What is the Cost of Making an Animated Video in 2021?
Explainer video cost
Introducing a new product, making tutorials on how it works, or developing brand equity with a special message from a company founder or a client’s testimonial? Many brands are making explainer videos for different reasons.
Videos have become the number one choice for many organizations to interact with the audience around the world. With that in mind, every time you think about making an animated video, the first question that comes to your mind is, what would be the cost of making an animated video?
We are all aware of the effectiveness of this tool in businesses but how much money does it require to use this tool?
To be honest, there is no sure answer to this. You have to go through many quotations from different vendors and gather data from the market before you know the price of your next project. Even that can be wrong with all the extra cost added as the project develops.
Frankly, it can get a bit confusing to find your way around all these phone calls, emails, and most importantly to differentiate between the real deal and those who are just there to mug you!
The good news is that we are here to take the load off your shoulders! Our company conducted research in which we contacted around 73 2D animation companies and asked them their charges for an average 90-second explainer video. Here is what we found…
Video animation – A Summary of Numbers
So, without any further delay let’s get started!
An average 90-second clip of explainer video will cost 11, 975$. Apart from this, when you actually pursue a company for video animation, you will find out that including the extra charges you end up paying a lot more than you thought you would. To get a better idea of this, have a look at this figure of price distribution of an explainer video to get a better insight into the market.
Most of the animation companies will charge you in a range of $10,000 to $15,000 for an explainer video of 90 seconds. Some will charge you $6,000 to $10,000 and others $15,000 to $25,000. In some cases, you might be asked to pay above or under these rates. There is no fixed price for this.
This may make you wonder, why so many different prices for the same service? The answer to this is that video animation is a highly creative task that requires professionals of different skill sets to work together as a team. A lot of the 2d animation companies succeed at creating a team that works together in a well-disciplined environment and produces the best results in 2d animation.
With that said, to find the most suitable team for you that shares your vision, it’s crucial to work on your end too. Every animation company works with variable experiences, expertise, and packages. Now, your job is to find the right team that will give life to your vision.
One of the very important things to bear in mind is the hidden charges which add along as the project develops. The cost mentioned previously is just the starting price of the project. The final price for your customized need cannot be given at this point. For instance, if your chosen company charges you extra for edits and feedbacks, the cost can rise sharply.
Creating your Video Animation
You might see your video as one single product but your animation studio does not. It looks at your project as the sum of different stages that it has to go through before it finalizes and the skills required to do it. Every step along the process adds its price to it.
The cost of video animation also changes when you have special requirements for any specific stage. As you add to your list of requirements and specifications, it will all add up in your initial cost.
To have an actual idea, let’s have a look at the price increase as we progress in the process. We have drawn a comparison between receiving services from a freelancer and a 2D animation studio.
| Stages of Video Production | Working with a Freelancer | Working with a 2D Animation Studio |
| Script & Concept Creation | $100 to $300 | $300 to $3000 |
| Storyboard (illustration) | $300 to $900 | $900 to $12,000 |
| Adding animation | $550 to $1,500 | $1,300 to $20,250 |
| Sound Effects and Voiceover | $75 to $400 | $150 to $1,500 |
| Project Consultation | $0 to $700 | $0 to $7,500 |
| Edits and Revisions | $0 to $700 | $0 to $8000 |
Choosing between a freelancer and a 2d animation studio
Now that you have developed a better understanding of the financial side of each decision and allocated a realistic budget for your project, it’s time to make a big decision.
You have two options for creating an animated video: Either you can search for different freelancers with individual skills and make a team yourself to get the project through different stages or you can hire an animation studio to do all this work for you and relax!
Which do you prefer?
Hiring a 2D animation studio for your video
The process of working with a professional 2D Animation Studio which has expertise in the skills that you need is a hassle-free and easy way to go.
The studio has an organized team of individuals that are not only creative but also possess the expertise to fulfill your requirements and follow every instruction that you provide. As the studio takes it from your hand, they take care of all the details and technicalities involved in making videos while you can focus on more critical tasks that need your attention. The advantage of working with a studio is that you get a smooth transaction without constant attention from you as the studio can work independently once it takes your requirements in the start.
You might wonder, if the studio is such an ideal option then why don’t businesses prefer to work with studios? The answer is that there are all kinds of video animation companies and some of them have a high video animation price. They offer high-end explainer videos but they offer that at a great price.
A different problem that organizations face in collaborating with video companies is that they don’t really know the cost of the project until the invoice is shown. Video companies usually offer a limited number of edits, sometimes not informing the clients which increases the cost.
So, these are some of the reasons that you should complete your research before you place an order with a studio. You should discuss aspects like turnaround time, several edits, and price in advance to avoid any misunderstanding.
Working with a Freelancer
Working with a freelancer is a suitable option if you have some extra time at hand and don’t mind working with two to three different freelancers from stage to stage until you get what you want. A freelancer may cost less but you have to compensate for the price in the form of time.
Video production is a detailed process and usually requires skills like script designing, graphic designing, copywriting, and animation. You can find some really good freelancers in the market. All you have to do is look and put together a team that you are satisfied with.
Unlike the 2D animation studio, working with a freelancer will cost you a lot of time. Your continuous involvement in the process of giving and giving feedback to get what you want requires a lot of patience from you. That is true only if the freelancer you are working with is also ready to work with you on the project until you are satisfied. Freelancers also tend to make you go overboard with the extra price of changes and edits.
Given all this information, this process may feel a bit difficult. But getting an animation video shouldn’t be this hard and there has to be a better way. At INOVIT, we deliver on every promise we make to our clients and provide an excellent service until you are satisfied.
We realize the importance of getting a project done on a fixed budget and that is why we offer a free, online budget calculator. All you have to do is lay down your requirements of what kind of video you want from us and instantly get a quotation for your customized video production. This price doesn’t change as the project advances because the price for every step of the process is included in the price given to you.
The turnaround time for the project is simple. You decide the time of delivery for your project. Here at INOVIT, we have a competent and extensive team that is committed to excellence in their work. We work by providing you the script and storyboard initially before the animation starts so we can receive and incorporate your feedback to deliver the video in time.
We know that the video animation process falls under a subjective and creative space. The difference of perspective is natural at times and that is why we offer 4 rounds of corrections (at each stage) to our clients in their projects without the extra price.
INOVIT is a 2D animation studio that provides you with a full video experience including scriptwriting, video conceptualization, animation, sound effects, and graphic designing.
If you want to create your video, simply contact us, and our managers will help you with that.