What do explainer video studios charge?
Only studios that publish a price on their own site are listed, cheapest first. Studios that quote only on request, such as Explainify, Vidico and Moonb, can't be compared this way.
| Studio | 60-second price | Notes | Turnaround | Revisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arigato Videos | $300 / $600 / $1,200 | $5, $10 or $20 per second | 7–10 days | 1, 2 or 4 rounds |
| Lost Marble Media (UK) | From £975 | Script, VO, music included | Not published | Not published |
| Breadnbeyond | From $1,000 | Three 1-minute packages, priced on request | 5–7 weeks | Unlimited |
| Yans Media | From $1,500 (AI-assisted); from $4,500 (custom) | Not published | Not published | |
| Broadcast2World | $2,400 / $3,500 / $5,500 | Extra 30 s: $750–$1,500; VO and licensed music included | 2–3, 6–8 or 8–12 weeks by tier | 2 per stage |
| Magic Motion Studio | $2,500 (60 s) / $5,000 (60–90 s) | Pro adds cutdowns and resizes | 3–4 weeks | 2 or 5 rounds |
| Gisteo | $3,500 / $4,000 / $5,000 | Animate-only / full service / fast pass; extra 30 s $500 | 3–4, 5–6 or 2–3 weeks | Unlimited within each stage |
| Creamy Animation | $5,000–$10,000 (standard) | Premium to $25,000; enterprise to $50,000 | 4–8 weeks | 3–5 per milestone |
From each studio's own pricing page, checked November 2, 2026. Prices change and several pages contradict themselves (Creamy lists three different timelines), so confirm before you buy. For the full studio comparison, see 12 explainer video companies.
The pattern: published entry prices for a one-minute animated explainer cluster at $2,400 to $5,000, with a cheap tail from per-second and AI-assisted offers and an expensive tail from agencies that don't publish rates.
How much does each style cost?
| Style (60 s) | Market range |
|---|---|
| Whiteboard | $1,500–$5,000 |
| Motion graphics | $1,500–$6,000 |
| 2D vector animation | $2,500–$10,000 |
| Live action | $5,000–$20,000+ |
| 3D animation | $5,000–$25,000+ |
Ranges from Vidico's market guide (Vidico). Vidico is a studio, so treat these as an industry estimate, not survey data.
What drives the price of an explainer video?
- Style. Shootsta calls it "the single biggest price lever" (Shootsta). In Blue Carrot's breakdown, a motion-graphics minute is roughly script $400, storyboard $200–$300, illustrations $650–$750, animation $800–$1,000, voiceover $200–$300 and sound design $250 (Blue Carrot).
- Length. Each extra 30 seconds adds 25% to 40% according to Vidico, 30% to 50% according to Creamy, and 60% to 80% according to Pixune. Some studios charge a flat fee instead: $500 at Gisteo, $750 to $1,500 at Broadcast2World.
- Revisions. One or two rounds are typical; Vidico says each extra round adds 8% to 12%.
- Script. $500 to $1,500 if the studio writes it (Vidico); Gisteo's full-service tier is $500 more than animation-only.
- Voiceover and music. Quotes range from $200 to $5,000 for voice, depending on talent and usage. Several studios include a voice and licensed music in the base price.
- Rush. 15% to 60% extra for delivery in under about three weeks, depending on the studio (Levitate, Creamy, Vidico).
- Source files and extra formats. Buy-outs run from $500 to 30% of production cost; vertical, square and subtitled versions add 15% to 30% each (Levitate).
What is the average cost of an explainer video?
Most articles cite a Wyzowl survey of production companies. It's relayed as a $10,983 average (HubSpot), and as a $5,400 median with a range of $600 to $250,000 and a trimmed average near $8,457 (Fliki). Fliki notes the data was collected in late 2022. We couldn't open Wyzowl's own page to confirm. Because a few huge projects pull the average up, the median is the more realistic figure.
How long does it take to make one?
Studios that publish a timeline say 3 to 8 weeks for a custom 60-second explainer. Vidico breaks a typical project into 1–2 weeks of scripting, about a week of storyboard, 2–3 weeks of animation and about a week of revisions (Vidico). Fast tiers at Broadcast2World and Gisteo deliver in 2 to 3 weeks; per-second shops like Arigato quote 7 to 10 days.
What does a freelancer charge?
Honestly, the published ranges disagree by more than ten times. Vidico puts freelancers at $500 to $3,000 per minute (Vidico), while other studio guides quote from under $300 to $8,000. Marketplace pages on Upwork and Fiverr wouldn't load for us to verify. Expect to pay more for someone with a strong software portfolio, and ask for a fixed price that includes script, voice and two revision rounds.
What are the cheaper options?
| Option | Cost | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Screen recorder (Loom, Screen Studio) | Free to ~$30/month | Record, script and edit it yourself. See demo video tools |
| AI avatar tools (HeyGen, Synthesia) | ~$19–$89/month | Write a script; a presenter reads it. See comparisons |
| nod | $49 per video; $99/month for 3 | Paste your product page; approve the style, script and sound; get a finished motion-graphics video |