Methods brings creators to your campaign through its iPhone app: they apply with a 20 to 40 second video, Methods and you approve it before it posts, and pay follows the views, with 10% added on your side. viral.app runs the creators you hire or bring: every post tracked on five platforms, pay rules with tiers and caps, compliant payouts and published plans from $99.
The short version: pick Methods if you want a stream of short videos from creators who find your campaign in a popular creator app, with every video approved before it posts and a prefunded budget that stops at a cap. Pick viral.app if you run your own creator program: you contract the creators, keep the rights you agree, track every account on five platforms and pay through a merchant of record for 3%, on plans with published prices.
We make viral.app, so read this with that in mind. Every Methods fact below comes from Methods' own site, its HQ page for brands, its terms and privacy policy, and its App Store listing, checked on October 2, 2026, with links at the end. Where Methods doesn't say something, we write "Not public". Where its own pages disagree, we show both.
Are you a creator looking for paid UGC work? This page is for brands; join the Canvas UGC marketplace instead, from any country.
Each of these 11 jobs goes to the tool that does it better. Where they work differently, the better pick depends on your program.
Every video approved before it posts: Methods does this better.
Methods' moderation team and you review each video before the creator posts it. viral.app tracks posts once they're live.
Creators who find your campaign: Methods does this better.
A consumer iPhone app, rated 4.8 from 47,726 US ratings, where creators browse paid campaigns and apply with a short video. On viral.app, creators apply to your job on the Canvas UGC marketplace.
AI avatar videos: Methods does this better.
Methods generates realistic videos from an avatar, next to real creators. viral.app doesn't produce or edit videos.
Seeing the price before you start: viral.app does this better.
Plans from $99 a month plus 3% on payouts, published. Methods' pricing page is under construction; its terms name a 10% fee and mention subscriptions without prices.
Fee on creator pay: viral.app does this better.
3% on your side, none of it from creator pay. Methods' terms take 10% from your account and let it keep a service fee from creator pay too, at a rate it doesn't publish.
Working with creators directly: viral.app does this better.
On viral.app you contract creators yourself, and creators you bring need no account. Methods' terms keep every deal and payment on its platform, and creators need a Methods account with linked social accounts.
Rights to the videos: viral.app does this better.
Only what you agree with the creator. Methods' terms give Methods, as well as you, a perpetual, sublicensable license to every campaign video and the creator's likeness (section 9).
Deals beyond a rate per view: viral.app does this better.
Base pay by platform, salary, CPM tiers, bonuses and caps, tested on a creator's recent videos. Methods' terms describe pay on views, engagement or tasks, up to a maximum payout.
Tracking any account, competitors included: viral.app does this better.
Any public account on five platforms, from a URL. Methods tracks creators' linked accounts to work out pay; HQ's page shows tracking competitors' posts as an example prompt, with no details.
Taxes and invoices: viral.app does this better.
A merchant of record invoices every payout, with KYC and DAC7. Methods' terms say it can act as merchant of record at its discretion; otherwise each side handles its own taxes.
AI on the brand side: they work differently.
HQ by Methods starts from a prompt: analyze your site, source creators, draft a strategy from your files. viral.app's Copilot answers analytics questions and builds campaigns and briefs, with your approval.
Methods is built creator first. Its homepage pitch is "Methods helps you make money online", and its iPhone app lists paid campaigns, which it calls Methods, for anyone to join: make a short video, get it approved, post it on your own account and get paid on the views. Brands post those campaigns, and its brand console, HQ by Methods, promises UGC campaigns "at a fraction of the cost of paid ads".
viral.app starts on the brand's side. You hire creators through the Canvas UGC marketplace or bring your own, every post they make is tracked, and pay follows rules you write. So the question that decides it is whether you want creators to come through someone else's app, or run them as your own program.
In Methods: HQ by Methods starts from a prompt. Its page cycles through examples: a strategy from your brand guidelines and ad spend, sourcing creators, analyzing your site and competitors' posts, and adapting scripts from a creator's posts.
In viral.app: viral.app's Copilot works inside your workspace: it answers analytics questions and builds campaigns and briefs from a few questions, and asks before it changes anything.
Methods says it has paid creators over $1,000,000, and its site counts 343,000+ brands and creators. It fits best when:
Post a campaign and creators find it in a consumer app built around getting paid for short videos.
