Corporate Video Examples: 12 Types (+ Cost)
October 17, 2026
VEC Team - February 21, 2026 - 21 min read
Finding the right animated explainer video company has never been more important-or more confusing. The market has exploded with options, from solo freelancers charging $500 to full-service studios commanding $50,000+. AI-powered tools promise to automate the entire process. Meanwhile, the bar for quality keeps rising as audiences grow more sophisticated and competition for attention intensifies.
This buyer's guide cuts through the noise. We'll cover everything you need to choose an animated explainer video company with confidence: what the market looks like in 2026, how to evaluate animation styles, what to expect at different price points, and the specific questions that separate great partners from mediocre vendors.
Whether you're producing your first animated explainer or looking to upgrade from a video that isn't performing, this guide gives you the framework to make a smart decision.
Before diving into selection criteria, it's worth understanding what's happening in the market. Several trends are reshaping how animated explainer video companies operate and what they deliver:
AI video tools have matured significantly. Platforms can now generate basic animated content from text prompts, create rough storyboards, and even produce passable voiceovers. This has compressed the bottom of the market-the $500-2,000 tier is increasingly dominated by AI-assisted production.
But here's what AI can't do well: strategic messaging, brand-specific storytelling, nuanced emotional pacing, and the kind of creative direction that makes a video actually convert. The best animated explainer video companies are using AI to accelerate their workflow (faster concepting, quicker iteration) while maintaining the human strategic and creative oversight that clients are really paying for.
Bottom line: AI has made bad videos cheaper to produce. It hasn't made great videos easier to make.
According to Levitate Media, vertical (9:16) format is becoming the primary choice for many brands, with mobile accounting for roughly 88% of video consumption. Any animated explainer video company that only delivers horizontal formats is leaving significant distribution value on the table.
The best studios now design for vertical first and adapt to horizontal-a reversal of the traditional approach. When evaluating companies, ask whether multi-format delivery is standard or an add-on.
Audiences in 2026 are exposed to more video content than ever. The whiteboard animations and basic motion graphics that felt fresh in 2018 now feel dated. Companies are investing in more sophisticated animation styles-custom character design, isometric illustration, mixed media-to stand out.
This doesn't mean every video needs to be a cinematic masterpiece. But it does mean that template-based animation is increasingly transparent to viewers, and the bar for "professional quality" has risen.
Smart companies are moving from one-off explainer videos to structured video series. Instead of a single 2-minute video trying to serve every audience and funnel stage, they're producing multiple shorter videos: a top-of-funnel brand video, feature-specific explainers, onboarding walkthroughs, and sales enablement content.
This shift favors animated explainer video companies that can think strategically about your entire video ecosystem-not just produce a single deliverable.
The animation style you choose affects everything: cost, timeline, audience perception, and brand alignment. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the major styles available in 2026:
The right style depends on four factors:
A great animated explainer video company will help you make this decision. They'll look at your brand, audience, and objectives and recommend a style that serves all three-not just default to whatever their animators prefer.
Pricing varies dramatically across the industry. Here's what you should expect at different quality levels:
Budget tier = template-based or offshore. Professional = custom with full service. Premium = top-tier creative with extensive strategy.
The price gap between tiers isn't just about animation quality. It reflects fundamental differences in the service model:
Budget tier ($800 - $12,000):
Professional tier ($4,000 - $35,000):
Premium tier ($15,000 - $60,000+):
Use this checklist when evaluating potential partners. No company will be perfect on every criterion, but the best ones will score highly across the board.
The portfolio is your single best predictor of what you'll receive. Look beyond surface-level polish: is the animation smooth? Are transitions purposeful? Does the visual storytelling enhance the narrative? Most importantly, do the videos in their portfolio make you want to learn more about the products they represent?
Have they produced animated explainers for companies in your industry or adjacent industries? A company that's animated complex SaaS products will understand your challenges differently than one that primarily works with consumer brands. Check for SaaS-specific experience if that's your market.
Can they help you with messaging strategy, not just animation execution? Ask about their discovery process, how they develop creative briefs, and whether they have dedicated strategists or copywriters on staff. The best animated explainer video companies are strategy firms that happen to produce animation-not animation studios that dabble in strategy.
A company locked into one animation style will default to that style regardless of whether it's right for your project. Look for studios that demonstrate range across multiple styles and can articulate why different styles serve different purposes.
Can they walk you through their process from start to finish? Do they have clear timelines, milestones, and deliverables at each stage? Transparent processes reduce risk and set appropriate expectations.
