What a product launch video costs
Quotes for the same brief vary by two orders of magnitude, which makes the first quote you receive almost useless as a reference point. Here are the ranges by route, what actually drives them, and how to tell which one your launch needs.
By Sourish Sarmah, maker of supaintro · Last updated
The ranges
| Route | Cost | Timeline | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boutique or hero film | $50,000 to $250,000 | 8 to 16 weeks | Original concept, live action or bespoke animation, a named director |
| B2B SaaS video agency | $10,000 to $50,000 | 4 to 8 weeks | Strategy, script, styleframes, animation, sound design, two or three revisions |
| Video subscription service | $2,000 to $20,000 per month | Ongoing | A steady stream of assets, per-video cost falling with volume |
| Freelance motion designer | $2,000 to $8,000 | 2 to 4 weeks | Animation to your script, usually one aspect ratio, limited revisions |
| Template plus your time | $50 to $300 plus 8 to 20 hours | A weekend | A licence, a stock track, and whatever you can do in After Effects |
| AI generated | $59 to $149 per film | Same day | Landscape and portrait films, re-renderable when the copy changes |
Where the money goes in an agency quote
It is worth understanding, because it explains which parts you can and cannot cut. In a typical $25,000 launch film, roughly a third is pre-production, a third is animation, and the remaining third is split between sound, revisions, and project management.
| Phase | Share | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and strategy | 10 to 15% | Positioning, audience, message hierarchy, competitive review |
| Script and storyboard | 15 to 20% | Writing, beat structure, client rounds |
| Styleframes and design | 15 to 20% | The look: type, palette, motion language, key frames |
| Animation | 30 to 35% | The actual production, and the largest single line |
| Sound design and music | 8 to 12% | Score, licence, mix, master |
| Revisions and management | 10 to 15% | Two or three rounds, plus the producer keeping it on schedule |
The first two lines are where an agency earns its premium, and they are also the lines you can supply yourself if the positioning is settled and the deck is good. That is the arbitrage behind every cheaper route on this page.
What drives the range
- Live action. A shoot adds crew, location, talent, and a day rate. It is the single biggest multiplier.
- Original illustration or 3D. Bespoke assets are priced per asset and they accumulate.
- Length. Cost is close to linear in runtime past about 45 seconds.
- Aspect ratios. Each additional ratio is a layout rebuild unless it was designed in from the start.
- Revision rounds. Two are usually included. The third is a change order.
- Rush. A compressed schedule is priced at 25 to 50% over standard.
- Localisation. Each language is a new voice-over, new captions, and a re-export.
Cost per usable asset
Comparing a $25,000 agency film to a $59 generated one on headline price is the wrong comparison, in both directions. The useful number is cost per asset you can actually ship, because a launch needs a landscape master, a vertical cut, a muted version, a narrated version, and usually a short cut for paid. For a startup with no video budget, that multiplication is the whole decision.
| Route | Headline | Ratios included | Short cut | Copy change later |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | $10k to $50k | Often quoted per ratio | Usually extra | Change order |
| Freelance | $2k to $8k | Usually one | Extra | Hourly |
| Template | $50 to $300 | Rebuild each by hand | Rebuild | Your weekend |
| supaintro | $59 to $149 | 16:9 and 9:16 included | Re-render | Re-render |
Which route your launch needs
- Is the positioning settled? If not, buy strategy first, from an agency or a consultant. No production route fixes an unclear message.
- Do you need people on camera? If yes, you need a shoot, and that means an agency or a production company.
- Is this a category-defining brand moment? If yes and the budget exists, the hero film is a reasonable use of it.
- Will the copy change in the next quarter? If yes, favour a route where a change is a re-render rather than an invoice.
- Is the launch inside four weeks? Agencies are largely out at that point, whatever the budget.
- Do you need six variants across three platforms? Per-asset cost, not headline cost, is your number.
How much does a SaaS launch video cost?
$10,000 to $50,000 from a B2B SaaS video agency, $50,000 to $250,000 for boutique hero work, $2,000 to $8,000 from a freelance motion designer, $2,000 to $20,000 per month from a subscription video service, and $59 to $149 per film generated. Ranges are for 2026 B2B SaaS work.
Why are video quotes so different for the same brief?
Because the brief is usually underspecified. Live action versus animation, one aspect ratio versus four, two revision rounds versus unlimited, and whether strategy is included can each move a quote by a factor of two. Compare quotes only after fixing those five variables.
Is a $50 template video worth it?
Only if someone on the team can actually use After Effects. The licence is $50 and the real cost is eight to twenty hours plus a monthly software subscription, plus a rebuild for every additional aspect ratio. See the template comparison.
What is the cheapest way to get a professional launch video?
For a motion-graphics launch film with correct branding, generation is currently the cheapest route that clears a professional bar, at $59 to $149 per film with every aspect ratio included. For live action there is no cheap route: a shoot has a floor.
Do agencies charge extra for vertical versions?
Usually, unless it was in the original scope. Vertical is never just a crop — 16:9 type placement does not survive being cut down to a phone frame, so it needs its own composition. Ask for both orientations in the initial quote rather than after delivery.
Every ratio, both cuts, re-renderable when the copy changes. The storyboard is free, so you can price the decision before making it.