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Produce AI UGC ads for clients: cheapest tool stack

Make AI avatar ('UGC-style') video ads for clients: avatar video, captions/edits, and scripts.

Prices are official, dated and quoted (latest check 2026-10-18). Change any number and the stacks update. Ranking never depends on affiliate status.

Cheapest$29.27/mo1.7 h/week by handLowest monthly price that covers every category.

Balanced$68.27/mo1.2 h/week by handLowest price + your time (hours × your hourly value).

Most automated$68.27/mo1.2 h/week by handFewest manual hours; price breaks ties.

Ads per month: 40.0
Ads per week: 9.2
Generations per month: 60.0
Generated minutes per month: 30.0
Minutes per ad: 0.5

The three stacks

Cheapest stack

Category	Tool	What it does	$/month	Manual h/week
AI avatar video	HeyGen Creator (Avatar III, 4 credits/min)	Avatar videos; 600 credits a month.	$29.00	0.0 h
Captions / edits	Built into the avatar tool	Use the avatar tool's own captions.	$0.00	0.9 h
Ad scripts	Gemini API Gemini 3.8 Flash, paid tier	Writes scripts/drafts automatically from a prompt template in your pipeline.	$0.27	0.0 h
Human review	QA time that no tool removes (assumption).		—	0.8 h
Total			$29.27/mo	1.7 h/week

Balanced stack

Category	Tool	What it does	$/month	Manual h/week
AI avatar video	HeyGen Creator (Avatar III, 4 credits/min)	Avatar videos; 600 credits a month.	$29.00	0.0 h
Captions / edits	Submagic affiliate Professional	Auto captions and edits; 40 uploads/month, videos up to 5 min.	$39.00	0.5 h
Ad scripts	Gemini API Gemini 3.8 Flash, paid tier	Writes scripts/drafts automatically from a prompt template in your pipeline.	$0.27	0.0 h
Human review	QA time that no tool removes (assumption).		—	0.8 h
Total			$68.27/mo	1.2 h/week

Most automated stack

Category	Tool	What it does	$/month	Manual h/week
AI avatar video	HeyGen Creator (Avatar III, 4 credits/min)	Avatar videos; 600 credits a month.	$29.00	0.0 h
Captions / edits	Submagic affiliate Professional	Auto captions and edits; 40 uploads/month, videos up to 5 min.	$39.00	0.5 h
Ad scripts	Gemini API Gemini 3.8 Flash, paid tier	Writes scripts/drafts automatically from a prompt template in your pipeline.	$0.27	0.0 h
Human review	QA time that no tool removes (assumption).		—	0.8 h
Total			$68.27/mo	1.2 h/week

Every option, per category

Sorted by price at your numbers. “Doesn’t fit” means a plan limit (users, minutes, subscribers…) is exceeded.