Methods' moderation team and you review each video before it goes live, and you fund a capped budget with an end date.
Realistic videos generated from an avatar, plus a prompt-driven console for strategy and sourcing.
The fit is clearest for startups that want a lot of short, low-CPM UGC without managing each creator: its HQ page shows logos of tech startups and says those companies are "replacing their marketing teams with HQ". Before mixing AI avatar videos with real creators, read how AI UGC compares with creator UGC. Other per-view marketplaces publish more: SideShift lists plans from $299 a month, NewWave from $199 with review before posting, and Noise has a $0 plan where you pay only for views.
Methods doesn't publish its prices. Its pricing page shows "Under Construction", and its terms point to that page for the fees. What the terms do set:
So the one cost you can compare is the fee. Here is Methods' 10% alone, with no plan, next to a viral.app plan plus 3%, at the same creator pay:
On a small budget, Methods' fee alone is lower: below about $1,400 a month in creator pay against Pro, about $4,300 against Ultra and about $7,100 against Scale at $499 for up to 500 creators. Above that, viral.app costs less even before any Methods plan is counted, and the gap grows with the budget. The table also leaves out whatever service fee Methods keeps from creator pay, which comes out of what your creators receive. Ask for both numbers in a demo before you sign.
Neither fits?
This is where Methods' terms matter most for a brand. Methods describes itself as a platform that connects creators and brands, and it keeps the whole relationship on that platform.
In practice, creators you bring to viral.app stay yours: they're tracked from a URL, paid by claim link without an account, and never shown to other brands.
Thirty-three rows in five groups, starting with fees and terms. "Yes" means the product does it, "Partly" means it covers part of the job, and "Not public" means we couldn't find it on Methods' public pages.
At a glance one mark per row, in table order
| What you need | Methods | viral.app |
|---|---|---|
| 01Fees, contracts and rightsWhere the two differ most | ||
| Fee on creator pay | Methods 10% of everything paid to creators, taken from your account, or another amount on its pricing page (terms 5). Its terms also deduct a service fee from creator pay, at a rate not published (terms 4). | viral.app 3% on each payout, paid by you. None of it comes out of creator pay. |
| Plan price | MethodsNot public Not public. Its pricing page is under construction; its terms mention subscriptions and one‑time purchases. | viral.app Pro $99, Ultra $299, Scale $499 a month, or $79, $239 and $399 billed yearly. |
| Creators you bring yourself | MethodsPartly They sign up for Methods, verify a phone number and link their social accounts, and are paid through Methods. | viral.appYes Tracked from a URL and paid by claim link, no viral.app account. Never shown to other brands. |
| Dealing with creators outside the platform | Methods Not allowed: campaigns, content and pay all go through Methods (terms 5). No time limit is stated. | viral.app Creators met on the Canvas UGC marketplace: 24 months, at least EUR 1,000. Creators you bring: never. |
| Rights to the videos | Methods The creator keeps ownership and grants Methods and you a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license, plus likeness rights (terms 9). Its privacy policy says Methods and brands may keep the content indefinitely. | viral.app Only what you agree with the creator. viral.app claims no rights to campaign videos. |
| Who the creator contracts with | Methods Methods connects you; disputes over a campaign are between you and the creator, and Methods disclaims liability for them (terms 17). | viral.app You, directly. viral.app is not a party. |
| Accounts made for campaigns | Methods Social accounts created for Methods campaigns become Methods' property (terms 3). | viral.app Influencer jobs post on creators' own accounts, Canvas UGC jobs on brand-owned or ambassador accounts. |
| Folded rows: Dealing with creators outside the platform; Rights to the videos; Who the creator contracts with; Accounts made for campaigns. | ||
| 02Finding creators and getting videosMethods' strongest area | ||
| Creator marketplace | MethodsYes Creators browse and apply to your campaigns in its iPhone app, rated 4.8 from 47,726 US App Store ratings. Its site counts 343,000+ brands and creators. | viral.appYes Canvas UGC marketplace: post a job, creators apply with portfolio, accounts, languages and location, and AI Matches ranks the best fits. |
| Review before it posts | MethodsYes Every video goes to Methods' moderation team and to you before it's posted. | viral.appNo Not built in. Posts are tracked once they're live. |
