# Video Generation APIs, Compared

> Rendering APIs, AI model APIs and full-video generation APIs do different jobs. Compare AutoFeed, Creatomate, Shotstack and JSON2Video on inputs, output, pricing and limits.

- Canonical page: https://www.autofeed.ai/video-api/compare
- AutoFeed API: https://www.autofeed.ai/video-api
- API reference: https://www.autofeed.ai/docs/api
- Publisher: AutoFeed.ai (https://www.autofeed.ai)
- Competitor facts read on November 2, 2026 from each vendor's pricing page and docs

"Video API" covers three different products. Some render a video you design, some generate a short clip from a prompt, and some produce the whole finished video. Here is which is which, with prices read from each vendor's own pricing page.

## Three kinds of video API

### Rendering APIs (Creatomate, Shotstack, JSON2Video)

- You send: A template or timeline in JSON, plus the text, images, clips and audio to put in it.
- You get: Your design, rendered to MP4.
- Best for: Branded and data-driven videos where you already have the content: product feeds, personalized videos, ads.

### AI video model APIs (Text-to-video and image-to-video models)

- You send: A text prompt or an image.
- You get: One short clip, usually 5 to 10 seconds, with no script, narration or captions.
- Best for: B-roll, single shots and creative experiments.

### Full-video generation APIs (AutoFeed)

- You send: A topic, a subreddit, a prompt or an ad hook.
- You get: A finished short-form video with script, visuals, voiceover and captions.
- Best for: Apps and pipelines that need ready-to-post faceless videos at volume.

## Side by side

| | AutoFeed API | Creatomate | Shotstack | JSON2Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A full-video generation API: one call produces a finished short-form video, from script to captions. | A template-based video and image rendering API, with a no-code editor and spreadsheet automation. | A timeline-based video editing and rendering API, with templates, a studio editor and a white-label editor SDK. | A JSON-to-video editing API: describe scenes and elements in JSON, get an MP4. |
| What you send | A video type (8 types) and a few inputs, such as a topic, a subreddit, a text prompt or an ad hook. | A template ID plus modifications (text, image and video URLs), or a full RenderScript JSON document. | A JSON edit: tracks and clips on a timeline, or a template with merge fields. | A movie JSON of scenes and elements (text, images, video, voice, subtitles), or a template. |
| Script and on-screen copy | Written by AutoFeed for the story formats (AI slideshows, Reddit-style stories, Would You Rather, Pick One, fake texts). You can pass your own brief. | You write it, or an earlier step in your pipeline does. | You write it. | You write it. |
| Images and footage | Generated for you: AI images in 7 styles, gameplay backgrounds, 28 AI video models and UGC avatar clips. UGC ads can include your own demo footage. | Your media URLs. AI images through OpenAI or Stability, using your own provider keys, per their docs. | Your media URLs, plus AI images and video clips generated during the render, charged per model (for example 0.5 credits for a 1K image). | Your media URLs. Per their pricing FAQ, there is no native AI image or AI video generation. |
| Voiceover | Included in the video price, 39 narration languages. | Text-to-speech through ElevenLabs or OpenAI, using your own provider keys, per their docs. | AI voice charged per model (ElevenLabs: 0.3 credits, 6 cents, per 1,000 characters). | Included: Azure text-to-speech by default, ElevenLabs optional (your own key optional), per their docs. |
| What comes back | A finished MP4 with voiceover, word-timed captions and music where the format has them, delivered by a signed webhook. YouTube Clips returns several clips. | Your template rendered as a video or image. | Your edit, rendered. | An MP4 of your scenes. |
| Output resolution | 1080p: 1080x1920 vertical, 1920x1080 horizontal or 1280x1280 square, depending on the type. | Set by your template. Credit cost depends on resolution, frame rate and length, per their docs. | 1080p on Pay as you go and Starter, 4K from Pro. | Up to 4K at the same credit price, per their pricing FAQ. |
| Billing unit | Credits per finished video, quoted in the 202 response before work starts. An AI slideshow of 45 to 60 seconds costs 1,200 credits (about $1.66 on Ultimate). | Credits: about 14 per minute of 720p video at 25 fps, and 1 per image, per their pricing FAQ. | Rendered minutes, counted by the second: 20 cents a minute pay as you go, down to 5 cents on Volume. AI generation is charged on top, per model. | 1 credit per second of rendered video. |
| Lowest paid price | $249/mo (Ultimate, 180k credits a month). Hobby and Pro do not include the API. | $54/mo, or $45/mo billed annually (Essential, 2,000 credits, "200+ videos"). | $10 once for 50 minutes, or $39/mo (Starter, 250 minutes). | $49.95 one-time for 7,200 credits (up to 120 minutes), or Hobby at $199.50/yr ($16.63/mo). |
| Free tier | None for the API. It needs an Ultimate plan. | 50 credits, no card needed. | 10 credits on signup, plus a free sandbox. | 600 credits, no card needed, watermarked. |
| File retention | 14 days, then deleted. | 30 days, then deleted. | Not listed on their pricing page. | Not listed on their pricing page. |
| Rate limit | 20 creates and 120 reads per minute, per account. | 30 requests per 10 seconds per account, per their docs. | Not listed on their pricing page. | Not listed on their pricing page. |
| Tooling | REST with bearer keys, an OpenAPI 3.1 spec, a Postman collection, idempotency keys and HMAC-signed webhooks. | REST API, Zapier, Make, Pabbly and n8n integrations, and an embeddable JS Preview SDK (from Growth). | REST API, SDKs for Node.js, Python, PHP and Ruby, and Make, Zapier and n8n on every plan. | REST API, SDKs and component libraries, and Make, n8n and Zapier. |
| Template editor | No. You pick a format and its settings; there is no layout or timeline editor. | Yes: a Template Editor, plus the Preview SDK for your own app. | Yes: a Studio editor and a white-label editor SDK. | Yes: a visual editor and templates. |

## Detailed comparisons

- [AutoFeed vs Creatomate](https://www.autofeed.ai/video-api/compare/creatomate): Template and spreadsheet rendering with your own media. Strong for branded, data-driven videos.
- [AutoFeed vs Shotstack](https://www.autofeed.ai/video-api/compare/shotstack): A JSON timeline editor in the cloud, billed per rendered minute, with per-model AI add-ons.
- [AutoFeed vs JSON2Video](https://www.autofeed.ai/video-api/compare/json2video): JSON scenes to MP4, priced per second, with text-to-speech included and no native AI visuals.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a video editing API and a video generation API?

An editing or rendering API assembles media you give it according to a template or timeline. A generation API creates the content: the script, the visuals and the voice. Creatomate, Shotstack and JSON2Video are rendering APIs with some AI add-ons; AutoFeed generates the whole video.

### Which API is cheapest?

For rendering alone, the per-minute and per-second rendering APIs are cheaper, because they do less of the work. Once you add a script, images and a voice, compare the total per finished video. AutoFeed quotes that total in every 202 response before any work starts.

### Does AutoFeed include text-to-video models?

Yes. The ai_video type gives access to 28 AI video models through the same endpoint, priced in the same credits as every other type.

### Which plan includes the AutoFeed API?

The API is included with Ultimate at $249/mo for 180k credits a month, with bigger Ultimate sizes for more volume. At that price an AI slideshow of 45 to 60 seconds costs about $1.66, so the base plan covers about 150 of them a month. The same credits pay for dashboard videos and autoposting.

### Where do these competitor prices come from?

From each vendor's official pricing page and docs, read on November 2, 2026. Where a number is not on those pages, the table says so. Check the vendor's site before you buy, since prices change.