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A simple 2D animated explainer of 60 to 90 seconds typically costs about €2,450–€3,350 ex VAT in Ireland, with concept, script and captions included. With a professional voiceover and sound design it's about €3,100–€4,000. Length and style decide most of the price: custom characters, many scenes or 3D cost more.
How much does an animated explainer video cost?
Animation is priced on scope. Every second has to be designed and animated, so the length of the finished video and the detail in each scene decide most of the cost. These are typical prices, worked out from the same pricing logic our instant quote calculator uses:
| Typical project | What it covers | Typical price (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Simple 2D animated explainer | 60 to 90 seconds, motion graphics with text, icons and simple shapes, script and captions | about €2,450–€3,350 |
| The same explainer, finished | As above, plus professional voiceover and sound design | about €3,100–€4,000 |
| Whiteboard-style animation | Drawn-on-screen style for step-by-step explanations | around €1,150 per finished minute of animation |
| Custom illustrated characters or 3D | Characters or models designed from scratch for your brand | quoted on scope |
All prices exclude VAT (23%). They're typical figures, not quotes. Two explainers of the same length can differ a lot in price if one uses simple shapes and text and the other uses custom illustrated characters, so the instant quote calculator asks about length, style and voiceover and emails you an estimate within minutes. Every Mango project then gets one fixed price in writing, plus VAT, before anything starts.
What do the extras cost?
- Professional voiceover: about €250–€600 for a typical short or standard film, for web use.
- Sound design and mixing: about €300–€400 for a standard film.
- Resizing for another aspect ratio: about €250 per finished minute, because each layout is re-animated rather than cropped.
- Short cut-downs for social: about €150–€250 each, priced separately from resizing.
What affects the price of an animated explainer?
Length of the finished animation
Length is the biggest single driver. Most explainers run between 60 and 90 seconds, which is long enough to explain one idea clearly. A two- or three-minute video needs more script, more scenes and more animation time, so it costs more. Keeping the message tight saves money and usually makes a better video.
Style and visual complexity
Styles range roughly from simple to complex:
- Kinetic typography and icon-based motion graphics. Text, shapes and simple icons moving in time with a voiceover. Usually the most affordable.
- Whiteboard animation. A drawn-on-screen style that suits step-by-step explanations.
- Custom 2D illustration with characters. Characters and scenes are designed from scratch for your brand, then rigged so they can move. More design and animation time.
- 3D animation. Modelling, texturing, lighting and rendering. Useful for showing hardware, medical devices or processes inside a machine, but it's the most time-consuming option.
The number of scenes matters too. A video set in one environment is cheaper than one that moves through ten separately designed locations.
Script and messaging
The script decides whether the video works. A professional explainer starts with agreeing the one message the viewer should leave with, then writing a script that fits the length. As a rule of thumb, a voiceover runs at roughly 140 to 150 words a minute, so a 60-second script is short. Trying to fit too much in makes the animation rush. At Mango, the concept and script are included in every project.
Voiceover and usage
A professional voiceover typically adds about €250–€600, priced by the artist's experience and how the video will be used. A web-only licence is the norm. If you plan to run the video as a TV ad or in paid advertising, expect extra usage fees. For an Irish audience, choosing a voice that suits the brand and the listener can matter as much as the script.
Music and sound design
Licensed music, sound effects and a proper mix make animation feel finished. Without them it can feel flat, even if the visuals are strong.
Versions and resizing
If you need square and vertical versions for social media, these cost more in animation than in live action. Each layout has to be re-animated rather than simply cropped, which adds about €250 per finished minute, so decide the formats early. Short cut-downs for social are priced separately from resizing.
Rush turnaround
Animation takes time. A tight deadline can mean more animators working at once, which adds to the price.
Where does the budget go in an animation project?
Most of the work happens before anything moves. A typical explainer goes through these stages:
- Discovery and script. Agreeing the audience, the message and the call to action, then writing and approving the script.
- Style frames. A few finished still frames that set the look: colours, line style and characters.
- Storyboard. A frame-by-frame plan of every scene, matched to the script.
- Voiceover. Recorded once the script is locked, because the animation is timed to it.
- Animation. Usually the longest stage. Timing, movement and transitions are built scene by scene.
- Sound design and final mix. Music and effects are added and balanced against the voice.
How can you keep an animation budget under control?
Approve the storyboard properly
Changes at the storyboard stage are quick, because they're still drawings. Changes once animation has started can mean redoing scenes. Get every person who needs to sign off, including senior managers, to approve the script and storyboard before animation begins.
Spend the effort where it counts
The opening seconds decide whether people keep watching. A strong start with simpler animation later can be a better use of budget than an even level of detail all the way through.
Plan cut-downs and formats at the start
If you'll want short clips for LinkedIn or Instagram, tell your producer at the start. Designing scenes so they can be lifted out as short clips costs much less than reworking the animation afterwards. Our guide to getting more content from one video covers this.
Keep the script short
A 60-second video with one clear message is cheaper to make and easier to watch than a three-minute video that tries to cover everything.
When is animation the right choice?
Animation is worth the cost when the thing you need to show is hard to film. Common examples:
- Software and apps. You can simplify an interface and show only the parts that matter, which a screen recording can't do.
- Medical devices, pharma and engineering. Animation can show what happens inside the body or inside a machine.
- Abstract services. Insurance, finance and consultancy are easier to explain with visual metaphors than with people in an office.
- Training and onboarding. Animated content is easy to update later when a process changes.
If your story is about people, places or culture, live-action filming is often the better fit. Our post on animation and storytelling looks at when each works.
Get a price for your explainer
Describe your idea in the instant quote calculator for an estimate within minutes, or see what we make on our animation and explainer page.
Written by Mango Media. Published , updated .