AI avatar video

Tool / plan	$/month	h/week	Evidence
HeyGen Creator (Avatar III, 4 credits/min)	$29.00	0.0 h	Price source Monthly view: Creator $29/mo with 600 credits, videos up to 30 mins, watermark removal. Pro $49/mo with 1,000 credits, videos up to 30 mins, watermark removal. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: heygen fact 1); Yearly view: Creator $24/mo and $288 billed yearly. Pro $41/mo and $488 billed yearly. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: heygen fact 2); A second official pricing article says Avatar III costs 4 credits a minute, Avatar IV 31, and Avatar V 48. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: heygen fact 7); Paid users are not restricted from commercial use of User Output. Free Plan output may not be used in commercial activities or advertising. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: heygen fact 9) $29 / mo 600 credits Videos up to 30 mins Watermark removal $49 / mo 1,000 credits $24 / mo$29 $288 billed yearly $41 / mo$49 $488 billed yearly On HeyGen, Avatar III costs 4 credits a minute, Avatar IV 31, and Avatar V 48, so the same plan covers very different amounts of video depending on the engine. does not restrict your ability to use User Output for your own purposes (including for commercial purposes) User Output generated under a Free Plan may not be sold, sublicensed, redistributed, monetized, or used in connection with commercial activities, advertising, client work, revenue-generating product or any other services. Formula: `iff(annual,24,29)`
HeyGen Pro (Avatar IV, 31 credits/min)	$49.00	0.0 h	Price source Monthly view: Creator $29/mo with 600 credits, videos up to 30 mins, watermark removal. Pro $49/mo with 1,000 credits, videos up to 30 mins, watermark removal. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: heygen fact 1); A second official pricing article says Avatar III costs 4 credits a minute, Avatar IV 31, and Avatar V 48. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: heygen fact 7) $29 / mo 600 credits Videos up to 30 mins Watermark removal $49 / mo 1,000 credits On HeyGen, Avatar III costs 4 credits a minute, Avatar IV 31, and Avatar V 48, so the same plan covers very different amounts of video depending on the engine. Formula: `49`
Creatify API Starter	$99.00	0.0 h	Price source API Starter is $99 USD/month for 500 credits. API Pro is $299 USD/month for 2,000 credits. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: creatify fact 10); API URL to Video and AI Avatar each cost 5 credits per 30 seconds. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: creatify fact 11) API Starter 500 credits $99 USD/month Small projects, testing API Pro 2,000 credits $299 USD/month Growing businesses URL to Video 5 credits per 30 seconds 30-second increments AI Avatar 5 credits per 30 seconds 30-second increments Formula: `99`
Creatify API Pro	$299.00	0.0 h	Price source API Starter is $99 USD/month for 500 credits. API Pro is $299 USD/month for 2,000 credits. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: creatify fact 10); API URL to Video and AI Avatar each cost 5 credits per 30 seconds. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: creatify fact 11) API Starter 500 credits $99 USD/month Small projects, testing API Pro 2,000 credits $299 USD/month Growing businesses URL to Video 5 credits per 30 seconds 30-second increments AI Avatar 5 credits per 30 seconds 30-second increments Formula: `299`
MakeUGC affiliate Growth	doesn’t fit		Price source Monthly billing: Starter $59, Growth $79, Pro $149, each billed monthly. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: makeugc fact 1); Yearly and monthly views: Starter 500 credits/mo, Growth 1,000, Pro 2,000–5,000. Watermark removal is listed on each paid plan. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: makeugc fact 2); Talking actor, custom avatar and Nova V2 cost 1 API credit unit, which is 100 displayed credits, per generation. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: makeugc fact 4); Outputs are licensed only with an active paid subscription. Free-tier users do not get commercial rights. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: makeugc fact 6) $59 per month, billed monthly $79 $149 Starter $59 per month, billed monthly Growth $79 per month, billed monthly Pro $149 per month, billed monthly 500 / mo 1,000 / mo 2,000–5,000 / mo Watermark Removal · All Creation Tools 1 API credit unit = 100 displayed credits. Talking actor / custom avatar / Nova V2 1 100 The outputs generated by MakeUGC’s AI tools are licensed to users only if they have a valid and active paid subscription. Free-tier users are not entitled to commercial rights or redistribution licenses. Formula: `iff(annual,39,79)`
MakeUGC affiliate Starter	doesn’t fit		Price source Monthly billing: Starter $59, Growth $79, Pro $149, each billed monthly. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: makeugc fact 1); Yearly and monthly views: Starter 500 credits/mo, Growth 1,000, Pro 2,000–5,000. Watermark removal is listed on each paid plan. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: makeugc fact 2); Talking actor, custom avatar and Nova V2 cost 1 API credit unit, which is 100 displayed credits, per generation. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: makeugc fact 4) $59 per month, billed monthly $79 $149 Starter $59 per month, billed monthly Growth $79 per month, billed monthly Pro $149 per month, billed monthly 500 / mo 1,000 / mo 2,000–5,000 / mo Watermark Removal · All Creation Tools 1 API credit unit = 100 displayed credits. Talking actor / custom avatar / Nova V2 1 100 Formula: `iff(annual,29,59)`

