Both generate and post faceless videos from a topic on a schedule, but AutoShorts builds every scene from AI-generated images in a chosen art style, while ShortFast uses licensed stock footage or AI b-roll and runs several accounts from one plan.
These two are closer substitutes than most pairs on this site. Both take a topic, write a script, add a voiceover and captions, and post the finished video to TikTok, YouTube and Instagram on a schedule you set once. The difference is what the video is made of. AutoShorts builds each scene from an AI-generated image in one of 19 art styles, with optional motion. ShortFast builds it from licensed stock footage or AI b-roll, or from AI actors for UGC-style content.
AutoShorts is the better pick if you want a stylized channel, Lego, anime, claymation, Minecraft and the like, if you need one of its 30 listed languages, or if you want to clone your own voice. Its Text Story and Web Search formats also have no equivalent here. ShortFast is the better pick if you want footage that looks like a real video rather than an animated image sequence, if you run more than one account, or if you need an API.
On price the entry point is the same, $19 a month. Beyond that the models diverge. AutoShorts multiplies its plan price by the number of series you run, and its Daily and Hardcore tiers are only priced in third-party reviews, not on a public page. ShortFast charges by monthly video volume with several automations and accounts included on Pro and Advanced. Work out how many channels you want to run before you compare the numbers.
| Dimension | ShortFast | AutoShorts |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A topic, a prompt or a script. No source footage needed. | A topic or custom prompt attached to a recurring series. Its FAQ says it was not designed for single videos. |
| Core job | Generate the video, then publish it on a schedule across your accounts. | Run a series that generates and posts a new AI-image video on a schedule. |
| Visuals | Licensed stock footage, AI b-roll, or AI actors for UGC-style video. | AI-generated still images per scene in 19 art styles, animated with motion credits. No stock footage option. |
| Voice | Generated voiceover. No voice cloning. | AI voice library in 30 listed languages, plus up to two voice clones on paid plans. |
| Auto-publishing | Built in. Timezone-aware scheduling with a queue per account. | Built in. Each series posts on a schedule; you can preview and edit the script before it goes out. |
| Platforms | TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts via official APIs. | TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Linking Instagram requires a paid plan. |
| Multi-account | 1, 3 or 6 social accounts by plan, each with its own automation and queue. | One channel per platform per series. More channels means paying for more series. |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plans by video volume: $19, $39 and $99. 20% off yearly. | Per series, by posting cadence. Starter is $19 a month; the Daily and Hardcore tiers are reported at $39 and $69 by third-party reviews. |
| Trial or free tier | $1 for a 3-day trial on monthly plans. No free tier. | A one-video free plan exists but is suspended at the time of writing, per its FAQ. No refunds; subscriptions can be paused. |
| Developer access | REST API, webhooks and an MCP server. | No public API or MCP server. |
AutoShorts changes its product and pricing independently of us. Check their site for current details before deciding, and tell us if anything here is out of date.
AutoShorts prices by cadence and by series. The Starter plan is $19 a month and, according to third-party reviews, posts three times a week. Above that sit the Daily and Hardcore tiers, which the same reviews put at $39 for one post a day and $69 for two. AutoShorts confirms the tier names in its own FAQ but does not publish those prices on a public page, so treat the numbers as reported rather than verified, and check the app before you commit.
The part that matters is the series multiplier. A series links one channel per platform, and AutoShorts' billing multiplies the plan price by the number of series you run. A second niche, or a second TikTok account, is a second series at the same price. Yearly billing appears in the product with a two-months-free label, but the yearly prices are only shown after login. There are no refunds, though you can pause a subscription and pay nothing while it is paused.
ShortFast prices by monthly volume instead. Starter is $19 for 30 videos, one automation and one social account. Pro is $39 for 90 videos, three automations, up to three posts a day per automation and three accounts. Advanced is $99 for 180 videos, six automations, six accounts and videos up to 15 minutes. Yearly billing takes 20% off. For one channel the two are close; the gap opens the moment you want a second or third account.
By default AutoShorts creates a still image for each scene of the script and, if you spend motion credits, animates it. You choose from 19 art styles, from photo realism through Lego, Studio Ghibli, claymation, Minecraft and film noir. This is a real strength if you want a consistent illustrated look, or a style that would be impossible to source as footage. It is also why some third-party reviewers say the output is recognizable as coming from the tool.
ShortFast builds the same kind of video from licensed stock footage or AI b-roll matched to the script, or from AI actors for UGC-style product videos. Real footage tends to read as a video rather than a sequence of generated art, which matters in niches like finance, health, travel or product reviews where viewers expect to see the real thing. AutoShorts has no stock footage option, and reviewers note you cannot upload your own clips for a standard series.
The monetization question is subtler than either side likes to admit. AI-image channels can be and are monetized. What platforms act on is repetitive, low-effort output, whichever way it was made, and both tools can produce that if you leave the defaults alone. What differs is how synthetic the result looks by default. If your audience will accept an animated storybook feel, AutoShorts' styles are a feature. If they expect something that could have been filmed, stock footage is the safer starting point.
The overlap is large. Both write the script, generate a voiceover, burn in captions, and post to TikTok, YouTube and Instagram on a schedule without you touching each video. Both let you set up an automation once and let it run. AutoShorts caps videos at 90 seconds, while ShortFast's Advanced plan extends to 15 minutes. AutoShorts' FAQ also advises new accounts not to post more than once a day, which is sensible advice with either tool.
AutoShorts has several things ShortFast does not. It lists 30 languages. It offers voice cloning, two clones per account on paid plans. It has formats with no ShortFast equivalent: simulated text-message stories, text over an AI avatar, and a Web Search series that pulls current information before each video. Its marketing formats use a lip-synced AI creator to recommend your product. ShortFast's UGC-style videos with AI actors cover similar ground, but it does not offer avatars or lip sync as a feature.
ShortFast has its own list. It generates variations of a video with different hooks for A/B testing. It runs several accounts from one plan with a separate queue and timezone-aware schedule per account. And everything is exposed through a REST API, webhooks and an MCP server, so an agency or a developer can drive it from their own systems. AutoShorts publishes no API. If none of that matters to you, the choice comes down to the visuals.
Another AI-image series tool, priced by video volume.
Learn moreComparisonPer-series pricing, TikTok and YouTube only.
Learn moreFeatureOne plan, several accounts, a queue for each.
Learn moreFree toolTry the stock-footage approach free.
Learn morePlatformHow the publishing side actually works.
Learn moreThree days of full access. If AutoShorts suits you better, that's a useful thing to find out cheaply.