| How creators apply | MethodsYes With a short video for your campaign, per its App Store listing. | viral.appYes With a full profile; an optional application challenge asks for a sample video. |
| Video format | Methods Short videos, 20 to 40 seconds in its app listing and the example in its terms, posted from the creator's account. | viral.app Whatever your deal asks, tracked as Reels, TikToks and TikTok carousels, Shorts, Facebook Reels or Spotlight. |
| AI avatar videos | MethodsYes Its homepage offers realistic videos generated from an avatar. | viral.appNo Not offered. viral.app doesn't produce or edit videos. |
| Trending formats | MethodsYes Its app shows creators trending formats to follow. | viral.appYes A viral video library with new viral UGC found several times a day, on every plan. |
| Creator countries | MethodsNot public Not listed. The app is iPhone only, in English, and its terms say Methods runs from the US. | viral.appYes Each job sets countries of residence and languages; creators are paid in 180+ countries. |
| Folded rows: Video format; AI avatar videos; Trending formats; Creator countries. | ||
| 03Paying creatorsMethods pays automatically on views; viral.app on rules you approve | ||
| Pay structures | MethodsYes Views, engagement, set tasks or other metrics, up to a maximum payout and an end date (terms 5). | viral.appYes Base pay per video by platform, fixed salary, CPM tiers and milestone bonuses, with caps and view windows. |
| Test a deal before launch | MethodsNot public Not described on its pages. | viral.appYes Simulate the payout for one of your creators on their recent videos. |
| Funding and budget | Methods Fund the full maximum payout plus fees before the campaign goes live. If it isn't paid out by the end date, its terms say Methods may make pro-rata payments to creators, first come, first served. | viral.app Free bank transfer by SEPA, UK Faster Payments, US ACH, wire or SWIFT, with no conversion fee. Cards aren't accepted. |
| When creators are paid | MethodsYes Automatically or instantly as metrics are reached, at times Methods sets (terms 5); its app promises instant payouts. | viral.appYes A payout cycle per campaign and a due queue: adjust amounts, approve, pay up to 50 at once. |
| Views that count | MethodsYes Views from bots, scripts or paid inducements don't count, as Methods decides (terms 5). | viral.appYes Instagram-only counts for reels shared to Facebook; with TikTok or Meta connected, pay counts organic views only. |
| Invoices and tax | MethodsPartly Methods can act as merchant of record for a transaction, at its discretion; otherwise users handle their own taxes (terms 4 and 5). | viral.appYes Merchant of record on every payout: invoices for you and in each creator's name, KYC, AML and sanctions checks, and DAC7 reporting. |
| How creators get paid | MethodsYes To a Methods balance held through its financial partners (its terms name Cross River Bank; balances aren't FDIC insured), withdrawn after their KYC. Withdrawal options aren't listed. | viral.appYes One claim link, no account needed: bank transfer, PayPal, Venmo, USDC or EURC. Stablecoins arrive in minutes, PayPal and Venmo within an hour, bank transfers in 1 to 5 business days. |
| What creators pay | Methods Processing fees, withheld taxes and a Methods service fee set on its pricing page, which isn't public (terms 4). | viral.app No cut of creator pay, and none of your 3% comes out of it. Creators only pay their own method's fee where one applies, such as PayPal, Venmo or wires. |
| Folded rows: When creators are paid; Views that count; Invoices and tax; How creators get paid; What creators pay. | ||
| 04Tracking and reportingWhere viral.app goes further | ||
| Platforms | MethodsPartly Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, "or other platforms" a campaign names (terms 5). Facebook and Snapchat aren't named. | viral.appYes TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat. |
| Which posts are tracked | MethodsPartly Campaign posts on creators' linked accounts, to work out pay. | viral.appYes Any public account from a URL, every post in supported formats, up to your plan's tracked videos. |
| Competitor tracking | MethodsNot public HQ's page shows tracking competitors' posts as an example prompt; how it works isn't described. | viral.appYes Mark any tracked account as a competitor and see its top videos next to your own. |
| How often numbers refresh | MethodsNot public Its app promises real-time analytics, without a schedule. | viral.appYes Every 24 or 12 hours by plan, custom times on Scale, up to every hour on Enterprise, and on demand for 3 credits per video. |
