Comparison
Best video ad maker for small business: Canva for product ads, Cutroom for talking ads
Canva is the easiest way to make a product ad from a template. Cutroom turns a video of the owner talking into a finished ad, and Creatify makes ads with an AI actor.
In short
- The best video ad maker for a small business is Canva for product ads and Cutroom for ads where the owner talks.
- CapCut is best if you want to edit every ad yourself, for free.
- Creatify makes ads with an AI actor from a link to your product page, from $39 a month.
- HeyGen makes ads with an AI presenter from a typed script, so nobody has to be filmed.
- Motion, a company that studies Facebook and Instagram ads, found only 5 to 8% of them become winners.
- of ads become winners, in Motion's study of 550,000+ Facebook and Instagram ads
- 5-8%
- video ad makers compared, prices checked 21 September 2026
- 7
- for a finished 30-second Cutroom ad on the Lite plan
- Under $2
The best video ad makers for small business at a glance
Here is what each tool is best at, what it costs and what it leaves to you.
Seven video ad makers for small business
Prices from each company's site or the US App Store on the date shown. Plans change, so check before you pay.
| Tool | Best for | Editing approach | Platform | Pricing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Canva | Product ads from templates | A design tool with ad templates and a simple video editor | Browser, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac | Free plan; Pro US$144/year for one person |
| Cutroom | Ads where the owner talks to the camera | It edits your clip for you: cuts, captions, b-roll and a hook | Web | First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month |
 CapCut | Editing every ad yourself, for free | A free editor where you make every edit, with templates | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web | Free; Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year (varies by region) |
 Creatify | Product ads with an AI actor, from a link | Paste a link to your product page and it writes the script and makes the ad | Web | Free plan (10 credits a month, up to 2 ads, watermark); Starter $39/month |
| InShot | Cheap, simple ad edits on your phone | A phone editor where you make the edits, with auto captions | iOS, Android | Free with a watermark; Pro $4.99/month or $19.99/year (US App Store) |
 Submagic | Captions, b-roll and effects on an ad you filmed | You upload a clip and it adds captions, b-roll and effects | Web | Free to try, no card; Starter $12/month billed yearly ($19 monthly) |
 HeyGen | Ads with an AI presenter, without filming | You type a script and an AI avatar reads it | Web, mobile app | Free plan (3 videos a month, watermark); Creator $24/month billed yearly ($29 monthly) |
- Canva
- Best for
- Product ads from templates
- Approach
- A design tool with ad templates and a simple video editor
- Platform
- Browser, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Pro US$144/year for one person
Cutroom
- Best for
- Ads where the owner talks to the camera
- Approach
- It edits your clip for you: cuts, captions, b-roll and a hook
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month
- CapCut
- Best for
- Editing every ad yourself, for free
- Approach
- A free editor where you make every edit, with templates
- Platform
- iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web
- Pricing from
- Free; Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year (varies by region)
- Creatify
- Best for
- Product ads with an AI actor, from a link
- Approach
- Paste a link to your product page and it writes the script and makes the ad
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free plan (10 credits a month, up to 2 ads, watermark); Starter $39/month
InShot
- Best for
- Cheap, simple ad edits on your phone
- Approach
- A phone editor where you make the edits, with auto captions
- Platform
- iOS, Android
- Pricing from
- Free with a watermark; Pro $4.99/month or $19.99/year (US App Store)
- Submagic
- Best for
- Captions, b-roll and effects on an ad you filmed
- Approach
- You upload a clip and it adds captions, b-roll and effects
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free to try, no card; Starter $12/month billed yearly ($19 monthly)
- HeyGen
- Best for
- Ads with an AI presenter, without filming
- Approach
- You type a script and an AI avatar reads it
- Platform
- Web, mobile app
- Pricing from
- Free plan (3 videos a month, watermark); Creator $24/month billed yearly ($29 monthly)
Prices and plans read from each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026.
What is the difference between these video ad makers?
The biggest difference is who appears in the ad: nobody, you, or an AI actor.
