As you've probably seen, there are hundreds of explainer video companies competing for the same projects.
And this means that pricing can range from a few thousand dollars to six figures.
So today we want to go through some of the options that are available to you, and we'll cover the current public pricing, published production timelines, portfolio information, and anything else we think is useful for you to know about these companies.
All of our research was completed and fact-checked on September 30, 2026.
How We Selected The Best Explainer Video Companies
Some of these explainer video companies are quite clearly focused on working with SaaS and B2B businesses. And you see this in their showreels and portfolio work.
We've also seen that others specialise in character work, 3D, and live action.
Obviously those things sit in completely different worlds when it comes down to commercial budgets.
So we're not interested in showing you the flashiest showreels.
That's not what this article is about.
We're presenting a list of the 30 best explainer video companies, and each of these has earned its place for its own reasons.
We've looked at whether independent reviews support the picture each company presents, and from our research, things like who writes the script and how custom the visual work really is can vary a lot, not to mention how long production takes.
What we've also done is compare our findings with our own explainer video pricing research and checked current pricing, timelines, portfolios, revenue data and operating status wherever we could.
We had that information to hand, so it made sense to use it.
Here’s A Quick Comparison Of The Top 10…
The Best Explainer Video Companies In 2026
1. Yans Media
With years of experience under their belts and having delivered more than 750 explainer videos for clients across the globe, Yans Media has a lot to offer.
Operating between the United States and Armenia since 2012, their team creates custom animated explainer videos for companies that need to simplify products, services, and technical ideas.
Unlike many explainer video companies, Yans Media is upfront about pricing, with projects starting at just $4,500.
As you can see, despite being a premium service, the pricing sits below many large US explainer video agencies.
This is because Yans Media is committed to building long-term relationships with clients.
Working with Cisco, DoorDash, VISA, Live Nation, and Databricks, their team has amassed a wealth of experience over the years.
When a client makes a specific request for an explainer video, their motion designers have the necessary resources and technical expertise to hit the ground running and get it right the first time.
They are ready to deliver original illustration and motion work produced from scratch.
The team is capable of weaving high-complexity animation, advanced characters, and elaborate motion design into your explainer videos.
2. Demo Duck
We don’t think this is a good option if you’re only really looking for a fairly conventional 60-second explainer.
As you can see from their website, this Chicago studio is working across animation, live-action, and mixed-media production.
The standard project team that you’ll be working with includes a producer, writer, and art director.
Before production starts, they invest a considerable amount of time into creative development.
They’re not expecting you to come with fully formed ideas and a finished script.
We’d put Demo Duck on a shortlist for mid-market and enterprise teams with a complicated product or technical subject where the concept matters just as much as the animation.
Interestingly, some of their case studies even come with video performance statistics!
The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy said that engage website users increased by 52% within a month of launching an educational video series created by Demo Duck.
We can see that they have established multi-project relationships with companies and organizations including Rippling, GEICO, Google and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
3. Explainify
Explainify’s team is notably good at working out how to explain products to audiences.
And that’s a difficulty that many B2B teams often wrestle with.
This Arkansas studio is all about strategy first.
The animation style comes much later in the process.
They figure out the messaging side of things before moving on to visual development and animation.
Their current process even talks about identifying where buyers are getting confused through things like interviews, sales-call reviews and message diagnostics before then simplifying the positioning.
We think Explainify's service is a good fit if your product or service takes no more than just a few sentences to explain to someone.
So this is an explainer studio that’s very much focused on results.
Yes, Explainify is creative and their portfolio work shows this, but they operate with a strategy-led approach.
By the looks of it, this approach pays off for their clients.
In one older CaseComplete project, they were tasked with making a specialized B2B software product easier for website visitors to understand.
After the explainer video was delivered and uploaded, CaseComplete reported a 23% increase in conversions within two weeks.
There’s a track record of delivery here.
On the pricing front, their guidance is also unusually straightforward, with a premium 60-second 2D explainer currently sitting at around $15,000 to $20,000.
