easy AI-generated videos from just a text prompt - these videos are surprisingly good! It's also great for people who want the cheapest option for AI video editing (if you pay yearly). Overall, invideo has more features and capabilities than Pictory (like color correction), but it's not quite as easy to use. |
Pictory is best for anyone who wants to create social media videos and get access to the largest library of high-quality stock video footage available. Pictory also offers better AI voices, and has tons of great video effects.
I find Pictory to be a simpler program to use, so it's great for beginners and anyone who just wants an easy-to-use video editing program!
Invideo is best for people who want to create easy AI-generated videos from just a text prompt - these videos are surprisingly good! It's also great for people who want the cheapest option for AI video editing (if you pay yearly).
Overall, invideo has more features and capabilities than Pictory (like color correction), but it's not quite as easy to use.
About Invideo
Invideo is a high-quality AI video tool. It can help you create easy AI-generated videos from just a text prompt. These videos include background music, stock video footage, and text on-screen!
You can also use invideo's AI to help you edit your own videos faster, add custom AI voiceovers and cute on-screen images, and use their huge stock footage library.
Invideo debuted on the 4th of August 2017 and has raised $52.5 million in funding to date. According to the invideo team, the app has over seven million users across 190 countries.
Typical invideo users include social media influencers, web publishers, bloggers, YouTubers, and small businesses.
Thanks to an extensive library of stock footage, templates, and other assets, you can use invideo to customize videos, create original ones, and edit your creations.
With its new updates, invideo has made creating and editing videos more accessible. It has introduced AI-powered tools to help generate scripts from text prompts and convert articles or blogs into videos quickly. The platform now features over 5,000 professional templates that you can easily customize alongside tons of useful AI tools!
About Pictory
Pictory is an AI video editing program that is amazing for making videos for social media. I love their huge stock footage library, and the variety of on-screen fonts, images and cute graphics.
One of the most useful features is that you can use their AI to quickly extract short clips from your longer-form videos. This is great for anyone who wants to post IG reels or YT shorts!
Make sure you use the code "neil65" to get 50% off your Pictory subscription!
Pictory is an AI-powered web application. The software debuted on the 1st of September 2019 and raised $2.1 million in a 2022 funding round. Tech website data from Crunchbase estimates that Pictory’s site attracts 683,042 monthly visitors.
This online video editing tool leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to help users create engaging videos easily.
Bloggers, YouTubers, and others use it to make promo videos, social media videos, YouTube videos, and so on. Its features and functions speed up the video content creation process.
- Layers: Enhance your videos with custom layouts like side-by-side frames and picture-on-picture. Perfect for podcast interviews and more!
- New Fonts: Explore 17 new fonts in both modern and classic styles in their storyboard editor. This will make it easier to find the right look for your videos.
- New Languages: Pictory’s API now supports Japanese for standard voiceovers, along with 29 other languages.
Pictory vs Invideo: The Two Apps Compared
How does Pictory compare to invideo and vice versa? This section discusses the features of the two video editing apps, pricing, and more.
Features
Both tools have an impressive array of features.
In invideo’s case, the software makes a fantastic first impression by providing users with a vast library of stock videos and templates. The templates make creating original videos much faster than starting from scratch, giving beginner video editors a leg up when they sign into the platform.
In addition, invideo offers services like video stabilization (to correct blurry or shaky footage), brand overlay for watermarking or branding your original videos, and bespoke graphic assets to make your videos pop. It can also help you remove the background of your video and even does color correction!
Pictory also has lots of fantastic features. The tool’s AI video generator and text-to-video functions are impressive, turning scripts and blog posts into full-fledged videos within minutes.
If you host webinars or virtual coaching sessions, you’ll love its automatic audio and video capture and captioning capabilities.
YouTubers who want to create faceless channels will find Pictory’s huge AI voice collection a godsend (especially the hyper-realistic voices from ElevenLabs). You can choose voices based on nationality and gender, giving you a ton of flexibility depending on the type of video you’re going for.
TikTok and Instagram influencers will appreciate how Pictory’s video trimmer lets them create reels of images and shorts with minimal effort. And anyone who wants it for the basics, i.e., video editing, will be happy with its capabilities.
Pictory also has a few constraints. For example, you can’t use multiple audio files in the same video. The lack of this feature will be disappointing if you want to use music to change the mood in your project’s different scenes.
Winner: invideo
User-Friendliness
By design, Pictory and invideo try to make the video creation process as pain-free as possible. However, Pictory offers beginners a more user-friendly interface than invideo. The reason boils down to the difference in features.
Invideo has more advanced features than Pictory, making it the more complicated video creation tool. In the beginning, you may find yourself seeking tutorials to get the platform to do your bidding—not great if you’re pressed for time and need to knock out a quick video.
How the invideo editor looks:
In contrast, Pictory is straightforward to use. You can sign in to the platform and knock a video together after spending less than thirty minutes familiarizing yourself with its features. That’s probably intentional, as the Pictory website markets it toward internet publishers and YouTubers.
How the Pictory Editor looks:
Winner: Pictory
User Interface and Design
Pictory and invideo have clean user interfaces. However, Pictory’s interface is more navigable, a quality you can attribute to the platform’s simplicity. All the functions you need are within reach, and you create amazing videos in a few clicks.
Invideo users may find the tool’s interface complicated, especially if they don’t have prior backgrounds in editing. The interface isn’t cluttered but can appear intimidating on the first launch. Its video editor has many buttons and menu options that less adventurous users may hesitate to press.
