Launch Video Maker vs hiring a motion designer
Published 28 September 2026. Rates and prices are from the sources listed at the end, checked on 28 September 2026. They're other people's published figures, not quotes, so treat them as a guide.
Short answer: a good motion designer gives you things we can't: an original concept, custom illustration, a voiceover, live footage and a person to talk it through with. That usually costs hundreds to thousands of pounds and takes days to weeks. Launch Video Maker costs £9 to £49, written from your own website with facts you approve. If your launch needs a story nobody has told before, hire a person. If it needs a sharp, honest reel of what's already on your site, we're the cheaper route, and it takes far less of your time.
| Launch Video Maker | Freelance motion designer | UK animation studio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you do | Give us your web address (or fill in a short form), approve the facts, pick a look and music or let us choose | Write a brief, find and vet someone, review a storyboard and drafts, give feedback | Brief the studio, sign off a script, storyboard, animatic and revisions |
| Time | No fixed turnaround published; your order page updates as it goes and we email you when it's ready | Fiverr's guide: 5 to 10 business days for a 30-second animation | One UK studio's guide: 6 to 10 weeks, or 3 to 4 weeks rushed |
| Cost | £9, £29 or £49 per video, VAT included | UK film and motion day rate averaged £417 in 2025 (YunoJuno); Fiverr gigs for a 60-second explainer from $200 to $400 | £4,000 to £15,000 for a 15 to 60 second explainer (one studio's guide); £8,000 to £25,000 for 60 seconds (another's) |
| What you get | A motion reel with generated music and sound effects in 16:9, 9:16 or 4:5, 15 to 60 seconds, plus 3 free edits | Whatever you agree: custom illustration, voiceover and revisions are all possible | An original concept, script, illustration, animation and usually several revision rounds |
| Who it suits | Launches that want a sharp reel of what's already on their site, quickly and for a small budget | A specific idea, a custom character or a style nobody offers off the shelf | Brand films, funded launches and anything that needs a script written from scratch |
What a motion designer costs
There's no single price, so here's what the people who publish figures say. YunoJuno, a UK freelance platform, reports from its own booking data that the average day rate in its film and motion discipline was £397 in 2024 and £417 in 2025, running from £343 a day for a midweight to £516 for a director. Those are averages; a quote depends on how many days your video takes, which only the designer can tell you.
On Fiverr, prices start much lower. Its own cost guide, published in February 2026, puts a 60-second explainer at $200 to $400 and a simple 15-second logo animation at $70 to $120, drawing on marketplace data. Those are often template-based gigs, which matters if you want something that looks like you.
School of Motion, a training site for motion designers, gathered freelance rates from its community and others (not a formal survey) and lists $1,000 to $5,000 for a 60-second explainer and $1,500 to $6,000 for a product demo or UI animation, with hourly rates from $20 to $40 for a beginner up to $150 or more at studio level.
UK studios cost more, and say so. Hocus Pocus Studio's 2026 price guide gives £4,000 to £10,000 for a 15 to 30 second 2D explainer and £6,000 to £15,000 for 30 to 60 seconds. Kenzo Studio's guide puts a custom 60-second explainer at £8,000 to £25,000, and says the £1,500 to £4,000 band tends to buy template-based work. Both are selling their own services, so read them as what studios say they charge.
How long it takes
Nobody publishes a neutral figure. Fiverr's guide says a standard 30-second animation takes 5 to 10 business days, with rush delivery costing 20 to 50 percent more. Hocus Pocus Studio says standard animation production runs 6 to 10 weeks, or 3 to 4 weeks with a 20 to 40 percent premium. Add the time it takes you to write a brief, find someone and give feedback on each round.
We don't publish a fixed turnaround either. Your part is the web address, the facts and the style; after you pay, we write, render and check the reel, your order page updates as it goes, and we email you when it's ready.
Where a motion designer is the better choice
- You need an original idea. A good designer will pitch a concept for your brand. We write from your site in one of 22 looks.
- You want illustration, characters or live footage. We use your logo, screenshots and words; we don't draw mascots or film anything.
- You need a voiceover or a licensed track. Our reels carry generated music and sound effects, not a voice.
- The video is a long-lived brand film. If it'll sit on your homepage for years and you've got the budget, a person's craft is worth paying for.
- You want to talk it through. With us you approve facts and ask for edits in plain words on your order page; there's no call with a designer.
Where Launch Video Maker is the better choice
- Your facts are already on your site. We read it, list what could go on screen with the exact words and the page each came from, and only the facts you approve are ever shown.
- You need several shapes. The Bundle (£49) cuts one reel for 16:9, 9:16 and 4:5, so each channel gets its own layout.
- You want to see the style first. Every example reel on our looks pages can be a template: press "Make one like this" and yours keeps the look and pacing with your own words.
- The budget is small or the launch is soon. A reel costs £9 to £49, VAT included, with 3 free edits after delivery.
- You don't have a website yet. Our no-website builder takes a short form, your logo and the facts you write.
Verdict by use case
- A SaaS or app launch on a small budget: us, then spend what you saved on getting it seen. See launch videos for SaaS.
- A crowdfunding campaign with a physical product to film: a designer or a videographer, because backers want to see the thing. We can still make short motion reels from your campaign page to go alongside it; see crowdfunding launch videos.
- A funded company's brand film: a studio.
- A local business or a side project: us, or a template tool if you've got time to spare. See local business launch videos.
Questions
- How much does a motion designer charge for a 30-second video?
- It varies widely. Fiverr's February 2026 cost guide puts a 60-second explainer at $200 to $400 on its marketplace; YunoJuno reports a UK film and motion day rate averaging £417 in 2025; one UK studio's 2026 guide quotes £4,000 to £15,000 for 15 to 60 seconds.
- How long does a motion designer take?
- Fiverr's guide says 5 to 10 business days for a standard 30-second animation. One UK studio says 6 to 10 weeks for full production, or 3 to 4 weeks rushed at a premium.
- Is Launch Video Maker a replacement for a motion designer?
- Not for original concepts, illustration, voiceover or filmed footage. It's a cheaper way, needing much less of your time, to get a motion reel of what's already on your website, in one of our visual looks, for £9 to £49.
Sources
All checked on 28 September 2026.
- YunoJuno: Film & motion freelancer rates (average day rate £397 in 2024, £417 in 2025; by seniority, from its booking data)
- Fiverr: How much does it cost to hire a 2D animator? (published 6 February 2026; explainer and logo animation prices, 5 to 10 business days for 30 seconds)
- School of Motion: Motion design salaries in 2026 (last updated February 2026; community-gathered rates and project prices)
- Hocus Pocus Studio: Animation pricing guide UK 2026 (published 1 January 2026; explainer prices, 6 to 10 week timeline)
- Kenzo Studio: How much does an animated explainer video cost in the UK? (published 7 May 2026)
- Launch Video Maker prices: our pricing, from pricing.json