How Much Does a Motion Design Video Cost in 2026?

At Motionlab, a motion design video typically costs between €1,500 and €8,000 excl. VAT. A 2D presentation video of about 60 seconds usually falls between €3,000 and €4,500 excl. VAT.

But length alone doesn’t tell you the price.

Two 60-second videos can require completely different amounts of work depending on the number of scenes, the art direction, the complexity of the animation, whether interfaces are involved, the choice of 2D or 3D, and the variations you need.

In fact, that’s the most common mistake when people look up motion design pricing: thinking only in terms of price per minute.

In this guide, we show exactly what makes up the budget, what Motionlab charges, and the questions to ask so you can compare two quotes properly.

Motion design video pricing: budgets at Motionlab

These figures are ballpark estimates, not an automatic rate calculated by the second.

Depending on the project, a Motionlab budget can include:

• Defining the message

• Scriptwriting

• Storyboard

• Art direction

• Illustrations

• Animation

• Voiceover

• Licensed music

• Sound design

• Revisions

• Exports in every format you need

How much does a 60-second motion design video cost?

For a 60-second 2D presentation video, the budget usually falls between €3,000 and €4,500 excl. VAT at Motionlab.

To understand why there’s a range, let’s compare two projects with exactly the same length.

Project A

• Art direction already defined

• Six scenes

• Few elements to create

• Clean, minimal animation

• One voiceover

Project B

• Visual style to create from scratch

• Twelve scenes

• Interfaces to recreate

• Lots of transitions

• Several illustrations

• Three distribution formats

Same length. Completely different production time.

That’s why we prefer to talk about production complexity rather than price per second.

What really drives the price of a motion design video

This analysis comes from Motionlab’s experience across more than 65 projects produced for SaaS companies, startups and agencies. Six variables explain most of the differences.

1. Length

The longer a video is, the more scenes, text, illustrations, animation and sound design it contains. So the budget naturally follows the length.

That said, a video twice as long doesn’t necessarily cost twice as much: scoping, art direction and building the visual style are steps whose cost stays largely fixed. If you’re still torn between 30, 60 and 90 seconds, our guide to presentation video length will help you decide.

2. Number of scenes

Each scene is a shot to design, illustrate, animate and add sound to. Twelve scenes in 60 seconds take far more work than six scenes over the same length. So visual density often matters more than length.

Visual density costs time.

3. Art direction

The starting point changes everything. Receiving “Here are our brand guidelines and all our assets.” is nothing like receiving “Here’s our logo. It’s up to you to create the look of the video.”

In the first case, we apply an existing system. In the second, we create it: style exploration, color palette, typefaces, illustrations, animation principles. That’s a production line item in its own right.

4. 2D or 3D

3D costs more because it adds modeling, texturing, lighting and render time. It’s worth it when you need to show a physical product, a material or volume.

At Motionlab, we generally favor 2D when 3D doesn’t add any extra information. We explain this choice in our 2D vs. 3D motion design comparison.

5. Sound and voiceover

Sound is a real part of the budget, and it breaks down into several items too:

• Casting the voice actor

• Recording

• Usage rights

• Music

• Music licensing

• Sound design

• Mixing

6. Formats and versions

A video is rarely delivered in a single version. Each variation adds reframing, re-editing and sometimes re-animation:

• 16:9 for your website and YouTube

• 1:1 for the LinkedIn feed

• 9:16 for Stories and Reels

• Versions in several languages

• Versions with and without voiceover

• 15-second or 30-second cuts

In a dedicated guide, we explain which video format to use for each channel.

What does the price of a video actually include?

Scoping

Defining the goal, the audience and the key message. This is the step that keeps you from producing a beautiful video that serves no purpose.

Script

Writing what will be said and shown, in order. Writing a motion design video script often takes as much work as the animation itself.

Storyboard

Turning the script into drawn frames. This is where pacing and storytelling get approved, before any animation starts.

Art direction

Choosing the style, color palette, typefaces and graphic principles of the video.

Design

Creating the illustrations, icons, interfaces and every element that will appear on screen.

Animation

Setting everything in motion, handling transitions and pacing. It’s the most visible line item, but not always the longest.

Sound

Voiceover, licensed music, sound design and final mix.

Revisions

How many feedback rounds are planned, and at which stages they can happen.

So when you compare two quotes, don’t just compare €3,000 vs. €4,000. Ask instead: what is actually produced for that €3,000 or €4,000?

Example: where does the budget for a SaaS video go?

A typical brief sounds something like this: “We need to explain our SaaS in one minute.”

In that case, the value a provider brings doesn’t come from the animation alone. It comes from the decisions made before animating.

You have to decide:

• Which feature to show

• Which feature to cut

• In what order to explain the product

• How to represent an invisible action

• Where to show the interface

• Where to simplify the interface

• Which benefit should stick in viewers’ minds

So the price also pays for decisions.

A beautiful animation of the wrong message is still a bad investment. That’s exactly the work we do on our motion design projects for SaaS companies.

How much does a freelance motion designer cost in 2026?

According to the Malt 2026 rate barometer, the average day rate for experienced motion designers active on the platform is around €419 per day.

This figure is a market benchmark, not a video price. You can’t turn it into a budget by multiplying it by a number of days picked at random.

Above all, the scope varies a lot from one profile to another. Some freelancers only offer animation, based on assets you provide. Others also handle:

• Art direction

• Illustration

• Storyboard

• Sound design

• Script

Compare the scope, not just the day rate.

