Lumen5 vs. InVideo: What You Should Know Before Choosing in 2025

If you’re trying to decide between Lumen5 and InVideo, you’re probably already a little overwhelmed. Both tools sound great on paper. Both promise to make video creation “easy.” 

I’ve spent hours inside both platforms, messing around, making real videos, running into real problems, and finding some cool wins too. So instead of throwing a bunch of specs and salesy words at you, I’m just gonna tell you what I wish someone told me when I was deciding.

What matters. What gets annoying fast, and where each one shines.

If you’re a creator, a marketer, or just someone who needs to make videos without losing your mind, you’re gonna want the honest version, not the “perfect world” version. That’s what I’m giving you here.

Let's dive in and figure out which tool’s really worth your time.

Quick Comparison Table

Looking for a Smarter Alternative?

If Lumen5 and InVideo feel a bit limiting, Zebracat might be exactly what you are looking for.

It blends powerful AI voiceover technology with flexible templates, fast AI video generation, and a user-friendly platform that cuts production time by up to 60 percent.

What Makes Zebracat Different:

• Faster Video Creation: Zebracat’s AI tools can slash production time by up to 90 percent, letting you create professional videos in minutes instead of spending hours editing.
• Realistic AI Voiceovers: Choose from over 120 natural-sounding voices across 80+ languages to build narrations that feel real and connect with a global audience.
• Flexible Content Conversion: Easily turn blog posts, podcasts, or simple text prompts into full videos, with multiple workflow options depending on your needs.
• Custom Voice Cloning: Clone your own voice to create branded, personal videos with consistent sound across all your projects.
• Safe Zone Guides: Automatically show safe zones for text and visuals, so your videos stay perfectly visible across different platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more.
• Simple, Intuitive Design: Whether you are new to video or an experienced creator, Zebracat’s clean interface keeps production smooth, fast, and frustration-free.

With Zebracat, you get AI speed, creative flexibility, and platform-ready precision, all in one place.

Feature Comparison

Both Lumen5 and InVideo offer compelling solutions for video creation, but they take different approaches to the process. Lumen5 specializes in transforming existing content like blogs and articles into videos, while InVideo divides its offering into AI-powered generation and template-based manual editing.

Understanding these core differences is essential for determining which tool will best serve your specific video creation needs.

The right choice depends on several factors: how much content you already have to repurpose, how much creative control you need, and whether you prefer AI automation or manual customization. Some users value Lumen5's strengths in transforming written content, while others appreciate InVideo's dual approach offering both AI generation and traditional editing.

Let's examine the key features of both platforms to help you determine which aligns best with your video creation goals.

AI-Powered Video Creation

AI automation has revolutionized video creation, making it possible to produce quality content with minimal effort. The implementation of these AI capabilities varies significantly between platforms.

Lumen5: Excels at transforming existing content into videos. Its AI analyzes blog posts, articles, or scripts to extract key points and automatically match them with relevant visuals from its stock library.

This content repurposing approach can reduce video creation time by up to 70%. Simply paste a URL or text, and Lumen5's AI builds a storyboard that you can refine.

This makes it perfect for content marketers who regularly need to transform written content into engaging videos.

InVideo AI: Takes a different approach by generating videos from text prompts. You provide a brief description of your desired video, and the AI creates a complete script, selects visuals, and structures the video accordingly.

This offers a more "from scratch" creation process compared to Lumen5's repurposing focus. While you can make adjustments to the AI's output, the initial generation is largely automated.

InVideo Studio: Unlike the other options, InVideo Studio requires manual video creation using templates and stock media. There's minimal AI automation here – it's designed for users who want complete control over every aspect of their videos.

For those prioritizing the transformation of existing content, Lumen5 provides the most streamlined experience. If you need to create videos from scratch with AI assistance, InVideo AI offers better prompt-based generation.

For full manual control, InVideo Studio is your best option.

Templates & Customization

The availability of templates and customization options significantly impacts how quickly you can produce professional-looking videos.

Lumen5: Offers 50+ pre-designed video templates optimized for different platforms and purposes. While this library is smaller than InVideo's, Lumen5's strength lies in how its AI applies these templates to your content.

