AdStellar vs Pencil (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pencil grades higher than AdStellar: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Pencil grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AdStellar
AI agent that creates Meta ads, launches them and tracks winners
Pencil
AI ad creation across many image, video and text models
Which one is for you
Pick AdStellar if
- Fits if you run Meta ads and want AI to draft and launch them
- Makes sense if you want credits you can use on image or video ads
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you advertise on Google, TikTok or LinkedIn, as only Meta is listed
- Pricey if you make video ads, as one costs about 2,800 credits of the 50,000
- Watch out: monthly credits last 60 days on a rolling window
- Watch out: the trial needs a card at checkout and then bills $100 a month
Pick Pencil if
- Fits if you want to try several AI image and video models under one subscription
- Works for teams that make ads and launch them to Meta, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn from one place
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're on Core, as 50 credits go quickly and unused ones don't roll over
- Skip it if you want to track what rivals are running, as nothing on record does that
- Not for you if you want a refund after the trial, since none are given once a plan starts
- Watch out: the free trial's length isn't stated, and Core and Growth can't go past their credits until the reset
- Pricey if you need bulk generation from feeds, IP assignment or no-train terms, which are on Pro, priced through sales
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAAdStellarFair | 2.2GPAPencilFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$100 a month for 50,000 credits, in the dearer half of ad tools. An image ad costs about 100 credits and a video ad about 2,800, so heavy video use needs more credits at $2 per 1,000. | CGraded on a few dozen ads a month. Core's 50 credits at $11 billed annually won't go that far, since each action is charged by model and resizing costs 1 credit per format, so it's Growth: 250 credits for $44 billed annually ($55 monthly). That's the middle of this category. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 7-day trial with $100 in free credits and $0 due today, which implies a card at checkout. There is no free plan. | CNo free plan. The refund policy mentions a free trial and says you choose to upgrade to a paid plan afterwards, but no length is given anywhere on record. |
| Features | CAn ad agent, AI creative, bulk launching, creative analytics and automation rules. Manual campaign builds are free, but only Meta is listed. | CText, image, video and voice models, ready-made and custom agents, editors with Figma and Photoshop imports, launching to seven ad platforms and scores before launch. It covers making ads, but nothing on record studies rivals' ads, and bulk generation from feeds is Pro only. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect your Meta account and brief the agent. | CNo rating on record. Choosing among many models, each priced differently in credits, is a learning curve of its own, and agents and workflows take setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb app with Meta, ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and Slack connections. No phone or desktop apps are listed. | BWeb only, with no apps. It launches to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google Display, DV360 and LinkedIn, imports from Figma, Photoshop and After Effects, and can add CreativeX scores. |
| Best for | an AI agent that builds and launches Meta ads | many AI models for ads in one workspace |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: AdStellar and Pencil. How we grade
Price against what you get
AdStellar starts at $100 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Pencil starts at $11 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Pencil starts $89 a month lower. Of the other ad creative and reporting tools on the chart, 5 score higher than AdStellar for less, and 3 score higher than Pencil for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Pencil also covers templates.
At a glance
| AdStellar | Pencil | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $100 per month for 50,000 credits, billed monthly | $11 per month for 50 credits, billed annually ($14 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with $100 in free credits and $0 due today. | Free trial mentioned in the refund policy; length not stated |
| Web | ||
| Made by | AdStellar | Pencil AI Limited |
| Price read from | adstellar.ai | trypencil.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
AdStellar
- Credits are spent on AI work: image ads cost about 100 credits each, video and UGC ads from about 2,800, and an AI campaign launch about 100; manual campaign builds are free.
- Monthly credits last 60 days on a rolling window, and bonus credits do not expire.
- The page describes launching to Meta only; other ad networks were not listed on the pricing page.
- The $100 plan buys 50,000 credits, so heavy video use will need a higher credit volume at $2 per 1,000.
Pencil
- Core and Growth cannot go past their monthly credits; you upgrade or wait for the reset, and unused credits do not roll over.
- Each AI action costs credits by model and size of the job, so 50 credits can cover very different amounts of work.
- Enterprise terms such as IP assignment, no-train, data ring-fencing and SSO are on Pro, priced through sales.
- Refunds are not given once a paid plan has started after the free trial; cancelling stops billing at the end of the period.
Key features
AdStellar
- Ad Agent
- A chat agent that analyzes performance, suggests strategy, creates ads and launches campaigns to Meta after the user approves each step.
- AI creative
- Image ads, video ads and UGC-style videos with AI avatars, plus ad and competitor cloning.
- Bulk launch and campaign builder
- Hundreds of ad variations can be launched at once, and full campaigns can be built from the best-performing ads.
- Creative analytics
- Shows which creatives, audiences and copy drive return on ad spend, synced from Meta on an hourly basis.
- Automation rules
- Rules that pause wasted spend and scale winners.
- Connectors
- An app inside ChatGPT, a Claude connector, an MCP server and a Slack agent, plus integrations the agent can use.
Pencil
- Many AI models in one place
- Text, image, video and voice models from OpenAI, Google, Adobe, Runway, Stability AI and others, chosen per task, with each model priced in credits by what it costs to run.
- Agents and Scribble
- Ready-made agents for common marketing jobs, plus your own agents and multistep workflows; Scribble is its chat assistant for briefs and campaigns.
- Ad editors and resizing
- Drag-and-drop, image, video and display ad editors, Figma, Photoshop and After Effects imports, and AI resizing to any ad format at 1 credit per format.
- Launch and track ads
- Sends ads to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google Display, DV360 and LinkedIn and shows their results in a dashboard.
- Predictions and creative insights
- Scores creatives before launch and gives insights from connected ad accounts on how to improve them; CreativeX scores can be added.
- Bulk generation from feeds
- On Pro, generates variations in bulk from product, audience and market feeds, with role-based access across brands and markets.
Plans
AdStellar
Team$100
per month for 50,000 credits, billed monthly
One plan with every feature, unlimited team members, ad accounts and launches. Priced at $2 per 1,000 credits, and the volume can change each month.
Pencil
Core$11
per month for 50 credits, billed annually ($14 billed monthly)
For one person: AI agents for text, images, video and ad creatives, AI scores, ad launch and tracking, 1 workspace and chat support.
Growth$44
per month for 250 credits, billed annually ($55 billed monthly)
Everything in Core with more credits at a lower cost each, unlimited workspaces and direct access to the product team.
ProCustom
Sold through sales: committed-use credits, bulk generation from product feeds, unlimited users and brands, IP assignment and no-train terms.
Ways to pay less
AdStellar
No public discounts listed.
Pencil
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Billed annually, Core is $11 a month instead of $14 and Growth $44 instead of $55.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, AdStellar or Pencil?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pencil is cheaper to start with: $11 a month, against $100 a month for AdStellar. AdStellar starts at $100 per month for 50,000 credits, billed monthly, and Pencil starts at $11 per month for 50 credits, billed annually ($14 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, AdStellar or Pencil?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither AdStellar nor Pencil has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.