Relay and Arcads do different jobs. Arcads is an AI ad studio that turns a script into video ads with talking AI actors from a library of 1,000+, built for paid social testing; Relay makes organic TikTok slideshows and videos for your brand, you swipe to approve, and it sends each approved post to your own TikTok inbox on its day. Choose Arcads for ad creative volume and Relay for a brand TikTok that stays busy all month.
Key takeaways
- Arcads is an AI ad studio: talking AI actors in videos up to 2 minutes long, with your product in the actor’s hands or your app on screen (help center), plus B-roll and lip-synced translation (getting started), sized for TikTok, Reels and YouTube ads (help center).
- Relay is an organic TikTok tool: it plans a month of slideshows and videos in your voice, you approve with a swipe, and Relay sends each approved post to your TikTok on its day.
- Arcads uses AI actors. Relay’s Scale plan includes a creator network: up to 150 posts a month in total, split between your TikTok and creators who post your drafts from their own accounts.
- On price, as of October 2026, Arcads shows dollar amounts only after sign-up, and Marketer Milk reported Starter at $110 a month in March 2025 (review). Relay starts at $25 for the first month, then $49 a month (pricing).
- If you run paid social and need dozens of actor variations a week, Arcads is the stronger tool.
How do Relay and Arcads compare side by side?
| Arcads | Relay | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI ad creation studio whose pitch is “create winning ads with AI” (arcads.ai) | AI that makes TikTok content for your brand and sends what you approve to your TikTok |
| What it makes | Talking AI actor videos up to 2 minutes, product-in-hand and app demos (help center), plus product images and B-roll (FAQ) | TikTok slideshows (photo posts) and videos in your brand’s voice, based on formats getting views in your niche |
| Formats | Video in 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 (help center) | Slideshows and videos for TikTok |
| Where it goes | Ready-to-upload ads for Meta, TikTok and YouTube; its terms describe optional TikTok and X connections that, where available, publish a post after you confirm it (terms) | Your own TikTok inbox, each post on its day, where you add any finishing touches and tap Post. TikTok only. |
| Approval flow | You generate videos in the Studio, in bulk with Workflows (help center), or through its AI agent (help center); a TikTok post goes out only after you confirm that post in a post form (terms) | Swipe right to approve, left to pass, edit the words first if you want, or switch on Autopilot to approve for you |
| Human creators | AI actors based on real actors who consented and are paid (FAQ) | A network of 50,000 creators on the Scale plan: drafts can go to creators who post them from their own accounts, within Scale’s 150 posts a month |
| Analytics | Built for ad creative. Its terms describe an X connection that shows post performance and ad-account stats, and a TikTok connection that can display your published videos (terms); its help center documents no TikTok views dashboard (checked October 2026) | Every post’s views in one place; when one does well, Relay makes new takes of it |
| Pricing, as of October 2026 | No dollar prices on its site. Help center lists Starter (8,000 monthly units), Creator (16,000) and Pro, which rolls over unused units (help center). Marketer Milk reported $110 and $220 a month in March 2025 (review) | Starter $25 first month, then $49/mo. Growth $45, then $99/mo. Scale $149, then $249/mo. 2 months free on annual (pricing) |
| Trial | 72 hours, 1,000 units, card required, converts to Starter unless cancelled (help center) | $0 today, 1-day trial (card required), converts to the paid first month unless cancelled |
| Team | Invite teammates from Settings (FAQ) | Starter is just you, Growth up to 3 people, Scale up to 5 |
When should you choose Arcads instead of Relay?
Choose Arcads if…
- You buy paid social and need volume. Its Workflows feature can take one script and one product image and generate 20 videos across 10 characters in English and Spanish (Arcads help center). It is built for ad testing.
- You want a face on camera without booking anyone. Talking actors, your product in the actor’s hands, or your app on screen, all from a script (help center).
- You test in many languages. Arcads lists 35 languages and accents for talking actors and translation into more than 130 (FAQ).
- You need an API. Arcads documents a public API for generating videos from your own systems (API docs).
When should you choose Relay?
Choose Relay if…
- The goal is a busy, consistent TikTok on your own account. A month of posts you approve, each sent to your TikTok on its day.
- You don’t want to write a brief. Paste your website or App Store link and Relay learns what you sell, who it’s for and how you sound, then you answer some quick one-tap questions.