4. Sandwich
Sandwich Video has achieved legend status, partly because they’re known for creating major product launch videos.
These often become central to advertising campaigns.
Since 2009, this Los Angeles studio has a talent for taking unfamiliar or complicated things and turning them into stories that feel human.
From their website, you can see that their current positioning is centered on technology.
Slack, Airbnb, and Square are just three of the companies they’ve completed launch and explainer video work for.
The Slack video work is a good example of Sandwich Video finding the core reason why somebody should care about a product.
When you look at Sandwich Video's current FAQ section on their website, it says $250,000 is a typical starting point for a project.
That's obviously going to rule Sandwich out for most startups and smaller marketing teams.
What they promise are product explainer videos with character, humor, and strong creative concepts.
We think they're most relevant to well-funded technology companies that are gearing up for major product launches.
5. Thinkmojo
If you need a repeatable video and motion system that can follow you across launches, demos, and multiple campaigns, you should take a closer look at Thinkmojo.
What makes Thinkmojo particularly interesting is how far across the customer journey some of their client relationships extend.
They’ve worked with companies like Salesforce, Asana, Zendesk, Google, Slack, and Square.
If we take Asana as an example, Thinkmojo has worked with them across their global AI advertising campaign.
They even built a scalable product-demo system for Asana that different teams and partners can use to explain the platform consistently.
So this isn’t like hiring an animation studio every time a new feature launches.
Thinkmoji appears to be good at establishing a visual and motion language around the product, particularly with their enterprise clients.
We can see that they have been delivering product explainers, brand campaigns, social video, live action, 2D, 3D, product demos, and larger commercial campaigns.
As for the pricing, third-party sites are estimating up to $50,000+, but this entirely depends on the project.
6. Epipheo
Epipheo is the one to pick if the subject matter itself is rather difficult to explain and there isn’t really much room for getting the message wrong.
This Cincinnati studio has delivered more than 6,000 videos for over 3,000 brands since 2009.
Their production mix includes 2D, 3D, motion graphics, whiteboard, and live action.
Turning expert-level information into something a much broader audience can understand is pretty challenging, but this is where Epipheo seems to thrive.
As an example, a recent project for the Southern California Water Coalition involved explaining recycled water, infrastructure and long-term water reliability to policymakers.
The resulting work ended up generating 2.25 million views for the Southern California Water Coalition in the first two months.
This then became a reusable communications resource across their events and public outreach.
But this is quite different from a lightweight homepage explainer.
The client reported spending $200,000 on this video project with Epipheo.
If you feel your subject matter is hard to explain, the depth of experience is the main reason to consider Epipheo.
7. Vidico
Even though Vidico still produces one-off animated explainers, product demos, live action, and motion graphics, their current model (“10x Creative Production Model”) is built more around ongoing creative production.
With more than 2,000 campaigns completed for 920+ brands, Vidico describes itself as a “full-stack creative department” for growing technology brands, having done substantial work for Square, Spotify, Airtable, and TikTok.
The “10x Creative Production Model” subscription starts with one brief that’s then turned into a much larger bank of assets, including things like social cutdowns, paid-ad variants, GIFs, email assets, landing page creative and content in different aspect ratios.
When they deliver an explainer video, it has the potential to become up to 40 assets that can then get used across hero, paid social, email, and landing pages.
The current explainer pages say production runs on monthly subscriptions that start at around $5,000 per month.
With unused budget rolling forward, the subscription covers explainer videos, animation, motion graphics, ad creative, and derivative assets.
8. Yum Yum Videos
Unlike Epipheo and Vidico, this Argentina-based studio is more of a traditional full-service explainer production company.
Yum Yum says that nearly 30% of the companies it’s worked with are in healthcare and biotech.
Their portfolio includes Thermo Fisher Scientific, BrightInsight, and MedVector.
Speaking of MedVector, Yum Yum produced three whiteboard explainers for them between 2018 and 2021, forming part of a very lean fundraising and communications setup.
Interestingly, when you read through the case study, MedVector’s CEO specifically praises Yum Yum’s ability to understand and visualize complex topics.
