InVideo AI turns written prompts into videos that you can edit. Your cost depends on your plan and how many credits you use to generate AI footage and images. InVideo deducts credits when you use these tools, so your monthly budget also depends on how much you generate and revise.
InVideo has a limited free option, but third-party reports give different weekly video allowances. Paid plans range from an entry plan to tiers for frequent or high-volume production. explainroo is a free, open-source alternative for making narrated explainers and product demos on your computer with an AI coding agent.
InVideo’s free option has limits
InVideo’s free plan has watermarks and limits on exports or video generation. Third-party descriptions give different weekly limits, so the exact allowance is unclear. Check InVideo’s current pricing page before counting on a specific allowance.
A free plan is most useful for trying the editor and testing whether its output suits your needs. If you plan to publish videos regularly, check the export restrictions and watermark terms as well as the credit allowance.
Paid plans use credits for AI generation
InVideo’s paid plans differ in features and generation credits. The pricing page lists each plan’s access to AI models, stock footage, seats, and storage. Higher tiers include more AI agents and video-generation models, extra guest seats, more premium stock footage, and more storage.
InVideo presents its prices in different formats. Its pricing page lists a Starter option at $20 per seat. Its plan-selection FAQ lists named plans with monthly prices. The pages do not show how the listings match, so check the plan name, billing period, and included credits at checkout before subscribing.
| Plan named in InVideo’s FAQ | Price stated in the FAQ | Stated use |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | $20 per month | Testing and light use |
| Max | $100 per month | Regular AI video publishing |
| Generative | $200 per month | Short-film production |
| Elite | $1,000 per month | Episodic or commercial production at volume |
The FAQ recommends Max for creators who publish regularly. It says Max has a lower cost per credit than lower tiers. This can help if you generate many clips, but producing more clips can still raise your total bill.
Generation credits affect the real cost
Credit use varies based on the model and content type. InVideo’s pricing page lists example video rates: about 30 credits for five seconds with Seedance 2.0 Fast, 38 credits for five seconds with Seedance 2.0 at 1080p, and 50 credits for five seconds with Seedance 2.5 at 1080p. Image generation also uses credits.
A finished video can cost more than the footage in the final cut. One three-minute episode used 164 generated clips, but only 41 appeared in the final edit. Include discarded generations and revisions in your budget, especially for short films or polished promotional work.
The same FAQ says a 70-second short film used 3,000 credits and cost $750. A two-minute brand promo used 6,000 to 6,500 credits and cost $1,500. These figures come from specific productions, so they are not fixed prices for all videos. Estimate your generation and revision needs before choosing a tier.
Editing tools come with every plan
InVideo says every plan includes a full timeline editor, multiplayer editing, and tools for color, audio, and 3D. The company also says 40 hours of editing are free. Those hours are separate from AI generation credits: editing time and generated media affect different parts of the bill.
For a video made mostly from existing footage and manual edits, compare the editing features with the plan’s seat and storage limits. For a project built around generated clips, estimate the credit cost first.
When explainroo is a better fit
explainroo is a free, open-source kit under the MIT license. It uses an AI coding agent to make narrated explainers and product demos. It suits people who want those formats and are comfortable describing a video to an agent rather than using drag-and-drop editing controls.
To use it, paste a prompt like this into a compatible coding agent, replacing the bracketed topic:
Make me a short explainer video about [your topic]. Use explainroo for it: set it up, read its AGENTS.md, and follow the steps.
The agent writes the narration and scene instructions, sets up explainroo, checks the result, and gives you an MP4. explainroo runs on your computer. Its voice and timing tools need no account or API key. Optional AI illustrations cost money through OpenRouter. The coding agent is a separate service and may have its own price.
Choose InVideo if you want a hosted video editor with AI generation and stock footage. Try explainroo if you want narrated explainers or demos, can use a coding agent, and prefer a free kit that runs on your computer. See example videos or try explainroo.
