Lumen5 review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Turn blog posts, scripts and ideas into videos with AI
Black Friday: is there a Lumen5 sale?
Lumen5 report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for turning blog posts into videos
Lumen5 builds a first-cut video from a link, script or document, with stock media, AI voices and brand kits. The free plan gives 5 videos a month up to 2 minutes with a Lumen5 outro, and the higher plans jump to $59 and $149.
Who Lumen5 is for
- Fits if you turn blog posts into short social videos
- Works for one person who wants AI voices over stock clips
Who Lumen5 is not for
- 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
Why Lumen5 gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$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.
- CFree plan and trialA free plan with 5 videos a month, up to 2 minutes each, with a Lumen5 branded outro.
- CFeaturesLink 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.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record, and the work is building and editing the video.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with no integrations on record.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Lumen5's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Lumen5? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/lumen5#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/lumen5.svg" alt="Lumen5: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Lumen5 stands among screen recording and video tools
Lumen5's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 6 of the 84 other screen recording and video tools we grade, and level with 12.
Its paid plans start at $19 a month, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 47 of the 62 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 43 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 85 screen recording and video tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Lumen5’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 15 of 84, level with 40
- CFree plan and trialAbove 13 of 84, level with 52
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 84, level with 48
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 84, level with 49
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 84, level with 24
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 71 screen recording and video tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Lumen5, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Lumen5 you would be making a video model, which you can rent by the second but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 66 of the 84 other screen recording and video tools grade higher. It costs $228 a year.
What you could make
- Templates: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A video model, which you can rent by the second but not make.
- A voice model, which you can rent by the minute but not make.
- A voice model trained on your recordings.
- A video editor.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on.
What this rests on. Lumen5’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Lumen5?
Lumen5 is a browser-based video maker that builds a first cut from a link, script or document. It combines templates, stock media, AI voices and AI-generated clips with brand kits. The free plan limits length and adds a Lumen5 outro, and a team tier adds approvals and SSO.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Lumen5 pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lumen5 has a free plan, and paid plans start at $19 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $19 per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- 5 videos per month, each up to 2 minutes long, with a Lumen5 branded outro.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 videos a month, up to 2 minutes each, with a Lumen5 branded outro. |
| Basic | $19per month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly) | Unlimited videos, no Lumen5 branding, custom colors, 12 animation minutes and 240 AI voice minutes a year. |
| Starter | $59per month, billed yearly ($79 billed monthly) | 1080p, 50M+ stock photos and videos, brand kit, 24 animation minutes, 720 voice minutes, 1 voice clone. |
| Pro | $149per month, billed yearly ($199 billed monthly) | Shutterstock editorial media, custom watermarks and fonts, multiple workspaces, 60 animation minutes, 3 voice clones. |
| Team | Custom | Collaboration, video approval, SSO, translations and a customer success manager. Billed yearly, sold through sales. |
Read from lumen5.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Lumen5 before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 25% with yearly billing
Lumen5's pricing page labels the yearly option as saving 25% against monthly billing.
Stated on lumen5.com
Lumen5 alternatives
- Lumen5 vs Biteable
Free trial · from $15/mo
- Lumen5 vs Renderforest
Free plan · from $8/mo
- Lumen5 vs FlexClip
Free plan · from $11.99/mo
- Lumen5 vs Wave.video
Free plan · from $16/mo
- Lumen5 vs VEED
Free plan · from $25/mo
Common questions
Does Lumen5 have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Lumen5 is listed for Web.
Does Lumen5 have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Lumen5 is listed for Web.
Is Lumen5 open source?
Lumen5 is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.