Quick answer: A professionally produced 60 to 90 second explainer video costs between $1,450 and $10,000 in 2026. Template tools are $500 to $1,000, freelancers $800 to $3,000, boutique studios $1,500 to $6,000, large agencies $8,000 to $25,000 and up. The price is driven by four things: who writes the script, how custom the design is, how many formats you receive, and how many revision rounds are included. At Motion Graphix every video is a flat $1,450 with everything included; bundles bring that to $1,000 or $850 per video and monthly plans to $575. Below is what each price band actually buys, the hidden costs that double a cheap quote, and a worked example of what a video has to achieve to pay for itself.
Explainer video cost by who makes it
| Option | Typical price (60 to 90 s) | What you get | What you do yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template and AI tools | $0 to $1,000 | Stock scenes, stock or AI voice, a recognisable template look | Script, assembly, voice, exports, every revision |
| Marketplace freelancer | $300 to $3,000 | Animation of a script you supply; quality varies enormously | Script, voice sourcing, project management, exports |
| Boutique studio | $1,500 to $6,000 | Script, storyboard, custom design, human voice, defined revisions, formats | One briefing call, approvals at each stage |
| Large agency | $8,000 to $25,000+ | Creative direction, account management, campaign integration | Many meetings |
| Motion Graphix | $1,450 flat | Everything in the studio row plus every format, source files, 90 days of changes | About 50 minutes of review time in total |
The ranges overlap because the labels describe business models, not quality. A $3,000 freelancer can outperform a $12,000 agency; a $1,450 studio video can outperform both if the script is better. For a direct comparison of the two most common choices, read agency versus freelancer.
What actually drives the price
- The script. Writing a script from a discovery call, your sales materials and competitor research is 8 to 15 hours of senior time. Studios that include it charge more than freelancers who ask you to supply it, and the script is where the video is won or lost. Our script guide shows what is involved.
- Custom versus stock design. Illustrating your product, your buyer and your workflow from scratch is the bulk of production hours. Stock libraries are what make cheap videos look like every other cheap video.
- Style. Real-UI animation and flat 2D sit at the same price at most studios. Isometric adds illustration time at some. 3D costs two to three times 2D. Whiteboard is marginally cheaper and rarely right for software. See styles compared, 2D versus 3D cost and whiteboard cost.
- Length. Price scales with runtime but not linearly; the first 60 seconds carry the fixed costs. A 90-second video costs 15 to 25 percent more than a 60-second one at most studios. Ours cost the same up to 90 seconds.
- Voice-over. A professional human voice is $150 to $500 per minute when bought separately. AI voices are cheaper and audibly cheaper.
- Deliverables. The master alone, or the master plus vertical and square cuts, ad clips, captions, thumbnail and source files. Studios that quote the master and sell the rest as extras can add 30 to 60 percent to the final invoice.
- Revisions. Two rounds per stage is standard. Unlimited is a marketing claim. Extra rounds cost 10 to 15 percent each where they are not capped.
The hidden costs that double a cheap quote
- Vertical and square versions billed separately. $200 to $800 each at agencies that treat them as new deliverables.
- Music licence limited to web. Using the video in paid ads then requires a second licence, or a takedown.
- Source files withheld or sold. 10 to 30 percent of the project price, or unavailable, which means every future change goes back to the same vendor at their price. See who owns your explainer video.
- Script changes after voice-over. Re-recording a human voice is the single most expensive late revision. Studios with a script approval gate avoid it; freelancer projects without one hit it constantly.
- Your own time. Freelancer projects typically cost the buyer 15 to 30 hours of producing. At any honest hourly value that is $1,500 to $3,000 on top of the invoice.
What $1,450 includes at Motion Graphix
One video means one 60 to 90 second master in 4K, with: the script written from a strategy call, a storyboard you approve before animation, custom animation in your brand (2D, real-UI, isometric, talking head or live action, same price), a professional human voice-over with a choice of accents, licensed music and sound design, vertical and square social cuts, two to three 15 to 30 second ad clips, a custom thumbnail, all source files, the Marketing Playbook for distribution, and 90 days of free changes. Two revision rounds at each of five stages. Payment is 10 percent to start, 40 percent at first draft, 50 percent before final delivery, and if the script is not right the deposit is refunded. Full details on the pricing page.
Bundles and monthly plans
- 5 videos: $1,000 per video, $5,000 paid once, one add-on included, videos never expire.
- 10 videos: $850 per video, $8,500 paid once, any two add-ons included.
- Monthly plans: Foundation, four videos a month for $2,900 ($725 each); Scale, eight for $5,200 ($650 each); Ultra, twelve for $6,900 ($575 each). Cancel any time; unused videos roll over up to three months. See retainer versus one-off for which fits.
- Add-ons, $450 per video: Multilingual Edition (up to three extra languages), Rush Delivery (first draft in five working days), Extra Cuts Pack (four more social variants or ad clips).
What a video has to do to pay for itself
Take a SaaS homepage with 5,000 visitors a month, a 2 percent demo-request rate and a $4,000 average first-year contract, closing one demo in four. That is 100 demos and 25 customers a month. If a $1,450 explainer lifts the demo rate from 2.0 to 2.3 percent, a modest result for a page that previously had no video, that is 15 more demos and roughly four more customers a month: about $16,000 in first-year revenue from a one-time $1,450 cost, in the first month. The same maths explains why the price difference between a $1,450 and a $6,000 video matters less than whether either of them converts. Our ROI guide covers how to measure it properly.
How to get a lower price without a worse video
- Write a tight brief so the script round is short. Our brief template takes under an hour.
- Decide the single job of the video before the call. Videos that try to do three jobs need three times the revisions.
- Buy in bundles if you know you will need more than one video this year. The per-video price drops 30 to 40 percent.
- Insist on source files so updates next year are an edit, not a new project.
- Ask for a free sample before paying anything. We make a 10 to 15 second custom sample within three business days; it tells you more than any quote.
Quick questions
How much does a 1-minute explainer video cost?
$1,450 to $10,000 from professional producers in 2026. Template tools cost under $1,000 and look it. Our flat price is $1,450 for up to 90 seconds with everything included.
Why do prices vary so much between studios?
Overhead and scope. Agencies carry account managers and offices; some studios quote the master only and sell the formats separately. Compare the full deliverable list, not the headline number.
Is a cheap explainer video worth it?
Only if it converts. A $700 video that nobody watches costs more than a $1,450 video that books demos, because the traffic you send to it is the real expense.
How long does production take?
First draft in 10 to 15 working days at our studio, each revision round adding about two days. Rush delivery brings the first draft to five working days. See how long an explainer video takes.
Can I get an exact quote?
Our price is already exact: $1,450 per video, bundles at $1,000 and $850, monthly plans from $575. Longer demos of two to four minutes and multi-video projects are quoted after a 15-minute call.
