Bannerbear started as an API for images and has grown into a media platform: animated templates, video tools, AI voice-overs, auto subtitles and workflows that chain them. JSON2Video is a video API from the start: you describe a whole video in JSON (scenes, voice-overs, subtitles, transitions) and render it in one call.
Both are good products. The deciding question is usually simple: are you making mostly images, or mostly videos?
Short answer
- Pick Bannerbear for images at volume (banners, product cards, Open Graph images), for short animated cards, or for simple edits on existing videos.
- Pick JSON2Video for many minutes of video: narrated shorts, product videos, slideshows and multi-scene templates fed with data. Per minute of video, it is around 25 times cheaper on the entry plans.
Try it free — 600 credits (10 minutes of video) →
What each plan buys in video
Bannerbear charges 1 API credit per image, and 2 credits per second of output for animations (its help centre also mentions 1 base credit per render). Video tools cost 1 to 4 credits per operation, and AI tasks such as voice-overs and transcription use a separate allowance of AI credits. JSON2Video charges 1 credit per second of video, with voice-overs and subtitles at 0 credits today.
| Plan | Price | Credits | Animated video it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bannerbear Automate | $49 a month | 1,000 API + 200 AI | about 8 minutes |
| Bannerbear Scale | $149 a month | 10,000 API + 600 AI | about 83 minutes |
| Bannerbear Enterprise | $299 a month | 50,000 API + 1,250 AI | about 7 hours |
| JSON2Video Professional | $49.95 a month | 12,000 | 200 minutes |
| JSON2Video Startup | $99.95 a month | 30,000 | 500 minutes |
| JSON2Video pack | $49.95 once | 7,200, never expire | 120 minutes |
Free trials: Bannerbear gives 30 API credits with no credit card. JSON2Video gives 600 credits (10 minutes of video, watermarked) with no credit card and no time limit.
The other way round is just as clear: for images, Bannerbear's $49 plan makes 1,000 of them, and JSON2Video is not built for still images at all.
Sources: bannerbear.com/pricing and the Bannerbear help centre, checked on 17 October 2026. Minutes are our calculation at 2 credits per second, ignoring AI credits and per-render base credits.
JSON2Video vs Bannerbear at a glance
| JSON2Video | Bannerbear | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Videos | Images first, plus animations and video tools |
| How you describe a video | One JSON document: scenes, elements, transitions | A template made in the editor, then modifications by API; workflows chain tools |
| Voice-overs | Azure and ElevenLabs voices, 0 credits today | ElevenLabs voices, paid with AI credits (added in 2026) |
| Auto subtitles | Yes, 0 credits today | Yes, a video tool (4 credits) plus AI credits |
| Multi-scene videos from data | Yes, with variables and conditions | By chaining steps in a workflow |
| Still images | No (video only) | Yes, 1 credit each |
| Buying | Subscriptions or one-off packs that never expire | Monthly subscriptions |
| Delivery | URL, webhook, FTP, SFTP, email, your own Amazon S3 | URL, webhook, integrations |
| No-code | Verified n8n node and Make app | Zapier, Make, Airtable and more |
| AI agents | MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code | MCP server |
A whole video in one request
In JSON2Video, a product video with a title, two voice-over lines, a photo, a transition and subtitles is one JSON document. Each scene lasts as long as its voice-over, so the same template works for short and long product names:
{
"resolution": "full-hd",
"variables": {
"product_name": "Aurora Lamp",
"benefit": "light up any desk",
"product_image": "https://example.com/aurora-lamp.jpg",
"price": "$49"
},
"elements": [
{ "type": "subtitles", "language": "en" }
],
"scenes": [
{
"background-color": "#1a1a2e",
"elements": [
{ "type": "text", "text": "{{product_name}}", "style": "003" },
{ "type": "voice", "text": "Introducing {{product_name}}. The easiest way to {{benefit}}.", "voice": "en-US-JennyNeural" }
]
},
{
"transition": { "style": "fade", "duration": 0.5 },
"elements": [
{ "type": "image", "src": "{{product_image}}", "zoom": 2 },
{ "type": "voice", "text": "Yours for only {{price}}.", "voice": "en-US-JennyNeural" }
]
}
]
}Change the four variables for each product (from a spreadsheet, a product feed, n8n or Make) and render again. In Bannerbear, the same result takes a template designed in its editor plus a workflow that chains the voice-over, the subtitles and the joins.
When Bannerbear is the better choice
- Images at volume: social banners, product cards, certificates and Open Graph images. This is what Bannerbear does best.
- Images and short animations in one place, designed in a visual editor by non-developers.
- Simple edits on existing videos: trimming, resizing or burning subtitles into a video you already have.
- A wide set of no-code integrations (Zapier, Airtable and others) for image workflows.
When JSON2Video is the better choice
- Minutes of video every month: 200 minutes for $49.95 instead of about 8.
- Narrated videos: voice-overs and subtitles are part of the same request and use 0 credits today.
- Templates fed with data: scenes adapt to the length of each text, with variables and conditions.
- Irregular volume: one-off packs never expire.
Get started
- Create a free account and copy your API key. No credit card needed.
- Send your first movie:
curl -X POST https://api.json2video.com/v2/movies \ -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "resolution": "full-hd", "scenes": [{ "elements": [{ "type": "text", "text": "Hello from JSON2Video", "style": "005" }] }] }' - Poll the movie with
GET /v2/movies?project=…or set a webhook to receive the MP4 URL.
Moving your video workflows from Bannerbear? We'll help for free
Send us a short description of your Bannerbear video setup and we will build the first JSON2Video template for you, free of charge. We usually reply within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Bannerbear cost?
As of October 2026: Automate is $49 a month (1,000 API credits and 200 AI credits), Scale is $149 a month (10,000 API credits and 600 AI credits) and Enterprise is $299 a month (50,000 API credits and 1,250 AI credits). The free trial is 30 API credits with no credit card.
How many credits does a Bannerbear video use?
Bannerbear's pricing page says animations use two credits per second of output (its help centre adds one base credit per render), and 60 fps doubles the cost. A one-minute animation therefore uses about 120 credits. Video tools such as burning subtitles cost 1 to 4 credits each, and AI tasks use AI credits.
How does JSON2Video pricing work?
One credit per second of rendered video. Managed voice-overs and auto subtitles use 0 credits today, and failed renders are not charged. The Professional plan is $49.95 a month for 12,000 credits (200 minutes), and one-off packs start at $49.95 for 7,200 credits that never expire.
Can JSON2Video make images like Bannerbear?
No. JSON2Video renders videos (and a thumbnail image for each video). If you mostly need still images, Bannerbear is the better tool.
Published on March 30th, 2026