The system intelligently selects scenes and visual elements based on your text, creating a cohesive narrative. You can customize colors, fonts, and layouts, but the initial structure is AI-generated based on your content.

InVideo AI: Uses artificial intelligence to suggest appropriate scenes and visual elements based on your prompt. While you don't select a template upfront, the AI creates a custom-designed video structure that you can modify.

This offers a degree of flexibility while still leveraging automation.

InVideo Studio: Provides access to 6,000+ templates across various categories, giving you extensive options for different video styles. This template-rich approach allows for complete customization of every element through drag-and-drop editing, making it ideal for users who want precise control over their video's appearance.

If you need AI-suggested templates that work well with existing content, Lumen5 is the superior choice. For AI-generated videos with some customization flexibility, InVideo AI works well. If you value having thousands of template options and complete creative control, InVideo Studio is unmatched.

Video Editing & Customization

The level of editing control determines how precisely you can shape your video's final look and feel.

Lumen5: Offers a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to adjust scenes, edit text, and modify visuals, but lacks the frame-by-frame precision of timeline editors. The platform focuses on quick adjustments rather than detailed editing.

You can adjust saturation, brightness, and contrast, but you're working within the AI-generated structure. This is ideal for users who want some control without getting bogged down in technical details.

InVideo AI: Provides AI-assisted editing where you can refine what the AI generates, but you cannot control every frame or transition with precision. The focus is on tweaking the AI's work rather than building from scratch.

This approach balances automation with limited manual adjustments.

InVideo Studio: Features comprehensive timeline-based editing with precise control over every element. You can manipulate individual frames, create complex transitions, add motion graphics, and implement detailed branding elements.

This makes it perfect for users who need professional-level control over their video projects.

For basic editing within an AI-generated framework, Lumen5 provides sufficient tools. If you want AI generation with some refinement options, InVideo AI strikes a good balance. For detailed, professional editing capabilities, InVideo Studio offers the most comprehensive solution.

Voiceover & Audio Options

Quality audio components significantly enhance video engagement and professional feel.

Lumen5: Provides AI-generated voiceovers across multiple languages in its premium plans. The voices sound natural and professionally recorded, though the platform doesn't offer voice cloning technology to recreate your own voice.

You can also upload custom audio files and music tracks, with access to a library of royalty-free background music.

InVideo AI: Features AI voiceovers with advanced voice cloning capabilities in higher-tier plans, allowing you to create a digital version of your own voice or select from premium voice options. This personalization feature creates a consistent brand voice across all your videos.

InVideo Studio: Supports manual voice recording and detailed audio editing, giving you complete control over your video's sound design. You can adjust audio levels, add multiple tracks, and synchronize sound effects with your visuals.

If you need standard AI voiceovers with good quality, Lumen5 is sufficient. For AI voice cloning and personalized voiceovers, InVideo AI offers superior technology.

If you prefer recording and editing your own audio with precision, InVideo Studio provides the necessary tools.

Collaboration & Team Features

Effective team collaboration tools can streamline the video production workflow for businesses and marketing teams.

Lumen5: Includes multi-user workspaces, shared projects, and feedback tools in its paid plans. Team members can work simultaneously on different aspects of video creation, leave comments, and track project progress.

This collaborative approach makes it ideal for marketing departments and content teams producing videos at scale.

InVideo AI: Currently offers limited collaboration features, focusing more on individual creation than team workflows. While multiple team members can use the same account, the platform lacks robust project sharing and simultaneous editing capabilities.

InVideo Studio: Supports real-time collaboration, asset sharing, and comprehensive project management features. Team members can work on the same project simultaneously, access shared brand assets, and maintain consistent visual identity across all videos.

For businesses requiring team collaboration and workflow management, Lumen5's paid plans offer solid functionality. If your team needs real-time collaboration and project sharing, InVideo Studio provides the most comprehensive tools.

InVideo AI is better suited for individual creators or small teams with limited collaboration needs.

Stock Media & Asset Library

Access to high-quality stock media eliminates the need for external resources and accelerates the video creation process.

