Video
How much does an explainer video cost, and is it worth it?
A 60-second animated explainer costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars with templates to $8,000–$25,000 at a full-service studio, according to Yum Yum Videos. Style, length, custom illustration and revisions set the price. Wyzowl finds 96% of people have watched an explainer to learn about a product. VITON13 makes one from $53.
How much does an explainer video cost?
Prices vary more than in almost any creative service, because the word explainer covers everything from a template with stock icons to a custom animated film. Two published studies show the spread. Wyzowl asked 242 companies to quote a 60-second animated explainer; the 116 prices it received ran from $600 to $250,000, with a median of $5,400. The quotes were gathered in late 2022, so treat them as a shape of the market rather than today’s rate card.
| Who makes it | Typical price | What you usually get |
|---|---|---|
| AI tools and templates | $0–$500 | Stock scenes, a synthetic voice, little control over the story |
| Freelancer | $1,000–$5,000 | One person for script, drawing and animation, or part of them |
| Small studio | $3,000–$8,000 | A small team, a custom style, a few revision rounds |
| Full-service company | $8,000–$25,000 | Strategy, script, custom illustration, voice, sound, project manager |
Do explainer videos actually help sell?
Wyzowl’s 2026 survey of consumers and marketers gives the clearest numbers. 96% of people say they have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service, and 85% say a video has convinced them to buy something. Among video marketers, 68% made explainers, second only to social media videos.
The reason is simple: an explainer answers the questions a visitor would otherwise have to ask a salesperson. What is it, how does it work, what do I get and what happens next. When those answers take a minute to watch instead of five minutes to read, more visitors reach the part where they decide.
What makes an explainer video more expensive?
- Style: whiteboard and simple motion graphics cost less than custom characters or 3D.
- Length: studios price in blocks of seconds, so every extra ten seconds adds animation time.
- Custom illustration: a character or world drawn for your brand costs more than icons from a library.
- Voice and languages: a professional voice actor and each extra language add recording and editing.
- Late changes: Yum Yum Videos warns that changing 20 seconds of finished animation can add $2,000 or more.
- Deadline: a rushed schedule means more people working in parallel.
- Extra formats: vertical and short versions for social media are separate edits.
| Style | Typical range | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Whiteboard | $3,000–$15,000 | Step-by-step processes and training |
| Motion graphics | $5,000–$20,000 | Software, data and abstract services |
| Custom 2D animation | $8,000–$25,000 | Stories with characters and a brand world |
| 3D animation | $10,000–$100,000+ | Physical products and technical detail |
How long should an explainer video be?
Shorter than most first scripts. In Wyzowl’s survey 71% of people said videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes are the most effective, and Wistia’s engagement data shows videos under a minute averaging 52% engagement. For a home page or a landing page, 60–90 seconds is enough to state the problem, show the solution and ask for one action.
A good way to check length before any drawing is to read the script aloud at a calm pace. About 140–160 spoken words fill a minute. If the script runs longer, cut features rather than speed up the voice; a rushed explainer explains nothing.
How is an explainer video made?
- Brief: who watches, what they should understand and what they should do next.
- Script: the explanation written word by word and read aloud for timing.
- Voice: a recorded or synthetic voice, approved before animation starts.
- Storyboard and style frames: every scene sketched and a few frames drawn in the final style.
- Animation: scenes built and timed to the voice.
- Sound and captions: music, effects and subtitles for silent autoplay.
- Formats: the master plus vertical or short cuts for social media and ads.
Large studios quote five to eight weeks from kickoff to delivery: Yum Yum Videos says six to eight, and Breadnbeyond about 25 working days for 60–90 seconds. Most of that time is waiting for approvals, so a fast decision-maker on your side shortens it more than any tool.
What would an explainer cost with VITON13?
Pick the kind of video, then add the versions you need. The totals add the live starting prices of VITON13 packages in both production modes, and the timeline shows how long the chosen work takes.
Cost calculator
Plan your explainer
Choose one kind of video, then tick the extras; the totals update as you choose.
Your estimate
- AI-assisted
- from $106
- Human-led
- from $146
- Timeline
- 3–7 working days
stages can overlap; the written estimate fixes the dates
Get a written estimate in 1 working dayStarting prices of VITON13 packages; the written estimate confirms length, style, voice and the final price before work starts.
