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Comparison, checked 2026-10-23

GhostShorts vs StickReel (2026): stick figure video makers compared

StickReel and GhostShorts both turn a topic into a narrated stick figure video for Shorts, TikTok, Reels or YouTube. StickReel is a stick figure tool only, sold in credits from $19 a month, and it can animate the figures (Mixed Motion, Full Animation). GhostShorts' Stickman template draws a picture for every shot and moves the camera across it, with no figure animation, and every other GhostShorts format comes on the same plan, from $19.99 a month.

See shot 1 of your own story

The facts

Input
A story type (true crime, survival, history, life lessons or how it works) and a one-line premise, or Surprise me.
Output
A narrated, captioned MP4, vertical 9:16 or widescreen 16:9, at 30, 45, 60 or 90 seconds.
Look
Cartoon or Ink. Each shot is one drawn picture with a slow camera move across it; the figures themselves are not animated.
Free step
The story is written and shot 1 is drawn before you pay, with a free account and no card.
Price
Starter is $19.99 a month for up to 30 videos across every format. A Stickman video uses no AI credits, but each picture counts toward the 150-picture monthly fair-use limit, so Starter covers about 10 to 13 one-minute Stickman videos.

One real example

A shot drawn by the GhostShorts Stickman template (Cartoon look): a miner trapped in a collapsed mine

One shot, as drawn by the Stickman template

The story it comes from

Template
AI Stickman Stories.
Story type
Survival.
Premise
72 hours in a collapsed mine

Prices, side by side

Last verified 2026-09-27

USD before tax, read from each tool's own pricing page on 2026-09-27unless the footnote says otherwise. Prices change; check the tool's site before you pay. A number we could not confirm is not printed.

ToolCheapest published planFree tierAuto-postingAPI or MCP
StickReelThe tool this page compares againstStarter $19/mo (monthly billing; excluding VAT)[1]Also: Creator $39/mo (excluding VAT), Pro $99/mo (excluding VAT)A free trial; its length and limits are not stated on the siteNot listed on its siteNot listed on its site
GhostShortsStarter $19.99/mo (monthly billing)[2]Also: Starter $16.66/mo on annual, Creator+ $39.99/mo, GhostMode $79.99/mo, Credit pack $9.99 one-timeNo free plan. Most templates have a free preview of your own input, with no card.Every video is an MP4 you download from your library.Yes: REST API and MCP server, for four templates (Reddit story, text messages, quiz, article).
  1. [1] StickReel: read from the tool's own page, read 2026-10-23. Source: stickreel.com/#pricing.
  2. [2] GhostShorts: read from the tool's own page, read 2026-09-27. Source: ghostshorts.com/pricing.

Where each tool fits, and where it does not

One line each, from the tool's own pages. GhostShorts is held to the same standard, so its row says what it does not do.

ToolWhere it fitsWhere it does not fit
StickReelCan animate the figures: Mixed Motion adds real animation on key scenes and Full Animation animates the video. Six script formats (Standard, Explainer, Hot Take, Story, Listicle, Promo). Voice cloning on Creator (1 voice) and Pro (3 voices). Starter is $1 cheaper.Stick figures only. Credits run out fast on animation: Starter's 16 credits make 2 Full Animation 30-second videos, and a 60-second video costs twice as much. Yearly prices, export resolution and watermark rules are not stated on its site.
GhostShortsA 90-second length, two looks (Cartoon and Ink), a reference picture per main character so they stay recognizable, and shot 1 drawn before you pay. Stickman uses no AI credits, and the same plan includes Reddit Story, Fake Text, Top 5, AI Fruit Story, Skeleton AI and every other GhostShorts format.No figure animation (one picture per shot with a camera move), no voice cloning, and no promo or listicle script formats. The monthly picture limit means about 10 to 13 one-minute Stickman videos on Starter. Stickman is not on the GhostShorts API.

How we picked

This page compares GhostShorts' Stickman template with StickReel, a tool built only for stick figure videos.

StickReel's prices and credit costs were read from its own site on 2026-10-23. We did not test StickReel's output quality and nothing here is a ranking. GhostShorts is our product.

GhostShorts vs StickReel: questions

Found a price that has changed? Email [email protected].

StickReel's site, read 2026-10-23, lists Starter at $19 a month (16 credits), Creator at $39 a month (40 credits, 1 custom voice) and Pro at $99 a month (120 credits, scalable up to 500, 3 custom voices), billed monthly and excluding VAT. A 30-second video costs 1 credit in Moving Images, 4 in Mixed Motion and 6 in Full Animation, and 60-second videos cost twice as much.
On StickReel Starter: 16 Moving Images, 4 Mixed Motion or 2 Full Animation 30-second videos, or half that at 60 seconds. On GhostShorts Starter ($19.99): a Stickman video uses no AI credits, and each shot's picture counts toward a 150-picture monthly fair-use limit. A 30-second video has 5 to 7 pictures and a 60-second one 11 to 14, so Starter covers about 10 to 13 one-minute Stickman videos a month.
On StickReel, yes in Mixed Motion (animation on key scenes) and Full Animation; Moving Images uses illustrated scenes with subtle camera movement. On GhostShorts, each shot is one drawn picture with a slow camera move and hard cuts between shots; the figures are not animated.
Both export widescreen 16:9 as well as vertical 9:16. GhostShorts Stickman goes up to 90 seconds; StickReel prices its videos at 30 and 60 seconds and does not state other lengths.
On StickReel, yes: 1 custom voice on Creator and 3 on Pro. GhostShorts does not offer voice cloning; it narrates with its own AI voices.
StickReel offers a free trial; its length and limits are not stated on its site. GhostShorts has no free plan: the Stickman story is written and shot 1 is drawn before you pay, with a free account and no card, and Starter is $19.99 a month.
StickReel includes commercial usage on every plan. GhostShorts videos are yours to post and monetize; you are responsible for having the rights to anything you add yourself.
API and MCP

Make this from ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor

The same template runs through the GhostShorts API and MCP server. Connect it once and ask your assistant for a video; it comes back as a finished MP4 on the same plan and credits.

claude mcp add --transport http ghostshorts https://api.ghostshorts.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <your API key>"
Developer docsSet up the connector