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Best Video Generation APIs for No-Code Workflows

  • Writer: Peter Naftaliev
    Peter Naftaliev
  • Apr 2
  • 7 min read

Video generation is experiencing a boom thanks to the advances of AI and no-code tools that make it easier than ever before to build automated media pipelines for social media, educational content, TV content, ads creation and more.


As the team behind rendi.dev, we're passionate about video generation. In this post, we will list the different things to consider when picking the right video generation API for your use case as well as the top available APIs in the market:


  • Rendi

  • Cloudinary

  • Json2Video

  • Creatomate

  • Shotstack



What to Consider When Choosing a Video Generation API for No-Code Workflows:


  • Does it get the job done?

    Will you be able to generate the videos as you require using the API? Does it have all the editing and transcoding features you need to create your content? Can you use your media assets to generate content from in the way that you prefer? Make sure to verify what the API can't do before committing to one.


  • How flexible is the API for evolving needs?

    You might want to create thumbnails from videos today, but tomorrow you will want to create gifs, or trim videos, or merge two videos into one - will you be able to grow your automation with the API?


  • Scalability and Reliability

    Can the API reliably handle large volumes and grow with your usage?


  • Ease of use

    How easy it is to use the API and integrate it within your no-code workflow? How well is the API documented? How hard learning the product?


  • Pricing

    Is the cost clear to understand, predictable and aligned with your usage? Does it make sense when creating bulk videos in scale? How much does it cost to process 1GB of media?


  • API lock-in

    Connecting to the previous bullet - if you will find that the API doesn't support a new use case, what will be the costs of transfer? How hard will it be to change your workflow to accommodate a different API?


  • Support

    In case of issues, errors and integration trouble - is there someone available to talk to? Is the support able to solve your issues in a timely manner?



The APIs



Rendi is a simple API for FFmpeg . Using Rendi is as simple as using FFmpeg locally, but without needing to install anything.


FFmpeg is the go-to developer tool for video processing, analyzing and generation. Video APIs, including all the tools listed in this post - use FFmpeg behind the scenes. You can use FFmpeg commands to create any media asset that you require, however you require it. Including all the different possible editing features, transition, trimming, transcoding, image generation, audio processing and more.


You can use Rendi either through our simple RESTful HTTP API, or, use our Zapier and Make native integrations to simplify the no-code integration even more.


Pros

  • Uses the full syntax and abilities of the main dev-tool for video generation - FFmpeg

  • Works not just for video but also for audio and image generation.

  • Built for scale and high loads.

  • High compute power for fast and efficient processing.

  • These are regular FFmpeg commands, with no lock-in. You can run these commands on any other installation\server you choose.

  • ChatGPT and other LLMs are specifically trained over FFmpeg data and are quite good at constructing FFmpeg commands that can be run in Rendi according to your requirement.

  • Simple to integrate with a RESTful HTTP endpoint

  • Native Zapier and Make integrations

  • Built-in media asset storage and delivery - you don't need to handle serving the output media.

  • System status page for monitoring Rendi's past and current availability.


Cons

  • Complicated to set up for those not familiar with FFmpeg

  • No pre-made templates or UI editor to create templates

  • If you're storing media in Rendi, there is a lock-in because it is hard to transfer out large sums of files to another CDN.


Pricing

  • No complicated credit system or limitations on different encodings, resolutions, video length or quality.

  • Paid plans start at $59/month - for which you can process up to 400GB of video, with a high compute of 16 vCPU cores. Cost per 1GB is 0.15$

  • Paid plans start at 10 minutes processing time cap per command, and can grow as required.

  • High quality in-person support for paying subscribers



A well established name in the space, Cloudinary is a comprehensive media management platform with built-in video transformation features. Cloudinary's strong suit is its CDN (content delivery network) capabilities.


Pros

  • Reliable platform with different product lines.

  • Cloudinary is great for transforming and hosting media, making it a solid choice for apps that serve content to many users in various formats.

  • Built for scale and high loads.

  • Have automated AI features - such as auto cropping, image upscaling and more.

  • Good and elaborate documentation.


Cons

  • Not built for video generation, it is very complicated to combine different media assets, or handling multiple different editing processes over the same asset.

  • Since Cloudinary's main selling points is their CDN - you will be using their media storage and distribution features, which are a lock-in because it is hard to transfer out large sums of files to another CDN.

  • Hard integration which requires learning Cloudinary's syntax of HTTP get request parameters.

  • No pre-made templates or UI editor to create templates


Pricing

  • The most complicated credit system of all the tools listed. Credit costs change with encoding, transformation feature, resolution, storage, bandwidth, and special features used.

