Marketing agency alternative
Marketing agency alternative: cost, turnaround and revisions compared with GenLabs
If most of what you pay a marketing agency for is posts, ad images and short videos, GenLabs makes that part: upload a product photo, pick a direction, and a set is ready in 2 minutes. GenLabs plans start at ฿599 a month, while the 2026 price guides that two Thai agencies publish put an entry-level monthly agency package at ฿15,000 and up. The work an agency adds, such as content strategy, ad management and shoots, is covered in "When is an agency still the better choice?" below.
Who should look at an alternative to a marketing agency?
This page is for owners who sell products or a service menu and pay an agency or a freelancer for posts, ad images and short videos, or are about to. It fits best if you have run into these:
- A monthly package fixes the number of pieces, such as 8 to 12 posts a month at the entry level, in the price guides two agencies publish [5][6].
- You wait days for the first set: 5 days on average at HypeLive [7], or 7 days for 7 image-and-caption pieces from one Fastwork freelancer [2].
- You fix work one round at a time, and some sellers charge once you pass the agreed rounds, such as ฿100 an image for the fourth round [1].
- You want to change an image or video yourself when a new promotion starts.
If you want someone to plan your marketing and watch the numbers for you, read the section "When is an agency still the better choice?" below first.
What does an online marketing agency in Thailand do for you, and what does GenLabs do?
A marketing agency (some call themselves an advertising agency or an online marketing company) sells many jobs in one monthly package. GenLabs does two jobs, making images and videos, and then scheduling the posts.
What a monthly agency package often includes
From the 2026 price guide of Sphere Agency, a Bangkok advertising agency and production house, which sums up what Bangkok agencies charge and include [5].
- A content plan, a post calendar and a monthly report.
- 8 to 12 posts a month in the entry package, and 15 to 24 pieces (graphics, carousels, Reels, short videos) at the growth level.
- Replies to comments and messages (the growth level has an agreed reply time).
- A professional photo or video shoot 1 to 2 times a quarter (growth level).
- Ad management costs 15 to 20% of your ad spend, or a flat ฿10,000 to ฿50,000 a month, on top of the ad spend itself (the starter level leaves it out).
What GenLabs does
- Makes product and ad images from a product photo (a phone photo is fine) or from a service business's brief. You pick a direction, GenLabs writes the prompts and makes the images, up to 4 per run.
- Makes a vertical short video of 10 to 15 seconds from a product photo, with a Thai AI presenter if you want one.
- A Brand Kit keeps your logo, colours and brand details once, and every new job starts from them.
- Edits images, removes backgrounds and resizes for each channel.
- Schedules posts to TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, with AI-written captions, post analytics and a unified inbox for supported accounts.
Work made with GenLabs
The three images are GenLabs sample work for made-up products, and the video is a sample walkthrough of a condo for rent. None of the four is client work, we have no sales numbers or ad results for them, and the text on the packs in the images is English.
How do a freelancer, an agency and GenLabs differ on cost, turnaround and revisions?
They differ in price and in how the work is done. The table lists the numbers as each page prints them, read on 30 September 2026: five rows are sellers' own package prices, and two are market ranges from price guides that two agencies publish. We did not average or estimate any number, and each package holds different work, so a "what you get" column comes with each row. GenLabs wrote this page; every other number is printed on the page at the link given.