They also seem to be good at creating engaging videos around products that require different explanations for different audiences.
Here’s an example of this…
Between 2021 and 2024, Yum Yum was tasked with creating nine videos for an insurtech company called Accelerant and rather than trying to cram the entire proposition into one film, they made videos addressing specific types of stakeholders while still retaining the same overall visual language.
This is primarily a custom 2D and motion-design studio from a visual perspective, but if you need to make a difficult process easier to follow, it sounds like their team is capable of tackling complex briefs.
9. Wyzowl
This is the most productized explainer video company on the list.
You are getting fixed pricing, predictable timelines, and unlimited revisions.
4,000 videos for over 2,000 companies in 40+ countries, Wyzowl has delivered explainer videos and ongoing video production services since 2011.
Their ongoing VideoFlow service is currently $4,995 per month.
It’s essentially a video creation service subscription with a credit-based system.
A 60-second animated video uses 4 of the 5 monthly credits.
After this, they then offer a process of unlimited revisions. That’s included in the price, alongside scriptwriting, custom illustration, professional voiceover, and everything else you would expect.
But we should clarify that this productized service does not mean the creative is templatized.
In fact, Wyzowl explicitly makes it clear that they do not use stock visual assets or templates.
Their team creates illustrations, characters, and scenes from scratch for the client’s brand.
From what we can see, software is probably the clearest specialist area in the portfolio and that’s not just limited to homepage explainer videos.
They also create demos, onboarding, and training video content.
10. ILLO
ILLO is focused on making sure that your videos look unmistakably like your brand.
Rather than developing isolated videos, this Turin studio works with brands to build visual systems that define how illustrations should look and what typography is used.
Operating since 2012, ILLO has worked with Google, Apple, Samsung, Airbnb, and a whole host of other blue-chip companies.
Alongside conventional animation, their service list now includes motion toolkits and illustration systems.
Samsung Health is a good example for us to look at.
ILLO worked with them to develop more than 90 visual assets.
These included hero illustrations, animations, and reaction icons.
The team of designers created an underlying visual library and guidelines for Samsung Health so they could continue applying the design system internally.
After researching their pricing, ILLO doesn’t seem to have a published rate card or a stated minimum project value.
The pricing is handled by quote.
Like Vidico, the visual identity is the main draw here for brands wanting something that isn’t generic.
11. Explainly
If you suspect the first explainer won’t be the last you need, this Sausalito-based studio has shown, through numerous case studies, the ability to take an initial visual direction and scale it into a much larger family of content.
Uber Eats is probably the clearest example of Explainly’s “series production” capabilities.
Since they started working with Uber Eats’ B2B marketing team in 2022, 15+ videos have now been produced and those include merchant explainers and more stylized product content.
Part of Explainly’s job was to adapt those videos for different audiences and localise them in various markets while retaining the same consistent brand language.
They’ve also had a five-year relationship with DriveSavers, which has led to a library of more than 30 videos and those span promotional content, technical tutorials, and customer education.
Explainify’s team is comfortable delivering 2D and 3D animation, and they’re known to take a very pragmatic approach to formats.
For instance, they’re not going to force every problem into a character-led explainer.
The team understands that if a tutorial needs screen content, 3D, and a live presenter, they’ll simply combine them.
Similarly, if the subject needs a straightforward 2D illustration and nothing else, they’ll just do that instead.
The standard turnaround is published at six to eight weeks and there is “rush production” available in four to six weeks… and then “super-rush” projects in under four weeks!
Explainly’s pricing is entirely quote-based. They do not publish a numeric starting price.
12. Studio Pigeon
The problem with many explainer videos is that they come with a “corporate feel” that seems detached from the brand.
Pigeon Studio takes a very different approach to original animation.
Working from Kraków and Warsaw and operating since 2012, Pigeon Studio’s roots are very clearly in 2D animation and visual storytelling.
This is evident in their portfolio, which moves between character animation, commercials, game trailers, social campaigns, motion design, and more conventional business explainers.
Character work seems like the biggest differentiator here.
