Pencil vs SaliencyLab
Pencil
trypencil.com
SaliencyLab
saliencylab.comSide by side
| Figure | Pencil | SaliencyLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $11/mo | €99/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 13 | 5 |
| Spec score · Ad Creative Testing Tools | 8.4 (#6) | 8.0 (#9) |
| Founded | 2018 | 2025 |
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom | Paris, France |
| Security | Pencil says it has SOC 2 Type II audited security controls and that customer data is not used to train its models. | The security page states that traffic uses TLS 1.3, data at rest is encrypted with AES-256, and workspace isolation is enforced with row-level security. |
| Support | Core includes chat support, Growth includes direct access to the product team and roadmap, and Pro includes dedicated customer success. | The Enterprise plan includes dedicated support and contracted support terms. |
Plans
Pencil
- Basic — 50 generations annual$11 a month
- Core$11 a month
- Basic — 50 generations$14 a month
- Basic — 100 generations annual$19 a month
- Basic — 100 generations$24 a month
- Basic — 250 generations annual$44 a month
- Growth$44 a month
- Basic — 250 generations$55 a month
- Basic — 500 generations annual$79 a month
- Basic — 500 generations$99 a month
SaliencyLab
- FreeFree
- Pro€99 a month
- Launch with Confidence€500, paid once
- Creative Decision Partner€1,000 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Pencil
Pencil is a web-based creative marketing platform that uses AI to generate advertising copy, images, and video ads. Its workflow runs from briefing and generation through editing, approvals, publishing, and evaluation. The browser editor handles text, image, video, and HTML, with exports in GIF, MP4, HTML5, and static formats. Pencil says a single template can produce thousands of variations and be adapted across markets through localization or translation. Listed generally available ad integrations include Meta, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads, YouTube, Display & Video 360, and Campaign Manager 360. Users can create six ads for free through a guided experience, but full platform access requires a paid plan. Core costs $11 a month billed annually and includes 50 generations per month and one workspace. Growth costs $44 a month billed annually, with 250 monthly generations and unlimited workspaces. Pro has custom pricing and unlimited generations. Pencil says its security controls are SOC 2 Type II audited and that customer data is not used to train its models.
SaliencyLab
SaliencyLab is an ad-testing platform for brands and agencies assessing creative before media spend. Its RoastIQ diagnostic evaluates creative on five KPIs: Beat the Skip, Get Noticed, Brand Impact, Sell Proposition, and Build Brand. BuyerLens uses synthetic-user scenarios to explore possible buyer resistance; these are not interviews with a real consumer panel. The Hugo AI agent can run diagnostics, explore those scenarios, query benchmarks, and show its reasoning trace in one conversation. RoastIQ accepts MP4, MOV, JPG, PNG, and WebP, with videos up to 60 seconds; GIF and HEIC are unsupported. Listed ad channels include Instagram Feed, Reels and Stories, TikTok, YouTube Pre-roll and Shorts, Facebook Feed, and Display, but not TV. SaliencyLab describes its KPI scores as modeled diagnostics, not forecasts of sales or in-market success. The web and API offering has a free plan with 10 analyses per month. Pro costs €99/month and adds BuyerLens and Hugo. REST API and webhooks are in private preview.