New in 3.0
Doodle Maker
A whole tool for whiteboard videos: from a script or a recording, a hand draws pictures, words, icons and charts on the word they are said, on 11 boards.
See itVid Optimus vs AutoShorts.ai
AutoShorts.ai runs faceless Shorts on autopilot with minimal input. Vid Optimus gives you the same automation when you want it — Auto mode — plus full manual control and long-form support when you don't.
The short answer
Choose AutoShorts.ai if you want Shorts on true autopilot with the least possible interaction. Choose Vid Optimus if you want that same speed available, but also want to open the timeline and adjust something, or publish long-form as well.
Pick Vid Optimus if…
You want the option of full autopilot and full manual control in the same tool, or you publish long-form as well as Shorts.
Pick AutoShorts.ai if…
You publish only Shorts and want the absolute minimum interaction between script and finished video.
Two different starting points
AutoShorts.ai is built around one idea: minimal input, maximum autopilot, Shorts out the other end. It's a genuinely different philosophy from Vid Optimus, which gives you an equivalent one-click Auto mode but keeps a full timeline editor underneath it for anyone who wants to open the hood.
What AutoShorts.ai is
AutoShorts.ai runs in the cloud on tiered monthly subscriptions, roughly $19–69/month depending on plan, focused on producing 9:16 Shorts automatically.
Vid Optimus and AutoShorts.ai, feature by feature
| Feature | Vid Optimus | AutoShorts.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Script handling | Your script, kept word for word | Script or topic driven, autopilot mode |
| AI Director / shot planning | Reads the whole script into a Story Bible, then plans shots, sources and pacing per scene, fully adjustable | Fully automated pipeline, minimal manual control |
| Visual sources | AI images (40+ models, or FLUX.2 on your own graphics card), six stock libraries, or your own images and clips | Stock and AI footage, provider-managed |
| Consistent characters | Yes, opt-in. Characters found in your script, with reference portraits on Runware and the Image Server | Not a stated feature |
| Captions | Word-level, snapped to your script | Automated captions included |
| Timeline editing | Full editor with colour looks and punch on cuts — or skip it entirely with Auto mode | Minimal — autopilot by design, little manual control |
| 9:16 and 16:9 | Both, same project | Primarily 9:16 Shorts-focused |
| Where it renders | Locally, on your machine | AutoShorts' cloud |
| Platforms | Windows and macOS | Web-based |
| Pricing model | Flat licence, no credits | Tiered monthly subscription |
| Free trial | 7 days, full app unlocked | Varies by plan |
Try it on your own script Every feature in this table is in the free trial.
What you pay over three years
AutoShorts.ai's entry price, about $40 a month, against a Vid Optimus licence. Your own AI provider usage is extra with either tool.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Over three years, Lifetime costs $443 less than AutoShorts.ai's entry plan, with unlimited videos.
As of September 2026: an AutoShorts.ai mid-tier plan at roughly $40/month is $480 a year, against a one-time $997 for Vid Optimus Lifetime. Check autoshorts.ai for their current tier pricing and output limits.
Where each tool wins
No tool is best for everyone. Here is where each one comes out ahead.
Vid Optimus is better for
Autopilot when you want it
Auto mode runs the whole job unattended, the same speed pitch as autopilot tools — without giving up manual control.
A timeline underneath the automation
Open the project and adjust a shot, a transition or a caption — autopilot output isn't a dead end.
Long-form and 16:9 too
The same project can export 16:9 as well as 9:16 — not a Shorts-only tool.
Autopilot that has read the script
Before Auto mode plans a shot, AI Director reads the whole script into a Story Bible, so places, characters and mood stay consistent from start to finish.
A hook on every Short
Tick Opening hook and AI Director opens each video on its strongest line, in one of 11 styles, before scene 1 starts.
The Punchy look
A colour look made for Shorts, plus a zoom punch on every cut, so autopilot output still looks edited.
AutoShorts.ai is better for
- The absolute least hands-on workflow available for pure Shorts output
- A channel that only ever publishes 9:16 and never wants to open a timeline
- Simple, volume-focused Shorts production
If any of these matter most to you, AutoShorts.ai may be the better choice.
Everything else you get with Vid Optimus
No feature tiers and no upgrade walls. The free trial and every paid plan include all of this, version 3.0 included.
New in 2.7
Templates and story marks
Pick Documentary, History, Mystery, Top 10, Shorts or News and the whole edit is set up for that kind of video, with chapter titles, time jumps, re-hooks and name tags from your own narration.
See it
Updated in 3.0
AI Director with a Story Bible
Reads your whole script first, then plans every shot knowing the story: places keep one look, characters keep their face, and charts, maps and cards land where a figure, place or strong line is said.
