The short answer
Price depends on two things above all: the style of animation and the length of the finished video. A 60-second motion graphics video starts at $899 with us. A 60-second explainer starts at $1,699, 60 seconds of 2D character animation at $2,599, 60 seconds of 3D at $3,199, and 60 seconds of hand-drawn cel animation at $5,699.
Across the wider market, published 2026 guides put a 60-second video at roughly $200 to $400 on freelance marketplaces and $2,400 to $10,000 or more at mid-size studios. The gap is mostly about who manages the project and how much custom work goes into it.
Why style changes the price
Every style needs a different amount of work per second. Motion graphics moves type, shapes and icons. An explainer adds custom scenes and simple characters. Character animation needs acting: walks, expressions and lip sync. 3D adds modelling, materials, lighting and rendering. Cel animation draws every frame by hand, up to 24 drawings for each second.
So the right question is not "what is the cheapest style?" but "what is the simplest style that tells this story well?". A software product rarely needs 3D. A medical device often does.
Why length changes the price
More seconds mean more script, more scenes and more animation. Price does not double when length doubles, though, because the setup work (script development, style frames, characters and voice casting) is shared across the whole video.
That is why one 60-second video usually costs less than four separate 15-second videos, and why cutting a 15-second ad from a longer video is cheap.
What else moves the number
A few things are worth knowing before you ask for an estimate:
- Custom characters: a new mascot costs more up front and less in every video after it.
- Voice: a premium or celebrity voice costs more than a professional voice artist.
- Versions: extra languages and vertical or square cuts are cheaper when planned at script stage.
- Deadline: a rush schedule needs more people at once.
- Changes after approval: rewriting an approved script is a change of scope. Changes within a stage are included.
How to plan your budget
Start from where the video will live and what it must do. A homepage explainer earns its cost over years. A launch teaser has a few weeks. Then pick the style and length that fit, and check the published price for that combination on the matching service page.
When you request an estimate, include the length, the style you like, your deadline and a link to any video you admire. You will get a fixed written estimate before any work starts, so the number does not move.