Tolstoy vs Wave.video (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Wave.video grades higher than Tolstoy: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Wave.video 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.
Tolstoy
AI studio for ecommerce product videos, ads and shoppable video
Wave.video
Video editor, hosting and live streaming in one browser tool
Which one is for you
Pick Tolstoy if
- Fits if you run an online store and want product photos and ads made with AI
- Works for teams that want shoppable video on product pages
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, since none is listed on the pricing page
- Pricey if you add people, at $20 a seat a month on Plus and Business
- Watch out: video viewers are counted separately, and extra ones cost $10 per 1,000 on Plus
- Watch out: credits drain at different rates for different models and actions
- Skip it if you sell nothing online, because it is built for stores
Pick Wave.video if
- Fits if you want editing, live streaming and video hosting under one login
- Works for people who'll test the editor on the free plan first
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: watermarked exports and the FAQ says MP4 downloads need a paid plan
- Skip it if you need separate team logins, as the FAQ describes shared credentials
- Watch out: extra hosted embeds on Business cost 20 cents each a month past 200
- Watch out: captioning past 200 minutes costs 5 cents a minute, and the pages disagree on Business storage (500 GB or 200 GB)
- Not for you if you want a desktop or phone app, as it's web only
How we grade them
| 1.6GPATolstoyWeak | 2.0GPAWave.videoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPlus is $16 a workspace a month billed yearly ($20 monthly), which sits level with the category's $14 middle. Business is $80, and extra seats cost $20 each. | CStreamer is $16 a month on yearly billing ($20 monthly), above the category's middle of $12.99. Business is $48. |
| Free plan and trial | FThe pricing page lists no free plan or trial. The homepage says Start for free, but its terms weren't confirmed. | CA free plan with a basic editor, live streaming with a watermark, 5 hosted embeds and 10 GB of storage. Downloading MP4s needs a paid plan. |
| Features | CMedia Studio, Ads Studio, Storefront Studio and Shop Bots. Credits aren't a fixed number of photos or videos, so what a plan buys is hard to predict. | CEditor, stock library, streaming, hosting, captions and webinars, but teams share one login and the pages disagree about Business storage. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Connecting your store, setting up bots and learning the credit system comes first. | CNo store rating on record. A web app where you build each video yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with Meta the only integration listed. | CWeb only. No integrations are listed in the pages read. |
| Best for | AI product photos, ads and shoppable video for online stores | video, live streaming and hosting in one place |
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: Tolstoy and Wave.video. How we grade
Price against what you get
Tolstoy starts at $16 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wave.video starts at $16 a month and scores 2.0.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other screen recording and video tools on the chart, 51 score higher than Tolstoy for less, and 51 score higher than Wave.video 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
- Tolstoy also covers video generation, chatbots and ad creative.
- Wave.video also covers templates, video editing, text to speech, webinars and multistreaming.
At a glance
| Tolstoy | Wave.video | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16 per workspace / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) | $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Basic editor and live streaming with a watermark, 5 hosted-video embeds, 10 GB storage. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Tolstoy | Animatron Inc. |
| Price read from | gotolstoy.com | wave.video |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Tolstoy
- Usage is capped monthly: AI credits, plus video viewers counted separately; extra viewers cost $10 per 1,000 on Plus and $7 on the first two Business steps.
- Credits are not a fixed number of photos or videos; models and actions use different amounts.
- Extra team members cost $20 per seat a month on Plus and Business.
- The homepage offers Start for free, but the pricing page lists no free plan; its terms were not confirmed.
Wave.video
- Free exports carry a Wave.video watermark; the FAQ says downloading MP4 files needs a paid plan.
- Teams share a login; the FAQ describes multiple user logins as shared credentials.
- Extra hosted embeds on Business cost 20 cents each a month past 200, and captioning past 200 minutes costs 5 cents a minute.
- Pages disagree on Business storage (500 GB in the plan table, 200 GB in the FAQ).
Key features
Tolstoy
- Media Studio
- Creates product photos, reshoots, colorways, videos and creator-style content.
- Ads Studio
- Turns content into ad creative and Meta campaigns, including creative refreshes.
- Storefront Studio
- Adds virtual try-on, shoppable video and a Personal Shopper assistant to a store.
- Shop Bots
- AI agents for roles such as creative director or ads manager, whose work the team reviews and approves.
- Forward
- Hands-on setup and workshops from Tolstoy's team, an add-on to Business and included in Enterprise.
Wave.video
- Video editor
- Browser editor with templates, layouts, an advanced text editor and a thumbnail maker; editing length and resolution rise by plan.
- Stock library
- Plans include a stock library of clips, images and soundtracks; the page cites 2M assets on lower plans and 200M on higher ones.
- Live streaming
- Streams to several channels with guests, scenes, shared presentations and pre-recorded video streaming on paid plans.
- Video hosting
- Host and embed videos with customization; each plan sets embeds, monthly traffic and storage.
- Captions and voice
- Creator and Business add styled captions and subtitles, image background removal and text to speech.
- Webinars and recording
- Paid streaming plans include webinars and recording with pause and resume, up to 4 or 12 hours.
Plans
Tolstoy
Plus$16
per workspace / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
4,000 AI credits a month (3,000 Studio, 1,000 Onsite AI) and 5,000 video viewers a month; extra viewers $10 per 1,000.
Business$80
per workspace / month, billed annually ($100 billed monthly)
20,000 AI credits and 25,000 video viewers a month; steps at $160 and $400 a month billed annually add credits and viewers. Studio credit top-ups available.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom usage and contracts, security and permission controls, bot versioning, custom integrations, and Tolstoy Forward included.
Wave.video
Free$0
Basic editor and streaming with a watermark, 2 channels, 6 guests, up to 1 hour a stream.
Streamer$16
per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Videos up to 5 minutes, 5 channels, 10 guests, streams up to 4 hours at 1080p, webinars.
Creator$24
per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Edits up to 30 minutes, captions, background removal, text to speech, 20 embeds, 30 GB storage.
Business$48
per month, billed annually ($60 billed monthly)
Edits up to 2 hours at 60fps, 10 channels, 12 guests, 12-hour streams, 200 embeds, shared login.
Ways to pay less
Tolstoy
- Annual discount
Yearly billing lowers the monthly price
Plus is $16 a month billed yearly ($192) against $20 monthly; the Business steps are $80, $160 and $400 against $100, $200 and $500.
Wave.video
- Annual discount
Annual billing is 20% cheaper
Wave.video's pricing page labels its annual toggle as 20% off, with monthly prices shown at a higher rate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Tolstoy or Wave.video?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. Tolstoy starts at $16 per workspace / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly), and Wave.video starts at $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Tolstoy or Wave.video?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Wave.video has a free plan. Tolstoy does not.
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.