How much should you expect to pay for a good quality custom explainer video? Even those the DIY, cookie cutter, or buffet type videos.
The cost of an explainer video can vary dues to a few factors, and we’re going to touch on those.
We understand that cost is one of the biggest considerations when investing in video content. That’s why we’re not just sharing our rates — we’re also giving you insight into what goes into the price, how it compares to other options, and what makes Creamy Animation a trusted choice.
Our goal in this article is to give you a short and honest answer on the average cost of an explainer video, in North American. We also provide our own examples of what you can expect in each price range — based on real projects we’ve delivered.
Explainer video costs for a standard one-minute video can range anywhere from $3,000 – $10,000 or more, depending on production complexity. This estimate refers to professionally made videos — not DIY templates or low-cost marketplace options.
A 60-second, fully animated explainer from a reputable North American studio typically lands between $5,000 and $25,000, depending on scope and production value.
In the guide below, we break down the key pricing factors — animation style, complexity, turnaround time — and show exactly where Creamy Animation fits in. The goal? To help you set your budget with confidence and choose the best option for your brand.
Watch our quick video explainer below about what an explainer video is, and why you should investment in one.
You can use free online tools to create simple explainer videos, with pre-made templates and drag-and-drop editing features. Cookie cutter options are great for basic videos like internal communications and social media clips.
There are tons of animation apps like Stop Motion Studio, that offer free plans for video creation, with subscriptions unlocking more advanced features.
You’ll need to invest time in developing the video concept, writing a script, creating a storyboard, and refining your idea. This DIY route works well for personal projects or in situations where there’s little or no budget.
Unless you have an experienced in-house team to handle all aspects of production, the results may fall short for business-critical content.
Our standard explainer videos use a combination of 2D animation and motion graphics. They incorporate cinematic visuals with strategic storytelling — designed to captivate your audience and strengthen your brand presence.
What makes our work stand out from other animation studios:
✔ Cinematic Storytelling — Frame-by-frame animation and visually rich 2D and 3D designs.
✔ Precision Craftsmanship — Every detail is thoughtfully animated to deliver the best results.
✔ Adaptable Timelines — Most projects are completed in 4–6 weeks, with more flexible timelines.
Professionally produced explainer videos start at $3,000. This price is great for motion graphics style videos and includes everything you need for a compelling, high-quality video:
✔ Complete production workflow — From concept development to final animation in just 3–5 weeks
✔ Scriptwriting and storyboarding — Crafted to engage and retain your audience
✔ Custom animation styles — From motion graphics to character-driven storytelling
✔ Professional voiceovers and sound design — Giving your video a clean, polished finish
We work closely with you throughout the process, ensuring your feedback is applied and the final video aligns with your brand and goals.
When you partner with us, you’re not buying a video — you’re investing in a creative process built to make your message resonate. Every project includes:
✔ Discovery: We start by learning about your brand, audience, and goals — so every creative decision aligns with your strategy.
✔ Scriptwriting: Your message, clearly and persuasively written to inform, engage, and convert.
✔ Storyboarding: Initial scene by scene sketches, including illustrations and style frames.
✔ Voiceover: Narration by professional voice talent with the tone, accent, or language required.
✔ Animation & Sound Design: Custom motion graphics brought to life with original sfx and music.
✔ Revisions: Includes 2–3 rounds of revisions to ensure your video is polished and on point.
✔ Final Delivery: HD or 4K video files, ready for web, social, or broadcast use.
Each animation style comes with its own level of complexity and ideal use case. Here’s a quick, friendly breakdown to help you choose the right fit:
| VIDEO STYLE | USE CASE | COSTS |
|---|---|---|
| 2D Motion Graphics | Explaining your business or startup | $3,000 |
| Standard 2D Animation | Brand storytelling and product journeys | $5,000 |
| Premium 2D Animation | High quality productions with intuitive frame-by-frame and 2.5D animation like the video above. | $8,500 |
| 3D Animation | High-tech demos or product visualizations | $8,500 |
| Live Action + Animation | Product videos, customer testimonials, and corporate interviews | $8,500 |
Still deciding what fits? We’ll help you choose what works best based on your goals and budget. Let’s talk.
