Pencil scores templates.
Lapis generates campaigns.
Pencil ranks creatives from a template library. Lapis generates complete, multi-platform ad campaigns from a text prompt in under three minutes.
Create your first adData-driven template scoring
Upload assets. Pencil generates creatives from template patterns trained on $2B in ad spend data, then scores them relative to each other. 50 generations per month on Core.
- Relative scoring, not metric-specific forecasting
- No competitor tracking or web analytics
- 50 generation cap on Core plan ($14/mo)
Full campaign generation
Describe your campaign in plain text. Lapis generates original ads across multiple platforms with auto-sizing, performance forecasting, and competitor intelligence built in.
- Text-to-ad generation, no templates needed
- Metric-specific forecasting (CTR, engagement, conversions)
- Competitor tracking, web analytics, NL editing included
Data-driven template scoring
Upload assets. Pencil generates creatives from template patterns trained on $2B in ad spend data, then scores them relative to each other. 50 generations per month on Core.
- Relative scoring, not metric-specific forecasting
- No competitor tracking or web analytics
- 50 generation cap on Core plan ($14/mo)
Full campaign generation
Describe your campaign in plain text. Lapis generates original ads across multiple platforms with auto-sizing, performance forecasting, and competitor intelligence built in.
- Text-to-ad generation, no templates needed
- Metric-specific forecasting (CTR, engagement, conversions)
- Competitor tracking, web analytics, NL editing included
Trusted by thousands of marketing teams including
What Pencil can't do for your ads
Pencil scores creatives from a template library. Lapis generates entire campaigns from scratch with intelligence tools that Pencil does not offer at any tier.
Generate ads from text, not templates
Pencil generates creatives from data-driven template patterns. Lapis creates entirely original ads from a text prompt, producing more differentiated output across brands.
Try text-to-ad15+ formats from a single prompt
Pencil requires manual format selection during generation. Lapis auto-generates all 15+ format variations from one prompt, sized for Meta, Google, Reddit, LinkedIn, and ChatGPT.
See auto-sizingYour brand, detected automatically
Pencil requires manual brand input. Lapis crawls your website and extracts your full visual identity: colors, fonts, logos, imagery, and tone of voice, then applies them to every ad.
Try brand detectionTrack what your competitors are running
Pencil has no competitor tracking at any tier. Lapis monitors up to 20 competitors' ad creatives and strategies in real time, integrated directly into your ad creation workflow.
See competitor trackingForecast real metrics, not relative scores
Pencil scores creatives relative to each other. Lapis forecasts specific metrics: predicted CTR, engagement rate, and conversion probability before you spend a dollar.
See forecastingEdit ads with plain English commands
Pencil has no natural-language editing. Lapis Campaign Studio lets you say "Make the headline bolder" or "Add urgency to the CTA" and applies changes across all variations simultaneously.
Try Campaign StudioFeature comparison
Pencil scores template-generated creatives. Lapis generates complete campaigns with intelligence tools Pencil lacks.
| Feature | Lapis | Pencil |
|---|---|---|
| AI ad generation from text | ||
| Data-driven creative scoring | ||
| Performance forecasting (CTR, engagement, conversions) | ||
| Automatic brand detection (website crawl) | ||
| Multi-platform auto-sizing (15+ formats) | ||
| Natural language editing (Campaign Studio) | ||
| Competitor ad tracking | ||
| Web analytics | ||
| Product catalog import (Shopify, Amazon) | ||
| Ad copy generation | ||
| Audience persona targeting | ||
| Multilingual support (15+ languages) | ||
| $2B ad spend dataset for scoring | ||
| DV360 / YouTube support |
5 steps
Manually input brand assets and product information
Pencil generates creatives from template patterns
Review relative scores to pick the best variant
Manually format for each platform you need
Upload to ad managers separately (no direct integration)
3 steps
Paste your website URL. Lapis absorbs your brand automatically
Describe your campaign. Get ads for all platforms, sized and scored with metric forecasts
Export to ad managers with one click
5 steps
Manually input brand assets and product information
Pencil generates creatives from template patterns
Review relative scores to pick the best variant
Manually format for each platform you need
Upload to ad managers separately (no direct integration)
3 steps
Paste your website URL. Lapis absorbs your brand automatically
Describe your campaign. Get ads for all platforms, sized and scored with metric forecasts
Export to ad managers with one click
Why teams switch to Lapis
Generate campaigns, not just score templates.
Pencil scores creatives from template patterns. Lapis generates entire ad campaigns from a text prompt, original creatives across multiple platforms with 15+ format variations, all from one description.
Predict metrics, not just relative rankings.
Pencil tells you which ad in a batch is likely better. Lapis forecasts specific CTR, engagement, and conversion rates before you spend. That’s the difference between picking the best option and knowing what results to expect.
Intelligence built in, not bolted on.
Competitor tracking, web analytics, NL editing, product catalog import. Lapis includes tools that Pencil simply doesn’t offer. No extra subscriptions, no workarounds.
Honest take
Choose Pencil if you need to…
- Rank creative variants using relative scoring trained on $2B in ad spend data
- Start at $14/mo with basic creative generation and scoring
- Advertise on DV360 or YouTube (platforms Lapis doesn’t yet cover)
- Work within the Brandtech Group ecosystem for integrated agency services
Choose Lapis if you need to…
- Generate complete ad campaigns from text prompts, not pick from templates
- Forecast specific CTR, engagement, and conversions before spending budget
- Track up to 20 competitors’ ad strategies in real time
- Import products from Shopify/Amazon and edit ads with natural-language commands
Frequently asked questions
For most teams, yes. Lapis puts AI agents to work that automatically create, improve, and optimize your paid ads across a variety of platforms, learning from every result. Pencil generates creatives from template patterns and scores them relative to each other. Lapis includes competitor tracking, web analytics, and product catalog import that Pencil lacks.
They take different approaches. Pencil's scoring ranks which creative in a batch will likely outperform the others. Lapis's AI agents forecast specific metrics like CTR, engagement, and conversions, then learn from actual results to automatically improve future campaigns. Lapis's approach is more actionable for budget decisions.
Pencil starts at $14/mo (Core, 50 generations/mo). Lapis offers a free tier and $99/mo Basic plan. Although Pencil has a lower entry price, Lapis includes AI agents that automatically improve your ads, plus competitor tracking, product catalog import, and natural-language editing at Basic. Pencil does not offer these at any price.
Pencil was acquired by Brandtech Group in 2023. It now operates within Brandtech's suite of marketing technology tools, serving over 4,000 brands. The acquisition shifted its focus toward enterprise and agency clients within the Brandtech ecosystem.
No. Pencil has no competitor tracking at any pricing tier. Lapis's AI agents track up to 20 competitors' ad strategies in real time, learning from their creative patterns to automatically improve your own campaigns.
For most active marketing teams, 50 generations is limiting. If you test multiple creative variations across platforms, you can exhaust that cap in the first week. Lapis's AI agents generate full multi-platform campaigns per credit and continuously improve them based on results, delivering significantly more value per dollar.
Lapis is significantly better for e-commerce. Its AI agents import product data directly from Shopify and Amazon catalogs, automatically generating and optimizing ads from real product listings. Pencil has no product catalog integration, requiring manual input for each creative.
Yes. Lapis offers a free plan with 5 credits, no credit card required. You can also try the Free Ad Generator at trylapis.com/free-ad-generator with no signup, or use Rate Your Ad at trylapis.com/rate-your-ad to benchmark existing creatives.
Stop scoring templates. Start generating campaigns.
Share your website. Lapis generates complete ad campaigns with performance forecasting in under three minutes.