As one of its team’s favorite mediums, they even describe hand-drawn animations and specifically offer frame-by-frame character animation alongside cut-out 2D, motion graphics, 3D and mixed techniques.
We wouldn’t say that Pigeon is a SaaS specialist, even though it now has a dedicated SaaS explainer offering.
So, how much of the work is really developed from scratch?
In Pigeon’s case, all of it!
Their current production process includes all of the scripting and storyboarding.
The team will then see the project through to post-production and final rendering.
There is no pricing rate card and the cost varies by duration, style, and complexity.
Pigeon would need to send you a tailored quote.
13. Cub Studio
A lot of explainer videos aren’t particularly entertaining and this is a big problem when it comes to engaging potential customers.
Cub Studio is a Brighton-based studio with an unusually distinctive portfolio.
The portfolio includes work across major sports, media, and consumer brands, such as Formula One, Strava, World Rugby, and ESPN.
Many explainer studios are good at simplifying products, but Cub has strong evidence of simplifying systems people need to understand before they can enjoy them.
They are not an explainer specialist in the same sense as Explainify or Yum Yum.
This is really an animation studio that also happens to be quite good at explanatory storytelling.
As they’re often working with brands on larger campaigns that extend beyond just one video, the pricing is quote-based.
14. Planet Nutshell
Planet Nutshell's strongest work seems to be in educational and explanatory animation.
They are a relatively small studio that’s been operating since 2008.
The team wants to “empower people of all ages to understand and think critically about a complicated world.”
This is reflected in their video content for clients, which is often about getting an audience to genuinely understand something complicated.
Perhaps their biggest strength is how comfortable they seem tackling subjects where simplification cannot come at the expense of accuracy.
Unfortunately, standard pricing is not publicly listed, so you would need to request a quote if they seem like a possible fit.
When you look through Planet Nutshell’s portfolio, you’ll immediately notice a lot of long-term educational work.
They even say that educational media has been central to the company since its earliest years.
Planet Nutshell is particularly well suited to healthcare, education, nonprofit, and other information-heavy projects where it’s less about spectacle and more about clarity.
15. Blue Carrot
Again, Blue Carrot is another explainer video company that’s delivering educational content.
But they’re slightly different from Planet Nutshell in the types of projects they work on.
This team doesn't focus on much brand-led commercial work, yet their portfolio still has plenty of evidence that they do take this work on.
We recommend reading through their case study covering work with Ecosio, which involved creating an 84-second explainer video using 2D motion graphics.
If your explainer is likely to become part of a larger learning or onboarding program, Blue Carrot might prove to be a good fit for you.
The company began in 2014 as a two-person whiteboard-animation team, but the current business is more heavily focused on e-learning.
They now describe themselves as a full-cycle learning-development company and have reportedly completed more than 500 learning projects for 300+ clients.
Their team estimates that to be more than 10,000 minutes of video!
If you’re dealing with a question like…
“How do we explain this once, then teach people how to really use or apply it?”
…Blue Carrot becomes an interesting option for you to look into further.
16. Ydraw
Ydraw specializes in hand-drawn whiteboard animation.
This takes time and is therefore a premium service.
Since 2011, they have produced 3,000 videos and the hand-drawn explanation style is still unusually central to the business.
The artwork is physically drawn and recorded under a camera.
And as of 2026, the Utah-based studio is now experimenting with a much cheaper, AI-assisted character-story format called StoryTune.
That currently starts at $2,500 for 30 seconds, $3,500 for 60 seconds, and $4,500 for 90 seconds.
The pricing for the hand-drawn whiteboard animation is quote-based and likely higher.
Ydraw is one of the more obvious choices for teams that are looking at whiteboard and hand-drawn explanation-style videos.
Although it is noted on their website that the team also works in motion graphics and 2D animation.
17. Cartoon Media
Cartoon Media is a relatively small, hands-on whiteboard and 2D studio, but here’s what makes them interesting and worthy of being on this list…
They are committed to a traditional production process with no templates, clip art, or AI.
And the “no AI” factor is obviously quite distinctive in 2026.