Using a freelancer is the next step up from DIY projects. A skilled freelancer can add a layer of professionalism to your video content, improving its overall quality.
Freelancers are sometimes more affordable than a full studio, hiring a freelancer often means you’ll be responsible for the script, concept, and overall creative direction.
Most freelancers specialize in one area — animation, illustration, or editing — and may not handle the full production stack, like scripting, voiceover, casting, or visual storytelling.
Below are the key pros and cons of hiring a freelancer to create your explainer video:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Lower cost – Lower costs than animation studios | Limited capacity – One person handles everything, often leading to low production quality and unpredictable results. |
| Direct communication – Work 1-on-1 with the creator | You take on other tasks – You may have to provide a script and a video concept. Risk of hiring unqualified talent that overpromises and under delivers. |
| Flexible and fast – Quick turnarounds, adaptable schedules | Limited in skill – Most freelancers are animators and rely on other people to for additional talks they cannot handle, like storytelling. |
| Specialized talent – Find unique styles or niche expertise | Dependability risks – No backup if delays or may ghost you if you use freelance platforms. |
The cost of YouTube Shorts animation typically ranges from $20 to $150 per second, with pricing influenced by the complexity of the animation, the chosen style, and the animator’s experience.
For example, producing a 30‑second animated short can cost anywhere from $600 to $4,500. Many animators also offer alternative pricing models, such as fixed-price packages or hourly rates, which usually fall between $10 and $60 per hour.
Understanding these common pricing structures can help you budget more accurately when hiring an animator for YouTube Shorts.
Request a free consultation to see how we can help you create YouTube shorts that meet your goals.
Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of what it looks like using DYI, a freelancer, or work with a professional studio.
| OPTION | PROS | CONS | COSTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY Tools | Fast, low cost, easy to use | Templates, limited creative freedom, no support | $0 – $500 |
| Freelancer | Affordable, flexible, decent for simple projects | Inconsistent quality, can lack reliability, no team accountability | $1,000 – $3,000 |
| Studio – Creamy Animation | Strategic storytelling, in-house creative team, and well polished result. | Higher upfront cost, longer timeline. | $3,000 – $10,000+ |
Explainer videos can seem pricey at first — but that’s because they involve a team of specialists: scriptwriters, illustrators, animators, voiceover artists, and sound designers, all collaborating to build a compelling, custom video from the ground up.
You’re not just paying for animation — you’re investing in strategy, storytelling, and production quality that’s designed to engage viewers and deliver measurable business results.
We believe in transparency. Here’s a breakdown of what goes into the costs — and why each element matters.
Motion graphics animation videos start at $3,000 per finished minute. At this entry-level budget, we can produce a clean, professional video using standard motion graphics. For more details, check out the visual complexity section to see the difference between simple and advanced design styles.
Custom 2D animation requires a more specialized team and typically starts at $5,000 per minute. Each additional minute costs approximately 50–80% of the base price, depending on complexity.
For 3D animation, stop-motion, or mixed-media explainer videos, you’ll need a minimum budget of $8,500 and up. The final price depends on the level of realism and polish required — from basic 3D visuals to high-end, cinematic animation.
Whiteboard animation is one of the most cost-effective styles, thanks to its simplicity. It generally costs less than fully animated 2D or 3D video, making it a good fit for budget-conscious projects.
A 60–90 second video is the sweet spot for most explainer videos — long enough to deliver your message, short enough to keep viewers engaged.
Most studios (including us) quote in 30- or 60-second blocks, and extending the video often adds 30–80% of the original rate, depending on complexity. That’s because many production elements scale almost linearly with time.
For example, a 60-second 2D explainer will typically cost less than a 3D character animation of the same length.
💡 TIP: Unless absolutely necessary, keep your core message under 90 seconds. Viewer drop-off tends to increase significantly after that point.
