Adluma vs Captions (by Mirage) · updated July 2026

The most realistic AI actor — or the agent that gets the ad seen.

Captions' Mirage model generates original AI actors with body language ahead of anything avatar-based — genuinely impressive footage. But footage isn't users. Here's the honest breakdown for founders choosing between the best-looking clip and the closed loop.

TL;DR: Captions (by Mirage) built a foundation model for UGC video — its generated actors move and emote more naturally than avatar-first tools, and if raw realism is your bar, it leads. But it's a video tool: credit-metered (Mirage costs ~10 credits per second; the $9.99 starter's 1,400 credits ≈ 2–3 minutes a month), its Ad Studio sits on the Business tier, and when the clip is done, distribution is your problem. Adluma is a marketing agent: $39 flat for 15 finished ads a month, posted to your own X/TikTok/Reels, every view carrying a tracked link, every signup attributed to the exact ad — and the winner automatically gets fresh variants.

Side by side

Captions / MirageAdluma
Actor realism✓ category-leading (foundation model)strong (photoreal, consistent faces)
URL → finished adprompt-driven; Ad Studio on Business tier✓ paste URL, get the ad
Posts to your channels— exports the clip✓ X, TikTok, Reels, Shorts
Knows which ad got the signup✓ per-ad tracked links → signups
Finds your winner & remakes it✓ auto-variants the winner
Reddit & organic outreach✓ intent radar + replies
Your real product on screengenerated scenes✓ real screens + your screen recording
Pricing modelcredits (~10/sec of Mirage video)flat · failed renders refunded
Entry price$9.99/mo (≈2–3 min Mirage/mo)$39/mo · 15 ads · first ad free

Figures from Captions/Mirage public pricing and docs, July 2026: standard plan 1,400 credits/month, Mirage video ~10 credits/second, Ad Studio bundled with Business & Enterprise (12,000 credits/month). Mirage's realism lead is real — reviewers consistently rank its body language ahead of avatar-first competitors.

The honest call

Pick Captions if…

  • Maximum per-clip realism is the thing you're optimizing for
  • You're a creator or team producing lots of general short-form video
  • You have your own distribution and just need footage
  • You're comfortable budgeting seconds of video in credits

Pick Adluma if…

  • You need users, and nobody's watching your channel yet
  • You want your real product in the ad — screens, scroll, your own screen recording
  • You want posting + signup attribution + winner-doubling handled by one agent
  • You want a flat price you can budget: 15 ads, no expiring credits

Realism sells the actor. Proof sells the product.

Mirage's bet is that better-looking synthetic humans make better ads — and its footage is genuinely the most human-looking in the category. Adluma's bet is different: for a software product, the most convincing thing on screen is the product itself — your real interface scrolling, your real screen recording cut like b-roll, a consistent creator talking about a real pain. Then the part no clip generator does: the ad goes to your channels, every view carries a tracked link, and the ad that earns signups gets remade in fresh variants automatically. If you're choosing where a solo founder's $39 goes furthest, the loop beats the clip.

See it on your own product

Paste your URL. Adluma writes the script, casts a real-feeling creator, and shows you your first ad — free, no credit card, before you ever sign in.

Make your first ad free →
← adluma.ai More: vs Creatify · vs Arcads · vs HeyGen · vs MakeUGC · 2026 roundup Comparison reflects publicly available info, July 2026. Captions™/Mirage™ are trademarks of their owner; Adluma isn't affiliated.