We think Cartoon Media is a good one to shortlist if you want a fully custom explainer, but you’d rather not move into premium-agency pricing.
This is a Canterbury-based studio that remains deliberately small and has been operating since 2012.
Cartoon Media has set up a healthcare division called Health Explainers under the same company.
The division says that roughly 75% of Cartoon Media’s videos are for healthcare and pharmaceutical organizations.
18. Rocketwheel
The problem with many explainer videos is that they can often feel a little dry.
Creating engaging video content is an art, especially when it comes to breaking down and explaining technical topics.
While some studios are focused on things like high-end character animation and distinctive illustration styles, Rocketwheel’s edge comes from having experience translating technical products into stories that marketing and sales teams can use.
Their work with quantum computing company Xanadu is a good example of this.
The team produced a 60-second animated video alongside additional content. The client noted the finished video captured prospects' attention at trade-show booths.
Rocketwheel isn’t producing animation for animation’s sake.
When they start storyboarding, they are thinking about how they can communicate a complex value proposition, introduce a product, or make a technical explanation just a little easier to understand.
Rocketwheel has published several per-minute production tiers:
- $6,000
- $10,000
- $15,000+
They are working with B2B and SaaS companies that want a fairly quick production cycle and need to turn technical information into a coherent marketing story.
19. Idearocket
If you’re worried about losing your audience in technical detail, IdeaRocket’s team is known to be particularly good at the thinking behind the animation.
When you look through their reviews, the thing that comes up multiple times is their ability to figure out how to communicate technical concepts through video.
Alongside whiteboard videos and mixed-media explainers, this studio produces a range of 2D and 3D animation in a variety of different styles.
Founded in 2012, IdeaRocket is one of the only explainer video companies we’ve researched that openly talks about AI usage on their website.
“AI still struggles to capture simple actions or certain fine details. However, AI provides remarkable image-making tools that save time and resources.”
They go into more detail about how they use AI and describe a human-led approach to creating explainer videos.
IdeaRocket seems to work with a lot of healthcare clients.
In fact, they note that this sector accounts for roughly a quarter to a third of its workload.
Looking at their B2B portfolio, they seem to have a track record of explaining technical software, financial concepts, and specialized business services through video content.
IdeaRocket does not publish fixed package pricing.
All projects require a tailored quote.
20. We Are Alive
Ae Are Alive is a useful fit for brands that want film, animation, live action, and sound handled under one creative roof and taken care of by a single production house.
The studio works across animation, film, motion graphics, and audio, which gives it more range than a specialist animation-only shop.
They were formerly known as We Are Live before rebranding in November 2024.
A*live may be a fit if you’re looking for many different types of videos (including live action) as part of a larger brand campaign.
With campaign-led storytelling, they have produced film and animation content as part of broader brand experiences.
We wouldn’t describe them as a traditional “explainer video company” as they obviously do much more than this.
Their portfolio includes work for TikTok, Dulux, and Hendrick’s Gin, but their main case studies are mostly experiential projects and not explainer videos.
Due to the nature of the broad campaigns and the type of work they take on, pricing is quote-based.
21. Kasra Design
We think Kasra Design is one to consider if you have a brief with more visual ambition than a conventional 2D SaaS explainer.
Where this team looks particularly strong is with technical subjects.
From the examples and case studies on their website, you can see their confidence in visualizing complex topics.
Working with Stanley Black & Decker, for instance, the team at Kasra Design took care of the script, character development, storyboards, voiceover, and a combination of both 2.5D and 3D animation.
A final video was delivered within four weeks.
So we’d put Kasra on the shortlist for anyone that’s trying to sell a technical product or communicate a more visually demanding story.
There are cheaper and leaner studios on our list that make more sense if all you really need is a very simple software walkthrough.
22. Verstiuk Production
I wouldn’t describe Verstiuk Production as a low-cost animation studio.
If that’s what you need, there are other solutions on this list to look at.
They are skilled at creative storytelling around unfamiliar technology.