Your message needs to be clear, compelling, and visually engaging — especially when your video is doing the heavy lifting for product demos, investor pitches, or onboarding. Creating that kind of content takes time and strategic storytelling.
Frame-by-frame character animation is labor-intensive and demands a team of highly skilled animators. In contrast, basic flat animation is more streamlined, requiring smaller teams and less studio time to produce.
The total scene count, character complexity, and camera movement all impact how many individual illustration frames are needed — and directly influence the overall cost and timeline.
The industry standard is typically 2 consolidated rounds of revisions. At Creamy Animation, we go further — offering 3-5 revision rounds per milestone after the script is approved, giving you more flexibility without hidden costs.
At most studios, each additional revision can cost $500–$1,000 and delay delivery by several days.
💡 Tip: To avoid extra charges and delays, always finalize the script before moving to storyboards. Last-minute script edits often require re-recording the voiceover and adjusting visuals already in production.
North American animation studios typically charge between $100–$250 USD per production hour, which covers both the creative team and equipment.
Studios in Eastern Europe or Asia often offer rates that are 30–50% lower, but working across time zones and potential communication gaps may require more hands-on project management.
Want a seasoned British narrator or a local voice that adds personality to your product? We offer a wide range of voice talent across languages, accents, and tones to match your brand perfectly.
Professional English voiceovers typically range from $150 to $500+ USD, depending on the voice actor’s experience, union status, and how the recording will be used.
For multilingual campaigns, expect to add $150+ per minute for translated narration. If your project requires full lip-sync dubbing, costs can rise to $150+ per minute, depending on language and complexity.
Royalty-free scores run US $20–$200, while commercial tracks need sync licenses that jump to US $5,000–$50,000 if aired on TV or used in paid ads.
Custom background music adds to production costs but does avoid ongoing royalties.
The turnaround time for most animation studios ranges from 4–8 weeks, depending on scope, style, and team capacity. At Creamy Animation, we recommend 4–6 weeks for a full creative cycle that ensures quality without compromise.
Rush projects are possible, but faster timelines require more resources — and a higher budget. Compressing production into under 3 weeks typically adds a 15–30% rush fee to account for overtime, expedited reviews, and overlapping production stages.
Adding closed captions increases the overall cost slightly, with rates varying by studio and delivery format. If your video needs to be accessible to visually impaired audiences, audio descriptions can be provided either as a separate audio track or embedded via an SRT file.
Subtitling and translation services are also available, with pricing depending on the number of languages and video length.
A typical explainer video quotes include a standard online-use license by default — covering web, social media, and internal platforms.
However, if you plan to use the video for broadcast, streaming platforms, or paid advertising, you may need to budget an additional 5–10% for extended usage rights.
This can include voice talent and music licensing fees, especially when union talent or commercial tracks are involved. To avoid surprise costs down the line, it’s best to negotiate buyouts or extended rights up front.
These costs aren’t arbitrary — they reflect the value of experienced creative teams, custom-built animation, and a multi-stage production pipeline that ensures quality at every step.
Studios like ours don’t just animate — we craft strategic video solutions tailored to your brand, audience, and business goals. The result is a video that not only looks great but delivers real impact.
We hear these questions a lot — and we’re happy to give honest answers.
“Why do explainer videos cost so much?”
A high-quality explainer video is more than just animation. It blends storytelling, strategy, branding, voice performance, sound design, and project management into one powerful asset. Think of it as a mini-commercial, custom-built to communicate your message and drive results.
“Can I get a good video for under $1,000?”
You can get a video — but likely not one that represents your brand, builds trust, or drives conversions. Low-cost tools and freelancers often lack the creative direction, quality standards, and revision support needed to deliver something effective and professional.
“How do I know it’ll be worth the investment?”
Explainer videos act as 24/7 sales tools — on your homepage, in sales decks, investor pitches, or email campaigns. Clients like Skyflow raised millions, and SaaS brands have doubled conversions using our videos. That’s the kind of ROI strategic video production can deliver.
