The best AI Shorts generator is one that turns a topic into a finished vertical video: script, pictures that move, a voice, captions and music. Going into 2027, our pick for explainer Shorts and Reels is Reel Factory. For Shorts that are written, made and posted on a schedule, faceless.video and faceless.so are worth a look. Details, prices and limits are below.
We build Ziztu, which makes Reel Factory, so weigh that. We put Reel Factory first only where we think it is the better fit, and we say where another tool is the better pick. These are the picks going into 2027, based on what each tool offered in late October 2026. The list will be updated as 2027 releases land. Every price for another tool comes from its own pricing page, read on 25 October 2026 (linked under Sources). Where a page did not show a number, we left the number out. We did not subscribe to the other tools for this article, so the notes are about what each company says, not about how the videos turn out.
Watch the 2 minute tutorial
We made a short tutorial on how to make AI Shorts for a faceless YouTube channel: How to Make AI Shorts for a Faceless YouTube Channel (2-Minute Tutorial). It shows the steps from a topic to a finished Short in Reel Factory.
What counts as a Shorts generator
Plenty of AI video tools make a clip. A Short needs more than a clip. When we compared the tools, we asked five things.
- Does it start from a topic? Or do you arrive with a finished script and footage?
- Does it make the whole Short? Script, moving pictures, voice, word captions and music.
- Can you control it? Can you read and edit the script before you pay for the video?
- What does it cost when you post often? A monthly price means little until you know how many Shorts it covers.
- Its honest limit. Every tool has one, and we list it.
Tools that only make single clips, such as Veo, Kling, Runway, Pika and Higgsfield, are not on this list. They are good at what they do, and you would cut and caption the clips yourself. For those, see our best AI video generators for 2027.
The picks
1. Reel Factory (Ziztu): best for explainer Shorts and Reels from one topic
Reel Factory turns one topic into short explainer reels. You write a topic, pick a style or copy your own reel, set the length and the number of episodes, and press Generate. It writes the script and makes each episode with pictures that move, a voice, word captions and music.
- Styles: more than 250 ready styles across 19 formats, from claymation and papercraft to pixel art and blueprint. Formats include What if, Facts, How it works, History and Science. Each style sets the look, the voice, the captions, the music and the beats.
- Copy a format you like: Clone a format takes a YouTube or Instagram link and gives you an editable format for your own topic. Use my reel reads the look, pacing and caption style of a reel you made. It copies the style, never the people, words or logos in it. Write your own topic and keep the rhythm, not the story.
- Length and series: reels run from 15 seconds to 5 minutes, and one run makes up to 8 episodes in the same style.
- Languages: eleven, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indonesian, Hindi and Arabic. The captions follow the voice.
- Control: open More options and use Preview the script. It is free, and you can edit every line before you generate.
- Price: the exact credit price is on the Generate button before anything runs, and a step that fails is refunded. A 30 second reel in the starting style is 1,190 credits in Basic. Plans start at $9 a week for 2,000 credits, then Reel Factory at $39 a month and Reel Factory Max at $100; every plan covers every Ziztu tool, and the pricing page lists them all.
- Free: 400 free credits for scripts, character art, storyboards, voices and sound, plus your first 5 second video free, no card. More video starts at $9 a week.
- Limits: it makes explainer-style reels, so it does not post to YouTube, TikTok or Instagram for you. You download the video and post it yourself. It is built for explainer formats, not for dramas or anime episodes. We are not quoting view or income numbers, because we have none we can stand behind.
If the Short you want is a story with the same characters in every shot, the Ziztu studio is the better route. See our guide to the best AI micro drama generators. If you only need one vertical clip, the faceless video generator makes a 5 second clip for 310 credits at 480p. That is a clip, not a finished Short.
2. faceless.video: best for Shorts posted on autopilot
*Read 25 October 2026.* Its home page says it can write, edit and post faceless videos on a schedule to connected TikTok, YouTube and Instagram accounts, or you can review them first. Starter is $20 a month for 30 credits and up to 15 videos a month. The pricing page lists no free plan, although its home page offers a free trial video. We could not find a stated video length. If hands-off posting matters more to you than choosing a look, this may be a better fit than Reel Factory.
3. faceless.so: best for a channel pipeline with auto-posting
*Read 25 October 2026.* Its page lists one minute storyboard shorts at a flat 20 credits, 30 second motion shorts at 2 credits a second, and long videos. Starter is $24 a month billed yearly ($290 for the year) or $29 on monthly billing, for 500 credits a month. At 20 credits each, that is 25 one minute storyboard shorts a month. A 10 minute video in its Stickman style is about 442 credits, so long videos use the plan up fast.
