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A wider toolkit than JSON2Video for developers building video

JSON2Video renders a video from a JSON movie schema, billed per second of output. Rendley gives you that render API plus a real in-browser editing engine and a hosted MCP server, so your users can edit in the browser and your backend can render — from one platform.

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Unlimited exportsFree planBrowser-based

JSON2Video is a lean, JSON-driven render API with cheap per-second billing and non-expiring credits, a good fit for templated social and marketing clips. Rendley covers the same render-from-JSON job through a deterministic edit spec, then adds two surfaces JSON2Video does not have: an in-browser @rendley/sdk editing engine and an official hosted MCP server.

One platform, three surfaces

Everything ships in code.

SDK
npm i @rendley/sdk import { Engine } from '@rendley/sdk'const engine = await Engine.create()await engine.addClip('intro.mp4')await engine.export() // WebCodecs

A real editing engine that renders in the browser.

REST API
curl api.rendley.com/v1/agent/sessions \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \  -d '{ "prompt": "30s launch promo" }' # poll the job, then pull a signed URL

Prompt to video from one deterministic endpoint.

MCP
# mcp.rendley.com — Apache-2.0claude mcp add rendley \  https://mcp.rendley.com "Cut a 15s teaser from these clips"

Hosted server, 18 tools, open source.

3
Surfaces in one platform: SDK, API, MCP
25+
AI models built in, added as they launch
18
Tools in the hosted MCP server
EU
Assets stored in Germany (Hetzner)
How they compare

Where Rendley Studio pulls ahead.

Render API vs render API plus editing engine

JSON2Video is a render-only service: you POST a JSON movie and get a file back. Rendley returns a file too, but the same engine also runs live inside the browser as an editor.

Rendley Studio
  • @rendley/sdk is a real editing engine that runs in the browser (JS/TS, npm)
  • Renders client-side with WebCodecs and WebGL, FFmpeg (WASM) fallback
  • REST API at api.rendley.com/v1 also renders from a deterministic edit spec
  • One engine is callable from the SDK, HTTP, and MCP
JSON2Video
  • JSON movie schema you POST to a REST render endpoint
  • Only thin SDK wrappers around the HTTP API — no in-browser editor
  • Great for headless, template-driven generation from a backend

The JSON schema and templates

Both let you describe a video as structured data. JSON2Video centers everything on its movie schema and templates; Rendley pairs a deterministic edit spec with project CRUD and asset uploads.

Rendley Studio
  • Deterministic edit spec — the same request returns the same edit
  • Projects CRUD, multipart uploads, and collaborators over REST
  • OpenAPI/Swagger schema at api.rendley.com/docs/swagger.json
  • Long renders run as jobs; poll to done, then pull a signed URL
JSON2Video
  • JSON movie schema with reusable templates
  • Built-in subtitles, TTS, and AI element integrations
  • Simple, well-scoped schema that is quick to learn

MCP and agents

JSON2Video has no MCP server. Rendley ships an official hosted one plus a prompt-to-video agent endpoint, so an LLM can drive real edits, not just fill a template.

Rendley Studio
  • Hosted MCP server at mcp.rendley.com with 18 tools
  • Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex, any remote-MCP client
  • /agent/sessions turns a prompt and footage into a finished cut
  • Open source (Apache-2.0): rendleyhq/rendley-mcp; requires a paid plan
JSON2Video
  • No official MCP server
  • AI reaches your video only through template fields and elements

AI generation and resolution

Both support 4K and can pull in generated media. Rendley aggregates 25+ models across vendors with a matching cost endpoint per call.

Rendley Studio
  • 25+ models: Veo, Kling, Seedance, Sora, Flux, DALL-E, Nano Banana
  • Voice and audio via ElevenLabs and more, added as they launch
  • Every AI call has a matching /cost endpoint for predictable billing
  • 4K target on the Pro and Business plans
JSON2Video
  • TTS and AI element integrations inside the movie schema
  • 4K supported (billed at 4× the per-second credit rate)
  • Non-expiring credits are a genuinely nice touch
The details

Rendley Studio vs JSON2Video, side by side.

Rendley StudioJSON2Video
In-browser editing SDKYes — @rendley/sdk renders client-side (WebCodecs/WebGL)No — thin SDK wrappers over the HTTP render API
Render REST APIYes — api.rendley.com/v1, OpenAPI, jobs + signed URLsYes — POST a JSON movie schema, get a rendered file
Official MCP serverYes — hosted, 18 toolsNo
Prompt-to-video agentYes — /agent/sessions endpointNo — template + element driven
AI generation models25+ aggregated (Veo, Kling, Seedance, Sora, Flux, DALL-E…)TTS + AI element integrations
Max export resolution4K target (Pro and Business plans)4K (billed at 4× the per-second credit rate)
Free tierFree plan (720p, watermark)600 non-expiring credits, but watermarked
Object storage regionEU — Hetzner, Nuremberg (Germany)Check vendor docs
Pricing modelPlans + credits: Free, $15, $30, $70/mo (1 credit = $0.01)Per-second credits: subs from $19.95/mo; packs $49.95–$199.95

Competitor details are from public pricing and documentation and can change. Verify current specifics on the vendor’s own site.

Credit where due

Where JSON2Video is the stronger choice

  • The entry price is hard to beat. A subscription starts at $19.95/mo and pre-paid packs run $49.95–$199.95, so a small automation project can go live cheaply.
  • Credits do not expire. If your volume is bursty — a batch of videos this month, nothing the next — non-expiring credits waste nothing.
  • The JSON movie schema is deliberately narrow and quick to learn. For straight template-in, MP4-out pipelines you can be shipping in an afternoon.
  • If you never need an embedded editor or agent tooling and only want per-second render billing, JSON2Video is a simpler, more focused surface than a full platform.
Best-in-class AI models, built in

Generate clips, images, and voiceovers without leaving the editor. New models are added as they launch.

KlingVeoSoraSeedanceNano BananaElevenLabs
FAQ

Asked. Answered.

Yes. Rendley’s REST API at api.rendley.com/v1 renders from a deterministic edit spec, so the same request returns the same edit. Long renders run as jobs you poll to completion and then pull as a signed URL. The difference is that the same engine also runs live in the browser as an editor via @rendley/sdk, which JSON2Video does not offer.

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