How much does a video ad cost in 2026?
A video ad costs about $1,000 to $5,000 from a freelancer and $5,000 to $15,000 from a production company, by Vidico's 2026 figures. A local TV spot adds airtime every time it runs. An AI tool costs far less: ReelMade makes a 9:16 social ad from your website for $9.99, with no filming.
Updated
Video ad cost by method in 2026
The cost of a commercial depends on who makes it. Each range below is the source's own, with what that money buys and what it doesn't.
| Method | Cost | What it buys | What it doesn't | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local TV commercial | Cost$1,500 to $5,000 to produce a basic 30-second spot, then $200 to $1,500 each time it airs in a small market ($2,000 to $10,000 in a large one) | What it buysA broadcast spot seen by everyone watching that channel in your area. | What it doesn'tAirtime is a separate bill every time it runs, and a TV spot is 16:9, not a vertical ad for Reels or TikTok. | SourceC-i Studios, Simulmedia |
| Video production company | Cost$5,000 to $15,000 a video from a professional agency; $15,000 to $100,000+ for high-end work | What it buysA crew, a shoot on location, actors or your team on camera, a script and a polished edit. | What it doesn'tThe ad spend to run it, and usually more than a few versions to test. | SourceVidico |
| Freelance videographer or small team | Cost$1,000 to $5,000 a video | What it buysSomeone who films and edits your business, at a lower price than an agency. | What it doesn'tOften the script and the ad strategy; you brief them and approve the cut. | SourceVidico |
| UGC creator | Cost$150 to $212 a video on average, median around $175 | What it buysA real person filming themselves with your product, in the casual style of a social post. | What it doesn'tFootage of your own premises, unless the creator comes to you. Agree usage rights and edits in writing. | SourceInfluee |
| DIY with a free editor | Cost$0 to $1,000 for DIY and AI tools, by Vidico's 2026 figures; with a free editor the real cost is your own hours | What it buysFull control, if you have the footage, the time and an eye for editing. | What it doesn'tYour time back. The real cost is the hours, so put your own numbers in the calculator. | SourceVidico |
| AI avatar ad tools | CostFrom $29 a month (HeyGen Creator) or $29.95 a month (Zeely Starter); both price in credits, and neither pricing page says how many ads a month that makes | What it buysAn AI presenter or AI creator who reads your script, and many versions quickly. | What it doesn'tA fixed price per finished ad, or an ad built from your own photos without an avatar. | SourceHeyGen, Zeely |
| ReelMade | Cost$9.99 a video, or $19 a month for 4 videos (from $3.96 a video on plans) | What it buysA finished 9:16 ad made from your own website: script, voice-over, captions and music, in about 10 minutes. | What it doesn'tNo shoot, no actors, no TV airtime. It only uses what's on your site and the photos you add. | SourceOur pricing |
Production studios publish most of these ranges about their own market, so read them as estimates, not quotes. Get two or three quotes for the same brief before you hire.
Video ad cost calculator
Set how many ads you want a month and compare. For doing it yourself, put in your own hours and what your hour is worth: we don't guess those.
| Method | Per video | For 4 videos a month |
|---|---|---|
| Local TV commercial | $1,500 to $5,000 | $6,000 to $20,000Plus airtime every time it runs |
| Video production company | $5,000 to $15,000 | $20,000 to $60,000 |
| Freelance videographer or small team | $1,000 to $5,000 | $4,000 to $20,000 |
| UGC creator | $150 to $212 | $600 to $848 |
| DIY with a free editor | $0 + your time | Add your hours and rate |
| AI avatar ad tools | Depends on credits | From $29A plan price; videos a month depend on credits |
| ReelMade | $4.75 | $19Starter plan |
Making the ad only. Running it (TV airtime or ad spend) is a separate budget. Ranges are the sources' own, listed at the bottom of this page; DIY uses only what you type.
How much does a TV commercial cost to run?
Making a commercial and running it are two bills. On local TV you pay for airtime every time the spot runs: Simulmedia lists $200 to $1,500 per 30-second spot in small markets and $2,000 to $10,000 in large ones.
Fit Small Business puts local TV at $5 to $30 per thousand viewers and cable at $10 to $22. On Instagram, TikTok or YouTube you set your own ad budget instead, and a 9:16 ad made for the phone is a different file from a 16:9 TV spot.
Sizes and lengths for Reels, TikTok and ShortsWhat a $9.99 video ad buys
A finished 9:16 ad made from your own website: script, voice-over, captions and music, in about 10 minutes. No shoot, no actors, no TV airtime. It only uses what's on your site and the photos you add. You read the script for free before you pay, and the questions we ask about your business write it.
Video ad cost questions
To produce, about $1,500 to $5,000 at entry level and $5,000 to $25,000 mid-range, according to C-i Studios' 2026 guide. Airing it on local TV is extra: about $200 to $1,500 a spot in a small market. A 30-second social ad from ReelMade is $9.99, made from your website with no filming.
There are two bills: making it and airing it. Simulmedia lists $200 to $1,500 per 30-second spot in small markets and $2,000 to $10,000 in large ones. Fit Small Business puts local TV at $5 to $30 per thousand viewers. A basic spot costs about $1,500 to $5,000 to produce.
It is if your website already shows what you sell. ReelMade reads your site, asks questions about your business and makes a 9:16 ad with voice-over, captions and music for $9.99. It won't film your shop, put actors on screen or buy airtime. For that you need a videographer, from about $1,000 a video.
No platform sets a number. A practical start is three versions of one ad with different openings, shown to the same audience, then keep the one people watch longest. At $9.99 a video that test costs $29.97; at a freelancer's $1,000 a video it costs $3,000.
Platforms allow long ads: Meta takes Reels ads up to 15 minutes and TikTok In-Feed ads up to 10. Neither spec page names a best length. Most small-business social ads run 15 to 30 seconds, which is common practice, not a rule. ReelMade makes films of 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds.
Influee's 2026 rate guide puts a single UGC video at $150 to $212 on average, with a median around $175. You get a real person filming your product. Agree usage rights, the number of edits and product shipping before they start.
No. Every price on this page is for making the ad. Airtime on TV, or ad spend on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or YouTube, is a separate budget you set with the channel or the platform.
Sources
- C-i Studios, "30 Second Commercial Cost in 2026 (March 24, 2026)", https://c-istudios.com/30-second-commercial-cost/, checked October 28, 2026 (a company that sells this service).
- Simulmedia, "TV Commercial Costs in 2026 (updated February 9, 2026)", https://www.simulmedia.com/blog/how-much-do-tv-ads-cost, checked October 28, 2026 (a company that sells this service).
- Vidico, "Promo Video Cost: What You'll Pay for Professional Video in 2026 (May 21, 2026)", https://vidico.com/news/promo-video-pricing/, checked October 28, 2026 (a company that sells this service).
- Influee, "UGC Rates 2026: The Ultimate Guide With Real Numbers", https://influee.co/blog/ugc-price, checked October 28, 2026.
- HeyGen, "Pricing", https://www.heygen.com/pricing, checked October 28, 2026 (a company that sells this service).
- Zeely, "Pricing", https://zeely.ai/pricing/, checked October 28, 2026 (a company that sells this service).
- Fit Small Business, "TV advertising for small businesses (updated February 24, 2026)", https://fitsmallbusiness.com/tv-advertising/, checked October 28, 2026.
Prices change. Spot something out of date? Email us and we fix it.
Your ad, made from your own site.
Paste your link, answer a few questions, watch it come together. Sign in only when you're ready to make the film.