The explainer package covers the explanation script, the storyboard and visual system, and a master with accessible captions. It takes 3–5 working days.
Should you use AI or classic animation?
| Question | AI-generated video | Motion graphics or 2D animation |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fastest to first draft | Slower, built scene by scene |
| Control over every frame | Limited; details can drift between shots | Full, down to each movement |
| Consistent characters and brand | Harder to hold across scenes | Built in from the style frames |
| Best for | Quick tests, mood and scenes hard to draw | Precise explanations, interfaces and diagrams |
Many explainers mix both: animated diagrams and interface scenes for the explanation, with AI-generated imagery for atmosphere. What matters is that the viewer understands the offer; the technique is a budget decision.
When is an explainer video the wrong choice?
If the offer is still changing every month, wait; a video fixes the message for a long time. If buyers mainly need to see a real product, its texture or its size, film the product instead. And if nobody reaches the page where the video would sit, spend first on traffic; the best explainer cannot work without viewers.
How VITON13 does it
We start with the explanation, not the pictures: we write the script with you, time it aloud, then build a storyboard and a visual system and animate the scenes to the voice. The master comes with accessible captions, ready for silent autoplay. AI-assisted: AI drafts scenes, imagery or voice, an editor directs and checks every frame, and AI-generated parts are labelled. Human-led: a specialist leads, AI assists. The written scope and price arrive within one working day.
Explainer video
- Price
- $53 AI-assisted or $73 human-led
- Timeline
- 3–5 working days
2D animation
- Price
- $53 AI-assisted or $73 human-led
- Timeline
- 3–5 working days
Short-form video production
- Price
- $53 AI-assisted or $73 human-led
- Timeline
- 1–2 working days
AI-assisted: AI drafts inside defined steps, a person directs and checks every result. Human-led: a specialist does the work and AI assists.
What is included
- An explanation script written and timed with you
- A storyboard and visual system approved before animation
- A master video with accessible captions
- Delivery: 3–5 working days after the brief is approved
Not included
- Live-action filming, quoted as a separate production
- Extra languages and voice-over versions, quoted separately
- Media buying and ad placement
- Any promise of views or sales
Revisions: 1 revision round
Get an estimate in 1 working dayWritten estimate within 1 working day
Example
INTERNALOur own product
Studio Reels: a 52-second explainer about getting a website
For its own Instagram account VITON13 made four vertical Reels at 1080 × 1920, drawn frame by frame from HTML scenes. One is an explainer of 52.1 seconds on how a client gets a website, with every word on screen timed to an AI voice. The imagery, voice and presenter in the series are AI-generated and labelled; the music and sound effects are synthesised in code, so no licensed music is used.
What this does not prove
- It is the studio’s own video, not a client project.
- There is no reach, view or enquiry data, and the case claims none.
Read the case: Four Reels rendered from code, with AI imagery and an AI presenter
Questions and answers
How much does a 60-second explainer video cost?
It depends on who makes it and in what style. Yum Yum Videos puts templates and AI tools at up to about $500, freelancers at $1,000–$5,000, small studios at $3,000–$8,000 and full-service companies at $8,000–$25,000. Wyzowl’s survey found a median quote of $5,400.
How long does it take to make an explainer video?
Large studios quote five to eight weeks, mostly because of approval rounds. A VITON13 explainer takes 3–5 working days once the brief is approved, because the script, voice and storyboard are agreed quickly and in writing.
What is the ideal length for an explainer video?
Usually 60 to 90 seconds for a home page or landing page. In Wyzowl’s survey 71% of people said videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes work best. Short cuts of 15–30 seconds work for ads and social media.
Do I need to write the script myself?
No. We write it from a short brief and a call about your offer, then you edit and approve it. Your input matters most on facts, prices and the words your customers use; we handle the structure and timing.
Can the explainer be in several languages?
Yes. The animation is built so the text and voice can be replaced, and each extra language is quoted separately. Captions in every language help viewers who watch without sound.
Is an AI-generated explainer good enough?
For quick tests, mood and scenes that are hard to draw, often yes. For precise explanations, interfaces and consistent characters, classic animation gives more control. We tell you which fits your brief and label every AI-generated part.