If your product does something clever inside, a still image cannot explain it. An explainer video can. For physical products, the format matters as much as the budget: a 2D cartoon explains a service well, but a gadget is better explained by showing the real product.
Three kinds of product explainer
2D motion graphics
Flat illustrations and animated text. Good for apps, services and abstract ideas. For physical products, it often looks generic, because the product itself is drawn rather than shown.
Filmed explainer
A presenter or hands demonstrating the product. Credible and human, but it cannot show what happens inside, and every product update needs a reshoot.
3D product explainer
The real product, modeled accurately, with x-ray passes, exploded views and callouts. It can show internals, mechanisms and sequences a camera cannot. This is the usual choice for electronics, tools, appliances, medical and industrial products.
What a 3D product explainer costs
Our published prices:
- Feature callout, 20 to 30 seconds: $1,590 for the first animation of a product, $1,300 after. Up to six features labelled on screen.
- Mechanism or exploded animation, 20 to 30 seconds: $1,790. The product separating, working and reassembling, with x-ray passes and callouts.
- Explainer bundle: $2,390 for an exploded still set, a mechanism animation and a web 3D and AR file from one model.
- Technical film, 45 to 90 seconds: $4,700, with storyboard, cutaways, section views and a voiceover-ready edit.
See how-it-works animation and exploded and x-ray views.
What drives the price
- Internal detail. Showing the inside means modeling every internal part.
- Length and number of features. One feature in 20 seconds is simpler than a full walkthrough.
- Script and voiceover. A scripted, narrated film needs a storyboard stage.
- Accuracy requirements. Regulated products need every frame checked against engineering data.
How to plan an explainer
- List the questions buyers or support teams get most often.
- Pick the three that a video would answer best.
- Decide where it runs: product page, Amazon listing, sales deck, trade show.
- Gather CAD, or photos and measurements.
- Approve a storyboard before animation starts.
Read the how-it-works product animation guide and exploded view animation cost for more detail.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a product explainer video cost?
A 3D feature or mechanism explainer of 20 to 30 seconds costs $1,590 to $1,790 with us for the first film of a product. A 45 to 90 second technical film is $4,700.
Is 3D better than 2D for a product explainer?
For physical products, usually yes, because buyers see the real product and its internals rather than an illustration.
Can you add a voiceover?
Our technical films are edited voiceover-ready, and we can work with your voice artist or recommend one.
How long does it take?
Feature callouts take about 5 working days, mechanism animations 10 to 14 working days and technical films 3 to 4 weeks.
See this quality on your own product
First-time clients get a complete, high-resolution 3D render of their product for $130. Judge the quality before committing to a full package.
