What Captions users say about credits
- "Even with the paid plan I went thru my credits in 2 short video's." (Trustpilot, Oct 24 2026)
- "This will nickel and dime you as you create." (App Store)
- "When I went to export my video it wouldn't allow me to, and then wanted more money." (Trustpilot, Sep 23 2026)
Max is $24.99 a month for 500 credits; the Frontier tiers go to 1,400, 2,800 and 5,600 credits at $69.99, $139.99 and $279.99, all listed as iOS pricing (captions.ai/pricing).
Why the meter runs
A finished short needs more than captions. It needs b-roll, a title, sound, graphics. In Captions each of those is a credit-drawing feature, so a single video that uses all of them costs many times what a caption-only pass does. When the AI Edit produces the wrong transition or ignores a prompt, the credits for that attempt are gone and the fix costs more. That is how two videos empty a month.
"…which is why I make everyone start with push-ups—"
How RealTake prices instead
RealTake plans are priced by how often you post: around 16–32 finished videos a month on Presence, 38–76 on Authority, 107–213 on Empire. Every video includes cuts, captions, a title, b-roll from stock, your own footage or AI generation, 200+ motion graphics, sound and a style. None of it is a separate credit. You see the cost of a video before it is made, changes in the Studio before render cost nothing, and a failed render is never charged.
See your own video finished, with nothing held back for credits.
Free plan: 5 watermarked videos a month. No credit card.
Captions vs RealTake on what a plan buys
| RealTake | Captions | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit | Finished videos a month, every feature in each | Credits, drawn by every AI feature |
| B-roll, music, sound, graphics | Included in every video | Each draws credits |
| A fix after a wrong edit | Free in the Studio before render | Costs more credits |
| Cost visibility | Shown before the video is made | Known after the credits are gone |
Captions facts from captions.ai, its help docs and its public reviews, read October 28, 2026. Its pricing page states the prices reflect iOS plans only.