| Seller | Type | Price | What you get | Turnaround | Revisions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fastwork: amm_ch31 | Freelancer | ฿600 (1 image) · ฿2,700 (5 images) · ฿5,000 (10 images) | Ad image design, image files only; you supply the product photo and logo | Not stated | 3 rounds per image; the 4th costs ฿100 an image | [1] |
| Fastwork: sursys | Freelancer | ฿7,900 (7 pieces) · ฿14,900 (15 pieces) · ฿18,900 (20 pieces) | Image and caption pieces for social media; topics and brand-matched design included; files sized for Facebook, Instagram and LINE OA | 7 days · 10 days · 15 days | Not stated | [2] |
| Fastwork: ntd.mongdai | Freelancer | ฿1,500 · ฿2,500 · ฿3,500 | 60-second TikTok video: the first pack is editing, the second is planning, shooting and editing, the third is a 1-minute story video | 5 days · 5 days · 10 days | 1 · 2 · 2 rounds | [3] |
| Fastwork: taektangmarketing | Video team | ฿19,900 (10 clips a month) · ฿26,900 (15) · ฿32,900 (20) · ฿39,900 (30) | A month's content plan, shooting and editing | 10 days · 15 days · 20 days · 30 days | Unlimited | [4] |
| Sphere Agency (price guide) | What Bangkok agencies charge, per Sphere Agency's guide | ฿15,000-30,000 a month (starter) · ฿30,000-70,000 a month (growth) | Starter: 8-12 posts, a post calendar, a monthly report, replies in office hours, no ad management. Growth: 15-24 posts including short video, a content strategy, a professional shoot 1-2 times a quarter, ad management for ad budgets up to ฿50,000-100,000 a month | Not stated | Not stated | [5] |
| Old School Agency (price guide) | Market rates, per Old School Agency's survey | ฿15,000-25,000 a month (starter) · ฿35,000-60,000 a month (growth) | Starter: about 8-12 still graphics with basic captions. Growth: a content strategy, several formats including short video, SEO articles | Not stated | Not stated | [6] |
| HypeLive | Video production house | ฿24,900 a month · ฿64,900 a month | 4 short videos and 10 product photos · 8 short videos, 20 product photos and 5 lifestyle photos | 5 days on average | 2 rounds · 3 rounds | [7] |
| GenLabs | An app you use yourself | ฿599 (Startup) · ฿1,990 (Pro) · ฿4,990 (Business) a month | Images, 10-15 second short videos, image editing, scheduled posts, post analytics, a unified inbox for supported accounts | 2 minutes per set of graphics or video, as GenLabs states | No revision rounds to ask for; you edit in the app (edit image, remove background, resize) or make a new set | [8][9] |
- Fastwork amm_ch31
- Fastwork sursys
- Fastwork ntd.mongdai
- Fastwork taektangmarketing
- Sphere Agency, "Social media marketing prices in Thailand: the complete guide 2026", published 26 May 2026
- Old School Agency, "Content marketing prices 2026", dated 1 January 2026
- HypeLive, "Video and brand content" package table, undated
- GenLabs pricing page
- GenLabs product page
All read 30 September 2026. The sellers' pages are in Thai; the English lines are our translation.
How to read this table
- Only the image and video part compares like for like. The agency packages also hold other work, such as a content plan, replies to messages, a shoot and a report, while the GenLabs price is the price of an app that makes images and videos and schedules posts, so the prices are not for the same job.
- The videos are not the same kind. A GenLabs video is 10 to 15 seconds; ntd.mongdai's videos in the table run to 60 seconds, and some packs include the shooting.
- The GenLabs cost per image or video depends on the plan and how many you make in a month. FAQ 3 below shows how it is counted.
When is an agency still the better choice?
An agency is the better choice when you want someone to own the plan and the numbers, not only to make the pieces. Pick an agency if any of these is true:
- You want someone to set the content strategy and send a monthly report. Sphere Agency's price guide puts both in the growth level [5]. In GenLabs you pick the direction yourself, add your own instructions if you want to, and see post results in the app.
- You want someone to set up and manage your ads. Sphere Agency's price guide puts the ad management fee at 15 to 20% of ad spend or a flat ฿10,000 to ฿50,000 a month, on top of the ad spend [5]. GenLabs makes images and videos you can use as ads, and schedules posts to TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
- You want a real shoot with people or products. Sphere Agency's price guide puts a production photo shoot at ฿8,000 to ฿25,000 a time [5]. GenLabs makes images and videos from the product photo you upload; if customers decide by colour or texture, compare every image with the real product.
- You want someone to answer comments and messages within an agreed time. In the same guide, the growth level has an agreed reply time [5]. GenLabs has a unified inbox for supported accounts.
