Comparison
Captions AI vs Stand-in: generated AI actors or your own footage?
Captions is an editing app with Mirage, its model for generated AI actors: type a script, get a person saying it. Stand-in is the other way around: you film a real clip, and a fictional Stand-in replaces you while your room, clothes and movements stay.
The difference, in hard numbers
| Stand-in | Captions (Mirage) | |
|---|---|---|
| What the video is | Your real footage, with a generated fictional Stand-in replacing you whole-person | A generated AI actor or talking head reading your script (Mirage), plus editing tools |
| Do you film anything? | Yes. Film yourself in your own clothes; a phone camera is fine | No for AI actors; yes for the editing features |
| Does the person exist? | No. Every Stand-in is generated and belongs to no one | No; generated actors, or a digital twin of you on paid plans |
| 30-second video | from $3.99 per 30-second video with a $10 credit pack (from $3.63 on Pro) | Mirage uses about 8 credits per second: about 240 credits per 30 s, around half of the Max plan's monthly 500 |
| Plans | No free video; credit packs from $10 | Basic $9.99/mo (200 credits, AI exports watermarked), Max $24.99/mo (500 credits), Scale $69.99/mo (1,400) |
| Watermark | Starter plan: yes. Creator, Pro and credit packs without a plan: no | Basic: yes on AI exports. Max and up: no |
| Max clip length | Up to 10 minutes on any account; each started 15 seconds uses credits | Credits per second; long clips get expensive fast |
| Voice | Keep your own, or swap it in one tap | Generated voice with lip sync |
| Look | Plays like a normal phone video, not an avatar | A generated actor by design |
Captions figures from captions.ai help pages and third-party pricing guides, October 2026. Prices change; check captions.ai before quoting.
The honest pros and cons
What Captions (Mirage) does better
- • Script to video: no camera needed.
- • A full editor: captions, cuts, dubbing in one app.
- • Many generated actors to choose from.
What Stand-in does better
- • Real footage: your room, your clothes, your real movements.
- • Anonymity without a twin: a fictional person, never a copy of you.
- • Per-video pricing you see before you make it; ready-made Stand-ins are free.
Questions
- Is Captions AI the same as Stand-in?
- No. Captions generates AI actors from a script (Mirage). Stand-in edits the video you filmed and replaces you with a fictional Stand-in, keeping your camera, lighting and movements.
- How much does a Captions AI video cost compared to Stand-in?
- Mirage video uses about 8 credits per second, so a 30-second clip is about 240 credits; the Max plan is $24.99 a month for 500 credits (about two such clips). Stand-in is from $3.99 per 30-second video with a $10 credit pack (from $3.63 on Pro).
- Which looks less like AI?
- A generated actor looks like a generated actor. Stand-in keeps your real footage and only replaces the person, so it plays like a phone video. Steady, well-lit clips work best.
- Can I use my own voice?
- In Stand-in, yes: your voice stays unless you swap it. Captions' AI actors use generated voices.
More comparisons: Arcads · Synthesia · Higgsfield · Creatify · HeyGen · Runway