| App revenue next to views | MethodsNot public Not described on its pages. | viral.appYes RevenueCat revenue, trials and subscribers per project, next to views. |
| Exports | MethodsNot public Not described. Its terms say Methods has no obligation to make data available for export (20). | viral.appYes Every table to CSV, plus day-by-day gains per video, and API access on Ultra and Scale. |
| Folded rows: How often numbers refresh; App revenue next to views; Exports. | ||
| 05AI, ads, team and data | ||
| AI on the brand side | MethodsYes HQ by Methods: a prompt box to analyze your site, source creators, draft a strategy from your files and adapt scripts, plus post approvals and automations, per its page. | viral.appYes Copilot answers analytics questions and builds campaigns and briefs, with your approval. |
| API and MCP | MethodsNot public No public API or MCP docs. | viral.appYes API and MCP server, included on Ultra and Scale. |
| Launch Spark Ads and partnership ads | MethodsNot public Not described on its pages. | viral.appYes Create Ad from any tracked post: Spark Ads on TikTok, partnership ads on Instagram and Facebook, on your own ad accounts. |
| Team seats | MethodsNot public Not public. | viral.app 1 on Pro, 10 on Ultra, 20 on Scale, then $15 each. |
| Where data is hosted | Methods Methods is headquartered in the US, and its privacy policy says data may be processed in the US and other countries. | viral.app Built in Germany, under GDPR; databases on Hetzner in Germany and Finland, the web app on Vercel. |
| Folded rows: Team seats; Where data is hosted. | ||
18 more rows in 5 groups, folded to keep the page short. Nothing is left out.
One creator, about five videos a week: $30 a video plus pay on views. On Methods the views part is what its campaigns are built for; the rest depends on how a campaign is set up, which its pages don't show. The last row is the reverse: Methods checks every video first, viral.app doesn't.
| Deal term | Methods |  viral.app |
|---|---|---|
| $30 base pay for each posted video | Partly | Yes |
| $1 per 1,000 views | Yes | Yes |
| $100 for each video past 100K views | Not public | Yes |
| Views count for 30 days after posting | Partly | Yes |
| Every video approved before it posts | Yes | No |
Partly: Methods' terms list pay for set tasks and its homepage offers $40 for a first video, but they don't say how a fee per video combines with pay on views; and views count until the campaign's end date or maximum payout, not for a set window per video. Not public: milestone bonuses aren't described. The last row is the reverse: viral.app has no review before posting.
viral.app counts each video's views for 30 days after posting and shows this breakdown before you approve the payout. The Methods line is the 10% its terms set on the same $1,000, before any plan and any service fee taken from the creator's side.
When a payout is approved, the creator gets one link and picks how to be paid. They don't need an account, and none of your 3% fee comes out of their pay. More on how that works on our creator payments page.
These are viral.app's real screens. Under each step is what the same step looks like on Methods, from its terms, app listing and HQ page.
Post a job on the Canvas UGC marketplace and invite the creators AI Matches ranks as the best fit. Or add creators you already work with by URL.
In Methods
Post a campaign with guidelines, a maximum payout and an end date, funded upfront. Creators find it in the Methods app and apply with a short video.
Put the agreed terms in the campaign: base pay per video by platform, CPM tiers, bonuses and caps.
In Methods
Set pay on views, engagement or tasks, up to the maximum payout. Methods' 10% fee is added on your side.
Each creator's accounts and latest posts across TikTok, Reels, Shorts, Facebook and Snapchat land in one dashboard.
In Methods
Methods' moderators and you approve each video; the creator posts it from their own account, and views are tracked on the linked account.
Check each calculated payout, adjust it if needed, then pay up to 50 creators at once.
In Methods
Pay moves from your Methods balance to each creator's, automatically as metrics are reached, until the budget or the end date runs out.
1. Creators come to you
A consumer iPhone app, rated 4.8 from 47,726 US ratings, where creators browse paid campaigns and apply.
2. Every video checked first
Methods' moderation team and you review each video before it goes live.
3. A hard budget cap
Each campaign has a maximum payout and an end date, and pay stops when either is reached.
4. AI avatar videos
Realistic videos generated from an avatar, next to real creators.
5. A console that starts from a prompt
HQ by Methods: analyze your site, source creators and draft a strategy from your files in one box.
