Koda as an Arcads alternative
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Arcads and Koda both generate short videos with AI, for different jobs. Arcads is built around realistic AI actors: a library of 1,000+ people who read your script on camera, UGC-style, in more than 30 languages, billed at 800 credits per minute of talking-actor video — its Starter plan's 8,000 monthly credits cover 10 minutes. Koda does not make actor videos: it shows which products rank highest in Shopify stores' own best-seller order, generates the video from the real product photo, publishes it to your TikTok accounts and measures what it did. A full economy video costs 226 coins, about €0.69 on Starter and €0.54 on Business. If you need a believable person on screen, Arcads is the better tool.
| Arcads | Koda | |
|---|---|---|
| What the video is | A realistic AI actor speaking your script, UGC-style; product showcase and unboxing presets too | A product video built from the real product photo: script, image, clip, voice-over, subtitles, 9:16 montage |
| AI actors / avatars | 1,000+ AI actors, plus your own custom AI avatar | None — the product is the subject of the video |
| How a video is billed | 800 credits per minute of talking-actor video, per actor, length rounded up; other models priced per generation (Veo 3.1: 800 credits) | 226 coins for an economy video: €0.69 on Starter, €0.54 on Business, price shown before you generate |
| Published prices | No public price list on arcads.ai; plans are shown after sign-up. Starter = 8,000 credits a month (10 minutes of talking actor) | Public pricing page, in euros |
| Monthly limit | Starter and Creator pause at the credit limit until renewal; PRO bills overage | The plan's coins; the price of each generation is shown before it starts |
| Failed generation | Credits may be restored on request to support | Coins refunded automatically |
| Publishing | Not described on its site — you download the ad and run it yourself | Publishes to several TikTok accounts through the official TikTok API, then reports views and engagement per video |
| Free access | 3-day free trial, then the saved card is charged for Starter unless cancelled | Product research, store analysis and trends, 2 accounts, no card. AI generation is paid per use |
Two different kinds of video
Arcads sells a face. Its product is a library of more than 1,000 AI actors who deliver your script like a real customer filming a testimonial, and that format — the UGC ad — is what performance marketers buy it for.
Koda sells the product shot. The video is generated from the photo the store actually uses, with a script, voice-over and burned-in subtitles, so what the viewer sees is the item that ships. There is no presenter.
These are not two prices for the same thing. Decide which video you need first; the comparison only makes sense after that.
What a video costs on each
Arcads bills talking-actor video at 800 credits per minute, per actor, with the length rounded up — its own example bills a 1 minute 45 second video as 2 minutes. Starter comes with 8,000 credits a month, which is 10 minutes of talking actor; Creator doubles that. Arcads does not publish the dollar price of these plans on its site, so this page does not quote one.
Koda bills in coins and shows the price on the button before you generate. A full economy TikTok video — script, one image, a 5-second clip, voice-over, subtitles and the 9:16 montage — costs 226 coins: €0.69 on Starter, €0.54 on Business. Premium models cost more.
One practical difference: on Arcads Starter and Creator, generation pauses when the month's credits run out. On Koda, a generation that fails refunds its coins automatically, where Arcads restores credits for failed generations on request.
Find, create, publish, measure
Arcads starts at the script you bring and ends when the ad is exported. Koda starts earlier — which product is selling, read from each Shopify store's own best-seller order — and ends later: the video is published to several TikTok accounts through the official TikTok API, and the views each account got come back into the app.
When Arcads is still the better choice
- You want a realistic person on screen. Arcads' 1,000+ AI actors, custom avatars and emotion control are the heart of the product, and Koda makes no attempt to compete with them.
- Your ads run in many markets. Translation into more than 30 languages, with the same actor, is built in.
- You run paid campaigns and test many hooks and actors on the same script. That is the workflow Arcads is designed around; Koda is organic-TikTok-first.
- You already know what to sell and only need the ad. Koda's product research would be a part you never open.
Frequently asked
- Does Koda make AI actor videos like Arcads?
- No. Koda generates the video from the real product photo, with a script, voice-over and subtitles, and has no AI actors. If a realistic presenter is what you need, Arcads is the better tool.
- How much does Arcads cost?
- Arcads does not publish its prices on its website; the plans are shown after sign-up. Its help centre states the credit side: Starter includes 8,000 credits a month, Creator 16,000, and a talking-actor video costs 800 credits per minute, per actor.
- Does Arcads have a free trial? Does Koda?
- Arcads offers a 3-day trial, after which the saved card is charged for Starter unless you cancel. Koda has no trial: product research, store analysis and trends are free with no card, and AI generation is paid per use.
- Can Koda publish to TikTok directly?
- Yes, through the official TikTok API, to several accounts at once, and it reports how each video performed.
Everything stated here about Arcads was read from its own pages on 29 September 2026. Pricing and limits change and nothing here checks them automatically, so verify anything you are about to act on.