Guide
A video ad costs from $0 to $10,000 or more to make
Updated
Filming and editing it yourself costs only your time. Paying a creator on Billo to film it costs $99 to $234, and a short promo from a videographer typically costs $2,000 to $10,000.
In short
- A video ad costs $0 if you make it yourself, and $2,000 to $10,000 for a short promo from a videographer.
- Billo, a site where you pay creators to film your product, charges $99 to $169 per video.
- Freelance video editors charge about $20 to $150 an hour, according to Krock.io's 2026 rate guide.
- Showing the ad is a separate cost. Meta suggests a budget of at least $5, run for more than six days.
- Cutroom edits a 30-second ad for 110 credits, about $1.76 on the $19.99 Lite plan.
- One 30-second video from a creator on Billo
- $139
- A short promo from a freelance videographer, per Krock.io
- $2,000 to $10,000
- Credits to edit a 30-second ad in Cutroom
- 110
How much does a video ad cost?
It depends on who films it and who edits it. Here are the usual options, from cheapest to most expensive.
What a video ad costs to make
Billo prices from billo.app. Editor, agency and videographer prices from Krock.io's 2026 rate guides. All read 21 September 2026.
| Who makes it | Typical price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| You film and edit it yourself | $0, plus your time | A phone video you edit in a free app |
| You film it, an AI editor edits it | 110 credits in Cutroom, about $1.76 on Lite | A finished vertical ad about a minute after you upload |
| An AI actor reads your script | From $39 a month (Creatify) or $59 (MakeUGC) | A video of an AI presenter, paid in credits |
| A creator films it for you on Billo | $99 to $169 per video, $164 to $234 with editing | A real person filming your product on their phone |
| A freelance editor edits your video | $20 to $150 an hour, or $250 to $1,200 for a short ad | An edit made by a person |
| An editing agency edits your video | About $100 to $250 an hour | An edit made by a team instead of one person |
| A freelance videographer makes it | $2,000 to $10,000 for a 60 to 90-second promo | A script, a half-day shoot and simple graphics |
| A bigger campaign | Past $25,000 | A larger production, quoted per project |
Who makes it: You film and edit it yourself
- Typical price
- $0, plus your time
- What you get
- A phone video you edit in a free app
Who makes it: You film it, an AI editor edits it
- Typical price
- 110 credits in Cutroom, about $1.76 on Lite
- What you get
- A finished vertical ad about a minute after you upload
Who makes it: An AI actor reads your script
- Typical price
- From $39 a month (Creatify) or $59 (MakeUGC)
- What you get
- A video of an AI presenter, paid in credits
Who makes it: A creator films it for you on Billo
- Typical price
- $99 to $169 per video, $164 to $234 with editing
- What you get
- A real person filming your product on their phone
Who makes it: A freelance editor edits your video
- Typical price
- $20 to $150 an hour, or $250 to $1,200 for a short ad
- What you get
- An edit made by a person
Who makes it: An editing agency edits your video
- Typical price
- About $100 to $250 an hour
- What you get
- An edit made by a team instead of one person
Who makes it: A freelance videographer makes it
- Typical price
- $2,000 to $10,000 for a 60 to 90-second promo
- What you get
- A script, a half-day shoot and simple graphics
Who makes it: A bigger campaign
- Typical price
- Past $25,000
- What you get
- A larger production, quoted per project
What makes a video ad cost more
The same kind of ad can cost very different amounts. These are the things that push the price up.
- A longer video costs more. Billo charges $99 for 15 seconds and $169 for 60 seconds.
- Editing costs extra when someone else does it. Billo adds $65 per video for its editing service.
- Each round of changes adds time, and some editors charge for extra rounds.
- A film crew, a location, actors and licensed music each add to the bill.
- Your own time is a cost too: writing the brief, answering questions and checking each version.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What it costs to run the video ad
Making the ad and showing it are two separate bills. You set the second one yourself in the ad platform.
Both rules below were checked on Meta's and TikTok's help pages on 21 September 2026.
- On Facebook and Instagram, you choose the budget. Meta suggests a budget of at least $5, run for more than six days.
- On TikTok, a campaign needs a daily budget of more than $50, and each ad group more than $20 a day.
- The platform spends from that budget while your ad is shown, so a bigger budget reaches more people.
Why the price of one ad matters
Most ads do not work, so you usually need several tries. In Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads, only 5 to 8% did really well.
- That is about 1 ad that works for every 14 you try.
- So to find one ad that works, budget for about 14 ads.
- At $139 a video on Billo, 14 ads cost $1,946. A real creator films each one for you.
- At 110 credits each in Cutroom, 14 ads cost 1,540 credits, which fits in Basic's 2,500 a month. You film them yourself.
About 1 ad that works in every 14
1 in 14 is about 7%, inside the 5 to 8% range from Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is the low-cost option if you are willing to film yourself. You upload the video and get a finished ad back.
- You upload one video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long, and get a finished 9:16 MP4.
- Editing costs 100 credits per video, and exporting costs 20 credits per minute of video.
- Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits. Basic is $39.99 for 2,500, and Premium is $79.99 for 5,000.
- If you run out of credits before the month ends, a top-up adds 2,500 credits for $39.99.
- Editing the video again costs nothing. Exporting the new 30-second version costs 10 credits.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it.
One 30-second ad in Cutroom, in credits
About $1.76 on Lite. Basic's 2,500 credits cover about 22 of these ads.
- Export 30 seconds10 credits
- Edit100 credits
- Total per ad110 credits
Questions people ask
- How much does a 30-second video ad cost?
- From $0 if you film and edit it yourself. Billo charges $139 for a 30-second video from a creator, or $204 with editing. Cutroom edits one for 110 credits, about $1.76 on Lite.
- How much do UGC creators charge per video?
- On Billo, a site where you pay creators to film your product, $99 for 15 seconds, $139 for 30 seconds and $169 for 60 seconds. With Billo's editing service it is $164, $204 and $234.
- How much does a video editor charge for an ad?
- About $20 to $150 an hour for a freelance editor, and $100 to $250 an hour for an agency, according to Krock.io's 2026 rate guide. For a short ad, Krock.io puts the usual price at $250 to $1,200.
- How much does a professionally made video ad cost?
- Usually $2,000 to $10,000 for a 60 to 90-second promo with a script, a half-day shoot and simple graphics, according to Krock.io's 2026 videographer rate guide. Bigger campaigns go past $25,000.
- How much should I spend to run a video ad?
- Meta suggests a budget of at least $5, run for more than six days. On TikTok, a campaign needs a daily budget of more than $50, and each ad group more than $20 a day.
- Does a more expensive video ad perform better?
- Not reliably. More money buys a crew, a location and a polished look, but the message and the offer decide most results. Test cheap versions first, then spend more on the idea that works.
- Is it cheaper to make video ads with AI?
- Yes, for the editing. Cutroom edits a 30-second ad for 110 credits, about $1.76 on Lite. AI presenter tools cost more per month: Creatify starts at $39 and MakeUGC at $59.
Film your next ad on your phone and get it edited for 110 credits. Your first video is free.