You asked for a quote for a 90-second video explaining what your company does. The first figure comes in: €4,800. The second: €7,500. The third is a freelancer at €600 who hasn't replied in a week.
You are not alone. The cost of an explainer video is one of the most opaque quotes a small business or SME can ask for. No price list, no standard, gaps of 1 to 10 for a result that, from the outside, looks much the same.
This article gives you the ranges published in France, explains why they are so wide, then shows when a fixed-price offer is enough and when you need an agency.
How much does an explainer video cost in France?
Two public sources give benchmarks, with their limits. These are estimates from market players, not official rates.
The GTLF blog (article published in January 2026, updated in August 2026) publishes ranges for the Paris market:
| Project type | Length | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| Simple explainer video | 60 to 90 seconds | €2,500 to €5,000 |
| Corporate or brand video | 90 to 120 seconds | €5,000 to €10,000 |
| Video series or editorial project | varies | €10,000 to €20,000 |
| Premium brand campaign | varies | over €20,000 |
The Codeur.com platform, in its motion design price guide (2025), says a video under one minute costs at least €2,500, that a motion designer often charges around €500 excl. VAT per day, and that prices start from €350 per day. The average hourly rate for a freelance motion designer there is €43.
Simple takeaway: at an agency or an established specialist, a 60 to 90 second animated video starts around €2,500 and climbs fast. The “€5,000” in the title is therefore a common quote, not an exaggeration.
Why do quotes range from €600 to €10,000?
Because you are not comparing the same thing. The price depends mainly on five items.
- The script. Writing a script that fits in 60 seconds and makes people want to act is a real craft. Some quotes include it, others don't.
- The graphic style. Simple pictograms that move cost less than custom animation with characters or 3D. According to GTLF, graphic complexity is the first price factor.
- The voiceover. A human voice in a studio or a synthetic voice: the gap runs to hundreds of euros.
- Music and sound. Royalty-free music or a custom composition.
- Revisions. How many rounds of feedback are included? Three rounds of revisions or unlimited ones are not the same budget.
Another point quotes don't mention: length matters less than you think. GTLF notes that a €3,000 video and a €15,000 one can run the same length. One reworks an existing base, the other is created from scratch with a detailed storyboard.
Where does a €490 or €1,490 price fit?
No public source I found gives a reliable price list for logo animation or for a short social media video in France. So I won't invent an average. What I can say: an explainer video at €1,490 is below the €2,500 that the sources cited give as the floor at specialists.
Why this gap? Because it is not the same service. At Fiddes Motion, the scope is set in advance: a precise format, a precise length, a known number of revisions. There is no custom creative research, no three-week scoping meeting, no filming. It is a standard, well executed, not brand creation.
That suits many cases. Not all of them.
Which type of animated video for which need?
Before looking at a quote, define what the video has to do. Here are the four most common cases in an SME.
1. An animated logo. For the intro of your videos, your animated email signature, the start of a presentation. Short, simple, few variables. It is the easiest to standardize.
2. A short video for social media. 15 to 30 seconds, designed to be watched without sound, with subtitles. A plumber presenting their emergency service, a coach announcing their next workshop, a bakery launching its catering offer. It needs to exist in three formats: horizontal for YouTube or your site, vertical for Instagram and TikTok, square for LinkedIn and Facebook.
3. An explainer video. 60 to 90 seconds to explain what you do to someone who doesn't know you. Perfect for a home page, email outreach, a trade show, the start of a sales meeting. It is the one that takes the most thought, because it needs a script.
4. A regular series. Four short videos a month to stay visible. Useful if you already have something to say every week: a tip, a project, a real customer review.
Do you really need to pay someone?
Here is the free or nearly free alternative, because it exists.
- Consumer editing tools (Canva, CapCut and the like) let you animate a logo or edit a short video from templates. A decent result for internal use or a test. If you have 2 hours and brand image isn't critical, give it a try.
- A student or a beginner freelancer can produce something for a few hundred euros. The risk: variable lead times, uneven style, limited revisions.
- A video filmed on a phone, with good lighting and a clear message, often beats a mediocre animation. For a tradesperson or a coach, the person is sometimes more convincing than a drawing.
Animation is worth it when you need to explain something invisible (a service, a process, software), when you want a consistent brand image across several videos, or when you don't want to be on camera.
How do you avoid getting trapped by a quote?
Five checks before signing, with any provider.
- Is the script included? If not, who writes it?
- How many rounds of revisions? And what does the next one cost?
- Which formats are delivered? A single format is a video you won't be able to post everywhere.
- Who owns the rights to the voice, the music and the images?
- When do you pay? Be wary of large deposits with no intermediate deliverable.
Ask for an itemized quote: script, graphics, animation, voice, music, revisions. It is the only way to compare two offers.
The Fiddes Motion packs
Fiddes Motion works on displayed prices. You choose a pack, fill in the order form, pay online (secure online payment), and the work starts. No mockup or demo before payment. This is deliberate: the price is known, and so is the content of the pack.
| Pack | Price | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Logo animation | €290 | 3 to 5 seconds, 2 formats |
| Short social video | €490 | up to 30 seconds, 3 formats (16:9, 9:16, 1:1), subtitles |
| Explainer video | €1,490 | 60 to 90 seconds, script, voiceover, music, 2 rounds of revisions |
| Content subscription | €790 per month | 4 short videos per month |
Money-back guarantee. If your project goes beyond the pack you paid for (longer, more formats, a very specific style), we tell you within 24 hours and you choose between the higher pack, paying the difference, and a full refund.
When Fiddes Motion is the right choice: you have a clear message, an SME budget, and you want to know what you are paying before you start. When it isn't: you are looking for a brand film, 3D animation, a launch campaign with art direction. That is what an agency is for.