- You want creators posting your drafts too. On Scale, drafts can go to Relay’s creator network, where creators post your approved drafts from their own accounts.
- You want the loop closed. See every post’s views in one place, compare hooks as data comes in, and get new takes of what works.
What is the real difference between Relay and Arcads?
A file versus a posting calendar
Arcads hands you a file, ready to upload to Meta, TikTok or YouTube ads. Its terms now describe an optional TikTok connection that publishes a post after you confirm it, but its help center does not document a content calendar or scheduling (checked October 2026).
Relay’s Starter sends up to 20 posts a month to your TikTok, Growth up to 60 and Scale up to 150, and each one you approve lands in your TikTok inbox on its day, where you add any finishing touches and tap Post. The hard part of organic TikTok for a brand team is shipping 20 to 60 approved posts every month, not making one good video. See how the approval workflow works.
AI actors versus human creators
Arcads’ library of 1,000+ AI actors is its core asset, and its Pro plan adds cloning yourself and custom voices (FAQ). No creators post from their own accounts, though: the actors live inside your ads.
Relay starts with your own TikTok. On Scale, some of the 150 posts a month can go to creators who post your approved drafts from their own accounts instead. Our AI UGC vs creator UGC guide covers when each works better.
Ad videos versus TikTok slideshows
Arcads markets talking-actor video and also generates AI images (FAQ), but its help center does not mention TikTok slideshows or photo carousels (checked October 2026). Relay makes both slideshows (TikTok photo posts) and videos, inspired by formats going viral in your niche.
How much does Arcads cost compared with Relay?
Arcads bills in its own usage units. A talking actor costs 800 units per minute per actor, and length always rounds up, so a 30-second one-actor ad uses 800 (Arcads help center). The Starter allowance of 8,000 works out to about 10 short one-actor ads a month. Starter and Creator allowances reset each cycle and do not roll over, and the account pauses at the limit; Pro rolls over and bills overage (help center). Arcads lists no dollar prices on its site, and Marketer Milk reported Starter at $110 and Creator at $220 a month in March 2025 (review). Full breakdown: Arcads pricing.
Relay prices by posts, as of October 2026 (pricing). Starter is $49 a month after a $25 first month for 40 posts made and 20 sent to your TikTok. Growth ($45, then $99 a month) makes 120 and sends 60, for up to 3 people ($80 a month each added). Scale ($149, then $249 a month) makes 300 and sends 150, shared with the creator network, for up to 5 people. Annual billing gets 2 months free.
A usage unit is not a post, and a posted slideshow is not a paid-ready actor ad, so compare the cost of the output you actually need.
When is Relay the wrong pick for an Arcads buyer?
- You need Instagram, Facebook or YouTube publishing. Relay’s self-serve product works with TikTok only today, while Arcads makes ads sized for Meta, TikTok and YouTube placements (help center).
- You want a tool to run your paid campaigns. Self-serve Relay doesn’t manage ad spend. Relay’s managed UGC ads service makes the ad creative at about $5 a creative, after a free 15-minute call and 5 free UGC ads; a media buyer or agency runs the account.
- You want more than a day to try it. Relay’s trial is 1 day and needs a card; Arcads gives 72 hours and 1,000 units, also card required (help center).
How do you switch from Arcads to Relay, or run both?
- Save your winning angles. Note the Arcads hooks and scripts that performed. You can edit the words on any Relay draft to test the same ideas organically.
- Check your Arcads renewal date. Plans auto-renew for the same period (terms), Starter and Creator allowances do not roll over, and the standard full refund applies if you used nothing in that billing period and ask within 30 days (refund policy).
- Start Relay with your link. Paste your website or App Store link and answer the one-tap questions.
- Connect your TikTok once. Swipe through the first drafts. Each approved post lands in your TikTok inbox on its day; when you post it, set who can see it, the AI-generated content setting for realistic AI imagery, and the content disclosure toggle where it applies.
- Feed paid with organic winners. If you keep Arcads, use the hooks that won on organic as the brief for your next actor variations. More on that in testing TikTok hooks before paid ads.
More options: Arcads alternatives.
Which should you try first?
If your bottleneck is ad creative volume, trial Arcads. If your bottleneck is a quiet brand TikTok, see how Relay makes AI UGC videos and run the 1-day trial (card required) on your own account.
People on Relay’s team have worked with brands including Hims, Calm, ButcherBox and Hopper.