InVideo vs Content Samurai
It can seem so difficult when you start to compare Video Creating software.
Try Googling it and you will find a bewildering list of possibilities.
How do you choose what is the right one for you and your business?
In these situations, I try to take a step back and not allow myself to be overwhelmed by the choices.
At this stage you’re either taking your first steps into video creation or are considering a change of software.
If you are changing over programs it can be a bit of a hassle, but many systems have much in common so it’s something you can, no doubt, handle.
First, trust your own judgment.
You know your business and its requirements better than anyone else.
Contrast and compare the features and benefits of the systems that best meet your needs.
Review the pricing of each and make the decision that’s best for you.
Moving along, let’s have a look at the two systems in question, see what they offer and how the prices compare.
What Is A Video Creator Program?
For the purposes of this article I am concentrating on fully featured and functioned video creators. These are the type where all you need to provide is the text and/or voiceover for the video.
You will find many video creator softwares where you will need to use your own videos or images in order to create your finished video. These vary in price and are mostly video editors with added screen capture facility.
Now you may find that you need both types of programs for your business. Indeed, I use both types for different purposes.
However, here we are considering the pros and cons of two of the best fully featured video creators.
With this type of creator you can make video ads, listicles (top five****) or story telling types where you take one of your blog posts and turn it into a video.
While there are a host of products which achieve this, the two determining factors usually quoted are:
- ease of use and
- time taken to create.
I know of many programs which are very easy to use, but take forever to create the video. Like most of us I don’t have the time to spend a couple of days knocking up a simple video.
Similarly there are softwares that are exceptionally quick once you’ve spent some hours watching the instruction videos and cursing your many mistakes.
The aim here is to find the best compromise and at the same time offer you the facility to create a high quality unique video.
InVideo (IV) vs Content Samurai (CS)
Both of these programs work on a similar basis of creating a series of “scenes” or slides which segue one into the other to make the video. To these scenes you can add text and/or voiceover as you wish. Both offer a wide range of templates to choose from. Usually the templates are sorted by trade type or style.
These are best suited for video makers who wasn’t to create video ads or explainer videos.
Comparing The Features
Below are the basics of the two different programs. I created two videos, using the same text in each. One was done using CS and the other using IV.
Content Samurai (CS) is ideal for beginners and experienced video makers, especially for listicle and converting blog posts to video.
- Unlimited video length
- Unlimited downloads
- First you choose from a range of templates
- These templates are grouped by Content Video, Influencer Video, Instant Ad, Sales Video, Course/Training Video and Property Video . Last time I checked that was 170 templates to choose from.
- Content Samurai regularly update and improve the choice of templates. You can choose between square and landscape layout. This covers most situations you’ll come across.
- Thereafter you enter your text and press the button. CS then takes your text and finds images and videos related to the words in your text and creates a video for you.
- Click the Scenes button and you can review your video slide by slide and make changes /alterations as suits you. There is limited scope to change the appearance/text of the scene.
- Add music, text to autovoice, record your own voice or upload a voice track.
- CS will then auto synchronise your voice track in time with the slides
- At this stage you can also alter the pitch of your voice track to speed it up or slow it down without the tone altering. So you don’t sound like the chipmunks if you speed it up!
- Review and create your video
Video created using Content Samurai
InVideo (IV) is in many ways similar to CS but has some significant differences.
- Video length 15 minutes max
- Downloads limited between 60/unlimited per month.
- You are presented with three choices: 1) Pre-made Templates, 2) Article-to-Video 3) Blank Template.
From 1) and 2) you have a choice of 5 different sizes: Facebook Story, YouTube Landscape, Instagram Story, Facebook Newsfeed and Instagram Post. In both of these options you can choose from a wide range of templates.
In option 3 you have a choice of three sizes Wide, Vertical and Square and you start with a blank template.
If you select option 1, you can edit the templates to suit your message.
If you select option 2:
- you’ll be asked to add your text and InVideo will sort it as one sentence per slide and select the option to allow auto selection of suitable videos/images. IV will then create a series of scenes for you.
- You work on each scene individually making changes and adding your voiceover or using auto text to voice.
- Within each scene you have almost limitless control over the appearance. You can change the images/videos if the suggested ones are not to your liking.
You can choose from a wide variety of text boxes with backgrounds, surrounds, lattices and so on. These can then be automated to fade/bounce/etc and come in and go out at the time of your choosing
You can choose from a wide range of overlays/stickers & icons/shapes and masks
You can change text colour/size/background as you please. The variations open to you are limitless.
- Once you’re happy with all your scenes you click “Preview and Export”. If you like the preview, simply click Export and your video is rendered.
Video created using InVideo
How Do The Prices Compare – InVideo vs Content Samurai?
In a nutshell, InVideo offers a free account where you can create up 60 videos per month of up 15 minutes duration each but with an InVideo watermark. It’s a bit of a no-brainer.
You don’t get the bells and whistles of the paid accounts but what’s not to like about free.
The FREE account shows up when you sign up
If you want the full bells and whistles account they are remarkably keenly priced
Content Samurai offers a free 7 day trial before you have to sign up to the paid option.
If you decide Content Samurai is for you, BEFORE you sign up, it might be worth waiting for one of their regular promos (50% off).
If you’d like to be alerted to the next promotion please subscribe here so you don’t miss the promotion.
The pricing plans for both options are shown below
With InVideo you have a totally free option with most of the paid version features.
The limitations are 60 downloads per month, maximum 15 minutes length and one user.
The paid version at $120 per year offers 60 downloads per month, 15 minutes maximum length and unlimited users plus lots of extras.
Content Samurai in comparison offer a free 7 day trial and then an annual payment of $397 or $47 per month.
Summary – InVideo vs Content Samurai
As with many comparisons it’s often horses for courses and this is no exception.
For long explainer type videos Content Samurai is a good choice. All you have to do is input your text, sort out the images and videos, upload your voiceover and you’re ready to go with say a 20 minute plus video. You can improve the presentation to some extent by careful selection of theme and images/videos but at the end of the day it’s always going to look like a CS video.
However you can easily insert screen recorded videos into the CS video to illustrate your text.
InVideo on the other hand affords much greater flexibility in the appearance of your video allowing a more unique finished item.
The lack of synchronised voice to text over the whole video is a bit of a drawback if you’re making longer videos – the voice over has to added separately for each scene. Also the lack of pitch control on the autovoice is a minus.
However, for me, all this is far outweighed by the amazing visual flexibility offered by InVideo. Text boxes can be placed anywhere in the scene with animation.
CS offers a few design options with no animation:
Opaque full screen image with text centred
Full Screen image with text top or bottom
Half screen image with text in opposite half of screen.
InVideo – great for video ads, eye catching videos, intros, outros and shorter (under 15 minute) videos.
But if you make long (20 minutes plus) videos with a lot of text and a big voiceover file Content Samurai may be quicker to churn out regular videos.
If you can only afford one of them, I would go for InVideo due to its versatility.
You can always make longer videos by stitching together a couple of short videos using a video editor.
So when it comes down to InVideo vs Content Samurai, for me (but maybe not for you) InVideo would be my first choice.