Freelancer or agency: what’s the price difference?

There’s no universal right answer. Both options make sense, just not in the same situations.

Freelancer

A freelancer is a great fit when the groundwork is already done:

• Script already written

• Storyboard already done

• Existing art direction

• Existing assets

• Mainly animation needed

Agency

An agency makes sense when the brief sounds more like: “Here’s our product. We need to explain it in one minute.”

You then need to coordinate several skills (scoping, writing, illustration, animation, sound) and hit a deadline with a single point of contact.

We break down this trade-off in our guide to choosing a motion design freelancer or agency.

Which budget fits your goal?

Ads / short content

A short format for advertising and social media. Motionlab budget: from €1,500 excl. VAT.

SaaS / presentation video

Often recommended length: 45 to 60 seconds. Motionlab budget: €3,000 to €4,500 excl. VAT.

More educational video

About 90 seconds. Budget: €4,000 to €6,000 excl. VAT.

In-depth topic

A video of 2 to 3 minutes. Budget: €6,000 to €8,000 excl. VAT.

These ranges don’t replace a quote. They help you quickly check whether your budget and your ambitions line up.

How to lower the price without lowering the quality

Narrow down the message

A shorter, more focused video often performs better than a long one that tries to say everything. Cutting two secondary messages costs less than adding thirty seconds.

Provide usable art direction

Brand guidelines, vector logos, typefaces, clean interface screenshots: the more usable the assets you provide, the less has to be created from scratch.

Keep animation density in check

Clean, well-paced animation costs less than a string of effects. It’s often easier to follow, too.

Plan variations from the start

Listing the formats and languages you need in the brief lets us build them into production. Adding them afterward always costs more.

Approve before animating

Approve the script, then the video storyboard, before animation starts. Changing a storyboard takes far less time than redoing a scene that’s already animated.

Why a €1,500 quote and a €5,000 quote can both make sense

Because the term “motion design” covers very different services. The same label can mean:

• An animation made from a template

• Animation only, based on assets you provide

• A fully custom production

• A 3D project

• Full strategic support, from the message all the way to the variations

So both quotes can be perfectly honest: they’re simply not selling the same thing. To check, ask these questions:

• Who writes the script?

• Who creates the visuals?

• Is the storyboard included?

• Is the voiceover included?

• Is the music licensed?

• How many revision rounds are included?

• Which formats will be delivered?

• Who owns the rights?

How to read a motion design quote

• 1. Scope: what is actually produced, and what isn’t. This is the single biggest factor in the price.

• 2. Planned length: the final length stated, and what happens if the video gets longer along the way.

• 3. Art direction: a custom visual style created from scratch, or existing brand guidelines simply applied.

• 4. Revisions: how many feedback rounds are included, and at which stages they happen.

• 5. Voiceover: voice actor, studio, languages and rights transfer, included or billed as extra.

• 6. Music: whether a commercial license is included, and for how long the music can be used.

• 7. Formats: what’s delivered at the end (16:9, 1:1, 9:16, subtitles, silent version).

• 8. Rights: who owns the video and the source files after delivery.

What about Motionlab?

Motionlab is a French motion design agency with a particular focus on SaaS companies, startups and agencies. We also work as a white-label partner for agencies that outsource their motion production.

After more than 65 projects, we’ve settled on a simple approach: define the scope precisely before production and include the main steps needed to make the video.

Depending on the project, we can handle:

• Script

• Storyboard

• Art direction

• Design

• Animation

• Voiceover

• Music

• Sound design

• Variations

Our standard formats are delivered in 10 days, with unlimited revisions. We walk through the process in our article on motion design video production timelines.

Our budgets usually range from €1,500 to €8,000 excl. VAT, depending on the format and level of production. You can see the results in our case studies.

The goal isn’t to offer the cheapest possible video. It’s to know exactly what needs to be produced before we give you a price.

FAQ: Motion design video pricing

How much does a motion design video cost?

At Motionlab, budgets typically range from €1,500 to €8,000 excl. VAT. The price mainly depends on length, number of scenes, art direction, animation complexity and deliverables.

What does a 30-second motion design video cost?

For a short format, especially for ads or social media, Motionlab projects start at around €1,500 excl. VAT. The budget can go up depending on the level of graphic design and animation.

What is the price of a 60-second motion design video?

At Motionlab, a 2D presentation video of 45 to 60 seconds typically costs between €3,000 and €4,500 excl. VAT.

Why can a 60-second video cost more than a 90-second video?

Because the number of scenes and the complexity of the animation weigh more than raw length. A very dense 60-second video, with interfaces to recreate and lots of transitions, takes more work than a clean, minimal 90-second video.

What is a freelance motion designer’s day rate?

The Malt 2026 barometer reports an average day rate of around €419 for experienced motion designers active on its platform. This benchmark doesn’t replace a quote: it all depends on the scope covered.

Does 3D motion design cost more?

Yes, usually. 3D adds specific steps: modeling, texturing, lighting and render time.

Is the voiceover included in the price?

At Motionlab, voiceover can be included in the scope, along with licensed music and sound design. It’s something to check explicitly on every quote.

How do I get an accurate price?

Share your goal, your target audience, the approximate length you want, the level of creative work you expect and your distribution formats. These five elements are enough to put together a reliable quote.

Already have a budget in mind?

You don’t need to have finished your script to get in touch.

Just send us: your product + your goal + your approximate budget.

We’ll tell you what’s realistic to produce within that budget and which format we’d recommend.

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