Lumen5 vs Promo.com (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lumen5 grades higher than Promo.com: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Lumen5 grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Promo.com grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lumen5
Turn blog posts, scripts and ideas into videos with AI
Which one is for you
Pick Lumen5 if
- Fits if you turn blog posts into short social videos
- Works for one person who wants AI voices over stock clips
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you can't have a Lumen5 outro, as free videos carry one
- Tight if you make longer videos, since free stops at 2 minutes
- Pricey if you want 1080p, which starts at Starter, $59
- Watch out: animation and AI voice minutes are yearly, and extra animation minutes are an add-on
- Not for you if you need approvals or SSO, which are Team plan only
Pick Promo.com if
- Fits if you make social video ads for a small business from templates
- Works for agencies that want white label sharing, which starts on Pro
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want AI-made videos on the cheapest plan, because Basic has none
- Pricey if you need more than a few videos: Standard is $59 and Pro is $199 a user a month on yearly billing
- Not for you if you want to try before paying, as there's no free plan or trial
- Watch out: unused PromoAI videos don't roll over, and Promo's other product ActiveCast is sold on separate plans
How we grade them
| 2.0GPALumen5Fair | 1.6GPAPromo.comWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$19 a month billed yearly for Basic ($29 monthly), above the category's $12.99 middle but under $20. Starter is $59 and Pro $149. | D$29 a user a month on yearly billing ($59 monthly) for Basic, which has no PromoAI videos. The plan with 360 of them is Standard at $59, and the category's dearest tenth starts at $39. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan with 5 videos a month, up to 2 minutes each, with a Lumen5 branded outro. | FNo free plan and no trial. A 7-day money-back guarantee only applies if you haven't downloaded, published or scheduled a video. |
| Features | CLink and script to video, AI voices, animation minutes, stock media and brand kits. The listing shows gaps: animation and voice minutes are yearly allowances, and approvals and SSO need Team. | CTemplates, Getty clips, music, brand kits and a social planner, but Basic has no PromoAI videos and unused ones don't carry over. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and the work is building and editing the video. | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app where the work is building the video, which means a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations on record. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Facebook, Instagram and YouTube publishing. No desktop app. |
| Best for | turning blog posts into videos | template-based video ads for social |
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: Lumen5 and Promo.com. How we grade
Price against what you get
Lumen5 starts at $19 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Promo.com starts at $29 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Promo.com scores higher, and starts $10 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, 43 score higher than Lumen5 for less, and 29 score higher than Promo.com 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
- Lumen5 also covers text to speech and voice cloning.
At a glance
| Lumen5 | Promo.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $19 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly) | $29 per user / month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 5 videos per month, each up to 2 minutes long, with a Lumen5 branded outro. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Lumen5 | Promo AI Marketing Ltd. |
| Price read from | lumen5.com | promo.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lumen5
- The Free plan caps videos at 2 minutes, 5 a month, and adds a Lumen5 outro.
- Animation and AI voice minutes are yearly allowances, not monthly, and differ by plan.
- Extra animation minutes are sold as an add-on beyond the plan allowance.
- Video approval, SSO and translations need the custom-priced Team plan.
Promo.com
- Prices here are for PromoAI. ActiveCast is a separate product with separate plans.
- The Basic plan includes no PromoAI videos.
- Unused PromoAI videos do not carry into the next billing cycle, except on an upgrade.
- The page offers a 7-day money-back guarantee if no videos were downloaded, published or scheduled.
Key features
Lumen5
- Link, script and document to video
- Start from a blog post URL, a script or a document and let AI assemble a first cut that can then be edited.
- AI voices and clones
- 1,000+ AI voices come with the paid plans; Starter includes 1 voice clone and Pro includes 3.
- Animation and AI clips
- Paid plans include a yearly allowance of animation minutes for AI-generated clips and explainer-style videos.
- Stock media
- Stock photos and video clips are built in, and Pro adds Shutterstock editorial media.
- Brand kits
- Brand kits and video blueprints keep logos, colors and fonts consistent; Pro adds custom watermarks and fonts.
- Recording tools
- The feature menu lists in-app recording, screen recording and talking-head videos.
Promo.com
- PromoAI videos
- Generates videos from a brief; counts per plan (none on Basic).
- Templates
- Ready-made video templates for social, ads and industries.
- Stock footage and music
- Getty Images clips and licensed music tracks, with monthly clip allowances.
- Social planner
- A calendar with scheduling and publishing for PromoAI videos.
- Brand kits
- Store logos, fonts and colors; the number of brands grows by plan.
- Resale rights
- White label sharing and resale rights on Pro and Business.
Plans
Lumen5
Free$0
5 videos a month, up to 2 minutes each, with a Lumen5 branded outro.
Basic$19
per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)
Unlimited videos, no Lumen5 branding, custom colors, 12 animation minutes and 240 AI voice minutes a year.
Starter$59
per month, billed yearly ($79 billed monthly)
1080p, 50M+ stock photos and videos, brand kit, 24 animation minutes, 720 voice minutes, 1 voice clone.
Pro$149
per month, billed yearly ($199 billed monthly)
Shutterstock editorial media, custom watermarks and fonts, multiple workspaces, 60 animation minutes, 3 voice clones.
TeamCustom
Collaboration, video approval, SSO, translations and a customer success manager. Billed yearly, sold through sales.
Promo.com
Basic$29
per user / month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
No PromoAI videos; 120 Getty Images clips, 2 GB upload storage, 1 brand and 200 music tracks. $348 billed yearly.
Standard$59
per user / month, billed annually ($119 billed monthly)
360 PromoAI videos, 3,600 Getty clips, 10 GB storage, 3 brands. $708 billed yearly.
Pro$199
per user / month, billed annually ($399 billed monthly)
3,600 PromoAI videos, 50 GB storage, 10 brands, white label and resale rights. $2,388 billed yearly.
BusinessCustom
Unlimited PromoAI videos, clips, storage and brands; sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Lumen5
- Annual discount
Save 25% with yearly billing
Lumen5's pricing page labels the yearly option as saving 25% against monthly billing.
Promo.com
- Annual discount
Save 50% with annual billing
The pricing page labels the annual toggle Save 50%, with the monthly price crossed out against the lower annual one.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discount
The FAQ says eligible nonprofits get discounted rates; no figure is given.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lumen5 or Promo.com?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lumen5 starts at $19 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly), and Promo.com starts at $29 per user / month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Lumen5 or Promo.com?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Lumen5 has a free plan. Promo.com does not.
Which platforms do Lumen5 and Promo.com run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Promo.com lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.