4. Invideo AI: best for describing an edit in plain words
*Read 25 October 2026.* You describe the video and review the cuts on a timeline. Its home page names Seedance models. Basic is $9 per seat a month on monthly billing, or $4 a month billed yearly, for 190 credits, which its page says is about 7 Seedance 2 fast videos. Pro is $30 a month for 1,000 credits. There is no free plan, no maximum length on the page, and unused credits do not roll over. See our Invideo alternative page for how the two compare.
5. Pictory: best when you already have a script
*Read 25 October 2026.* Pictory turns a script, a URL or an idea into a video with stock footage and AI voices. Starter is $29 a month, or $25 a month billed yearly, with a 14 day free trial. It includes 30 minutes of video a month, so it suits longer explainers more than a daily feed of Shorts. The page text we read did not say which video shapes it exports, so check before you pay.
6. Fliki: best for voice-heavy videos
*Read 25 October 2026.* The free plan is $0 for 3 credits a month, exports up to 5 minutes and adds a Fliki watermark. Standard exports up to 15 minutes and Premium up to 40. Fliki's page did not show its paid dollar prices when we read it, so we are not quoting them. The free plan is a taste, not a workflow. We did not find a stated vertical format either, so check before you pay.
The comparison
| Tool | Best for | Price read 25 Oct 2026 | One limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel Factory (Ziztu) | Explainer reels, more than 250 styles | Credit price shown before each run; 1,190 credits for 30 s in Basic | No posting |
| faceless.video | Auto-posted faceless videos | $20 a month Starter, up to 15 videos | Length not stated |
| faceless.so | Channel pipeline, auto-post | $29 monthly, $24 billed yearly, 500 credits | Long videos use the plan fast |
| Invideo AI | Describe an edit, review the cuts | $9 per seat a month Basic | No free plan |
| Pictory | Script or URL to video | $29 a month Starter | 30 minutes a month |
| Fliki | Voice-heavy videos | Free $0; paid price not shown | Watermark on free |
What a month of Shorts costs
Credits mean something different on every tool, so here is what the pages say, worked out per Short. A cheaper Short is not a better Short, because the tools make different kinds of video.
- faceless.video: $20 for up to 15 videos is about $1.33 a video if you use the whole allowance.
- faceless.so: 500 credits at 20 credits per one minute storyboard short is 25 shorts, so $29 monthly is about $1.16 each, or $0.96 each at the yearly price.
- Reel Factory: a 30 second Basic reel is 1,190 credits, so the Weekly plan's 2,000 credits a week cover one of them, Reel Factory's 10,000 credits a month cover about eight, and Reel Factory Max's 50,000 cover about forty. Longer reels, more episodes and higher modes cost more, and the price is on the Generate button first.
What YouTube says
We read two YouTube Help pages on 25 October 2026. They change, so read them yourself before you publish.
- Monetization. The channel monetization policies page says YouTube renamed its repetitious content policy to inauthentic content on 15 July 2025, to make clear it covers content that is repetitive or mass-produced. Its examples of content that does not qualify include templated storylines with minimal narrative and AI-generated content made with generic or unoriginal templates. The same page says you may use AI to visualize a unique character and narrative you invented.
- Disclosure. YouTube's page on disclosing use of AI content asks you to label realistic AI content, such as a realistic scene that did not happen. Clearly unreal content, animation and AI help with an outline, script or thumbnail do not need the label.
- No promises. No tool can promise monetization or views. That is YouTube's decision, so pick the tool that lets you make each Short different, with your own angle and checked facts.
For a weekly routine, see our guide to YouTube automation with AI.
How to choose
- Explainer Shorts with a style you pick and a script you can edit: Reel Factory.
- Posting on a schedule without touching it: faceless.video or faceless.so.
- A prompt turned into an edited video you review on a timeline: Invideo AI.
- A script you already wrote, turned into stock footage: Pictory.
- Narration first: Fliki.
- Long videos instead of Shorts: see the AI YouTube Video Maker and our guide to the best AI video generators for faceless YouTube channels.
Many channels mix them: a long film in one tool, then Shorts cut from the same topic in another. You do not need one tool for everything.
Try it
400 free credits for scripts, character art, storyboards, voices and sound, plus your first 5 second video free, no card. More video starts at $9 a week. To make your first Short, open Reel Factory, type a topic and preview the script before you generate. The tutorial above shows the steps in two minutes.