Captions / edits

Tool / plan	$/month	h/week	Evidence
Built into the avatar tool	$0.00	0.9 h	No tool to buy.
Captions Basic Credit use per captioned video is not published, so the fit is not checked.	$9.99	0.9 h	Price source Help article, for iOS and web: Free $0 and 60–200 credits that do not refresh; Basic $9.99 and 200 credits; Max $24.99 and 500; Frontier $69.99 and 1400; Frontier 2x $139.99 and 2800; Frontier 4x $279.99 and 5600. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: captions fact 1) Understand how AI credits work in Captions across every plan — image, video, sound, music, voiceover, and AI Edit usage on iOS and web. Free $0 60 - 200 (do not refresh) Basic (formerly Pro / Starter) $9.99 200 Max $24.99 500 Frontier (formerly Scale) $69.99 1400 Frontier 2x (formerly Scale 2x) $139.99 2800 Frontier 4x (formerly Scale 4x) $279.99 5600 Formula: `9.99`
Submagic affiliate Professional	$39.00	0.5 h	Price source Help centre, updated 30/09/2026: Starter is $19 per month for 15 video uploads, Professional is $39 per month for 40 video uploads, and Business is $69 per month for 100 video uploads. Annual billing is up to 41% off. Magic Clips is a $19 add-on. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: submagic fact 5); Help centre length limits, with the asterisks as rendered: Starter 2 minutes, Professional 5 minutes, Business 30 minutes. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: submagic fact 8) They start at just $19 per month for the Starter plan. We recommend this for plan for users just starting their journey in content creation. It offers 15 video uploads. If you're a professional video editor or an agency owner, we recommend the Business plan at $69 per month which includes 100 Video Uploads and 4K + 60 FPS Export to get the best video quality. However, our most popular plan is the Professional plan. It offers 40 video uploads at just $39 per month, you get the most value for your money, including all the AI features and Premium Features to make your videos look stunning! You can also add Magic Clips Add-On to your subscription for just $19 per month. It offer 10 video uploads. P.S. You can now get up to 41% off if you subscribe to the Annual plan! On the Starter plan, the limit is 2 minutes per video per upload and export On the Professional plan, the limit is 5 minutes per video upload and export On the Business plan, the limit is 30 minutes per video upload and export Formula: `39*ceil(units_month/40)`
Submagic affiliate Starter Monthly price from Submagic's help centre (30 Sep 2026); one seat per 15 uploads assumed.	$57.00	0.5 h	Price source Help centre, updated 30/09/2026: Starter is $19 per month for 15 video uploads, Professional is $39 per month for 40 video uploads, and Business is $69 per month for 100 video uploads. Annual billing is up to 41% off. Magic Clips is a $19 add-on. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: submagic fact 5); Help centre length limits, with the asterisks as rendered: Starter 2 minutes, Professional 5 minutes, Business 30 minutes. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: submagic fact 8) They start at just $19 per month for the Starter plan. We recommend this for plan for users just starting their journey in content creation. It offers 15 video uploads. If you're a professional video editor or an agency owner, we recommend the Business plan at $69 per month which includes 100 Video Uploads and 4K + 60 FPS Export to get the best video quality. However, our most popular plan is the Professional plan. It offers 40 video uploads at just $39 per month, you get the most value for your money, including all the AI features and Premium Features to make your videos look stunning! You can also add Magic Clips Add-On to your subscription for just $19 per month. It offer 10 video uploads. P.S. You can now get up to 41% off if you subscribe to the Annual plan! On the Starter plan, the limit is 2 minutes per video per upload and export On the Professional plan, the limit is 5 minutes per video upload and export On the Business plan, the limit is 30 minutes per video upload and export Formula: `19*ceil(units_month/15)`
Submagic affiliate Business	$69.00	0.5 h	Price source Help centre, updated 30/09/2026: Starter is $19 per month for 15 video uploads, Professional is $39 per month for 40 video uploads, and Business is $69 per month for 100 video uploads. Annual billing is up to 41% off. Magic Clips is a $19 add-on. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: submagic fact 5); Help centre length limits, with the asterisks as rendered: Starter 2 minutes, Professional 5 minutes, Business 30 minutes. (checked 2026-10-18, AI Video Ad Cost: submagic fact 8) They start at just $19 per month for the Starter plan. We recommend this for plan for users just starting their journey in content creation. It offers 15 video uploads. If you're a professional video editor or an agency owner, we recommend the Business plan at $69 per month which includes 100 Video Uploads and 4K + 60 FPS Export to get the best video quality. However, our most popular plan is the Professional plan. It offers 40 video uploads at just $39 per month, you get the most value for your money, including all the AI features and Premium Features to make your videos look stunning! You can also add Magic Clips Add-On to your subscription for just $19 per month. It offer 10 video uploads. P.S. You can now get up to 41% off if you subscribe to the Annual plan! On the Starter plan, the limit is 2 minutes per video per upload and export On the Professional plan, the limit is 5 minutes per video upload and export On the Business plan, the limit is 30 minutes per video upload and export Formula: `69*ceil(units_month/100)`

