April 10, 2025

How Much Does a 60-Second Animation Cost?

Stephen Conley

Stephen is Gisteo's Founder & Creative Director. After a long career in advertising, Stephen launched Gisteo in 2011 and the rest is history. He has an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he did indeed inhale (in moderation).

So here’s a question people often Google or ask ChatGPT: how much does a 60-second animation cost? I’ll give you the real answer most production houses don’t want you to know.

OK, let’s get to it. I’m going to tell you straight up something now that many animation studios and freelancers won’t: there is no “standard price” for a 60-second animation. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying to you or doesn’t understand the business.

I’ve spent years watching businesses waste mountains of cash on overpriced animations while others cut corners and end up with garbage that actually damages their brand.

Both scenarios cost you money – either upfront or in lost sales.

Here’s the unvarnished truth…

The Real Cost Range: $1,000 to $100,000+

Yes, that range is enormous. And there’s a reason for that.

The price of your animation most often will depend on FIVE critical factors:

Animation Style – 3D animation with photorealistic elements might cost 5-10X more than simple 2D motion graphics. Whiteboard animations, on the other hand, may fall on the lower end of the spectrum.
Complexity – How many scenes, characters, or effects do you need? Each element adds production time and cost.
Experience Level – A college student might charge $1,000 while a top-tier studio with Fortune 500 clients might charge $50,000+ for the same length. It’s a question of know-how as well as business overhead.
Timeline – Need it done by next week? Expect to pay a rush fee of 25-50% over standard rates.
Length – Longer videos of 5-10 minutes obviously take longer to produce, with much more labor involved at every step. It’s as simple as that!

Typical Price Brackets (What NO ONE Else Will Tell You)

Economy ($500-$2,000) – Typically template-based or created by overseas freelancers. Sometimes acceptable for social media content with very short lifespans.
Mid-range ($2,000-$20,000) – Custom animation from solid professionals. At the lower-end, you might be going offshore but there are plenty of studios in other countries that do fine work. This is appropriate for most business explainer videos and marketing content.
Premium ($20,000-$50,000) – High-end custom work from established studios. Expected for broadcast commercials and high-visibility campaigns.
Luxury ($50,000+) – Top-tier animation houses with teams of specialists. Used almost exclusively for major brands and enterprises for national advertising campaigns.

The BIGGEST Mistake Business Owners Make

The fatal error isn’t paying too much or too little – it’s not aligning the investment with your expected ROI.

If your 60-second animation will be the centerpiece of a $500,000 marketing campaign, spending $10,000 is very reasonable. If it’s just for an internal training video seen by 12 employees, that same price is ludicrous.

Smart Marketer’s Advice

Determine the potential VALUE of the animation to your business BEFORE shopping.
Request detailed quotes broken down by production phases.
Always negotiate usage rights separately from production costs.
Get everything in writing – including revision limitations.

How much does a 60 Second Animation Cost at Gisteo?

At Gisteo, we understand the complexities involved in answering this question. That’s why we’re into a thing called TRANSPARENCY.

We aim to provide clarity and value to our clients, so we’ve structured our services and pricing to accommodate diverse needs and budgets. Here’s our “Gisteo Guy” for a bit more on our philosophy and overall approach:

Gisteo’s Service Offerings and Pricing For Standalone Projects:

For standard productions in various styles that you can see on our Portfolio page, we provide flat rates across the board:

Just Animate!: Ideal for clients who already have an approved script with storyboard cues. We handle the animation to bring your vision to life. Priced at $3,000 for the first 60 seconds, plus $500 for each additional 30-second increment.
Full-Service: Our comprehensive package where we manage everything from concept development to final production. This includes discovery, script development, storyboarding, voice-over, illustration, animation, music, and sound effects. Priced at $3,500 for the first 60 seconds, plus $500 for each additional 30-second increment.
VIP Fast Pass: The same as our Full-Service package—just faster. We lose sleep, beg our spouses for mercy, and you get lightning-speed results!

The BEST Deal You’ll Find Anywhere– Gisteo Unlimited Yearly Plan:

For businesses seeking ongoing video content, our Gisteo Unlimited yearly plan offers unparalleled value. This annual subscription provides unlimited custom animated explainer videos and other video content for a flat fee of $16,000 per year (as of the publishing of this article- subject to change as we continue to fill our quota of “seats” at that rate).

Unlimited designed for organizations aiming to produce multiple videos throughout the year, ensuring consistent branding and messaging.

Benefits of Gisteo Unlimited:

Cost Efficiency: Significant savings compared to per-project pricing, especially for multiple video projects.
Streamlined Process: Consistent collaboration leads to a deeper understanding of your brand, resulting in faster turnaround times and cohesive content.
Flexibility: Covers various video styles and lengths, from short social media clips to longer training videos.
Consistent Branding: Maintains uniformity across all video content, reinforcing brand identity.

With Gisteo Unlimited, your creative vision has no boundaries. For less than the cost of making a single video with some of our competitors, you can produce 10-15+ videos in a year, unleashing your brand’s potential and transforming every idea into compelling content.

At Gisteo, we pride ourselves on transparency and delivering value-for-money. Our goal is to provide high-quality animations that not only fit your budget but also drive results for your business. The Unlimited Yearly Plan is an important part of our vision moving forward.