Lumen5: Provides an extensive library of royalty-free photos, videos, and music tracks, with premium plans offering access to up to a staggering 500 million assets. This vast selection ensures you'll find appropriate visuals for virtually any topic, making content creation faster and more efficient.

InVideo AI: Offers iStock integration in paid plans, giving users access to premium stock footage, images, and graphics. While the selection is high-quality, it's not as numerically vast as Lumen5's library in terms of total assets.

InVideo Studio: Includes over 3 million free assets and integrates with iStock in higher-tier plans. The platform also allows easy upload and integration of your own media files, providing flexibility for branded content creation.

If you need the largest possible stock media library, Lumen5's premium plans are unmatched. For premium quality stock footage through iStock integration, both InVideo AI and Studio offer excellent options.

All three platforms provide sufficient media resources for most video creation needs, though Lumen5 excels in sheer quantity.

Pricing & Value for Money

Cost considerations often play a decisive role in platform selection, especially for small businesses and independent creators.

Lumen5: Offers tiered pricing from $0 to $199 monthly. The free plan includes unlimited videos with watermarks at 720p resolution.

Paid plans range from $25 (Basic) to $199 (Professional) monthly, with annual discounts available. Higher tiers unlock premium media, remove watermarks, provide HD/4K exports, and add team collaboration features.

InVideo AI: Priced between $28 and $96 monthly with annual discounts up to 20%. The pricing reflects the advanced AI capabilities, particularly voice cloning and automated video generation features.

InVideo Studio: Most affordable at $15 to $30 monthly, with significant 50% discounts for annual subscriptions. This pricing makes it accessible for creators who prioritize manual editing control over AI automation.

Lumen5 offers excellent value for content marketers with its free plan and content repurposing capabilities. InVideo Studio provides the best value for manual editing at lower price points with generous annual discounts.

InVideo AI sits in the middle range, charging a premium for its advanced AI-generation capabilities.

Pricing & Subscription Plans

When evaluating Lumen5 and InVideo, understanding their pricing structures is crucial for determining which platform offers the best value for your specific needs. Lumen5 provides a range of plans from free to enterprise-level, while InVideo splits its offering between AI-powered automation and traditional editing tools with different price points.

Ease of Use & Learning Curve

The accessibility of a video creation tool significantly impacts how quickly you can start producing quality content, especially if you're new to video editing or have limited time for learning complex software.

Lumen5 positions itself as the most user-friendly option for content repurposing. Its interface is designed around a simple workflow: paste your text or URL, let the AI create a storyboard, then make adjustments as needed.

The platform guides you through each step with clear instructions and a logical progression. Most users can create their first video within minutes of signing up, even without prior video editing experience.

This simplicity makes it ideal for content marketers, social media managers, and business owners who need quick video production without technical complexity.

InVideo AI maintains a relatively straightforward approach by automating the video creation process through text prompts. You describe what you want, and the AI generates a complete video.

The interface allows for refining the AI's output with intuitive controls for adjusting scenes, transitions, and voiceovers. While still beginner-friendly, there's a slight learning curve to understanding how to craft effective prompts that generate the best results.

InVideo Studio has the steepest learning curve of the three options. As a traditional template-based editor with timeline functionality, it requires more familiarity with video editing concepts.

The abundance of features and customization options can be overwhelming for complete beginners. However, the platform provides tutorials and guidance to help users navigate its capabilities.

The learning investment pays off in creative control, making it suitable for marketing professionals, content creators, and businesses that prioritize customization over speed.

For absolute beginners or those prioritizing quick results, Lumen5 offers the gentlest learning curve. For users comfortable with AI tools who want prompt-based creation, InVideo AI provides a good balance.

For those willing to invest time in learning more comprehensive editing tools, InVideo Studio delivers the most creative control.

Customer Support & User Experience

The quality of customer support and overall user experience can significantly impact your productivity and satisfaction with a video creation platform.

Lumen5: Guided Simplicity with Strong Support Resources

Lumen5 focuses on creating an intuitive experience where users rarely need to seek help. The platform features an exceptionally clean interface with obvious navigation and helpful tooltips that appear as you work.

