A UGC platform connects brands with creators who film videos about their products: reviews, unboxings, routines and demos the brand posts itself or runs as ads. They differ most in three ways: whether brands pay a subscription or per video, who sets the price, and what creators give up in fees. This guide compares seven platforms on those points, using what each company publishes on its own site.
We make Hypeling, so it's listed first. Hypeling is new and still in its pilot, so it has fewer creators and brands than most platforms here. Every fact about the others comes from their own pricing pages, help centers and terms, checked in November 2026. Prices change, so check before you sign up.
The short version
| Platform | Brands pay | Who sets the creator's price | Creators pay | Creators from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypeling | No subscription, creator's price + 10% fee | The creator, per pitch | Nothing | Anywhere, 18+ |
| SideShift | $299 to $999 a month, plus creator pay | The brand | Small withdrawal fees, optional Pro plan | US, Canada, UK, Australia |
| Billo | From $99 per video, no subscription needed | Billo | Nothing | US, Canada, UK |
| Insense | From $500 a month, plus creator pay and a 7% to 20% fee | The creator, negotiable | Free app | US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Singapore, 16 European countries |
| JoinBrands | Free to $499 a month, plus an 8% to 15% fee | Mostly the brand | 20% of earnings (15% on Creator Pro) | US, UK, Germany, Australia, Canada |
| Collabstr | 10% fee at checkout, paid plans available | Listed packages or custom offers | 15% of each payout | Not stated |
| Trend | Credit packs from $550, no subscription | Trend | Nothing | US, iPhone only |
| Influee | $229 to $999 a month, plus a 10% fee | The creator | Not stated | 30+ countries |
Hypeling
A creator marketplace where brands post a brief for free and handpicked creators pitch an idea and their own price. Brands can book four kinds of work in one campaign: UGC videos, posts on the creator's own accounts, editing of the brand's footage and clipping of long videos into short ones.
- Brands: free to post, no subscription. You pay the creators' prices plus a 10% fee when you book (no fee during the pilot). Creators usually charge $100 to $300 per UGC video.
- Creators: free to join from anywhere, 18+. You set your price on every pitch and keep 100% of it. Paid through Stripe once the brand approves the work.
- Good fit if you want to compare a few hand-picked pitches with prices instead of running a big recruiting funnel, or you need editing and clipping alongside UGC.
- Keep in mind: it's new, so there are fewer open campaigns and creators than on the bigger platforms.
SideShift
A creator marketing platform for brands and agencies, with a free creator app ("SideShift: Earn Money"). It's built for volume: brands run many creators at once, often posting to brand-owned accounts, and track the results.
- Brands: Starter $299 a month (15 creators live), Growth $499 (50 creators), Scale $999 (unlimited), or about 30% less billed annually. Creator pay comes on top from a wallet you fund. The brand sets the rate per video and any bonus per view. SideShift says the median account pays $7 to $9 a video.
- Creators: free account, with an optional paid Pro subscription in the app. Open to the US, Canada, UK and Australia, 18+. SideShift charges small fees on bank withdrawals.
- Ratings: 4.8 from about 30,800 App Store ratings; 1.9 from 18 Trustpilot reviews.
- Good fit if you're a brand that wants dozens of creators posting at low cost per video, or a creator who wants frequent small jobs.
More detail in Is SideShift legit?
Billo
A UGC video platform for e-commerce brands and agencies, with a separate creator app.
- Brands: pay per video, from $99, with no subscription needed. Fees are built into the video price. A managed service starts at $2,000 a month.
- Creators: free, 18+, in the US, Canada or UK, and no social following needed. Billo sets the pay by creator tier and video length. Creators set their own price for add-ons like posting on their account.
- Ratings: creator app 4.7 from about 2,000 App Store ratings; 3.9 from 522 Trustpilot reviews.
- Good fit if you want simple per-video pricing without a subscription.
Insense
A self-serve and managed platform for UGC and influencer campaigns, used by brands and agencies.
- Brands: a one-month trial from $650, then plans from $500 a month billed quarterly. A marketplace fee of 20% (trial), 10% (Brand) or 7% (Agency) is added to each creator payment.
