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Softer vs hiring an explainer video agency
Agencies make beautiful explainers, and for some videos they are the right call. But for the steady stream of launches, features and onboarding updates a software company ships, the cost and turnaround of a studio don't fit. Here is an honest side-by-side.
Updated
What agencies charge today
Published agency pricing for animated explainers is consistent: thousands of dollars per video and weeks per project. As of September 2026:
| Agency | Typical price per video | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Epipheo | $5k–$25k (Starter, 30–60s); $25k–$75k (Signature) | 4–6 weeks (Starter); 6–10 weeks (Signature) |
| Demo Duck | Most animated projects $10k–$25k | Several weeks |
| Yum Yum Videos | $6k–$62k depending on scope (pricing calculator) | Quoted per project |
| Wyzowl | From about $2.7k | About 6 weeks |
Epipheo
- Typical price per video
- $5k–$25k (Starter, 30–60s); $25k–$75k (Signature)
- Turnaround
- 4–6 weeks (Starter); 6–10 weeks (Signature)
Demo Duck
- Typical price per video
- Most animated projects $10k–$25k
- Turnaround
- Several weeks
Yum Yum Videos
- Typical price per video
- $6k–$62k depending on scope (pricing calculator)
- Turnaround
- Quoted per project
Wyzowl
- Typical price per video
- From about $2.7k
- Turnaround
- About 6 weeks
Social cut-downs, extra languages and changes after sign-off are usually priced on top. Epipheo, for example, lists social cut-downs at an additional $2k–$8k.
Side by side
| Explainer agency | Softer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per video | Roughly $3k–$75k | $8–$10 on paid plans |
| Time to first cut | Weeks (script and storyboard rounds first) | Minutes |
| Revisions | A fixed number of rounds, then paid | Unlimited inside a video on paid plans |
| Changes after delivery | New change order or new project | Ask in a sentence; it re-renders |
| Versions (language, audience, format) | Priced per version | Reuse: one sentence per branch |
| Brand | Learned from a brand guide in kickoff | Read from your website at signup: logo, colours, fonts and product screenshots; editable, with your own font files |
| Visual style | Anything: custom illustration, characters, 3D, live action | Motion graphics designed from scratch for each script: animated UI, charts, kinetic type timed to the voice |
| Strategy and creative direction | Included, from people | You direct it; the agent writes the script |
Price per video
- Explainer agency
- Roughly $3k–$75k
- Softer
- $8–$10 on paid plans
Time to first cut
- Explainer agency
- Weeks (script and storyboard rounds first)
- Softer
- Minutes
Revisions
- Explainer agency
- A fixed number of rounds, then paid
- Softer
- Unlimited inside a video on paid plans
Changes after delivery
- Explainer agency
- New change order or new project
- Softer
- Ask in a sentence; it re-renders
Versions (language, audience, format)
- Explainer agency
- Priced per version
- Softer
- Reuse: one sentence per branch
Brand
- Explainer agency
- Learned from a brand guide in kickoff
- Softer
- Read from your website at signup: logo, colours, fonts and product screenshots; editable, with your own font files
Visual style
- Explainer agency
- Anything: custom illustration, characters, 3D, live action
- Softer
- Motion graphics designed from scratch for each script: animated UI, charts, kinetic type timed to the voice
Strategy and creative direction
- Explainer agency
- Included, from people
- Softer
- You direct it; the agent writes the script
Where an agency is the better choice
- A brand film or company-defining launch where custom art direction is the point.
- Character animation, illustration-led storytelling or live action. Softer doesn't do these.
- When you want a team to own the creative strategy, not just the production.
Where Softer is the better choice
- Feature announcements, release notes and changelog videos, where the budget per video is tens of dollars, not thousands.
- Launches on a tight timeline, where a first cut today matters more than a perfect cut in a month.
- Videos that must stay current: onboarding and how-it-works explainers that change as the product changes.
- Localisation and audience variants. "Reuse in German" or "Reuse for developers" is one sentence, and the original stays intact.
- Every channel: 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 versions without paying for cut-downs.
The real difference: what happens after delivery
An agency delivers a finished file. The source files sit with the studio, and every future change is a new conversation about scope and budget. Softer keeps the video as code, so it stays editable: the script, the voice, the scenes, the captions and the timing. Rename a feature, change the price, swap the voice or retarget the audience, and you ask in a sentence.
Sources
Questions
How much does an explainer video cost from an agency?
Published ranges run from about $2.7k to $75k per video, with most animated projects between $5k and $25k. Extra versions and post-delivery changes usually cost extra.
How long does an agency explainer take?
Typically four to ten weeks, including script, storyboard, voiceover and animation rounds.
Can Softer replace an agency entirely?
For product launches, feature announcements and onboarding explainers built from animated UI and motion graphics, yes. For custom illustration, character animation or live action, an agency is still the right choice.