Each step of the video creation process includes clear guidance, making it approachable even for complete beginners.

If you ever need help, Lumen5 has your back with 24/7 live chat support that's built right into the platform. You just open your dashboard and hit the chat button, and someone usually gets back to you in about two hours.

That way, you are not stuck waiting around. It’s super handy if you are trying to figure out stuff like "how to turn text into videos" and don’t want to waste time.

Besides live chat, they also have a bunch of helpful stuff in their knowledge base, like tutorials, videos, and answers to common questions. If you are new, there’s an interactive tour that shows you around and points out all the important stuff. They also have a community forum where users swap tips and creative ideas.

They run regular webinars and training sessions too, which are awesome if you are part of a team rolling out Lumen5 across your company. Overall, they have layered their support to make sure everyone, whether you are just starting or have been around for a while, can get the most out of the platform.

InVideo: 24/7 Support with Comprehensive Resources

InVideo provides a unified support system for both its AI and Studio products, emphasizing accessibility and responsiveness. Their standout feature is 24/7 live chat support, which combines AI-powered initial responses with human agents for more complex issues.

The platform's help center contains extensive documentation, video tutorials, and troubleshooting guides organized by feature and common use case. InVideo also offers an active YouTube channel with regular updates on new features and creative techniques.

The AI-powered chat assistant can quickly address basic questions about features and functionality, while the option to connect with a human support representative ensures that more complex problems receive personalized attention. This hybrid approach means users rarely wait long for assistance, regardless of their time zone.

InVideo Studio users particularly benefit from the detailed editing guides and template customization tutorials, which help flatten the learning curve for more advanced features. Meanwhile, InVideo AI users can access specific guides on prompt engineering to improve their AI-generated results.

Both platforms prioritize user experience, though they take different approaches. Lumen5 emphasizes simplicity and guided workflows, while InVideo offers more comprehensive support resources to help users navigate its broader feature set.

Pros & Cons of Each Tool

Lumen5

Pros

• Exceptional at converting blogs, articles, and long-form content into videos
• Intuitive AI that extracts key points and matches them with relevant visuals
• Simple drag-and-drop interface requiring minimal video editing knowledge
• Massive stock media library with up to 500M assets in premium plans
• Multi-format export optimized for different social media platforms
• Strong team collaboration features in higher-tier plans

Cons

• Limited manual editing capabilities compared to timeline-based editors
• Smaller template library than InVideo Studio (50+ vs. 6,000+)
• No voice cloning technology, only standard AI voiceovers
• Free plan includes watermarks on all videos
• More expensive at premium tiers compared to InVideo Studio

InVideo AI

Pros

• Powerful text prompt to video generation capabilities
• Advanced AI voice cloning available in premium plans
• Intelligent scene selection and transition suggestions
• iStock integration provides premium quality visuals
• More editing flexibility than Lumen5 for AI-generated content
• Regular AI model updates improve generation quality

Cons

• Limited collaboration features for team environments
• Higher starting price point than both alternatives
• Occasionally generates mismatched visuals requiring manual correction
• 50-scene limit may restrict longer content
• Less effective for repurposing existing content than Lumen5

InVideo Studio

Pros

• Massive template library with 6,000+ professional designs
• Complete timeline editing with frame-by-frame control
• Advanced motion graphics and transition effects
• Real-time team collaboration and asset sharing
• Most affordable pricing with substantial annual discounts
• Greatest creative control and customization options

Cons

• No AI automation for content repurposing or generation
• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• More time-consuming than AI-powered alternatives
• Requires more hands-on editing expertise
• Limited integration with content management systems

Who Should Use Lumen5 vs InVideo?

Choosing between Lumen5 and InVideo depends largely on your specific content needs, technical expertise, and creative preferences. Each platform excels in different scenarios, making them suitable for distinct user profiles.

