Welcome to our Pikzels AI review.
Want more views on your YouTube videos? Then you know how important a killer thumbnail is.
You’ve probably heard about AI thumbnail makers, and Pikzels AI is one that’s getting a lot of buzz. Does it really work?
I put Pikzels AI to the test to see if it’s the best AI thumbnail maker out there for YouTubers.
I’ll show you how easy it is to use, what features it offers, and how much you can customize your thumbnails.
Note: I bought Pikzels’ Ultimate plan, which costs $80 per month, to review it. This way, I could explore all the features and help you make a well-informed decision.
Let’s get started.
Pikzels AI Review Quick Summary
I’ve been using Pikzels, and honestly, it’s the best AI thumbnail maker I’ve tried so far. I even created these two thumbnails with it:
Pikzels takes care of all the work, so you don’t need to struggle with difficult editing software.
All you have to do is describe what you want to create and it will do the rest on its own.
The only downside?
The free trial is a little limited, and the free thumbnails do have a noticeable watermark.
Even with those small drawbacks, I still think Pikzels is a fantastic tool. It makes creating thumbnails so much easier.
Want to save some cash? Use code “SANU50” and get 50% off your first month.
How To Use Pikzels AI (My Experience)
I’m excited to share my experience using Pikzels with you. I’ll walk you through the results I achieved and explain how the tool works, so you’ll have a clear idea of what to expect.
First, we’ll create a simple yet attention-grabbing thumbnail. After that, I’ll guide you on how to add your face, make personalized tweaks, and improve it to get the best possible outcome.
Let’s dive in.
Creating a Thumbnail
Let’s say you want a thumbnail that says, “A man swimming underwater, looking terrified at the camera while a shark looms menacingly in the background.” Just type it in and give Pikzels about 20 seconds to work its magic.
Once it’s done, you’ll see the first version of your thumbnail. Here’s what I got for that example:
Looks good, right?
Now, let’s try another one.
Whoa, that’s awesome.
To be honest, AI has been doing this kind of thing for a while now. Even tools like Midjourney can generate thumbnails like this.
But Pikzels has some unique features that make it different.
Whenever you create an image with Pikzels, you’ll get three options:
- Edit: Tell the AI exactly what changes you want.
- Redo: Generate a fresh version of your thumbnail.
- FaceSwap: Add your face for a personal touch.
For example, I asked it to redo the shark thumbnail, and here’s what I got:
(I’ll show you the FaceSwap results soon.)
Remember, working with AI can be a little unpredictable—you’ll need to play around with it to see what works.
A good tip is to keep your instructions simple. Don’t give it too much to do at once, or you might not get the best results.
The Recreate Feature
Now, let’s talk about Pikzels’ star feature: Recreate.
Ever seen a YouTube thumbnail and thought, “I wish mine looked like that”?
That’s exactly what this feature helps you do. It lets you create thumbnails similar to the ones you like, in just a few clicks.
Here’s a real example. I found a thumbnail on YouTube that looked perfect for my video.
I wanted something just like it, so I grabbed the video link and dropped it into Pikzels.
If you don’t know how to get the link, follow these steps: First, find the three dots right next to the YouTube video. Second, click ‘Share.’ Lastly, click ‘Copy’ to get the link. That’s it.
Once I pasted the link, Pikzels gave me an “Inspiration Weight” option, which let me decide how close I wanted my thumbnail to match the original. I could also tell the AI what changes I wanted.
I tested it by changing “$300/day” to “$500/day” in the thumbnail.
The result? It looked amazing.
When I put the original and AI-generated versions side by side, they were almost identical.
Have a look:
Original YouTube Thumbnail – Credit: John Hogue
Pikzels AI-Generated Thumbnail
Then I had some fun tweaking it. I asked Pikzels to:
- Make the background darker
- Change the shirt colour to red
- Remove a random arrow in the background
And just like that—arrow, background fixed, and colours adjusted.
Now, one thing to keep in mind: when you edit one part, sometimes other tiny details might shift too. That’s just how AI works. But overall, I was super happy with how it turned out.
The only issue? The person in the thumbnail didn’t look like me. But Pikzels has a FaceSwap feature that fixes this in seconds.
Using FaceSwap is very easy:
- Click the FaceSwap button.
- Upload your thumbnail and a picture of yourself.
- Wait about 20 seconds.
- Done.
I tried it with my own image.
The final result?
Perfect.
Here’s a pro tip: Take it one step at a time when you’re making your thumbnail. Start simple, then make small changes one after another. Here’s exactly what I did:
- Made the basic thumbnail
- Made the background darker
- Removed arrow element
- Changed the background colour
Trust me – giving the AI one or two instructions at a time works way better than trying to change everything at once. That’s how you’ll get an amazing thumbnail for your videos.
(Each time you generate a thumbnail or make major edits, 10 credits will be deducted from your account.)
