How Much Does an Explainer Video Cost?
Animated, live-action or hybrid, here's what each style actually costs in the UK in 2025.
Explainer videos in the UK cost between £1,500 and £15,000 depending on style and complexity. Stock-template animated explainers start at £1,500. Custom 2D animation typically lands £4,000–£8,000. Hybrid live-action + motion graphics for SaaS products usually runs £5,000–£10,000. Premium cinematic or 3D animation reaches £15,000+.
Tier 1
Entry
£1,500 – £4,000
- 60–90s animated explainer
- Stock or template-based animation
- Licensed VO and music
- 1 round of revisions
Best for: Startups, internal explainers, MVP launches.
Tier 2
Standard
£4,000 – £8,000
- 60–90s custom 2D animation OR hybrid live-action + motion
- Custom illustration to brand
- Pro VO talent
- Original or premium licensed music
- Modular scenes for future updates
Best for: SaaS, fintech, growth-stage companies.
Tier 3
Premium
£8,000 – £15,000+
- Cinematic live-action OR 3D animation
- Custom character design
- Full UI animation suite
- Original music composition
- Multi-language versions
- Ad cutdowns and social formats
Best for: Series A+ launches, enterprise deals, investor pitches.
Every line item, no hand-waving.
The line items most agencies leave off the quote.
- 01
Script revisions, most overruns happen here, not in production. Lock the script before animation starts.
- 02
UI updates, if your product changes between shoot and launch, you'll need re-renders.
- 03
Sound design, distinct from music, often forgotten in quotes. Budget £200–£500.
- 04
Captions, closed captions for accessibility add £100–£200.
Pricing questions.
Animated or live-action, which is better for SaaS?
+
Hybrid usually wins. Open with a real founder/customer for trust, transition into UI motion for product clarity, end with a human CTA. Pure animation feels generic; pure live-action can't show your software well.
How long should an explainer be?
+
60–90 seconds for hero use (homepage, ads). 15s and 30s cutdowns for social. Anything over 2 minutes gets watched by under 30% of viewers, keep the long version for sales calls only.
Can I update the video when our product UI changes?
+
If we built it modularly (always recommend this), yes, typically £300–£800 to refresh a single UI scene. Saves you commissioning a whole new film every time you ship a major release.
Let's work on your project together.
Tell us about the project. We'll come back within one working day with honest thoughts on whether we're the right fit, and what it would cost.
- Based in
- Northampton, UK · Working globally