Choose Lumen5 if:

• You regularly need to transform blogs, articles, or written content into engaging videos
• You value a straightforward, AI-driven approach that minimizes manual editing
• You need to produce multiple videos quickly with consistent branding
• You work in content marketing or manage social media accounts requiring regular video content
• You want an extensive stock media library with millions of assets at your fingertips
• You prefer guided workflows that don't require video editing expertise
• You don't need frame-by-frame editing precision or complex motion graphics

Who it's for:
Lumen5 is ideal for content marketers, social media managers, blog owners, and businesses with established written content they want to repurpose into video format. Its focus on transforming existing text into compelling videos makes it particularly valuable for content repurposing strategies.

Choose InVideo AI if:

• You want to generate videos from simple text prompts or descriptions
• You need AI voice cloning capabilities for consistent brand narration
• You prefer some editing flexibility while still leveraging AI automation
• You create promotional videos, ads, or marketing content from scratch
• You want AI to handle the creative heavy lifting with room for refinement
• You don't primarily repurpose existing long-form content

Who it's for:
InVideo AI serves creative professionals, marketers, and businesses who need fresh video content without extensive preparation or existing material. Its prompt-based generation makes it perfect for creating videos quickly without starting from established text content.

Choose InVideo Studio if:

• You require complete creative control over every aspect of your videos
• You're comfortable with timeline-based editing and more technical features
• You need extensive template options and customization capabilities
• You work with a team that requires real-time collaboration features
• You create more complex videos requiring precise motion graphics and transitions
• You want the most affordable option with significant annual discounts
• You don't want AI to automate the video creation process

Who it's for:
InVideo Studio is perfect for marketing teams, professional content creators, and businesses that prioritize creative control and customization over automation. It's the go-to choice for those willing to invest more time in exchange for greater editing precision and visual flexibility.

Personal Experience

After working with Lumen5 and InVideo on different projects, I learned a lot about what each one is good at. They both help you create videos, but they do it in different ways.

Some jobs were easier with Lumen5, and others made more sense with InVideo. Here’s what I found when using them.

Lumen5: Making Content Transformation Super Easy

Lumen5 is amazing if you already have content and just want to turn it into a video fast. I was able to take a 1,500-word blog post and whip up a professional-looking video in under half an hour.

The AI is pretty smart at picking out the key points and matching them with visuals. Sometimes I had to tweak things a bit, especially for more technical topics, but overall, it saved me a ton of time compared to building everything from scratch.

What really blew me away was how well Lumen5 kept the original story while making it way shorter and snappier. It seriously cut down hours I would have spent picking clips and building storyboards.

If you are part of a content team cranking out videos regularly, this is a total lifesaver.

That said, I sometimes wished I had more control over little details like timing and transitions. The drag-and-drop setup is easy to use, but it can feel a bit limiting if you are used to full-on timeline editing.

InVideo AI: Creative Videos with Some Tweaking

InVideo AI works a bit differently. You can create videos just by typing out simple prompts, which is perfect when you do not have a bunch of existing material.

I loved the voice cloning feature too. It made it super easy to keep the brand voice consistent across a bunch of videos.

The best part is how InVideo AI handles the heavy lifting up front, and then you can go in and polish things up. It is not always perfect right out of the gate, but the built-in editing tools make it pretty easy to fix any weird visuals or mistakes.

InVideo Studio: Full Creative Control

Whenever I needed more control, InVideo Studio really delivered. The massive library of templates meant I was never starting from scratch, and the timeline editing let me fine-tune every tiny detail.

This was super important for client projects or big marketing videos where every second counts.

The learning curve was definitely steeper, but once I got the hang of it, it was totally worth it. I especially loved being able to collaborate with team members in real time, which made reviews and edits way smoother.

So, Which One is Better in 2025?

Honestly, it depends on what you need.

If you have lots of written content to repurpose, Lumen5 is the easiest and fastest way to turn it into videos. It is super efficient and great for teams pushing out a ton of content.

If you are starting from scratch and want some AI help without spending hours prepping, InVideo AI is your go-to. It gets you a solid first draft fast, and then you just tweak it a bit to get it right.

If you want full creative control and are willing to put in a little more effort, InVideo Studio is hands down the best. It gives you all the tools you need to make professional, polished videos without breaking the bank.

At the end of the day, think about what your main goal is, how much time you want to spend, and what your team is good at. Then pick the one that fits your style.