- You want an account manager, revision rounds you can ask for, or a contractual reply time. GenLabs does not sell these three.
- No one on your team has time to make the work, check the Thai spelling and product details, and schedule the post. (If you would rather have our team make the videos, see question 5.)
Where one of these is true, keep the agency for that job and move only the making of images and videos into GenLabs. A good-looking image does not guarantee sales, whoever makes it, so try several images and compare the results.
How do you move the image and video work from an agency into GenLabs?
Start by splitting your current package into two piles, then try the first pile with your own product photo. It takes a few minutes.
- Open your current quote or package and split it in two: the pieces that are posts, ad images and short videos (the pile GenLabs can make) and the pieces that are planning, ad management, reports and shoots (the pile you may still want the agency to do). Ask the agency exactly how many posts, how many platforms, what reply time and what report schedule the package holds, and to bill ad management apart from ad spend, as Sphere Agency advises [5].
- Sign up for GenLabs, upload a phone photo of your product, pick a direction and press create. You can try it free, with no card needed.
- Check each image against the real product, above all the Thai spelling and the small details of the product, then fix it in the app (edit image, remove background, resize).
- If the work can replace the first pile, choose the plan that fits your monthly number of pieces (See all plans and prices), then ask your agency whether this work can be cut from its package.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a marketing agency in Thailand cost a month?
It depends on the package. Sphere Agency's 2026 price guide says Bangkok agencies charge ฿15,000 to ฿30,000 a month for 8 to 12 posts, and ฿30,000 to ฿70,000 for 15 to 24 posts. The market rates Old School Agency surveyed are ฿15,000 to ฿25,000 and ฿35,000 to ฿60,000 a month. HypeLive, a video production house, charges ฿24,900 a month for 4 short videos and 10 product photos. Sphere Agency's guide puts ad management at 15 to 20% of your ad spend, or a flat ฿10,000 to ฿50,000 a month, on top of the ad spend. All read on 30 September 2026. Each package holds different work, so see the table above.
Can GenLabs replace an agency completely?
Not completely. GenLabs makes images, short videos and edits, and schedules posts. The work an agency package holds or bills apart, such as content strategy, a monthly report, a shoot and ad management, you can keep with your agency while you make the images and videos yourself in GenLabs. GenLabs does not sell an account manager, revision rounds you can ask for or an agreed reply time.
How much does GenLabs cost, what is that per image and per video, and can I try it first?
Startup is ฿599 a month (80 credits), Pro is ฿1,990 a month (400 credits) and Business is ฿4,990 a month (1,600 credits). Pay by card with a monthly renewal, or by PromptPay, paid once for 30 days. A standard image costs 1 credit. If you spend every credit on standard images, that is about ฿7.49 an image on Startup (599 divided by 80) and under ฿5 on Pro (1,990 divided by 400). Right now a video of 10 to 15 seconds costs 15 credits. Plan credits do not carry over to the next period, so if you use fewer, the cost per piece is higher. A GenLabs video also cannot be set straight against a freelancer's 60-second video, because the length and the way it is made differ. New signups get a free trial of 10 credits, with no card needed. See all plans and prices.
How long does GenLabs take, and how do I fix work I do not like?
GenLabs states that each set is ready in 2 minutes (one set of graphics or one video). After that you check the work yourself, above all the Thai spelling and the product details. GenLabs has no revision rounds to ask for. You edit in the app (edit image, remove background, resize), which uses no credits on a paid plan, or you make a new set, which uses credits. During the free trial, a resize or a request for a similar image uses 1 trial credit.
If I have no time to do it myself, can the GenLabs team make the videos?
Yes. There is a separate GenLabs agency service: 10 custom-designed AI videos, fully edited and ready to post, for ฿19,990, with the Business plan included (the plan normally costs ฿4,990 a month). You arrange it by chat on LINE, not by checkout on the pricing page.
Make your first piece from your own product photo
700+ Thai businesses have paid for GenLabs. GenLabs' mission is to make marketing easier for brands. Put your agency's quote beside you, make one piece from your own product photo, and see whether it can take that job.