Showfolk vs Pencil
By Spencer Tribe · Last updated
For a small business, Showfolk is the better choice. Pencil expects you to arrive with a brief and an ad account full of data. Showfolk expects nothing: you pick an ad that a major brand is already running, and you get it back as yours. It is the faster route to a static you would actually run.
Why do small businesses choose Showfolk over Pencil?
- You choose a proven reference first, so the result is predictable before you spend a credit.
- No brief writing and no prompt writing.
- A free library that is useful even if you never generate.
How do Showfolk and Pencil compare, feature by feature?
| Showfolk | Pencil | |
|---|---|---|
| How an ad starts | From a real ad you pick in the library. No brief, no prompt. | From a brief you write, plus your brand assets. |
| You can see what works before you generate | Yes. A free library of real brand ads, filtered by industry. | Not its focus. |
| Logo and headline accuracy | Placed as real layers, never redrawn. | Not something we can verify from outside; judge from a trial. |
| Change one spot and keep the rest | Yes. Click the spot and say what should change. | Not something we could confirm. |
| Useful without ad spend history | Yes. Made for a business starting out. | Its performance prediction is aimed at brands already running ads. |
| Entry price | $29.99 a month for 120 images, with free browsing. | $14 a month for 50 generations. |
| Video and enterprise governance | No. Showfolk makes static ads and photo slideshows for a small business, not video for an enterprise. | Yes. |
What does each one cost?
Showfolk: browsing the library is free. Every plan starts with a 3-day free trial: a card at checkout, up to 40 images, nothing charged for 3 days. Then Starter is $29.99 a month for 120 images. Full pricing.
Pencil: Core is listed at $14 a month for 50 generations on Pencil’s pricing page. A limited free guided experience; full access needs a paid plan. Pencil pricing.
What is Pencil?
Pencil is an AI ad generation platform, part of The Brandtech Group, that produces ad variations from a brief across static and video and predicts performance.
Is there a case for Pencil?
Pencil fits a brand or agency that already runs ads at volume, needs video, and wants generation tied to its performance data. If that is not you, and what you need is a steady supply of Meta static ads that look like a big brand made them, with your competitors watched in the same plan, Showfolk is the one to use.
How do I try Showfolk?
Paste your website and make an account, and your logo, colors and product photos are pulled in. Start the 3-day free trial and your first ad starts by itself; it takes a few minutes. Cancel before the trial ends and you pay nothing. How it works.
How was this checked?
We make Showfolk. What we say about Pencil comes from its own website as of September 2026, and where we could not confirm something we say so. If anything is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.