Quick verdict — when to pick which
Your bottleneck is deciding which creatives to launch — not producing more of them. You already have designers, Canva, Figma, or a different generator producing variants; you need a pre-testing layer on top.
Your bottleneck is production volume. You need to turn brand assets and prompts into 20+ ad variants a week and your team doesn't have design bandwidth. Pencil is purpose-built for scaled generation.
Two halves of the same workflow
Pencil and GazeIQ are categorically different tools. Comparing them is a bit like comparing Figma to a usability lab — both are valuable, they just sit at different points in the workflow.
Pencil: generation
Takes brand assets + brief → produces many ad variants fast. Output is quantity. Solves the "we need more creatives this week" problem.
GazeIQ: pre-testing
Takes any ad creative → produces attention heatmap + score + fixes. Output is confidence. Solves the "which of these creatives will actually convert" problem.
Neither tool replaces the other. If your bottleneck is producing ads, a generator like Pencil is the right investment. If your bottleneck is launching the wrong creatives and burning media spend, a pre-tester like GazeIQ is the right investment. The mature answer for performance teams is "both, in sequence."
Feature comparison: GazeIQ vs. Pencil
| Feature | Pencil | GazeIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | AI ad generation | AI ad creative pre-testing |
| Attention heatmap | ||
| Element-level scoring | 5 named sub-metrics (CTA, headline, hierarchy, edge, clutter) | |
| AI fix recommendations | Generation-focused prompts | Principle-based fixes (Von Restorff, F-pattern, Z-pattern) |
| A/B pre-testing | Generate variants | Pre-test up to 5 variants with winner analysis |
| Platform-specific mockups | Resize by format | Meta Feed, Instagram Story, Google Display scoring |
| Pricing floor | Brand / agency plans | Self-serve, monthly |
| Free tier | Trial | 3 scans, no credit card |
| Time to insight | Generation minutes–hours | Under 8 seconds per scan |
| Primary use case | Scale creative production | Filter which creatives get launched |
| Ideal team size | Brand / agency / enterprise | Startup, growth, mid-market, agency |
Pencil feature descriptions based on publicly available product material; check pencil.com for current offerings.
When Pencil is the better choice
Pencil solves real problems that GazeIQ doesn't even try to address. Here's when it's the right pick:
When GazeIQ is the better choice
If the problem you're solving is "which of these ads will perform before I spend on them?", GazeIQ is the direct answer:
Can you use both?
Yes — and this is the workflow we specifically recommend if you have budget for both. It looks like this:
Generate at volume with Pencil
Use Pencil (or any generator) to produce 5–6 variants of each ad concept. Don't filter at this stage — quantity is the goal.
Pre-test the full batch with GazeIQ
Upload all 5–6 variants into a single GazeIQ A/B session. You get Attention Scores, heatmaps, and sub-metrics for each in under 60 seconds of total scan time.
Iterate the borderline variants
Anything scoring 60–70 gets GazeIQ's specific fix recommendations applied (move CTA, increase contrast, etc.), regenerated in Pencil if needed, and re-scored. One iteration is usually enough.
Launch only validated creatives
Put live media spend behind the top 2–3 variants — the ones scoring 75+. Kill the ones below 65. That's the filter that stops weak creatives from dragging down campaign averages.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pencil?
Pencil (part of Brandtech Group) is a generative AI tool that produces ad creative from brand assets, briefs, and prompts. It's used by brands and agencies to generate high volumes of image and video ads quickly, often with performance prediction features layered on top.
Is GazeIQ a replacement for Pencil?
Not a direct replacement — they solve different problems. Pencil generates creative; GazeIQ pre-tests it. If you're trying to produce more ads, a generator is what you need. If you're trying to predict which of your existing or generated ads will convert before launch, GazeIQ is purpose-built for that.
Can I use Pencil and GazeIQ together?
Yes. This is the most common workflow we see: generate 5 ad variants with Pencil, run all 5 through GazeIQ in a single A/B session, and launch only the ones with the strongest attention architecture. You get the generation speed of Pencil plus the filter that stops low-performing variants from wasting media spend.
Does Pencil include attention heatmaps?
Pencil offers performance prediction features in some plans, but its core positioning is generation, not pre-testing. GazeIQ's core product is predictive attention: TranSalNet-based heatmaps (CC=0.907 on SALICON), element-level scoring for CTA/headline/hierarchy/edge/clutter, and principle-based recommendations grounded in Von Restorff, F-pattern, and Z-pattern.
How is GazeIQ priced compared to Pencil?
GazeIQ is self-serve with a free tier (3 scans, no credit card) and monthly paid plans — explicitly priced for growth and mid-market teams. Pencil is generally sold on more enterprise-oriented plans and agency/brand contracts. Check both pricing pages for current numbers.