- Creators: free app. Creators set and negotiate their price. Insense asks for at least 1,000 Instagram followers or 500 median TikTok views, with 1% engagement or more.
- Ratings: 4.7 from about 3,200 App Store ratings; 3.6 from 192 Trustpilot reviews.
- Good fit if you run influencer posts, Spark Ads or TikTok Shop alongside UGC and want one subscription for it.
JoinBrands
A marketplace for UGC, affiliate and TikTok Shop creators.
- Brands: pay-as-you-go is free with a 15% fee. Plans run from $99 to $499 a month and lower the fee to 12%, 10% or 8%. UGC videos start at $25.
- Creators: 18+, in the US, UK, Germany, Australia or Canada. JoinBrands keeps 20% of creator earnings, or 15% with Creator Pro. Payouts go out through PayPal.
- Ratings: 4.6 from about 900 App Store ratings; 4.4 from 289 Trustpilot reviews.
- Good fit if you sell on TikTok Shop or want lots of low-cost content.
Collabstr
An open influencer marketplace where brands browse creator profiles and buy listed packages or send custom offers.
- Brands: a 10% fee is added at checkout. Paid plans with lower fees are available.
- Creators: free to join, but profiles are reviewed and a card is needed for screening. Collabstr takes 15% of each payout.
- Ratings: 4.9 from about 600 App Store ratings; 4.5 from 500 Trustpilot reviews.
- Good fit if you want to browse and buy from creator profiles directly, mostly for influencer posts.
Trend
A self-serve UGC photo and video platform for e-commerce brands, owned by soona since 2023.
- Brands: credit packs from $550, with no subscription. Credits expire after 12 months. Hiring one creator for two videos or five photos costs 20 to 60 credits.
- Creators: free, no followers needed, US-based iPhone users only. Rates are set by Trend, not negotiated. Paid through PayPal on approval.
- Ratings: 4.0 from about 300 App Store ratings.
- Good fit if you want photos and videos at fixed prices with no negotiation.
Influee
A UGC marketplace with a built-in video editor, for e-commerce brands.
- Brands: $229 a month for 10 collaborations, up to $999 for 50. A 10% fee is added on top of creator pay.
- Creators: free, no follower count needed, from 30+ countries. Creators set their own rates.
- Ratings: 3.9 from 200 App Store ratings.
- Good fit if you want a monthly plan with a fixed number of collaborations.
How brands should choose
- Few great videos or lots of cheap ones? Platforms where creators pitch their own price (Hypeling, Insense, Influee) suit a handful of strong videos. Platforms where you set a low rate for many creators (SideShift, JoinBrands) suit volume.
- Subscription or not? If you run one campaign a quarter, a monthly plan costs you in the quiet months. Hypeling, Billo, Trend and JoinBrands' pay-as-you-go have no subscription.
- Do you need posts too? If you want creators to post to their own followers, pick a platform that handles influencer posts, like Hypeling, Insense, Collabstr or JoinBrands.
- Who owns the usage rights? Check how long you may run the videos as ads before you book, on any platform.
How creators should choose
- What do they take from you? Hypeling, Billo and Trend take nothing from your pay. JoinBrands keeps 20% and Collabstr 15%. SideShift charges withdrawal fees and sells an optional Pro plan.
- Who sets the price? If you want to charge for your experience, pick a platform where you pitch your own rate.
- Can you join from your country? Several platforms only accept creators in the US, Canada, UK or Australia.
- How do you get paid? Check the payout method (Stripe, PayPal, bank) and when the money is released.
Questions
What is the best UGC platform for beginners? One that needs no followers and lets you build a track record: Hypeling, Billo, Trend and Influee all accept creators without an audience. Make three to five sample videos first; our guide on how to become a UGC creator shows how.
Are UGC platforms free for creators? Joining is free on all seven. What differs is what they keep: some take a share of your earnings or charge to withdraw, others charge only the brand.
How much do brands pay for UGC? It ranges widely. SideShift reports a median of $7 to $9 a video for its high-volume campaigns, Billo starts at $99 a video, and creators on Hypeling usually charge $100 to $300 for a single polished video with usage rights.