At a glance
Pencil, at trypencil.com, describes itself as an AI operating system for marketing. It brings models from OpenAI, Google, Adobe, Runway and Stability AI into one platform (its FAQ also names Anthropic and Kling), and wraps them in agents and workflows. You chat a brief into images, video and copy, scale one brief into many localised variations, edit in a browser editor, run approvals and publish to ad platforms. Scribble, its newest layer, plans and runs multi-step jobs from a plain-language request and shows the plan before it acts. Pencil's pricing page says 35,000+ teams have made ads with it.
Fly ROAS also makes ads, but its job carries on after the ad exists. It builds the campaign in your own Meta ad account, runs the tests and decides what to stop or scale, inside limits you set. So the question is whether you need a creative production platform across channels or a media buyer for Meta.
Where Fly ROAS is different
- Launch and testing are the product. One click builds the campaign, ad set and ads in your Meta ad account, paused by default. Autopilot then gives each test a 48-hour verdict, by default stops a test that spends 2× your target CPA without a sale (adjustable from 1.5× to 3×), and scales winners in +25%, +50% or +100% steps.
- Your packshot, not a reimagining. Fly ROAS places your real product photo into new scenes, and a pre-flight check flags any ad where the label, text or colours drift. Pencil uses product photos as references, and its pages do not say whether the exact packshot stays unchanged. If labels matter in your category, ask for samples. Our guide to product photos for ads covers what good inputs look like.
- Brand read for you. Brand DNA reads your logo, colours, fonts, products, prices and voice from your website in about 90 seconds. Pencil asks you to upload a brand kit.
- Guardrails on spend. A monthly cap and daily limit only you can raise, a default "Ask me first" mode, and a Flight Log that explains every decision.
- Competitor radar built in. Fly ROAS decodes hooks, layouts and angles from competitors' long-running Meta Ad Library ads without copying them. Pencil's Foreplay integration was in closed beta when we checked.
Where Pencil is strong
- Model choice. Pencil routes work to models from several AI companies and says it adds new ones as they launch, so you are not tied to one model's look.
- Many channels. Integrations cover Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Google Ads, DV360, CM360 and LinkedIn, and its FAQ says outputs resize to 1:1, 9:16, 4:5, 16:9, 1.91:1 and custom formats. Fly ROAS is Meta only.
- Editing and formats. A browser editor for text, image, video and HTML, with imports from Figma, Photoshop and After Effects listed on its pricing page, and exports to GIF, MP4, HTML5 and static files.
- Governance. Review and sign-off workflows, audit trails, role-based access, SOC 2 Type II, a no-train policy and full IP ownership, which matter for enterprise legal teams.
- Low entry price. Core starts at $14 a month, a small first step if you mainly need AI ad generation.
- Languages. Its FAQ lists more than 40 languages for text generation, including several Indian languages.
Pricing compared
Pencil's pricing page showed these plans on 26 October 2026:
| Plan | Monthly billing | Billed annually (per month) | Generations per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $14 | $11 | 50 |
| Growth | $55 | $44 | 250 |
| Pro | Custom | Custom | Unlimited, on committed consumption pricing |
A generation is, in most cases, each time you ask a model to make something, and each extra resize format uses one generation. On Core and Growth you cannot go past your monthly allowance, and unused generations do not roll over. Growth adds unlimited workspaces. Pro adds bulk generation from feeds, unlimited users and brands, enterprise terms and, where Pencil's own creatives make your ads, up to 4 ads a day. Prices change, so check their site.
Fly ROAS starts with a 14-day test flight at $19.99 (₹1,939) with 100 credits, then Creator at $79/mo (₹7,663) with 400 credits, Pro at $149/mo (₹14,453) with 1,000 credits, Agency at $499/mo (₹48,403) with 4,000 credits or a custom Enterprise plan. Annual billing saves 20%. Credits pay only for AI generation: 2 per image ad and 20 per video ad. Autopilot is included in every plan, and Meta bills your ad spend directly.
Worked example: say you want 40 finished image ads a month and expect two or three tries per ad. On Pencil that could be 80 to 120 generations, beyond Core's 50 and inside Growth's 250, before resizes. On Fly ROAS Creator, 40 image ads use 80 of 400 credits, and launch and Autopilot testing are included. Compare by finished, launched ads, not by generations.
Who should choose which
Choose Pencil if you produce creative for several channels, want a choice of AI models, need approvals and governance across a team, or want the cheapest way to start generating ads.
Choose Fly ROAS if you sell physical products on Meta and want one tool to turn your website and product photos into ads, launch them and run a disciplined creative testing programme within caps you set.
Switching to Fly ROAS
The 14-day test flight costs $19.99 (₹1,939) and includes 100 credits (about 50 image ads), one brand and every feature: Brand DNA, competitor radar, AI creatives, one-click launch and Autopilot. Campaigns are created paused by default. There is no free tier or money-back guarantee, and the test flight renews to Creator unless you cancel. Compare every plan on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fly ROAS a Pencil alternative?
It depends on the job. If you want Meta ads made from your real product photos and then launched and tested for you, Fly ROAS covers that whole loop. If you mainly need creative production across many channels, with a choice of AI models and enterprise approvals, Pencil covers more ground.
Which is cheaper, Pencil or Fly ROAS?
Pencil's entry plan is cheaper: Core showed $14 a month with 50 generations, or $11 a month billed annually. Fly ROAS Creator is $79 (₹7,663) a month with 400 credits, and launch and Autopilot are included. Compare by the number of finished ads you launch each month, since a generation and a finished ad are not the same thing.
Does Pencil launch ads to Facebook and Instagram?
Yes. Pencil's pricing page lists launching and tracking ads on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google Display, DV360 and LinkedIn, and its platform page mentions publishing to Pinterest. The pages we checked did not describe automated testing or budget rules after launch.
Does Pencil use my product photos?
Yes, as references. Pencil's FAQ recommends uploading 3–5 clean product images and a brand kit. The pages we checked did not say whether the exact packshot stays unchanged in the finished ad. Fly ROAS builds every ad on your real product photo and flags any ad where the label, text or colours drift.
Does Pencil have a free trial?
Its pricing FAQ mentions a free trial, but the pages we checked did not state its length or what it includes. Fly ROAS has no free tier. Its 14-day test flight costs $19.99 (₹1,939) with 100 credits and every feature.