Costs
How much does a video ad cost for a small business?
If you have ever typed "how much does a video ad cost" into a search bar, you probably got an answer like "anywhere from $100 to $50,000." That is technically true and not very useful when you are trying to plan next month's marketing.
This guide breaks the cost of a video ad for a small business into the four ways people actually get one made: doing it yourself, hiring a freelancer, hiring an agency, or paying a flat-rate studio. You will see what each one really costs in money and in time, so you can pick the one that fits your budget and your week.
How much does a video ad cost? It depends on who makes it
The biggest thing that moves the price is not the camera or the music. It is who does the work and how they charge for it. Here are the four common routes:
- Do it yourself: low monthly fees for apps, plus a lot of your own hours.
- Freelancer: a quote per project that can swing widely depending on the person.
- Agency: the highest price, usually with calls, proposals and sometimes a retainer.
- Flat-rate studio: a fixed, published price for a set kind of video.
Price is a real worry for owners. In Wyzowl's 2026 video survey, 24% of marketers who don't use video said it was too expensive. Knowing the real numbers up front takes a lot of that worry out of it.
Doing it yourself: cheap apps, expensive hours
Making a video ad yourself usually means stacking several apps: a video generator app, a voice app for the voiceover, an editing app, a stock music library and a caption app. Published plans for each kind of tool commonly run from about $6 to $40 a month.
That sounds small until you add them up. One example stack of five monthly plans we priced in October 2026 came to about $116 a month, or about $1,392 a year, before any extra credits. And that is only the money. Learning each app, redoing clips that came out wrong, and fixing the voiceover all come out of your evenings.
We walk through the full math in the real cost of making video ads yourself, including the hours most people forget to count.
Hiring a freelancer: wide range, uneven results
Freelancers price per project, and quotes can range from a couple hundred dollars to well into the thousands. The same request can get wildly different answers depending on who you ask.
A good freelancer can be a great deal. The hard part is finding one. You will want to check samples, agree on what counts as a revision, and confirm who writes the script and who pays for music. Each of those can add cost if it is not spelled out.
- Ask for a written list of what is included.
- Ask how many rounds of changes you get.
- Ask what sizes you will receive (vertical, square, wide).
Hiring an agency: polish, process and a bigger bill
Agencies bring a full team: strategy, writing, production and editing. That is why their quotes are usually the highest, often in the thousands for a single short ad, and some prefer ongoing monthly contracts.
If you need a big campaign with lots of moving parts, an agency can make sense. If you need one solid ad for Instagram or Facebook this month, you may be paying for a lot of process you do not need. Our side-by-side of DIY vs freelancer vs agency vs flat-rate studio lays out the honest pros and cons of each.
A flat-rate studio: the price is on the page
A flat-rate studio publishes what each video costs, so you know the number before you ever send a message. At Storyhand Studio, these are our four prices:
- Quick promo, $199: 15 seconds, vertical 9:16, bold animated text, voiceover and music, and an end card with your offer. Ready in 3 business days.
- Spokesperson ad, $349: 15 to 30 seconds, a script with an attention-grabbing opening, a friendly on-camera presenter or your own photos, captions, music, an offer and QR end card, plus post text with hashtags. Ready in 3 business days.
- Animated short, $999: 30 to 45 seconds, 3D animated in a family-film style, three story concepts to pick from, custom characters and voices. Ready in 7 business days.
- Animated story, $1,499: a 60-second 3D animated film with a longer story. Ready in 7 business days.
Every video includes voiceover, music, captions and one revision. Not sure which one fits? Our guide to choosing the right video ad for your business helps you decide in a few minutes.
What makes a video ad cost more (or less)
No matter who you hire, the same things push the price of a small business video ad up or down:
- Length. A 15-second ad is far less work than a 60-second story. See how long a video ad should be for each platform.
- Style. Text and voiceover is simpler than a presenter, and a presenter is simpler than 3D animated characters.
- Sizes. Each extra shape (square or wide) is extra work. With us, an extra size is $49. The social video ad specs cheat sheet shows which sizes each platform wants.
- Changes. More revision rounds mean more cost. One is included with us; extra revisions are $75.
- Speed. Rush work costs more almost everywhere. Our rush option is +50%, with ads and reels in 48 hours and films in 4 days.
Doing it yourself vs a flat price
Here is the simple comparison. Doing it yourself can look like the cheapest way to get a video ad, but the example tool stack above costs about $116 a month before credits, plus the hours it takes to learn and use it. A single done-for-you promo video for $199 costs less than two months of those subscriptions, and you do not have to learn anything.
You can post your video on any channel for as long as you like. Ads and reels are paid up front, and animated films are half to start, half on delivery. See every option and add-on on our video ad pricing page, or order your video ad when you are ready.