  • Paid plans start at $89/month, which gives 225K transformation credits. These account to about 75GB of HD H264 encoded video processing.

    Cost per 1GB is 1.2$

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

  • High quality support for those paying for the higher tier plans.



Json2Video is an API for programmatic video generation. Customers can define video content, layout, and style using a JSON format. Then send the JSON as an API request, either via an HTTP request, using their NodeJS\PHP SDKs or use the native Make integration.


Pros

  • Can dynamically create output videos based on media assets input.

  • Simple and intuitive template library.

  • Visual editor that simplifies static templates creation.

  • Integration with ElevenLabs for voice overs.

  • Simple to integrate with a RESTful HTTP endpoint

  • Unless you store many different templates, low lock-in, switching providers is .simple, because the only dependency is the JSON object construction.

  • Native Make integration.


Cons

  • Strong limitation of output video length based on plan.

  • Bad support for high load and heavy video generation.

  • Complicated JSON structure to learn and use.

  • Clunky UI. For example, could not use variables in the visual editor.

  • Documentation is complicated, it takes a while to understand the concepts of elements, scenes, movie and the interactions between them. The AI assistant doesn't work.

  • No Zapier integration.

  • No clear explanation in the documentation on how assets are stored and served. Seems that it is required to integrate your own SFTP file system with them.

  • No system status reporting to track system availability


Pricing

  • Complicated credit system.

  • 50$ per month for generation of 5 minutes 4K video. Which is about 3.5GB video created, and up to 10 minutes output limit.

    Cost per 1GB is 14.3$

  • Have pre-paid plans for consumption based pricing.

  • Different support plans per paid plan.



Creatomate is another API for programmatic video generation. Customers can define video content, layout, and style using a UI editor or JSON format. Then send an API request to generate the video, either via an HTTP request, or using the NodeJS\Python SDKs, or through the native Zapier or Make integration.


Pros

  • Simple visual editor for static templates creation.

  • Simple and intuitive template library and documentation.

  • Automatic transcription generation

  • Can create output videos based on inter-changing media assets input.

  • Native Make and Zapier integrations.

  • Simple to integrate with a RESTful HTTP endpoint

Cons

  • The tool is heavily reliant on template creation through the UI, therefore there is lock-in and switching costs of re-creating the templates in a different platform.

  • Dynamic video generation requires using their JSON format which is complicated to learn and use.

  • No built-in media asset management - you must handle storage and delivery separately.

  • No system status reporting to track system availability


Pricing

  • Complicated credit system.

  • Starts at 41$ per month for generation of about 1 hour and 6 minutes of 1080P video with 25 frame per second, which is around 4GB total processed video.

    Cost per 1GB is 10.25$

  • Support available to the highest paying plan.



Shotstack is the most in-depth of the three APIs for programmatic video generation listed in this post. Offering both a UI editor as well as JSON format for defining video content, layouts, styles and edits. They have different capabilities, allowing for AI generation, video editor SDK, different integration options and API endpoints.


Pros

  • Simple visual editor for static templates creation.

  • Intuitive template library and documentation.

  • Generative AI features with third parties such as - text to speech, text to image, image to video.

  • Elaborate storage options and CDN for generated files.

  • Built for scale

  • Can create output videos based on inter-changing media assets input.

  • Has SDKs for NodeJS, Python, and PHP

  • Native Make and Zapier integrations.


Cons

  • Source footage and output video cannot exceed 10GB

  • Slow rendering cap of 20 seconds per 1 minute of video

  • No historical data about system status even though promised 99.9% SLA

  • Complex API structure - takes a long while to go over and understand what the tool can (and can't) do

  • Using Shotstack's storage features or UI for template editing creates a lock-in both for transferring files and templates to a different product later on.


Pricing

  • Pricing is based on video duration rendered up to1080p.

  • Starter plan at $39/month includes 200 credits which is 200 minutes of video

    Cost per 1GB is 2.3$

  • Different support levels available on all paid tiers



Choosing the Right Video Automation API


Each of these tools brings something different to the table. If you need full control and scalability, Rendi’s raw FFmpeg access might be your best bet. For templated workflows and UI-based editing, Shotstack, Json2Video, and Creatomate offer appealing options. If your focus is on going with a large name and high quality CDN delivery, Cloudinary is worth a look.

Match the tool to your use case, and be aware that you might need to set a side a few days to test the tools' limits and pick the right one for you.



And in case you have any questions regrading video generation, FFmpeg or how to use Rendi we are available at support@rendi.dev

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