Best Video Automation APIs

Creating videos at scale can be a challenge—but video automation APIs make it easier than ever to build, transform, and deliver video content programmatically.

As the team behind Rendi.dev, we're passionate about video automation. In this post, we’ll review some of the top tools available today:

• Rendi

• Cloudinary

• AWS MediaConvert

• Google Cloud Video Transcoder

• Creatomate

• Shotstack

• Moovly

What to Consider When Choosing a Video Processing API

• Use case – Do you need video generation, editing, transcoding, or media management?

• Ease of use – Is the API well-documented and easy to integrate?

• API lock-in - if you will want to switch providers, what are the costs?

• Format support – Can it handle the video formats and resolutions you need?

• Storage & delivery – Does it include hosting or require external storage/CDN?

• Scalability – Can it handle large volumes or grow with your needs?

• Pricing – Is the cost predictable and aligned with your usage?

• Support – Is there good documentation and help when you need it?

The APIs:

Rendi

Rendi gives developers direct access to FFmpeg via a simple, RESTful API — no installations, no infrastructure management, just pure FFmpeg power.

🔑 Key Features:

• Native FFmpeg commands — no proprietary syntax to learn

• Full richness of video processing and generation through FFmpeg

• Easily integrates with Python, Node.js, Zapier, Make, n8n, and more via a simple RESTful API

• Enterprise-grade infrastructure, powerful, always-available servers with load balancing

⚠️ Limitations:

• Need to understand FFmpeg's syntax

• No visual or timeline editor

💸 Pricing:

• Free tier available

• Paid plans start at $49/month for 200GB of processing

• No implementation or learning costs—drop into your workflow instantly

Cloudinary

A comprehensive media management platform with built-in video transformation features.

🔑 Key Features:

• Upload, store, manage, and deliver media

• Resize, crop, transcode, apply filters via API

• AI features: tagging, moderation, background removal

• Adaptive bitrate streaming and format optimization

• Built-in customizable video player

⚠️ Limitations:

• Complex to set up and navigate.

• Lock-in to Cloudinary's interface and processes

• Pricing can get expensive at scale, especially with bandwidth and transformation overages

💸 Pricing:

• Free tier available

• Paid plans start at $89/month

• Usage-based pricing for transformations & bandwidth

AWS Elemental MediaConvert

A professional-grade, file-based transcoding service as part of the AWS Elemental ecosystem.

🔑 Key Features:

• Broadcast-level transcoding for OTT workflows

• HDR, overlays, audio normalization, DRM

• Deep AWS integration

• Huge scalability with pay-as-you-go model

  
  

⚠️ Limitations:

• Steep learning curve

• Expensive at scale

• Lock-in to AWS ecosystem

  
  

💸 Pricing:

• Starts at $0.0075/min (SD)

• Higher rates for HD, UHD, and advanced features

• Additional AWS infra costs may apply

Google Cloud Transcoder

Part of Google Cloud Platform, this API focuses on video format conversion and delivery optimization.

🔑 Key Features:

• Transcoding to/from popular formats

• Adaptive packaging (HLS, DASH)

• Basic editing: trimming, splitting, joining

• Caption support and integration with Google’s Video Intelligence

⚠️ Limitations:

• Focused on format conversion

• Steep learning curve

• Expensive at scale

• Lock-in to GCP ecosystem

💸 Pricing:

• $0.080/min (SD), $0.160/min (HD), $0.320/min (4K)

• GCP usage fees may apply

Creatomate

Creatomate is built for generating dynamic videos using JSON and offers a robust no-code/low-code template editor.

🔑 Key Features:

• Full-featured JSON API for video/image/GIF creation

• Drag-and-drop template editor

• Advanced editing: text animations, smart cropping, effects, filters, and more

• Integration with Node.js, PHP, Python, Zapier, Make

⚠️ Limitations:

• Requires learning its custom JSON structure for advanced use cases

• No built-in media asset management—developers must handle storage and delivery separately

• Video generation limited to a small list of assets

💸 Pricing:

• Starts at $41/month for 144 minutes

• No free tier

Shotstack

Shotstack provides a developer-focused video generation API and recently introduced a visual template editor.

🔑 Key Features:

• JSON-based video API

• SDKs for Node.js, PHP, Python, Go

• Zapier & Make integration

• Basic timeline editor

• Supports text styling with HTML

⚠️ Limitations:

• No auto-text sizing or emoji support

• Limited animation & keyframe capabilities

• Requires pre-setting clip durations

💸 Pricing:

• Starts at $49/month for 200 minutes

• Free trial available

Moovly

Moovly is a cloud-based video editor with automation options and enterprise collaboration features.

🔑 Key Features:

• Google Sheets integration for bulk video generation

• White-label solutions for organizations

• Built-in animation presets and emoji support

• Collaboration tools for team editing

⚠️ Limitations:

• Limited keyframe control (position only)

• No auto-scaling or animated text

• API requires a sales call for access

💸 Pricing:

• Individual plan starts at $33 for 25 videos

• API pricing is custom and requires contacting sales

Choosing the Right Video Automation API

Here’s a quick breakdown of when to use what:

Creative video generation: Choose Creatomate, Shotstack, or Moovly Perfect for marketing, social media, and dynamic visuals.

Media management + basic processing: Use Cloudinary. Great if you need a hybrid media solution with built-in delivery.

Broadcast & high-scale transcoding: Go with AWS MediaConvert or Google Cloud Transcoder - Ideal for streaming platforms or large-scale pipelines.

Full flexibility for video generation and processing: Rendi.dev For developers who love FFmpeg and want RESTful simplicity.

Your Turn

Which video automation API are you using—or planning to try? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below!