See it
Updated in 2.7
Text on picture
Eight heading styles laid over your own pictures, from a slow headline to a big number that counts up. Every word is one your narration says.
See it
Updated in 3.0
Photo treatments
14 ways to show a picture as a real object: a polaroid, a newspaper clipping, an old TV, an evidence board, each with its own sounds.
See itSceneSync
Your own voiceover or song plus your own images (JPG, PNG) and clips (MP4), synced: in the pauses, at exact times, from a scene sheet, or on the beat.
See itColour looks
Eight graded looks, from Cinematic to Noir, with film grain, a vignette and 2.39:1 cinema bars. Maps, cards and captions keep their own colours.
See itOpening hooks
11 styles built from your own narration, played for four seconds before scene 1 with their own riser and hit.
See itAI images on your own GPU
FLUX.2 on your own graphics card with the Vidoptimus Image Server: about 3 to 6 seconds an image, no per-image fee.
Animated maps, charts and cards
12 map types, 12 chart kinds and 16 text-card designs in six headline types, drawn from the places, numbers and lines your script actually says. No key, no extra cost.
See itSix stock libraries
Pexels, Pixabay, Openverse, Wikimedia Commons, NASA and the Internet Archive in one search. Four need no key.
See itCaptions matched to your script
Word-by-word captions follow your script, so they stay right even when speech-to-text mishears a word.
See itRight-to-left scripts
Urdu, Arabic and Hebrew laid out the way they read, in captions and text cards, worked out from your own words.
See itConsistent characters
The people in your script are found and added to your cast. On Runware and the Image Server each gets a reference portrait, so they keep the same face in every shot.
What each one costs
Vid Optimus
Flat licence — Monthly $19, Yearly $152, or Lifetime $997. Unlimited videos, both aspect ratios, on every plan.
- Every feature on every plan, including Doodle Maker and SceneSync
- Every future version included with Lifetime
- Try it all free for 7 days first
AutoShorts.ai
Roughly $19–69/month depending on plan and output volume.
What's worth knowing first
Every comparison lists the wins. Here are the catches, so there are no surprises after you buy.
AI providers bill you for what you use
Vid Optimus charges no per-video fee, but paid image or voice providers bill your own account. The built-in voice, the six stock libraries and images on your own GPU cost nothing extra.
It needs an internet connection
AI images, stock search, voiceover and transcription use online providers, and your licence is checked online. Rendering runs on your computer.
One computer at a time
Each licence runs on one Windows PC or Mac at a time. Moving it takes a click in your dashboard.
It won't write your script
AI Director plans the shots, not the words. Bring a script, a recording, or your own audio and visuals.
Compare them on your own video, in an afternoon
The fairest test is the video you'd make anyway. Here's how to run it.
-
1 Download
Download and open it
Windows or macOS. The 7-day trial starts at once: no card, no account form, no watermark.
-
2 Import
Bring what you already have
Paste a script you used with AutoShorts.ai, drop in a voiceover you recorded, or hand SceneSync your audio and images.
-
3 Export
Export and compare
Render an MP4 in 9:16 or 16:9 on your own computer, and put it next to what you get today.
Every feature, free for 7 days
No card needed
No watermark on the trial
Windows and macOS
FAQ
Vid Optimus vs AutoShorts.ai: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask when choosing between the two.
Still deciding?
Tell us what you make and we'll tell you honestly if Vid Optimus fits.
Contact us
Does Vid Optimus have an autopilot mode like AutoShorts?
Yes — Auto mode runs voiceover and visual generation together with one switch, similar in spirit, but the result still opens in a full timeline editor afterwards if you want to change anything.
Can I make long-form videos with AutoShorts.ai?
It is built around Shorts specifically; Vid Optimus treats 16:9 long-form and 9:16 Shorts as equally supported from the same script.
Which is faster for a quick Short?
Both are built for speed here — Auto mode in Vid Optimus and AutoShorts' autopilot are comparable in spirit; the practical difference shows up if you ever want to edit the result by hand.
Does Vid Optimus add a hook to Shorts?
If you tick Opening hook in AI Director, every video opens on a line from its own narration in one of 11 styles, for four seconds before scene 1. It only ever shows words your script says.
Comparing other tools too?
vs
Automated faceless video generator
Vid Optimus vs VidRush
Read the comparison
vs
Cloud script-to-video platform
Vid Optimus vs InVideo AI
Read the comparison
vs
Script/blog-to-video tool
Vid Optimus vs Pictory
Read the comparison
vs
Text-to-video with voice cloning
Vid Optimus vs Fliki
Read the comparison
vs
Cloud faceless & Shorts generator
Vid Optimus vs Revid.ai
Read the comparison
Decide with the app open
Try Vid Optimus on your own script.
Free for 7 days with every feature. No card needed. Then $997 once for Lifetime, or $19 a month.