A Global Pricing Breakdown Across 45 Video Agencies
If you’ve ever tried to get a straight answer to the question “How much does an explainer video cost?”, you’ll know the industry doesn’t always make it easy.
Some agencies publish full pricing tables, others hide behind contact forms, and prices can range anywhere from £296 to £20,000+.
To make your life easier, we independently analysed 45 explainer video agencies across the UK, US, Europe and Canada to understand what they charge, how they structure pricing and where Squideo sits in the market. In this blog, we’ll uncover our independent research and what it means for businesses planning video in 2026.
To ensure this research was fair and consistent, we didn’t just rely on published pricing. We created a genuine brief for a real 30-second animated explainer video and contacted over 100 agencies globally. From that outreach, we received 45 responses. Some agencies followed up with generic rate cards or pricing decks, while others provided fully bespoke proposals tailored to the brief. To maintain consistency across the dataset, we used each agency’s lowest legitimate entry price for a comparable 30-second animation. All global pricing was then converted back into GBP using current exchange rates, allowing for an apples to apples comparison across the range of global video providers.
The Real Price Range: £296 to £20,000+
The majority of the market sits squarely in the £2K-£8K range, representing mid-tier agencies delivering structured explainer videos with varying levels of creative and strategic involvement.
Across the 45 agencies analysed, entry pricing ranged dramatically:
- Lowest “from” price: £296
- Highest published entry price: £20,000+
- Most common entry band: £2,000-£5,000
- Typical mid-tier average: £3,000-£5,000
The lowest prices in the market often exclude strategic input, audience validation, structured scripting or multiple revision rounds. While the initial cost may look attractive, businesses can end up paying twice if the video fails to convert, retain or communicate clearly.
At the other end of the scale, premium creative agencies often start above £10,000 and position themselves around storytelling depth, creative direction, and brand consultancy.
So, how much does a 30-second explainer video cost in 2026? Based on our independent research across 45 agency responses globally, the average starting price for a 30-second animated explainer video in 2026 is £2,960.
That figure reflects the lowest legitimate “from” price quoted by each agency for a comparable brief, converted into GBP for consistency.
Pricing Transparency
Nearly half of agencies still operate with no visible pricing whatsoever.
That creates friction in the buying journey. Modern B2B buyers, particularly in the UK and US increasingly expect at least a starting range before entering a sales conversation.
Agencies with hidden pricing often justify this by saying “every project is bespoke.” While that may be true, complete opacity can delay decision making and increase buyer hesitation.
Modern B2B buyers now conduct 70-80% of their research before speaking to a supplier. When pricing is hidden, it increases friction and delays internal conversations. CFOs, procurement teams and founders often need a rough benchmark before approving discovery calls. Agencies that publish starting prices shorten the buying cycle and reduce uncertainty.
The industry is slowly becoming more transparent, but still lacks pricing clarity overall.
How Video Agencies Structure Their Pricing
The overwhelming majority still operate on custom quote models, meaning buyers must submit a brief before receiving a price.
Interestingly, performance-led and subscription-style models are extremely rare, representing a significant market gap.
Most agencies still treat video as a one off creative project rather than a measurable growth asset.
Where Agencies Sit in the Market
The largest cluster is mid-tier agencies, competing on quality and structured delivery around £3K-£6K.
Premium agencies cluster above £10K, often leaning heavily on creative storytelling language.
Budget providers compete aggressively on fixed per-minute pricing and simplified and interestingly, performance-led positioning is almost empty.
What Drives The Cost Difference?
Through our analysis, pricing differences typically correlated with five factors:
Creative Depth
High-end agencies offer creative direction workshops, brand strategy sessions, and multi layered animation.
Animation Complexity
Basic whiteboard VS bespoke character animation VS cinematic motion graphics.
Script Development
Founder written scripts cost less. Agency developed narrative frameworks increase value (and cost).
Revision Policy
Limited revisions = lower price.
Unlimited revisions = reduced risk.
Geographic Market
US agencies tend to price 15-30% higher than UK equivalents at similar tiers.
Where Does Squideo Sit?
Based on the data, Squideo sits in a very specific strategic position:
Cost-effective entry pricing aligned with mid-tier market- Typically our videos start from £750-£2500 depending on the project
- Structured process with unlimited revisions
- Education, healthcare and B2B expertise
- Performance led optimisation processes
We expect to see greater pricing transparency, more performance-led retainers and clearer tier separation between budget template providers and strategic video partners. Businesses will increasingly demand measurable outcomes rather than standalone creative assets.
For B2B brands in the UK and US, the smart approach in 2026 is:
✔ Understand your objective (awareness, onboarding, conversion)
✔ Know your expected ROI
✔ Choose a partner that matches your growth stage
✔ Look beyond price alone
The cheapest option may underperform, whereas the most expensive may over-engineer. The best fit sits at the intersection of strategy, clarity, and value.
The days of “How much is a video?” are fading. The better question in 2026 is “What should this video achieve and how will we measure it?”
The agencies that win the next phase of the market will be those that combine:
- Creative quality
- Transparent pricing
- Strategic thinking
- And measurable performance
If you’d like a tailored estimate based on your goals, audience, and objectives, without the hard sell, we’re happy to help. Get a
transparent quote
or
book a 30-minute discovery call
to discuss your project today.