Verstiuk Production covers 2D, 3D, motion graphics, and full-cycle production.
These creatives know how to explain and communicate technical concepts, using video as the medium.
Founded in 2016 and based in Ukraine, this studio has a team of 20 specialists and a portfolio of over 1,100 videos and 730+ clients.
That’s a big operation!
This is one of the more accessible options for startups and SaaS teams looking for custom animation.
Verstiuk Production does not have a public price list.
For e-Zinc, Verstiuk was tasked with making complex engineering easier to sell.
The energy-storage company needed to communicate how its zinc-based technology worked without revealing too much proprietary information.
Verstiuk tested 60-to-90-second scripts before developing a 3D cinematic concept.
The case study estimates 8-12 weeks for this kind of production.
23. Simple Story
When you’re juggling multiple audiences, languages, and channels, Simple Story acts as an integrated video partner for your organization.
Having built relationships with a range of brands, including Canadian Geographic and the WWF, they are focused on finding inventive ways to communicate complex ideas through video.
Their team delivers structured storytelling across animation or live action, particularly for enterprise, nonprofit, government, and institutional work.
Simple Story got started in 2011 and has since produced more than 1,500 videos.
WattIQ is an interesting case study that points to making a technical product easier to understand.
They needed to communicate WattIQ’s energy-monitoring technology while also refreshing the brand.
The team was tasked with creating four videos for WattIQ: a brand film, an explainer, and two product videos, as well as other branded creative.
Simple Story’s designers used a visual metaphor, comparing a WattIQ device’s energy use to a heartbeat.
This made an abstract monitoring concept seem more intuitive.
If your company needs a connected set of video assets and not just a one-off explainer, Simple Story can potentially bring some inventive visual ideas to the table.
24. Explain Ninja
Explain Ninja’s biggest strength is producing polished 2D animated explainer videos for international audiences.
This includes multilingual versions of the same video and larger series of product explainers.
Based in Warsaw, Poland, this studio is predominantly focused on delivering 2D animations.
From scripting and storyboarding through to illustration, voiceover, and sound, this is an end-to-end solution for businesses that need visual storytelling across multiple languages.
Avalara’s multilingual e-invoicing explainer video is just one example of content Explain Ninja has delivered in various languages.
I would also recommend checking out their series of customer information videos for Zalando Lounge, which shows their ability to produce a substantial set of localized assets with a consistent visual identity.
25. Breadnbeyond
Good-looking animation is nice, but does the messaging work?
This is something that Breadnbeyond cares about.
The Indonesia-based studio works across SaaS, education, healthcare, and finance.
From concept development to scriptwriting and animation, Breadnbeyond brings an end-to-end solution to the table for those who want an animated explainer.
While primarily working with 2D animation, they can add 3D elements where appropriate.
We think Breadnbeyond is best suited to companies that want straightforward 2D explainer production.
Fortunately, you won’t need a premium agency budget.
Breadnbeyond is one of the more budget-friendly custom options in the list, with published pricing starting at $1,000 for a one-minute explainer video.
There are additional charges for longer videos.
Standard projects are advertised at five weeks or less.
When you look at client reviews, they are particularly impressed with the studio’s responsiveness and value for money.
Breadnbeyond also offers white-label animation support for agencies.
26. Demoflick
DemoFlick is a Seattle-based video production studio that specializes in helping B2B companies explain products, software, and processes through custom animation, product demos, and corporate video.
DemoFlick’s team has worked with major brands such as Wayfair, Boston Scientific, and Office Depot.
This is another explainer video company that seems to be doing plenty of work in the healthcare space.
So, what makes them different?
Their approach to pre-production.
The team begins each new project by looking at the audience, message, and business objectives.
From there, they develop the script, visual concept, key frames, and storyboard, all before moving forward with full-fledged animation.
For GE SmartHQ, DemoFlick’s motion designers used animation to demonstrate how consumers can manage connected appliances through one app.
Unfortunately, I can’t give you a clear-cut price.
It’s all quote-based.
The production timeline depends entirely on the project and the speed of the approval process.