Who is in the ad, and who does the editing
| Tool | Who is in the ad | What you give it | Who does the editing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | Your product, nobody talking | Product photos and a template | You, from a template |
| CapCut | Anything you filmed | Your own clips | You |
| InShot | Anything you filmed | Your own clips | You |
| Submagic | You, filmed | A clip you filmed | Submagic adds captions and effects |
| Creatify | An AI actor | A link to your product page | Creatify, then you check it |
| HeyGen | An AI presenter | A typed script | HeyGen, then you edit it |
| Cutroom | You, filmed | One clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes | Cutroom, then you check it |
Tool: Canva
- Who is in the ad
- Your product, nobody talking
- What you give it
- Product photos and a template
- Who does the editing
- You, from a template
Tool: CapCut
- Who is in the ad
- Anything you filmed
- What you give it
- Your own clips
- Who does the editing
- You
Tool: InShot
- Who is in the ad
- Anything you filmed
- What you give it
- Your own clips
- Who does the editing
- You
Tool: Submagic
- Who is in the ad
- You, filmed
- What you give it
- A clip you filmed
- Who does the editing
- Submagic adds captions and effects
Tool: Creatify
- Who is in the ad
- An AI actor
- What you give it
- A link to your product page
- Who does the editing
- Creatify, then you check it
Tool: HeyGen
- Who is in the ad
- An AI presenter
- What you give it
- A typed script
- Who does the editing
- HeyGen, then you edit it
Tool: Cutroom
- Who is in the ad
- You, filmed
- What you give it
- One clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes
- Who does the editing
- Cutroom, then you check it
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Ads you make yourself: Canva, CapCut and InShot
Canva is built for ads with nobody talking, made from photos and short clips. CapCut and InShot edit whatever you filmed, talking or not.
- Canva is the quickest route to a product ad. You put your photos and offer into an ad template and export.
- Canva's ad templates are used by a lot of businesses, so an ad built straight from one can look familiar. Your own photos fix that.
- CapCut is free and gives you full control: put your clips in order, add text and music, and export. Auto captions need Pro, at $19.99 a month.
- InShot is the cheapest paid option: Pro is $4.99 a month and removes the watermark. You still make every cut.
Ads with an AI actor: Creatify and HeyGen
These two make the ad without filming anyone. The person on screen is made with AI.
- Creatify turns a link to your product page into an ad script and a video read by an AI actor. Starter is $39 a month with 100 credits, and the pricing page does not say how many credits one ad uses.
- HeyGen makes a video from a typed script, read by a stock avatar or an avatar made from a video of you. Creator is $24 a month billed yearly.
- For a local business whose customers meet the owner, a real video of the owner shows them who they will deal with.
Ads where you talk: Submagic and Cutroom
These two work on a clip of you or a staff member talking to the camera.
- Submagic adds captions, b-roll and sound effects to an ad you already filmed and cut. Starter is $12 a month billed yearly, for 15 videos.
- Cutroom does the whole edit. You upload one clip of the owner talking and get a finished vertical ad back.
- Both put the captions in the video and make vertical ads for Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
Prices and free plans
All seven are free to try. InShot has the cheapest paid plan, and Creatify the most expensive.
Free plan and first paid plan
From each company's site or the US App Store, checked 21 September 2026. Prices change, so check before you pay.
| Tool | Free plan | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|
| Canva | Yes | Pro: US$144 a year, or $18 a month in the iPhone app |
| Cutroom | Your first video, no card, within 7 days, with a Cutroom mark | Lite: $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits |
| CapCut | Yes: the standard editor, 8K export | Pro: $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year |
| Creatify | Yes: 10 credits a month, up to 2 ads, watermark | Starter: $39 a month for 100 credits |
| InShot | Yes, with a watermark and ads | Pro: $4.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $49.99 once |
| Submagic | Free to try, no card | Starter: $12 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly), 15 videos |
| HeyGen | Yes: 3 videos a month up to 1 minute, watermark | Creator: $24 a month billed yearly, or $29 monthly |
Tool: Canva
- Free plan
- Yes
- First paid plan
- Pro: US$144 a year, or $18 a month in the iPhone app
Tool: Cutroom
- Free plan
- Your first video, no card, within 7 days, with a Cutroom mark
- First paid plan
- Lite: $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits
Tool: CapCut
- Free plan
- Yes: the standard editor, 8K export
- First paid plan
- Pro: $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year
Tool: Creatify
- Free plan
- Yes: 10 credits a month, up to 2 ads, watermark
- First paid plan
- Starter: $39 a month for 100 credits
Tool: InShot
- Free plan
- Yes, with a watermark and ads
- First paid plan
- Pro: $4.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $49.99 once
Tool: Submagic
- Free plan
- Free to try, no card
- First paid plan
- Starter: $12 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly), 15 videos
Tool: HeyGen
- Free plan
- Yes: 3 videos a month up to 1 minute, watermark
- First paid plan
- Creator: $24 a month billed yearly, or $29 monthly
Which video ad maker should a small business choose?
