How much does an animated video cost?

When you ask this question, your animated video does not yet exist, and we have no idea what you want specifically. You need to provide detailed expectations; otherwise, the only possible answer is somewhere between a couple of hundred and tens of thousands for a one-minute animation. But that doesn’t help much, does it?

Sometimes, the animated video doesn’t even mean the same thing to the client and the production company. For some, the animated video begins with Pixar and Walt Disney. Others are satisfied when subtitles and photos float onto the screen. The former is the two-year work of 300 professionals and an army of servers. The latter is the work of a second-grader who whips up a PowerPoint slideshow over lunch. Note: You won’t need us if you’re considering the latter.

To get the hang of it, one needs to clarify these questions:

Briefly introduce a product, service or technology people don’t know about in a way they can understand? Draw attention to the unique features of your product? Flash a logo with animation? Make a 20-second commercial clip that reveals nothing specific but a few buzzwords? Should it show how your company works? Should it introduce the manager or show the factory floor?

Estimating the cost of an animated explainer video can be challenging without specific input. Your clear idea or story serves as our starting point, as it forms the basis for the script, storyboard, vector graphics, 3D models, and background music, among other elements. This clear vision is also the basis for calculating expected costs. While we can assist, it’s essential to note that this process takes time and is unlikely to be free of charge.

When you’re unsure about your expectations, a helpful approach is to consider your budget. This helps manage expectations and guides us on what can be achieved within the available funds.

Animated explainer videos are created to generate business and drive revenue. Suppose you expect to earn a couple of thousand extra dollars per year with the video.  In that case, you don’t want a top animation, as it might consume all the additional revenue. But a cheap animation may not be the answer if you hope to make millions more. If one could make a million dollars from a five-hundred-dollar video put together in a day or two, there would be no point in financial investment because everyone would be in the animation business. But could it? As a general rule, look for the best price-to-performance ratio.

Canned videos are made from templates, pre-made moving GIF elements, cut together with subtitles and image swaps. They are almost ready-made and cheap, but they all look the same in return. These videos usually feature a silly figure nodding and waving, and do not focus on the visual presentation of the product or service itself. In most cases, they present the hairdressing salon the same way as the broom factory.

A 3D animated video presents a three-dimensional view that appears to be real. 3D video editing software is more expensive and complicated than 2D tools, and 3D videos are much more labour-intensive. In return, the visuals are much higher quality and more understandable, especially for technical subjects.

Animation still lives in the imagination of many people as a childish, fairy-tale, cartoon-like thing with cartoon characters moving around. For some mysterious reason, many people believe that animated characters are necessary, even when they want to explain how a wind turbine works. Creating a quality character animation in 2D, especially in 3D, is one of the most time-consuming and expensive tasks. In addition, in most cases (e.g., wind turbines), the characters add no value in making the subject matter more understandable. So, think carefully about whether you really need an expensive feature that does nothing to improve understanding.

Do you have time to devote days to your contribution?
We need to know every detail to compose a compelling story, and this cannot be done without your help. Your active involvement is crucial to the project’s success.

A simple, cheap, templated video might take less than two days. However, a custom-made, high-quality video may take up to two to three months to produce.

If you have concrete, detailed ideas written down, offline or digital materials prepared, and if you truly want a serious offer, then provide them to the selected contractor candidates along with the request for proposal. Not after the contract is signed, because that will likely result in fallout. If we only meet your detailed expectations after the price is given, we will both be disappointed. This game of “I know, but I won’t tell you until you give me a price” is a fashionable phenomenon, but it doesn’t go anywhere. We neither have the time nor the energy to understand the reasons. Therefore, based on our previous bad experiences, we immediately end the process without making an offer when we encounter such behaviour.

If the above has made you even more unsure and the price is your only concern, we suggest two methods.

Firstly, try this price guide to get an estimated cost of your animated video.

Secondly, don’t spend money on a video just yet; try to put one together yourself. For free or at a cheap monthly fee, several simple online “animation” tools are available; all you need is a computer and the internet. A cloud-based service already produces an AI-generated text based on a few words of instructions, an AI-generated animation based on the text, and even a voice-over robot to play the text. Learn about them and create a simple “motion picture”. The result will be far, far from a quality animated video, but you might learn at least three lessons:

Good luck with the right decision!