---
title: "Bannx vs Shotstack: minutes of video or credits per render | Bannx"
description: Shotstack bills minutes of video from a JSON timeline; Bannx bills credits per image, PDF page or clip from designed templates. Checked October 2026.
source: https://bannx.com/compare/shotstack
---

[All comparisons](https://bannx.com/compare)

# Bannx vs Shotstack

Shotstack is a video-first API: you describe a timeline in JSON and pay by the minute. Bannx starts from a template designed in a browser editor and pays per render, with stills, PDFs and HTML5 ads as well as clips.

[Start free](https://bannx.com/signup)[See the Image Gen API](https://bannx.com/products/image-gen-api)

Checked October 2026. Prices and plans change; check each product for the latest.

## Side by side

|  | Bannx | Shotstack |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free to start | 25 free renders every month. Templates are free to edit and download as PNG or PDF, with no account and no watermark | 10 credits at sign-up, valid 30 days, plus a free sandbox |
| Entry plan | $15 a month for 1,000 credits (Starter) | Pay as you go: $10 for 50 minutes. Starter: $39 a month for 250 minutes |
| Bigger plans | Starter goes up to 10,000 credits for $55 a month | Pro $99 a month (750 minutes), Scale $199 (2,000), Volume $499 |
| How it bills | 1 credit per image or PDF page, 5 credits per video clip | Minutes of video, billed per second |
| What it makes | Images (PNG, WebP, SVG), PDFs, video clips (MP4, WebM, GIF), HTML5 ad ZIPs and product mockups | Video first: video, images and audio. 4K from the Pro plan |
| How you build | Design a template in the browser editor, then fill its variables | A JSON timeline sent to the Edit API, with SDKs |
| Editor for your users | Embed a template's preview, form and download in an iframe | White-label Studio SDK editor |
| Connections | REST API, MCP server and webhooks | Webhooks, MCP server, n8n, Make and Zapier |
| Sign-up today | Open sign-up with 25 free renders every month. Templates are free to use without an account | Open sign-up |

## When to choose Shotstack

- You edit real video: cutting clips, audio tracks and long timelines.
- You want a white-label video editor inside your product.
- You need 4K video output.
- You need an account today.

## When to choose Bannx

- You mostly make images, PDFs or display ads.
- Marketers should change the design in an editor, not in JSON.
- You render from spreadsheet rows or forms.
- You want free renders every month.

## Questions

Something else on your mind? Email [[email protected]](https://bannx.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#50333f3e243133241032313e3e287e333f3d).

Is Bannx a video editing API?

No. Bannx renders designed templates, including animated ones as short clips. For timeline editing of real footage, Shotstack is the better fit.

How does pricing differ?

Can both connect to AI agents?

## See it with your own design.

Sign up free and render from the first request, or try a template with no account.

[Start free](https://bannx.com/signup)