6. Fast pay for creators
Automatic, instant payouts as views come in, which its app puts front and center.
1. Published prices, lower fee
Plans from $99 a month and 3% on payouts, on your side. None of it comes out of creator pay.
2. Your creators stay yours
You contract them directly, rights are what you agree, and creators you bring never need an account.
3. Pay rules beyond a rate per view
Base pay, CPM tiers, bonuses and caps, tested on a creator's recent videos before launch.
4. Track anyone
Any public account on five platforms, competitors included, plus a viral video library updated several times a day.
5. Compliant payouts in 180+ countries
Merchant of record, invoices in the creator's name, pay by bank, PayPal, Venmo or stablecoin.
6. API, MCP and ads
API and MCP on Ultra and Scale, and Spark Ads or Meta partnership ads from any tracked post.
David ParkJenni AI Founder“viral.app has become core infrastructure for running organic marketing. It has helped us scale to over a billion organic views.”
Zack HargettQuizlet/Coconote Co-Founder“viral.app feels like the first serious solution for managing high-volume UGC campaigns.”
Julian IvaldyWhoLiked Founder“viral.app has solved our biggest pain points. It’s handling everything from global payouts to invoicing and tax accounting.”
You don't have to pick one for everything. Methods is built to bring many creators to a capped, per-view campaign; viral.app to run creators as your own program and measure every account they post from. Some teams could run a Methods campaign for volume and run their core creators in viral.app.
Before you move anyone, check Methods' terms: every deal and payment with creators you met there stays on Methods, and the videos already carry a perpetual license to Methods. A campaign ends at its maximum payout or end date, so let open ones finish. Creators you found yourself can start in viral.app today.
Day 1
Add your creators' accounts
Paste the account URLs, or send us the list and we add them. Nobody has to sign up.
Day 1
Write your deals as rules
Base pay per video, CPM tiers and bonuses, tested on recent videos before anyone posts.
First week
Hire where you need more
Post a Canvas UGC or Influencer job and invite the highest-ranked matches.
After that
Let Methods campaigns run out
They end at their maximum payout or end date. Keep paying creators you met on Methods through Methods, as its terms require.
The public pages behind the facts on this page, and the date we last checked each one.
Checked Oct 2, 2026
Pages on other sites8
Methods homepage: brand deals, AI avatar videos, payment links, $1,000,000+ paid to creators, 343,000+ brands and creators, $40 first video
methods.appCheckedHQ by Methods: UGC campaigns for brands, example prompts, post approvals and automations (screenshot)
hq.methods.appCheckedMethods terms of service (effective Oct 16, 2025): sections 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 17 and 20
methods.app/Methods privacy policy (Oct 16, 2025): US headquarters, content shared with brands, retention
methods.app/Methods pricing page: Under Construction
methods.app/Methods demo request
methods.app/Methods - Make Money Online on the US App Store: 4.8 from 47,726 ratings, iPhone only, 20 to 40 second videos, instant payouts
apps.apple.com/Methods on Trustpilot: 2 reviews, TrustScore 2.9, unclaimed
trustpilot.com/Pages on viral.app10
viral.app plans and limits
viral.app/viral.app jobs: job types, AI Matches, invites
viral.app/viral.app payout rules
viral.app/viral.app creator payments: merchant of record, invoices, KYC, DAC7
viral.app/viral.app tracking: platforms, formats, refresh schedule, Instagram-only views
viral.app/viral.app Copilot: guided workflows and approvals (screenshot)
viral.app/viral.app ads: Spark Ads, Meta partnership ads, organic-only creator pay
viral.app/viral.app creator payouts: methods and arrival times
viral.app/viral.app RevenueCat integration
viral.app/viral.app terms: creator contracts, marketplace clause
viral.app/Last updated:
Insense sells creator content deal by deal, on a quarterly plan plus a marketplace fee on every creator payment. viral.app runs creators who keep posting and pays them on views. Here is what each one costs, fees included, what you get, and where each one wins.
Mike Schneider
Co-Founder
Cohley commissions creator content you own: UGC, reviews, seeding and shoots, checked before it reaches you, on a custom-priced plan. viral.app runs creators who keep posting and pays them on views. Here is what each costs, who each fits, and where each one wins.
Mike Schneider
Co-Founder
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