How much does an animated video cost?
It’s the first question on the mind of anyone thinking about starting an animation project, and for good reason!
You need to know if it fits your budget.
The honest, albeit frustrating, answer is always: "it depends."
But that isn't very helpful.
Instead of leaving it there, we want to pull back the curtain and give you a transparent look at the factors that determine the cost of a professionally produced animated video.
This guide will help you understand what you’re paying for and what kind of budget you should consider for your goals in 2025.
The Main Cost Factors
Think of commissioning an animation like building a house.
A simple bungalow has a different cost to a custom-designed mansion.
The price comes down to the following factors:
1. Style & Complexity: This is the biggest variable. Depending on the aim of the video, you may need to create something as simple as an animated walkthrough, with a few icons and animated text guiding the viewer through your interface.
Or you may want to tell a relatable story that captures their imagination and invites them in with more complex animation such as fully animated characters, or high end 3D elements to showcase your product in all its glory. These all have varying levels of complexity, and can affect the overall cost dramatically.
2. Length: A 60-second video requires twice the design, animation and sound design work as a 30-second one. Not everything scales this way however, and typically the cost per second of animation gets lower as the video gets longer.
Most explainer videos fall between 60-90 seconds to hold audience attention.
3. Timeline: The typical timeline for an animated video ranges from 3 to 6 weeks or more. But sometimes you may need to hit a specific deadline, and things need to move a bit quicker. This may need having to bring in extra hands, or shifting our pipeline to prioritise your project, which in turn can affect costs.
4. The Creative Process: Things like strategy, scripting and storyboarding are the foundational blueprint of your video, and it can take a couple of weeks to get these right before we ever get pencil to (digital) paper. After that, we focus on creating custom design and animation for your video.
Creating bespoke graphics, styleframes and motion that are unique to your brand, as opposed to using cheaper stock assets, also adds to the overall time and cost of the project, but it makes sure that the final product feels completely integrated with the rest of your branding.
5. Sound Design & Voiceover: A professional voiceover artist and custom sound design (which include music and sound effects) are critical for a polished final product. They add emotion and impact, and their professional fees are factored into the overall project cost.
With all that said, here's a rough idea
of the price brackets for a 60-Second animated video
(2025 Estimate)
Basic - £2,000 - £5,000:
Typically involves simpler 2D motion graphics, text based animation, and stock music. Good for internal videos or projects with tight budget and/or time constraints.
Professional (Most Common) - £5,000 - £9,000:
This is the sweet spot for most businesses. It includes a full creative process: custom script, storyboard, bespoke 2D design (including some character work if needed), a professional voiceover, and custom sound design. The result is a unique video that is perfectly aligned with your brand.
Premium - £9,000+:
This range is for high-end 2D character animation, complex 3D work, or videos that require a larger creative team. These are broadcast-quality productions designed for major campaigns
The budget for animated content can seem daunting at first, but try to think of it this way:
If a £7,000 explainer video helps you land just one or two high-value clients, it has already paid for itself.
It's an asset that works for you 24/7 on your website, in sales meetings, in your marketing funnel and across social media.
Every project is unique.
The best way to understand the cost for your specific vision is to get a custom quote.
