What an Explainer Video Really Costs
Four routes, four very different bills, all checked in September 2026.
An explainer video costs from under GBP 10 to more than US$50,000 in 2026, depending entirely on who makes it. Studios quote US$3,000 to US$25,000 for a custom animated minute. Freelancers bill US$35 to US$75 an hour. Subscription software runs US$10 to US$20 a month. AutoScribble charges GBP 9 or US$12 for 100 credits, one finished minute.
The short answer
How much an explainer video costs depends on the route, not the video. In 2026 the four routes price like this: a studio quotes thousands per finished minute, a freelancer bills by the hour, subscription software charges a monthly fee whether you make one video or ten, and generated video charges per finished minute of output.
The bands below are quoted from published 2026 pricing guides and from each company's own pricing page, with the date each was checked.
Why the honest number is hard to find
Tool sites avoid this question because the true answer includes your own time, and studio sites avoid it because the answer scares people before a sales call.
The result is that most buyers anchor on one number they saw once and then feel cheated by every quote afterwards. Our judgement: the single most useful thing you can do before asking for a quote is decide which of the four routes you are actually buying, because the price ranges barely overlap.
How to work out your own number
Price the same specific video on all four routes before you choose one.
- Write the brief first: one sentence on the audience, one on the message, and the length you need.
- Fix the length. A 60-second film and a 120-second film are different purchases on every route.
- For the studio and freelance routes, ask what the quote includes and how many revision rounds come with it.
- For the software route, take the renewal price, not the first-year offer, and divide it by the number of videos you will honestly make in a year.
- Add your own time at whatever your hour is worth. This is the line that changes the ranking most often.
- Add revisions. Assume at least two rounds, because you will want them.
2026 price bands, with sources
Every figure below carries where it came from and the date checked. Currencies are quoted as the source publishes them.
- Our judgement: the studio bands assume a full service — discovery, scripting, storyboard, illustration, voice and revision rounds. Comparing them to a software subscription is comparing a delivered project to a set of tools.
| Route | What it costs | Source and date checked |
|---|---|---|
| Agency or studio, custom animated explainer | US$3,000 to US$25,000 for a typical project; custom 60-second animated explainers often US$5,000 to US$15,000; premium 3D, live action or hybrid US$25,000 to US$50,000 and above | D-MAK Productions 2026 pricing breakdown, checked 13 September 2026 |
| Agency, tiered by studio size | AI video agencies US$500 to US$8,000; mid-market studios US$5,000 to US$15,000; premium agencies US$15,000 to US$50,000; enterprise flagship US$50,000 and above | Knowlify 2026 explainer video agency cost guide, published 28 May 2026, checked 13 September 2026 |
| Established studio, full range | Most projects land between US$5,000 and US$150,000 and above | Epipheo explainer video cost guide, checked 13 September 2026 |
| Freelance animator or motion designer | US$18 to US$120 an hour, with most US-based designers billing US$35 to US$75 an hour | Damongo freelance motion designer rates 2026, published 29 August 2026, checked 13 September 2026 |
| Subscription whiteboard software | VideoScribe from US$12.50 a month per licence billed annually (US$150 a year); Powtoon Lite US$15 a month billed yearly; Animaker Basic US$10 a month | Each company's own pricing page, checked 13 September 2026 |
| AutoScribble, per finished minute | GBP 9 or US$12 for 100 credits, which is one finished minute. 30 seconds is 50 credits, 60 seconds 100, 120 seconds 200. New accounts get 100 welcome credits that never expire | AutoScribble live pricing records, checked 13 September 2026 |
The cost line nobody prints
Every route except the studio route bills you in time as well as money. A subscription at US$15 a month is cheap until the first video takes six hours, at which point it is the most expensive route on the page for anyone whose hour is worth more than nothing.
Our judgement: price your own hours into the comparison at your real rate. It usually reverses the ranking between the free tool and the paid one.
What goes wrong
Buying on sticker price. The cheapest monthly fee is often the slowest route to a finished film, and the slowest route is the one that never produces a second video.
Forgetting renewal. Annual-billing headline prices are quoted per month. VideoScribe's US$12.50 a month is US$150 charged at once, checked 13 September 2026.
Under-budgeting revisions. Two rounds is normal. On a studio quote, ask what a third round costs before you sign, not after.
Next step
Decide your route, then price one specific 60-second video on it. Here, that is 100 credits: GBP 9 or US$12, or included in a monthly plan from GBP 19 or US$25. The revisions guide below shows what the same video costs once you change your mind twice.
See what your video would cost
Free to write and rewrite. Credits are only used when you generate.
Common questions
- How much does an explainer video cost in 2026?
- Between under GBP 10 and more than US$50,000, depending on the route. Studios quote US$3,000 to US$25,000 for a typical project, with custom 60-second animated explainers often US$5,000 to US$15,000 (D-MAK 2026 pricing breakdown, checked 13 September 2026). AutoScribble charges GBP 9 or US$12 for 100 credits, which is one finished minute.
- How much does a 60-second explainer video cost?
- A custom 60-second animated explainer from a studio commonly lands between US$5,000 and US$15,000 (D-MAK 2026 pricing breakdown, checked 13 September 2026). The same length on AutoScribble is 100 credits, which is GBP 9 or US$12 as a one-off pack, or part of a monthly plan from GBP 19 or US$25 for 300 credits.
- Why do explainer video prices vary so much?
- Because the word covers a delivered project and a do-it-yourself tool equally. A studio price includes discovery, scripting, storyboarding, illustration, voice recording and revision rounds. A software subscription includes none of that and bills your own hours instead. Length, animation style and the number of revision rounds then move the number again.
- What is the cheapest way to get an explainer video?
- Generated video is the lowest cash cost per finished minute: AutoScribble is GBP 9 or US$12 for 100 credits, one minute, and new accounts start with 100 welcome credits that never expire. Free canvas tools have a lower cash price but cost hours of your own time, which is the real bill for most people.
- Do freelancers cost less than agencies for explainer video?
- Usually, yes, on the invoice. Freelance motion designers bill US$18 to US$120 an hour, with most US-based designers between US$35 and US$75 (Damongo, published 29 August 2026, checked 13 September 2026). Our judgement is that you take on the project management an agency would otherwise do, which is real work.