Merge vs PicAlive

Merge is an iOS app that turns a still photo and a reference motion video into an AI-generated motion video, with an optional style prompt. The site says generation takes under a minute. Listed creation types include AI dance videos, animated portraits, moving selfies and cinematic motion; output can reach 1080p. Users can save videos to their device or publish them to a community feed where people can browse and like them. Merge is listed for iPhone only and uses Apple Sign-In; Apple handles billing. Its free Starter plan includes 300 credits per month, Full HD videos and community feed access. Creator bills 1,000 credits per month and adds a priority generation queue, while Studio bills 3,000 credits per month and adds a top-priority queue. Selected photos are uploaded to temporary storage for generation and automatically deleted within about 48 hours. Merge lists English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Turkish and Russian.

PicAlive is an iOS app that turns one still photo into a short, looping AI-generated video. Choose a photo and tap Make Alive; the service creates animation instructions on its server without asking for prompts or style choices. The maker says portraits, selfies, pets, landscapes and old family photos can be animated, with clear subjects and good lighting producing the most natural motion. Generation usually takes a few minutes, and the app shows progress and queue estimates. Finished clips can be saved to Photos or shared through the iOS share sheet, including to Messages, Instagram and TikTok. Results remain in History for replay, regeneration or deletion. The free plan is free, with a first onboarding animation; free videos have usage limits, a watermark and occasional ads. PicAlive PRO includes unlimited generations, priority processing, no ads and watermark-free saved or shared videos. PRO plans auto-renew and can be canceled through Apple ID subscription settings. Uploaded photos go to PicAlive’s cloud service, while saving a finished clip is user-initiated.