If you’re reading this blog, then you’re probably looking for amazing animated explainer videos and wondering how much it will cost you to actually make animated explainer videos for your business.
Well, you came to the right place.
Animated explainer videos
Animated explainer videos are a huge hype in the marketing world at the moment as they offer marketers a better chance of reaching and converting more leads. So if you’re looking for us to give you the price straight up, we can’t. We’d love to give you a straight answer, but unfortunately, that’s not how it works. We can give you estimates and then get into some detail to help you better understand just how animated explainer videos work, what each type requires, and what you will be getting in return for your money.
Depending on the direction you’re taking, the price to make animated explainer videos can vary between these 4 options:
1. Do it yourself on an online animated explainer video maker for $50 – $500
2. Hire an experienced video production company with animated explainer video service for around $2000-$15,000
3. Hire a full-service marketing agency for around $15,000 – $100,000
4. Hire a freelancer animator. (Costs vary depending on experience and quality)
However, keep in mind that not one video is like the other. Some videos have flying typography, and others have simple, straight-to-the-point graphics. So the pricing will surely differ. In fact, the pricing for animated explainer videos varies depending on a number of factors.
Factors that Determine Animated Explainer Video Pricing
The length of the video.
The length of your desired video is one of the major factors that determine the pricing. As you might predict, the longer the video, the more expensive it will be. Creating animated videos is not an easy process, that’s why every extra minute counts.
But lucky for you, you don’t need super long videos. Shorter videos are proving their power and are here to stay. In fact, short-form video has the highest ROI of any social media marketing strategy!
In general, shorter videos with simple animations will be less expensive than longer videos with complex graphics or live-action footage. For a basic two-minute video, you can expect to pay anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. For a more complex video with high production values, you could be looking at a price tag of $20,000 or more.
The complexity of the story.
Your storyline and script largely affect the pricing of your video as well. Let us put it this way, if you want flying saucers and customized characters, you will end up paying more than if you request simple graphics of people walking on the beach.
Just like any other production, the more characters, plots, and details you add, the more expensive it will be. This includes the cost of producing the script and storyboard which takes both time and professionals to bring to life. Add to that, you have the cost of hiring a professional voice artist to record the voiceover.
So before you jump in with the crazy ideas, check your budget, talk to the animated video professionals, and decide on a storyline that both serves you and your budget.
Keep in mind that animated explainer videos are investments you make for your business. So producing a well-crafted video that costs you a bit more than you’d hope, will get you a great return on your investment. In fact,
The animation style
The type of explainer video you want to produce plays a significant role in how much it will cost to create. Depending on the production value you’re looking for, you could be looking at spending anywhere from a few hundred dollars to upwards of $10,000.
The quality and complexity of the animation and motion graphics vary between the different animation styles. So to know what you’re going to pay for, you need to know the exact type of animation style. Here are a few of the most known animated explainer video types.
Whiteboard animation explainer video
Whiteboard animation is one of the most popular explainer video styles that uses simple drawings and animations to tell a story. The visuals are often hand-drawn or computer-generated, and the narration is typically delivered in a friendly, conversational tone. Whiteboard videos can be used to explain complex topics in a fun and engaging way, making them perfect for businesses and organizations looking to educate their audiences. This type of video is especially well suited for educational content, as it can help simplify complex topics and make them easier to understand.
If you’re considering using whiteboard animation for your business or organization, the cost will vary depending on a number of factors, including the length of the video, the number of frames per second, the number of illustrations, and the complexity of the animations.
Generally speaking, prices start at around $500 for a simple one-minute video with basic animations and can go up to $5,000 or more for a longer video with complex animations.
Here’s a short example of a whiteboard animation video:
2D vs. 3D animated explainer video
Both 2D and 3D animated explainer videos can be used to help educate viewers about how something works or to simply provide an overview of what a company has to offer. They are often used in marketing campaigns, educational institutions, and training modules as they can be highly engaging and visually appealing.
However 3D videos are significantly more expensive to produce than 2D videos. So here’s a rundown of the main difference between 2D and 3D animated videos.
- 3D animated explainer videos are the type of videos that use 3D animation to help explain or promote a product, service, or concept. They are measured in height, width, and depth to appear more visually appealing. 3D animation offers you the opportunity to create a hyper-realistic environment, lifelike objects, and characters in three dimensions. 3D animated videos are significantly visually richer. It’s the kind of animation technique we used to see in modern-day cartoons.
- 2D animation explainer videos are the type of videos that use two-dimensional 2D graphics to create the illusion of movement. This is done through the use of traditional hand-drawn animation, computer-generated animation, or even a combination of both styles. While the technology and techniques have evolved over the years, the basic principles of 2D animation remain the same.
Both 2D and 3D are great for explainer videos, advertising, and educational content. While 3D animation offers many benefits over 2D animation, it is noticeably more expensive to produce.
How to Prepare to Make Animated Explainer Videos
If you want to know your budget and actually stick to it, you need to prepare.
First, it’s important to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your video. What is your primary goal? Are you looking to educate your audience about a particular topic? Promote your brand? Or build trust with potential customers? Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can start planning out your video content accordingly and weed out any extra additions that don’t serve your goal and simply drain your pockets.
When it comes to the animated explainer video process, it’s also important to consider who your target audience is. This will help you determine the style of animation that will be most effective. For example, if you’re targeting children, you’ll want to use brighter, more colorful animation. On the other hand, if you’re targeting adults, you might want to use a more realistic style of 3D animation.
The more you go into detail about your video and its intended use, the better you will be able to identify your budget and choose the kind of animation that best fits your project. If you’re not sure what kind of explainer video would be right for your business, take a look at some examples online or ask a professional. Check out our portfolio, and hit us up with questions!
Before we leave you with our final thoughts, remember that doing it yourself is not the best option. DIY software-based video makers use templates that have been used by many other users on its platform, making your video look less unique. Another reason why you should avoid using online video makers is that they do an awful job translating your brand personality. Or in other words, they don’t portray your brand personality at all as these videos are done in a copy/paste manner where you are unable to portray your brand.
Final thoughts
Here’s our verdict, animated explainer videos are important for your business to raise awareness, generate leads, and educate your consumers. In fact, getting an animated explainer video service for any of your departments or business goals has proven to be a great idea with a high return on investment. In fact, most people retain up to 90% of the message in a video, compared to only 10% of what they read in text!
Of course, everything mentioned before is just our best try at rough estimates. The best way to get an accurate quote for your project is to contact a few different video production companies and ask for pricing proposals.
