Hire a video agency, or make the promo yourself?
Hire an agency or freelancer when you need filming, people on camera, a voice-over or a long campaign. Make it yourself when you need a short motion-design promo fast: with MaestroCut you write one sentence, previews are free, a 30-second HD export costs 30 credits, and you get 60 free credits on sign-up.
What an agency or freelancer is good at
A video agency or a freelance videographer brings a camera, a crew and an editor. That is the right call when the video needs real footage: your team on camera, your venue filmed in good light, interviews with customers, a professional voice-over, or a campaign that runs for months with many cuts.
You write a brief, they plan the shoot, and you review drafts until it is right. The turnaround and the number of revision rounds are agreed in the quote, and the price is set per project, because no two shoots are alike.
- Filming on location and people on camera
- Interviews, voice-over and sound recording
- Long brand films and multi-month campaigns
- Someone else runs the whole project for you
What MaestroCut does
MaestroCut is a web-based video studio for short promos. You write what you are promoting in a sentence or two; a rule-based director plans the story, free AI models write lines that are checked against your facts, and the engine renders the video. Previews and edits are free; credits are spent only when you export.
- Writes the script, the on-screen copy and a caption from one or two sentences
- Recognizes your industry and applies one of 31 playbooks for tempo, palette and story format
- Shows your logo, photos and app or website screenshots in the scenes
- Composes an original score, or re-times a free-licensed CC0 / CC BY track to its beat
- Cuts every scene on a bar line of the music
- Checks every frame against the safe zone of Reels, TikTok, Shorts and the other placements
- Exports a 1080p H.264 MP4 at 30 or 60 fps in 9:16, 4:5, 1:1 or 16:9
What MaestroCut does not do
Knowing the limits saves you a sign-up. If your video needs any of these, an agency or a freelancer is the better choice:
- No filming: videos are motion design built from your text, photos and screenshots
- No voice-over or on-camera presenters
- No videos longer than 90 seconds
- No editing of your own video clips
Cost model
Only MaestroCut's own numbers; agency prices depend on the project, so we do not list them.
| MaestroCut | Agency or freelancer | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Credits per second of exported video: 0.5 (720p), 1 (1080p HD) or 2 (1080p, 60 fps) | Priced per project; ask for a quote |
| Previews and edits | Free, as many as you like | |
| Free credits | 60 on sign-up, then 10 a day in the studio | |
| Failed export | Credits refunded automatically |
Make it yourself: one sentence, 60 free credits
Here is what a first promo costs with MaestroCut, using the prices above. The 60 sign-up credits cover 2 30-second HD exports.
- 1Write one sentence, for example: “We're opening a specialty coffee shop downtown; the first coffee is on us at Friday's opening.”
- 2Three directions play side by side. Change the lines, colors, scenes or music; every preview is free.
- 3Optional: export a 15-second 720p draft to check the cut, 8 credits.
- 4Export the 30-second HD video for Reels, TikTok and Shorts, 30 credits.
When the agency is the better choice
- You need real footage of your place, product or people
- You need a voice-over, interviews or a presenter
- The video is longer than 90 seconds or part of a long campaign
- You would rather hand the whole project to someone
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to make a promo video myself?
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With MaestroCut a 30-second HD export costs 30 credits and previews are free; we don't list agency prices because they vary by project.
Can MaestroCut film my business?
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No. It builds motion-design videos from your text, photos and screenshots; for filming, hire a videographer or an agency.
Can I use a MaestroCut video in paid ads?
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Yes. Your videos are yours, and the music is either composed for the video or CC0/CC BY, which allow commercial use.
How fast is it?
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You see your first scene in under a minute; editing and export are up to you.
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Make your first promo yourself
60 free credits on sign-up, no card needed. Previews are free.