27. Wienot Films
Wienot Films are not interested in following the generic product-promo formula.
They deliver storytelling-led explainers and educational animation videos.
This is an Austin-based boutique studio founded in 2011.
From an editorial perspective, their team has an ability to turn serious or potentially dry subjects into engaging videos.
As an example, they made an animated rap video about data privacy.
It’s their out-of-the-box thinking which wins them praise.
Even though they do have not a public rate card, Wienot Films’ guidance puts many animated explainers around $5,000 to $6,000.
In terms of production timelines, the studio’s stated standard is 6-8 weeks.
Delivering on a tight deadline, VisionSpring said Wienot’s team managed to produce an animated timeline video in less than a week for its 20th-anniversary celebration.
Wienot Films has a boutique feel and is particularly relevant for nonprofit, educational, and purpose-led organizations.
28. What a story
What a Story is a remote-first video production agency that specializes in explainers and product videos for B2B SaaS and AI companies.
If you’re trying to avoid creating video content that plays like a conventional sales pitch, this studio is ready to offer a solution.
Founded in 2015, What a Story’s team is especially good at working out how to visualize software.
They recently worked with Level AI, who needed to find a way to explain its customer service AI platform without actually showing the user interface itself.
What a Story managed to achieve this by using illustrative UI, characters, and workplace scenarios to communicate the business problem and the solution’s intended value.
For ZELIQ, an AI-powered sales platform, What a Story managed to create a high-fidelity simulated interface before the actual product was ready to show.
Using a product roadmap and some wireframes, they successfully built a visual product experience for ZELIQ’s launch and investor presentations.
This shows what their team is capable of creating for software companies.
What a Story produced a 90-second video for Smoobu, a vacation-rental software solution, showing how reservations, calendar synchronization, guest communication, and direct bookings fit together.
What a Story’s published packages are $2,900 for 15 to 30 seconds, $5,000 for 30 to 60 seconds and $6,500 for 60 to 90 seconds, with turnaround listed at three, five and six weeks, respectively.
Those packages include scriptwriting, brainstorming, sound design, motion graphics and unlimited
29. Nerdo
For a simple software walkthrough, Nerdo’s level of creative production may be more than the brief really needs.
Their team’s portfolio shows creative animation, design and motion work with a strong visual identity.
Pricing is quote-only.
Nerdo is suited to brands that care heavily about original art direction and premium motion design.
It’s not a conventional explainer video specialist.
Nerdo’s strongest selling point is high-concept visual storytelling and art direction.
Founded in Italy back in 2009
30. Gisteo
Founded in 2011, Gisteo has reportedly produced more than 3,000 videos, and those cover a whole range of sectors, including technology, financial services, healthcare, and nonprofit communications.
They take a script-first approach to explainer video production.
The team wants to understand the audience and message before choosing a visual style.
Once this is decided, they then develop the storyboard, animation, and voiceover around that story.
Gisteo is a rarity in the sense that their team is unusually transparent about pricing, with fixed numbers.
Full-service production costs $4,000 for the first 60 seconds, animation-only starts at $3,500, and a faster production option costs $5,000.
They’ve worked with companies like QuickBooks, Harvard University, and OpenTable.
Standard full-service projects are quoted at around five to six weeks.
When you look at their client feedback and reviews, their perhaps unique ability to turn dense information into accessible stories is repeatedly mentioned.
What Our Explainer Video Pricing Research Shows (110 Quotes)
Our separate pricing research involved us contacting 152 production companies. We shared the same project brief with them and received 110 usable quotes. Here’s what we learned:
- Average quote: $8,746
- Lowest quote: $950
- Highest quote: $250,000
Your Questions Answered By Aram Movsisyan, Chief Business Officer At Yans Media
Does Winning Awards Mean That Agency Is Good?
We think this is a really big misconception because a studio can win awards for beautiful creative work and still be a poor fit for a technical SaaS explainer.
Sure, awards are a useful signal, but I would pay more attention to the full projects they have produced.
The awards do not tell you whether the agency is right for your project.
