For your team
Video ad production for agencies: an editor, a creator marketplace or an AI tool
Agencies produce video ads in four main ways: an editor, a creator marketplace like Billo, an AI actor tool like Creatify or Arcads, or an AI editor like Cutroom that edits a video of the client.
In short
- An editor suits brand films, a creator marketplace suits real people using the product, and AI tools make the extra ads cheaply.
- Billo creators film a client's product from $99 per 15-second video, or $139 for 30 seconds.
- Creatify and Arcads make ads with AI actors, so nobody has to film. Creatify starts at $39 a month.
- Cutroom turns one video of the client talking into a finished vertical ad, for under $2 an ad on any paid plan.
- Cutroom's Basic plan is $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, about 22 ads of 30 seconds. Every plan is one login.
- Share of ads that become winners, per Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads
- 5-8%
- One 30-second video from a Billo creator
- $139
- 30-second Cutroom ads a month on the $39.99 Basic plan
- About 22
Ways agencies produce video ads
Each way suits a different job, and many agencies use more than one.
- Most ads do not work. In Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads, only 5 to 8% became winners, so a client needs many ads tested to find one.
Four ways to produce video ads
| Way | What it costs | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| An in-house or freelance editor | A salary or a day rate | Brand films, colour and sound, any size | Each extra version takes editing time |
| A creator marketplace (Billo) | $99 to $169 a video | Real people using the client's product | A wait for delivery, and a change means another round |
| An AI actor tool (Creatify, Arcads) | From $39 a month (Creatify) | Many ads with no filming | The presenter is an AI actor |
| An AI editor (Cutroom) | Under $2 a 30-second ad on any paid plan (about 110 credits) | Many ads from a video of the client talking | Vertical 9:16 MP4 only |
Way: An in-house or freelance editor
- What it costs
- A salary or a day rate
- Good for
- Brand films, colour and sound, any size
- Watch out for
- Each extra version takes editing time
Way: A creator marketplace (Billo)
- What it costs
- $99 to $169 a video
- Good for
- Real people using the client's product
- Watch out for
- A wait for delivery, and a change means another round
Way: An AI actor tool (Creatify, Arcads)
- What it costs
- From $39 a month (Creatify)
- Good for
- Many ads with no filming
- Watch out for
- The presenter is an AI actor
Way: An AI editor (Cutroom)
- What it costs
- Under $2 a 30-second ad on any paid plan (about 110 credits)
- Good for
- Many ads from a video of the client talking
- Watch out for
- Vertical 9:16 MP4 only
Tools for agency video ad production
Billo is for real creators. Creatify and Arcads are for AI actors. Cutroom edits a phone video of the client talking.
Video ad production tools for agencies
Prices as each company publishes them on the day shown. Plans change, so check before you buy.
| Tool | Best for | Editing approach | Platform | Pricing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Billo | Real creators filming the client's product | Send a brief; a creator films the product and sends the video | Web | $99 per 15-second video; $139 per 30 seconds |
 Creatify | Many AI actor ads from a product link | Paste a link; it writes a script and an AI actor reads it | Web | Free plan (2 ads a month, watermark); Starter $39/month |
 Arcads | AI actor ads in many languages | Write a script and an AI actor performs it | Web | Not published |
| Cutroom | Finished ads from a video of the client talking, one project per ad | Upload the client's video; it adds captions, stock clips and an opening headline, and you edit the text | Web | First video free; Lite $19.99/month |
- Billo
- Best for
- Real creators filming the client's product
- Approach
- Send a brief; a creator films the product and sends the video
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- $99 per 15-second video; $139 per 30 seconds
- Creatify
- Best for
- Many AI actor ads from a product link
- Approach
- Paste a link; it writes a script and an AI actor reads it
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free plan (2 ads a month, watermark); Starter $39/month
- Arcads
- Best for
- AI actor ads in many languages
- Approach
- Write a script and an AI actor performs it
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Not published
Cutroom
- Best for
- Finished ads from a video of the client talking, one project per ad
- Approach
- Upload the client's video; it adds captions, stock clips and an opening headline, and you edit the text
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- First video free; Lite $19.99/month
Prices and plans read from each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How Cutroom works for an agency
You film the client in one session, one short video per ad, and make one project for each.
- You change the video by editing the text, not a timeline, so you do not need an editor to make changes.
- If the client's legal team flags a line, film that video again, because Cutroom cannot delete a line.
- Upload the client's product footage once and reuse it in every ad.
- If the client will not be on camera, the Basic plan can make an avatar from a photo and a voice-over, at 350 credits per minute.
Several ads from one filming session
Film the client
One short video per opening line, each up to 3 minutes
One project per ad
Upload each video, 100 credits each
Check the text
Fix misheard words and place the product footage
Export
About 10 credits per 30-second ad
What Cutroom costs
Cutroom charges in credits: 100 to edit a video and 20 per minute to export it. A 30-second ad costs about 110 credits, under $2 on any paid plan.
- Every plan is one login, with no way to invite teammates. You can make ads for several clients in the same account.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It has a Cutroom watermark across the middle.
- The money spent showing the ads is separate. It is set in each client's Meta or TikTok ads account.
Cutroom plans and how many 30-second ads they cover
| Plan | Price | Credits | 30-second ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no card | Your first video | 1, with a watermark |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 | About 11 |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 | About 22, plus avatars and music |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 | About 45 |
| Top-up | $39.99 once | 2,500 | About 22 more |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0, no card
- Credits
- Your first video
- 30-second ads
- 1, with a watermark
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250
- 30-second ads
- About 11
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22, plus avatars and music
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000
- 30-second ads
- About 45
Plan: Top-up
- Price
- $39.99 once
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22 more
Which option should you choose?
It depends on the job and on whether the client will be on camera.
Which option should you choose
Choose a freelance or in-house editor if the job is a brand film, needs colour and sound work, or has to come out in several sizes.
Choose Billo if the client wants real people filming the product and is happy to pay per video.
Choose Creatify if the client has nobody to film and wants many AI actor ads made from product pages.
Choose Arcads if you need AI actor ads in many languages and can sign up before you see a price.
Choose Cutroom if the client will talk on camera once and you want finished vertical ads from that video, one project per ad. Your first video is free.
Questions people ask
- How do agencies produce video ads at scale?
- With a mix of editors, creators and AI tools. Editors handle brand films, creator marketplaces like Billo supply real people, and AI tools like Creatify and Cutroom make the extra ads for testing.
- How much does it cost to produce one video ad?
- It ranges from under $2 to over $100. A Billo creator video is $99 to $169, Creatify starts at $39 a month, and a 30-second Cutroom ad costs under $2 on any paid plan.
- How do we budget Cutroom credits across clients?
- Plan about 110 credits per 30-second ad. Basic gives 2,500 credits a month (about 22 ads), Premium 5,000 (about 45), and each $39.99 top-up adds 2,500 (about 22 more).
- Can our team share one Cutroom account?
- Not with separate logins. Every Cutroom plan is one login, with no way to invite teammates. You can make ads for several clients in the same account, each as its own project.
- Can someone who is not an editor make the ads?
- Yes, in Cutroom. You change the video on the text: highlight words to place a clip, fix a misheard word, pick a caption style. There is no timeline to learn.
- Can we use a client's own product footage?
- Yes. Upload it to the library, then highlight the words it should cover and the clip appears there. Free stock clips fill other parts of the video.
- Which agency work is Cutroom not for?
- Brand films, widescreen or square videos, and anything without a person talking. Keep those with an editor.
Film one client for a few minutes and get the first finished ad back. Your first video is free.