It depends on who, if anyone, will appear in your ads.
Which video ad maker should a small business choose
Choose Canva if your ads show the product and nobody talks.
Choose CapCut if you like editing and want full control for free.
Choose InShot if you want the cheapest way to trim an ad on your phone.
Choose Submagic if you already film and cut your ads, and want captions and effects added.
Choose Creatify if you sell online and want many ad versions with AI actors.
Choose HeyGen if nobody will be filmed, and a script read by an avatar is fine.
Choose Cutroom if the owner will talk about the offer on camera. Your first video is free.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is for ads where the owner or a staff member talks to the camera. You upload one clip and get a finished vertical ad back in about a minute.
- You upload one clip up to 3 minutes long, filmed on a phone.
- Cutroom adds captions, puts b-roll over the things you mention and adds a hook: a short headline at the start. On the Punch and Native styles, it also shortens the pauses.
- Upload clips of your shop or product once, and Cutroom uses them before stock footage.
- A 30-second ad costs 110 credits. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, which is about 11 ads, under $2 each.
- It cannot make a product montage without talking, and it only makes vertical 9:16 ads. Use Canva or CapCut for those.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite removes it.
Edit the ad by editing the transcript
There is no timeline. Change the words and the ad follows.
B-rolls · 5
1
2
3
4
5Most face serums make one big promise, then quietly do nothing. This one has three ingredients, works in ten days, and costs less than your coffee habit. If your skin doesn’t change, you get every cent back.
highlight = b-roll · struck out = already cut
▸ 0:07 / 0:26 · shot 1 of 5
- 1B-roll on the exact wordsReal footage, placed where showing beats telling.
- 2The opening headlineWritten from what you said. Pick one it drafted, or write your own.
- 3Captions in 40 themesPick a theme, then its font and colour.
- 49:16, ready to exportExport renders one vertical MP4.
Questions people ask
- What is the best video ad maker for a small business?
- Canva for product ads with nobody talking, and Cutroom for ads where the owner talks to the camera. CapCut is best if you want to edit every ad yourself for free. Creatify and HeyGen make ads with an AI actor if nobody will be filmed.
- How many video ads should a small business make?
- Several versions of each idea. Motion, a company that studies Facebook and Instagram ads, looked at more than 550,000 of them and found only 5 to 8% became winners. So make each ad cheaply, test a few, and keep running the ones that work.
- Do I need an actor for my video ads?
- Usually not. The owner explaining the offer on a phone works as an ad, and it costs nothing to film. If nobody will be filmed, Creatify and HeyGen make ads with AI actors. Cutroom can make the ad from a photo of the owner and a recording of their voice, on Basic at $39.99 a month.
- What does it cost to run a video ad?
- That is a separate cost from making it. The tools on this page charge for making the video, and Facebook, Instagram and TikTok charge for showing it, on a daily budget you set yourself and can change or stop any day.
- What does one ad cost in Cutroom?
- A 30-second ad costs 110 credits: 100 to edit it and 10 to export it. A one-minute ad is 120 credits. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, which is about 11 ads of 30 seconds.
- Can I run the same ad on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts?
- Yes. A vertical 9:16 video with the captions in the picture works on Reels, TikTok and Shorts. YouTube's wide ad spots need a 16:9 video, which Cutroom does not make. CapCut and Canva can.
- What is the cheapest way to make a video ad?
- Film it on your phone and edit it in CapCut or Instagram's Edits app, which are both free. Canva's free plan includes templates. Cutroom's first video is free, with a Cutroom mark on the export.
If the owner will talk into a phone, one clip becomes a finished ad. Your first video is free.