Below is a video from Justin Collins, Founder of ChartLamp, a startup we helped create an engaging explainer video to pitch to investors and explain their solution.
You might be wondering — is a professionally produced explainer video worth the investment?
Absolutely. Here’s why:
✅ Boost Conversions
Businesses that add explainer videos to their landing pages have seen conversion rates increase by up to 80%.
✅ Raise More Funding
Our client Skyflow used their explainer video to help secure $30 million in Series B investment.
✅ Simplify Complex Topics
Whether you’re pitching investors, onboarding users, or explaining a technical product, video communicates clearly — and fast.
✅ Improve Retention
Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to just 10% when reading text.
The result? A 90-second explainer that helped Skyflow secure $30 million in Series B funding, simplify their sales conversations, and earn praise from both investors and prospects.
It’s a great example of how the right video can turn complexity into clarity — and drive real business outcomes.
Want clarity on what YOUR video might cost? Let’s talk.
We’ve simplified our video production process into three clear steps — so you always know what’s happening and what to expect. At every stage, we’ll gather your feedback to make sure the final video hits the mark.
Step 1: Strategy & Scriptwriting
We start by developing a video strategy and crafting a clear, engaging script that communicates your message effectively.
Step 2: Storyboarding
Next, we sketch out the storyboard that outlines how your story will unfold scene by scene.
Step 3: Design & Illustration
Once the storyboard is approved, we create final designs for characters, icons, and environments, readying everything for animation.
Step 4: Animation
Our animators bring your visuals to life with smooth, dynamic motion. Every element is carefully timed to match the voiceover and pacing.
Step 5: Sound Design & Delivery
We add music, sound effects, and polish — then deliver your final video in crisp HD or 4K, optimized for web, social, or broadcast.
This budget is great for short-form videos for social media and simple whiteboard animation videos.
✔ Social media ads designed to stop the scroll and grab attention in seconds
✔ Short-form content like animated shorts, teasers, and sizzle reels for quick impact
✔ Whiteboard-style animations ideal for simple messaging and budget-friendly production
✔ Online animated ads that drive engagement and boost click-through rates
✔ Fast 2-4 week turnaround — Quick results for your campaigns.
✔ 100% in-house production — Consistent quality from script to final render.
✔ Proven video styles — videos optimized for engagement.
Q: How much does a 60-second explainer cost in North America?
A: Between $5,000–$11,000, depending on the production quality of the video.
Q: What’s the average turnaround time?
A: Industry median is 6 weeks; Creamy’s standard is 3–5 weeks.
Q: Do you charge per second after the first minute?
A: Yes — each additional 30 seconds typically adds 60–80% of the base rate.
Q: How long does production take?
A: Our typical timeline is 4–6 weeks, depending on video complexity and feedback rounds. Tight deadline? Let us know — we’ll see what’s possible.
Q: Are revisions included in the price?
A: Yes. All packages include 2–3 rounds of revisions. Need more? We’ll build a custom scope.
Q: Can I get a video for less than $3,000?
A: We offer budget-flexible options. For startups, we often recommend short-form videos with focused messaging to reduce scope and cost.
Q: Do you offer multilingual voiceovers?
A: Absolutely. We’ve localized videos into French, Spanish, German, Japanese, and more. Just tell us what you need.
Q: Do I own the final video?
A: Yes — you’ll receive full ownership of the final deliverables.
Q: What if I don’t like the first draft?
A: That’s what revisions are for. We align early in the script and storyboard phase to minimize surprises during animation.
The cost of each explainer video is fully transparent — based on the creative talent and production timeline your project requires. No hidden fees. No surprises.
Choose from three flexible pricing tiers tailored to fit everything from startup budgets to broadcast-quality needs. Whether you’re stretching every dollar or investing at scale, you’ll work with our award-winning team and a dedicated producer guiding every step.
Tell us your budget, and we’ll build a proposal that maximizes your ROI — not your spend.