Winner: Pictory
Asset Library
OK, I’ll admit that it’s hard to judge access to stock video footage with these two programs. That’s because the stock videos you get access to with both differ with which level of service you are buying.
At the lowest pricing level, Pictory gives you unlimited access to 2 Million+ Royalty Free Premium Videos From Storyblocks while invideo gives you unlimited access to 3M+ Standard Media Library and 1M+ Premium Media along with 10 downloads per month from their 8M+ iStock Media Library.
At the middle tier, Pictory gives you unlimited access to over 12 million royalty-free premium videos from Getty Images and Storyblocks. Invideo gives you unlimited access to their 4M+ regular libraries plus 120 downloads per month from their premium iStock Media Library.
Basically, both programs give you access to tons of stock video footage!
Meanwhile, invideo has an enormous template library. The tool gives you access to a whopping 5,000+ templates that help you create videos quickly. Some of the most popular templates include the YouTube video editor, the slideshow maker, meme templates, business video templates, and marketing video templates.
If you prioritize quantity and quality, there’s a clear winner here.
Winner: invideo
See Also: 11+ Best Invideo Alternatives for AI Video Editing
Pricing
Invideo offers a free trial of its software. The trial gives you access to over 5,000 templates for custom content, three million assets in its media library, an AI script generator, team collaboration features, and an automated text-to-speech voices feature.
Invideo has two paid plans:
- Business Plan: It costs $30/month (or $15/month if you pay yearly)
- Unlimited Plan: It costs $60/month (or $30 if you pay yearly)
Both plans include a 7-day money-back guarantee.
For a limited time, educators, influencers, and small businesses can also buy a Lifetime Business Plan for a one-time payment.
In contrast, Pictory’s free trial lets you create three videos with a 10-minute maximum duration. However, the trial gives you access to the software’s full suite of features, making it an excellent way to try before you buy.
Also, Pictory has three paid plans:
- Starter Plan: It costs $23/month
- Professional Plan: It costs $47/month
- Teams Plan: Custom price
Based on the above, it’d be easy to think that Pictory’s pricing is the best. However, on closer analysis of the two applications’ cheapest plans, it’s clear invideo offers more value for money.
While Pictory’s Standard plan lets you create 30 videos a month, invideo’s Business plan lets you export 60 HD videos.
In other words, you can create double the number of videos Pictory’s plan offers in exchange for paying an extra seven bucks.
However, Pictory’s $47 plan gives you access to the hyper-realistic voices from ElevenLabs, and you get to export the 60 videos/month. So, it’s really a matter of what you are looking for!
Winner: Depends on your needs!
Post-Purchase Support and Learning Resources
Pictory has a friendly and supportive team that’s always willing to walk you through any issues you have with the software.
You can reach them in one of two ways:
- By emailing support@pictory.ai
- By clicking the chat button at the bottom left corner of the screen when using the app
The tool also has a Help Center with articles, tutorials, and walk-throughs to get you up and running with the software.
Similarly, invideo offers 24-hour email and chat support. You can reach the tool’s customer support reps through its website, and they usually respond on time.
Meanwhile, you can get self-help by visiting invideo’s YouTube channel, where you’ll find many tutorial videos about the software. The invideo team also manages a blog and social media handles through which it shares helpful tips about its video editing tool.
The lengths the invideo team goes to help its users master the platform make the tool the clear winner.
Winner: Invideo
My Experience With Pictory and invideo
I’ve tried out both of these programs extensively, and both are good for different purposes.
Here’s how Pictory looks inside the program:
Each scene of the video is along the bottom, with the text along the left-hand side. As you can see, I imported some of my own visuals to make this video, along with using their stock videos. Pictory’s AI “read” my script and suggested videos that went along with the text for each scene. Most of the videos were quite good, and it was easy to change them when they were not appropriate (there’s an easy “search” field).
Here’s how the user interface of invideo looks:
It looks more like a typical video editing program, with the layers of the video at the bottom.
Both programs allow customization of your videos, but invideo does have more features and options.
Here are two videos that I made with these programs. The Pictory one I edited myself, and the one from invideo was created with their AI text-to-video feature. It created a video that’s really quite good! Definitely go with invideo if you want the AI to create videos for you – it’s way better (and needs less human input) than the one from Pictory.
Both of these videos used the same video script, so you can see the difference between the programs easily.
Final Thoughts
Pictory and invideo both offer unique features for video-based projects. The two applications’ strengths and weaknesses make them ideal for different sets of professionals.
Agencies, marketers, and video editors will appreciate the breadth of features and templates invideo provides. In contrast, casual digital creators, YouTubers, and influencers may prefer Pictory’s simplicity and ease of use.
Choose invideo If:
- You want access to an extensive library of eight million video and image assets.
- You’re pressed for time and need templates to speed up your workflow.
- You work as part of a team and need collaborative features.
- You want to use AI to create videos for you, using just text prompts.
Choose Pictory If:
- You want a platform that’s easy to use (no technical skills required!).
- You want to turn your long-form content to short-form automatically.
- You want to harness the power of artificial intelligence and automation when creating videos.
- You’d like to start a faceless YouTube channel and need a large collection of artificial voices.
- You’re an online coach or host webinars and need an automated transcription.
Note: Make sure to use coupon code ‘neil65’ to get 50% off your subscription to Pictory!
Interested in video creation? Check out these great articles!