The Short Answer
In 2026, a custom 60 to 90 second animated explainer for a SaaS or product company typically costs $5,000 to $15,000 from a mid-level studio. Template and freelance work can come in at $1,000 to $5,000, and premium agency productions run $15,000 to $50,000 or more. The main cost drivers are custom UI animation, style, script and voice, and the number of cut-downs.
Explainer Video Prices by Production Level
Most explainer quotes fall into one of three bands. The difference between them is how much is designed and animated specifically for you, not the length of the video.
| Level | What you get | 60 to 90 s price |
|---|---|---|
| Template or freelance | Pre-made assets restyled, stock music, limited revisions | $1,000 to $5,000 |
| Mid-level studio | Custom script, storyboard, illustration and UI animation, voice-over | $5,000 to $15,000 |
| Premium agency | Strategy, bespoke art direction, original score, 3D, many cut-downs | $15,000 to $50,000+ |
These are market ranges for 2026, not quotes. If you are buying in India, our explainer video cost guide for India covers rupee pricing.
What Drives the Budget for SaaS Videos
For SaaS, the biggest driver is product UI. Recreating real screens as clean, animatable vectors and showing workflows clearly at phone size takes more time than illustration. Style, voice-over, music and cut-downs make up most of the rest.
- UI animation: real interface screens, simplified and animated, often need to be updated when the product changes.
- Style: flat 2D is quickest; mixed 2D and 3D, or full 3D, costs more per second.
- Script: a studio that writes the script needs more discovery time than one animating yours.
- Voice and music: professional voice-over and licensed or original music are separate line items.
- Cut-downs: 15 and 30 second versions for ads and social add time, but far less than making them separately.
Getting More From One Video
Plan the cut-downs at the script stage, keep UI scenes modular so they can be updated, and design the first three seconds for people who never press play with sound on. A single well-planned production can supply a homepage video, ads and product-page loops.
Our guide on why viewers skip in the first three seconds covers the opening, and animation file formats covers how to put the result on your site without slowing it down.
How To Brief an Explainer Video
Send the audience, the one message the video must land, where it will be used, the length and formats you need, style references, product access or screenshots, and your budget range. A clear brief is what turns a vague estimate into a fixed quote. Our motion design brief template lays it out.
Offshore Studios
Animation is easy to buy remotely because everything happens in files and review links. Studios in India and Eastern Europe often quote below US and UK rates for comparable quality. Judge them on UI animation in their portfolio, not on illustration alone.
What We Charge
Kalex makes explainers, product films and UI animation in After Effects and Blender for SaaS and product companies in the US, UK and India. Videos are quoted per finished second as a fixed price. See our motion graphics service, the pricing page, or send us your brief.