Want to give it a shot? You can try Pikzels AI for FREE right now.
Title Generator
Okay, let’s talk about Pikzels’ Title Generator, which you’ll find in their Premium and Ultimate plans.
Now, we all know a killer title is crucial, right? It’s what grabs people’s attention. Pikzels aims to help you nail that.
To use it, head to the Pikzels AI dashboard, click on the “Title” tab, and enter your prompt.
For example, if I were making a YouTube video about “Hostinger Review,” I’d type something like, “Make a title for a video about Hostinger Review.”
Pikzels instantly came up with several title ideas. Sure, it threw in “2024” when it’s already 2025, but that’s a quick fix. Just change the year. No big deal.
If you want even more suggestions, click the Star icon tab next to the title you like (as shown in the screenshot below), and you’ll see different brainstorming styles.
I picked “Clickbait” to see what it did.
Personally, I didn’t like the title it came up with, but you might get a perfect one for your video.
If not, just experiment with different options until you find the one that fits.
Remember, the title and thumbnail are the main things that make people click, so take your time.
(Each time you generate a title or make major edits, 3 credits will be deducted from your account.)
Quick Note: This feature is only available with the Premium and Ultimate plans, but if you’re on a budget and sticking with the Essential plan, you can also use other free AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude AI.
Simply enter your prompt, and you’ll get great title suggestions for your YouTube videos.
Pikzels AI Pricing Plans
Pikzels offers three pricing plans based on how many thumbnails you need every month.
Each plan comes with a set number of credits, and as you choose higher-tier plans, you unlock more advanced features.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Essential – $20/month: This plan lets you create up to 20 thumbnails and gives you 200 credits. It works in any language and includes the Thumbnail Generator. You won’t have access to Thumbnail Recreation, FaceSwap, Edit Thumbnail, or the Title Generator. Sketch to Thumbnail and Thumbnail Enhancer are on the way. This plan doesn’t include private generations or early access to new features.
- Premium – $40/month (Most Popular): Create up to 150 thumbnails with this plan, which includes 1000 credits (and they increase monthly!). It also works in any language and includes both the Thumbnail Generator and Thumbnail Recreation. You’ll get access to FaceSwap, Edit Thumbnail, and the Title Generator. Sketch to Thumbnail and Thumbnail Enhancer are coming soon. Like the Essential plan, this one doesn’t have private generations or early access to new features.
- Ultimate – $80/month: This top-tier plan lets you generate up to 450 thumbnails and gives you 3000 credits (which also increase monthly). It works in any language and unlocks all features, including FaceSwap, Edit Thumbnail, and the Title Generator. Sketch to Thumbnail and Thumbnail Enhancer are coming soon. All your generations stay private, and you get early access to new features.
Want to save some cash? Choose annual billing and get 30% off any plan.
Want to try before you buy? Pikzels offers a free trial, which lets you create five thumbnails with a watermark.
Pikzels Pros:
- Effortless Creation: Just describe your idea to the AI, and it generates a thumbnail that matches.
- Excellent Quality: In my experience, Pikzels produces the best thumbnails compared to other tools I’ve tested.
- Personalized Touch: The face swap feature lets you easily add your own face to thumbnails for a more personal and authentic look, which is great since AI-generated images often don’t resemble you.
- Learn from the Best: The inspiration tool allows you to mimic the style of successful thumbnails, so you can easily create attention-grabbing designs based on proven examples.
Pikzels Cons:
- Limited Free Trial: The free trial is barely functional. You can only create five thumbnails, and they all have a huge, distracting watermark.
- Hit-or-Miss Results: You might use up credits and still get thumbnails that are low quality or edits that don’t look how you intended.
- Costly Subscription: At $80 a month for 300 thumbnails, it’s not budget-friendly. Plus, you often need to generate and edit 20-30 thumbnails just to find one that’s really good.
- Potential for Overuse: AI tools like this are impressive initially, but their impact might lessen as more people use them. AI-generated thumbnails could eventually lose their appeal and start to look generic.
Pikzels AI Review Final Thoughts
Pikzels helps you create AI-generated YouTube thumbnails quickly and easily, even if you don’t have design experience. With the Recreate feature, you can mimic the style of high-performing thumbnails, and FaceSwap lets you personalize them in seconds. It’s a nice tool for creators looking to improve their video’s click-through rate without spending hours on design.
Remember, AI results can be inconsistent, so you might need a few attempts to get what you want. The free trial comes with heavy watermarks, which limits its usefulness, and the credit system could get expensive if you need a lot of edits.
If you’re willing to experiment a bit and want to save time on thumbnail creation, Pikzels is worth trying out. Click the button below and get started.
Do you still have any questions about this Pikzels AI review? Let us know in the comment section below.
*This post may contain affiliate links, and if you decide to buy any of the promoted products, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
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