Ad scripts

Tool / plan	$/month	h/week	Evidence
Gemini API Gemini 3.8 Flash, paid tier Price doubles on 1 Jan 2027 ($1.50 / $7.50 per 1M tokens).	$0.27	0.0 h	Price source Gemini 3.8 Flash, paid tier: $0.75 per 1M input tokens, $3.75 per 1M output tokens through 31 Dec 2026 (doubles from 1 Jan 2027). Free tier: free of charge. (checked 2026-10-18, read on the official page 2026-10-18 (snapshot gemini-pricing)) $0.75 through December 31, 2026. $1.50 starting January 1, 2027. $3.75 through December 31, 2026. $7.50 starting January 1, 2027. Formula: `units_month(llm_in0.75+llm_out*3.75)/1e6`
Claude Pro Usage limits apply.	$20.00	1.5 h	Price source Claude Pro: $20 billed monthly, $17/month with annual billing (checked 2026-10-18, read on the official page 2026-10-18 (snapshot claude)) $17 Per month with annual subscription discount ( $200 billed up front). $20 if billed monthly. Formula: `iff(annual,17,20)`
Jasper Pro (1 seat)	$69.00	1.5 h	Price source Pro: $59/month billed yearly or $69/month billed monthly (checked 2026-10-18, AI writing calculator (aiwritercost): jasper fact jasper/1) Pro: $59/month billed yearly or $69/month billed monthly (cancel anytime) Formula: `iff(annual,59,69)`
Gemini API Gemini 3.8 Flash, free tier Rate limits apply; content may be used to improve Google's products. Off unless you allow free tiers.	doesn’t fit		Price source Gemini 3.8 Flash, paid tier: $0.75 per 1M input tokens, $3.75 per 1M output tokens through 31 Dec 2026 (doubles from 1 Jan 2027). Free tier: free of charge. (checked 2026-10-18, read on the official page 2026-10-18 (snapshot gemini-pricing)) $0.75 through December 31, 2026. $1.50 starting January 1, 2027. $3.75 through December 31, 2026. $7.50 starting January 1, 2027. Formula: `0`

Not covered (yet)

Arcads: credit costs are published (800 credits per talking-actor video) but USD plan prices are only shown in the app, so it can't be priced.
Synthesia: stock avatars may not be used in paid advertising without Synthesia's written consent, so it is excluded for client ads.
MakeUGC Pro: credit allowance is published as a range (2,000–5,000), so it is not priced.

Affiliate disclosure: links marked “affiliate” may earn Built & Stuck a commission at no extra cost to you. They are chosen after the ranking is computed and never affect it. Manual-hours figures are estimates from the assumptions above, not measurements.

Questions

What is the cheapest AI UGC ad tool for 40 ads a month?

It depends on avatar quality: older avatar models cost a few credits per minute, the newest ones 8–10× more. The calculator checks each plan's monthly credits against your ads, length and re-rolls.

Can I use AI avatar videos in paid ads?

Check each tool's terms. HeyGen allows commercial use on paid plans; Synthesia's stock avatars need written consent for paid ads; MakeUGC licenses output only with an active paid plan.

Do affiliate links change the ranking?

No. The ranking only uses price, manual hours and your hourly value. Some tools have a marked affiliate link; the calculation never reads it.