You should look at how clearly they explain difficult ideas and whether they have done work similar to yours.
Should I Choose The Agency With The Best-Looking Portfolio?
I think there's a big temptation to choose an agency with the best-looking portfolio.
In a lot of cases, a portfolio will look incredible because the studio specializes in visually ambitious brand work.
But I'd encourage you to watch complete videos and ask yourself whether you understood the product better by the end.
Exciting brand work does not always mean they are the best at explaining a complicated product.
Is It A Red Flag If An Agency Does Not Publish Its Prices?
No, you can't apply a blanket red flag to an agency that does not publish its prices.
Sure, it makes the comparison harder, but a lot of established studios price projects individually because the scope can vary so much.
I would ask for a rough budget range early.
That way you'll avoid spending several calls discussing a project that is never going to fit your budget.
You want to make sure both parties are on the same page from the very start.
Why Can Two Agencies Quote Completely Different Prices For The Same Video?
Well, you have to keep in mind that they're probably selling very different levels of production.
The useful thing to ask is, what are you really getting for the price?
We know that one quote might include strategy, animation, scriptwriting, custom illustration, things like that.
Whereas another might use a much leaner process and not come with some of those elements.
How Many Agencies Should I Speak To Before Choosing One?
I mean, three to five is usually enough.
And bear in mind, to have spoken to three to five agencies, you will have probably already gone through at least ten portfolios.
So at that point, I imagine you will have narrowed down who you're looking for.
When you do speak with these explainer video companies, I would recommend using the same brief for each agency so you can compare their thinking and pricing properly.
How Can I Tell If The Work Is Really Custom?
You just need to ask them.
You must find out whether they create the script and the motion graphics, along with the illustrations and characters, from scratch.
In some cases, they may be using stock assets, templates, or even some AI-assisted production in the process. You need their answers to be clear, so you know what you're getting from the outset.
Should I Hire A Specialist Explainer Video Company Or A General Video Agency?
The advantage to using a specialist explainer studio is that they've likely mastered the challenge of simplifying a complicated idea, but it depends on the project.
A broader video agency can make more sense when you also need things like live action, campaign strategy, photography or a larger set of creative assets in the mix too.
How Important Are Client Reviews?
As you can tell from reading through this article, I put massive weight into client reviews, especially when they're verified.
This is why I like to scan through Clutch profiles to see what people are saying about different vendors.
You're going to get a sense of what these explainer video companies are like in terms of communication, deadlines, revisions, all of these things.
Even though a lot of the reviews are very short, taking a read through some of them will help you to build a picture of each company.
What Should I Look For In The First Call With An Agency?
What you'll find is that a good team should want to understand your audience, product, competitors, current messaging and what the viewer should do after watching.
You really need to pay attention to the types of questions that they're asking you. Because if most of the conversation is about animation styles before they understand the problem, I would be a bit cautious of that.
Is A More Expensive Agency Usually Better?
That's not necessarily true. Sometimes higher pricing can reflect overhead.
But more often than not, it's usually an indication of a more senior team or a stronger creative direction.
I would encourage you to think about whether the extra cost improves the part of the project that matters to you.
How Much Should I Care About Industry Experience?
You'll know how much industry experience they have just from talking with them on a call.
Sure, you should go and do some research and check to see what experience they do have.
But it's more likely something that you'll pick up on as you get to know them.
We obviously know that relevant industry experience can shorten the learning curve, especially for technical or regulated subjects.
What Is The Biggest Mistake Companies Make When Choosing An Explainer Video Agency?
The very last thing you want to do is pick an explainer video company based purely on a fancy showreel.
Anyone can design an impressive showreel. You're not getting a huge amount of context from that video.
You're better off looking on Clutch and other review websites to get a real sense of what these explainer video specialists are really like to work with.
That can then form the basis of an informed decision.
It’s Never Been Easier To Find Great Explainer Video Companies
I hope this article has helped you make sense of how these explainer video companies differ.
Who you need will ultimately depend on what you're looking for in the explainer videos you want to create.
I recommend booking calls with 3-5 companies from this list.
