The short answer
$1,200 to $80,000+
It depends entirely on what you’re making. Here’s how the numbers actually break down, plus a calculator to price your exact project.
I’m Greg. I run CrispFX, an animation studio in Adelaide. I’ve been at it since 2010, 600+ projects in. “How much does animation cost?” is the question I get more than any other, and most answers online are vague, out of date, or fishing for your email. This one’s just the numbers.
“Animation” covers everything from a 15-second Instagram reel to a 10-module e-learning series with custom characters and voiceover. Asking what it costs is like asking what a house costs. Depends entirely on the house.
What type of animation are you after?
The type of project matters more than length or style. It sets the whole production approach. Rough market ranges:
Social content
$1,500 to $8,000 / piece
Short, scroll-stopping pieces for Instagram, LinkedIn or TikTok. 15 to 60 seconds. Bulk pricing kicks in at 5+ pieces. Cheaper to buy the carton.
Explainer videos
$3,500 to $40,000
The workhorse. A 60-second motion-graphics explainer starts ~$3,500. Add custom character animation and full sound design and you’re at $15k to $25k. It sits on your site and sells while you sleep.
E-learning & training
$5,000 to $80,000+
Priced per module (3 to 15 min each). Straight motion graphics run $3k to $5k a module; character-led with quizzes and SCORM packaging, $6k to $12k. Series pricing brings it down.
Brand assets
$1,200 to $10,000
Animated logos, title sequences, editable AE/Premiere templates. Short but high-polish. A simple logo sting is $1,200 to $2,500.
What actually drives the price
Six things. Understand these and you’ll know roughly where you’ll land before a studio opens its mouth.
1. Animation style
The big one. Simple motion graphics are the long black. Fast, clean, does the job. Character animation is the handcrafted latte: every character designed, rigged and animated frame by frame. Same 60-second script can be $6,000 in motion graphics or $18,000 with two custom characters.
2. Length
More seconds, more cost. But not linear. There’s a base cost for concept, script and direction regardless of length, like a taxi flag-fall before the meter runs.
3. Script & voiceover
Bring your own and you’ll save $1,500 to $3,000. A great script does half the work before a single frame is animated.
“A good animation with bad audio is still a bad video.”
4. Sound design
Music, SFX and mixing typically add $1,000 to $2,500. Sound is the thing nobody notices when it’s good and everybody notices when it’s not. Budget for it.
5. Timeline
Standard turnaround sits at base rate. Need it in 2 weeks? Expect 20 to 30% more. Under 2 weeks, 40%+. You’re paying for the disruption to the whole studio, not just speed.
6. Custom vs stock assets
Most studios, me included, mix custom-drawn and professionally sourced assets. The craft is in the animation and storytelling, not whether every icon was drawn from scratch. Fully bespoke illustration adds 15 to 30%.
Freelancer vs studio vs agency
Quoted $2,000 by one place and $25,000 by another? Neither is necessarily wrong. They’re different products. Like a handy mate, a builder, or an architecture firm. All three build you a deck.
Freelancer
$2,000 to $6,000
One person, minimal overhead, lower rates. Trade-offs are capacity, consistency and you managing the project. Great for simple social cut-downs and internal content.
Sole-operator studio
$6,000 to $18,000
One experienced person running it end-to-end. Creative, production, delivery. Studio-quality output without agency overhead. This is where CrispFX sits, and the tier the calculator below is calibrated to.
Agency
$15,000 to $50,000+
A team of specialists across dedicated roles. Higher overhead, more capacity and redundancy. But you’re often paying for layers between you and the person actually moving pixels.
Try the calculator
I built this so you can spec out your actual project and see what Australian studios typically charge for that exact configuration. Calibrated to the sole-operator / mid-market tier, drawn from Motion Hatch and School of Motion rate data plus my own quoting history across 600+ projects since 2010. No email required. Have a play.
What you get at each price point
Under $3k
Template territory. Stock assets, minimal customisation. Fine for internal comms or testing a concept. The frozen pizza of animation.
$3k to $8k
Clean, professional motion graphics with custom layout and pacing. Where a lot of solid explainers and social content sit. A really good pub meal.
$8k to $20k
Where most serious explainers live. Custom illustration, pro voiceover, sound design, real development time. Two revision rounds standard. The restaurant.
$20k to $40k
Custom character animation, fully original artwork, end-to-end creative. Genuinely distinctive. The kind people forward to their team.
$40k+
Multi-video campaigns, long-form e-learning, broadcast-quality character work. A dedicated team across disciplines. The degustation.
How to budget for animation
Start with the purpose, not the price
What does this video actually need to do? Train 500 staff? Launch to a cold audience? The job determines whether you need a $4k motion graphic or a $25k character piece.
Get three quotes
The range between studios is real and not always about quality. Different overheads, team sizes, specialisations. Three quotes shows you where the market actually sits for your project.
Budget for the full package
Script, voiceover, sound design, music licensing and revisions are separate line items. Make sure the quote includes everything or clearly states what’s excluded.
“It’s always cheaper to buy the carton.”
If you might need more than one video, say so up front. I offer real discounts for multi-piece packages because the setup cost spreads across the series.
About this guide
I update this post and the calculator every year, so the numbers reflect the Australian market right now. Not a 2019 snapshot someone forgot to touch. If something doesn’t match what you’re seeing out there, higher or lower, I’d like to know: hello@crispfx.com.au.
Want a quote on your specific project? The calculator has a button for it. Fixed fee, revisions included, and I come back personally within two working days. No sales call, no account managers. Just a real number from the person who’ll actually make your thing.
Cheers,
Greg, CrispFX · Adelaide