Tella vs Poko vs Arcade: AI Video Editors Compared

Three tools. Three very different ideas about what a product demo should look like. Here's how to pick the one that fits your workflow.

If you're a product team looking for a better way to create demos in 2026, you've probably stumbled across Tella, Poko, and Arcade. All three show up in the same searches, get recommended in the same listicles, and position themselves as modern alternatives to Loom and Camtasia.

But they're not the same kind of tool. They overlap just enough to create confusion and diverge just enough that picking the wrong one wastes real time.

• Tella is a multi-layout screen recorder with AI cleanup
• Poko is an AI-powered video studio for polished production
• Arcade creates interactive click-through demos (not video)

Understanding what each one actually does-and more importantly what it doesn’t-is the fastest way to pick the right tool.

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What Tella Does Well

Tella was built around one clever idea: record your screen and camera separately, then combine them in different layouts.

You can switch between:

• Bubble cam
• Split screen
• Picture-in-picture
• Full screen

This creates dynamic, multi-angle videos without editing.

AI Editing Focus: Cleanup

Tella’s AI improves your recording by:

• Removing filler words ("um", "uh")
• Trimming silences
• Cutting repeated phrases

The result is a cleaner version of your recording-not a transformed one.

Strengths

• Great for presenter-led content
• Native integrations (Slack, Notion, Linear)
• Shareable links with analytics
• Simple workflow

Limitations

• No cursor zoom
• Basic captions (no styling)
• No device frames or brand slides
• No timeline editor

Tella makes recordings cleaner-not cinematic.

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What Poko Does Differently

Poko treats your screen recording as raw material and turns it into a finished video using AI.

What Happens After Recording

Poko analyzes your session and automatically:

• Detects clicks and navigation
• Builds a storyboard
• Applies cinematic cursor zoom
• Generates captions (57 styles)
• Adds device frames (MacBook, iPhone)
• Inserts brand intro/outro slides
• Layers background music

Full Editing Control

Underneath the AI:

• Timeline editor
• Scene reordering
• Playback speed (0.25x–4x)
• Text slides
• Caption fine-tuning

Voice & Export

• AI voice cloning for narration
• Export in 720p, 1080p, 4K
• Formats: landscape, portrait, square

One recording → multiple assets.

Limitations

• No real-time layout switching like Tella
• Slight delay due to AI processing

Poko focuses on production, not just recording.

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What Arcade Does Instead

Arcade doesn’t create video-it creates interactive demos.

Instead of watching, users click through your product at their own pace.

How It Works

• Capture product flow
• Convert into step-by-step walkthrough
• Add hotspots, callouts, branching

AI Features

• Auto-generated narration
• Copy suggestions

Strengths

• High engagement
• Strong conversion rates
• Embeds cleanly on websites

Limitations

• Output is HTML (not video)
• Cannot use in:
  • YouTube
  • Emails
  • Social media
  • Slide decks

Arcade is built for product discovery, not content distribution.

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Where Each Tool Fits

These tools serve different moments-not the same job.

Use Tella if:

• You present on camera
• You need multi-layout recordings
• You want quick cleanup without editing

Use Poko if:

• You need polished, customer-facing videos
• You want AI editing and branding
• Your content goes to marketing, social, or sales

Use Arcade if:

• You want users to explore your product
• Your demos live on your website or docs
• Engagement and conversion matter most

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Using More Than One

The best teams don’t choose one-they combine them.

A practical setup:

• Poko → polished videos (landing pages, social, email)
• Arcade → interactive demos (product pages, onboarding)
• Tella → internal updates and face-to-camera content

Each tool solves a different problem.

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The Bottom Line

These tools aren’t competitors-they’re different formats.

• Video (Poko, Tella) → for communication and storytelling
• Interactive (Arcade) → for exploration and engagement

Pick based on:

• Where your demo lives
• Who is watching
• How they consume it

Match the tool to the moment-and everything else falls into place.