Marpipe vs Pencil (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Marpipe if

• Fits if you run dynamic product ads for a catalog of a few hundred products
• Works for stores that want designed ads, not plain catalog images

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if your catalog grows, since Startup caps at 500 SKUs and 200 more cost $100
• Tight if you want video: product-level video is on Enterprise at $999 a month
• Watch out: the done-for-you feed service is $0.80 per SKU with a $400 minimum
• Watch out: extra location feeds are $299 a month each, and the page doesn't say if prices are monthly or yearly

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

Marpipe

• Pricing follows the number of SKUs chosen in the page calculator; the Startup plan caps at 500 SKUs, with 200 more for $100.
• The page does not say whether $199 and $999 are monthly or yearly-billed figures.
• The done-for-you feed service is $0.80 per SKU with a $400 minimum.
• Additional location feeds are an add-on at $299 per month per feed.

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.

Marpipe

Catalog creative

Designs product ads from catalog data so dynamic product ads look like designed creative, with image designs and countdowns.

Product-level video

Product-level video for every SKU, offered on the Enterprise plan.

Generative catalogs

Applies AI image models to catalog products, with a preview on the free plan.

SKU optimization

Filters out the worst-performing SKUs; included in the done-for-you feed service.

Feed management

Tools to manage fields, build product sets and see a feed score per channel, free or done-for-you.

Dedicated design strategist

Enterprise includes a design strategist, done-for-you designs and a 90-day performance plan.

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.

Marpipe

• Free$0

  per month

  Explore design possibilities, preview generative designs and launch unenriched DPA on all platforms.

• Startup$199

  per month; monthly or yearly basis not confirmed

  All Creative features for 1 channel and 1 market, 3 live designs and up to 500 SKUs.

• Enterprise$999

  per month, plus a per-SKU fee by catalog size

  Unlimited channels and designs, product-level video and a dedicated design strategist; the SKU fee runs $0.50 to $0.80.

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.

Marpipe

• Other savings

  50% off Enterprise for the first year

  The pricing page offers 50% off the Enterprise plan for the first year to advertisers spending under $50k a month on ads.

Pencil

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with annual billing

  Billed annually, Core is $11 a month instead of $14 and Growth $44 instead of $55.