How responsive are they during the sales process? Is communication clear and professional? Do they assign a dedicated point of contact? Communication quality during sales is a strong predictor of communication quality during production.
Look for specific, measurable results-not just "they were great to work with." According to YumYum Videos' rankings, the best companies consistently demonstrate creative excellence, strategic thinking, and measurable business impact for their clients.
Can they give you a clear price range after a 20-minute conversation? Do they explain what factors influence the final price? Companies that are vague about pricing are either disorganized or trying to anchor based on your budget rather than the project scope.
Who actually does the work? Is it an in-house team or a network of freelancers? Both models can produce great results, but in-house teams typically offer more consistency and easier communication. Ask who will be working on your project and what their backgrounds are.
Who owns the final video? The source files? Can you make minor edits without going back to the studio? What happens if you want to make changes after the project is complete? These are critical questions that should be answered clearly before you sign anything.
The market includes several distinct types of providers. Understanding the differences helps you choose the right type for your needs:
These companies handle everything: strategy, scripting, design, animation, voiceover, sound design, and delivery. They typically charge more but provide a seamless experience with a single point of accountability. Best for companies that want a hands-off experience and are willing to pay for convenience and quality.
Smaller teams (5-15 people) that focus primarily on animation craft. They may be less strategic than full-service agencies but often produce exceptionally high-quality animation. Best for companies that have strong in-house marketing teams and need an execution partner, not a strategic consultant.
Broader video production companies that offer animation as one of many services (alongside live-action, documentary, corporate video). They may lack the deep specialization of dedicated animation studios. Best for companies that need multiple video types and want one vendor for everything.
Individual animators or loose collectives that offer lower prices but less process structure. Quality varies enormously. Best for tight budgets, internal-use videos, or companies with strong in-house creative direction capability.
Automated tools that generate animation from text or templates with minimal human intervention. Fast and cheap but limited in quality, customization, and strategic depth. Best for social media content, internal communications, or quick prototyping-not for your primary marketing explainer.
Here's a practical framework for finding and selecting the right animated explainer video company:
Before contacting anyone, clarify what you need: the video's objective, target audience, distribution channels, preferred animation style (if any), budget range, and timeline. Document this in a brief-it doesn't need to be elaborate, but it should be specific enough that companies can give you meaningful responses.
Start with curated directories like DesignRush and Clutch, industry recommendations, and Google searches for "animated explainer video company" combined with your industry (e.g., "SaaS," "B2B," "fintech"). Visit each company's website, review their portfolio, and eliminate anyone whose work doesn't resonate. Aim for a shortlist of 5-7 companies.
Send your brief to all shortlisted companies simultaneously. Evaluate their responses on speed (24-48 hours is reasonable), quality of follow-up questions, whether they propose a call or just send a quote, and how they personalize their response. Narrow to 3-4 candidates.
Schedule 30-45 minute calls with your top candidates. Assess their strategic thinking, communication style, and cultural fit. Ask them to walk through a recent project and share relevant case studies. Pay attention to whether they ask insightful questions about your business or jump straight to selling their services.
You should now have detailed proposals from 3-4 companies. Compare them across the 10 evaluation criteria above. Don't default to the cheapest-default to the company that demonstrated the deepest understanding of your needs and the highest likelihood of delivering a video that achieves your objectives.
Beyond the video itself, a great engagement delivers:
During your evaluation, these signals should give you pause:
At Video Editing Company, we specialize in animated explainer videos for SaaS and B2B technology companies. Our team combines strategic marketing expertise with world-class animation talent to produce videos that don't just look great-they drive measurable business results.
What sets us apart:
Ready to explore whether we're the right fit? Book a free consultation View Pricing and let's discuss your project.
30+ examples of high-performing SaaS explainer videos, organized by style, funnel stage, and industry. Steal what works.
Download the Swipe File ? See PricingAn animated explainer video company specializes in creating narrative-driven animations that explain products, services, or concepts. A general video production company may offer animation as one of many services alongside live-action filming, corporate video, events coverage, etc. Specialists typically deliver higher quality animation and stronger strategic messaging for explainer content specifically.
Standard timeline is 4-8 weeks depending on animation complexity, revision cycles, and feedback speed. Simple motion graphics can be completed in 3-4 weeks. Complex 3D or mixed media may take 8-12 weeks. The biggest variable is usually client feedback speed-delays at each review stage compound across the project.
Remote is absolutely fine for animated explainer videos-there's no need for in-person collaboration the way there might be for live-action filming. The most important factors are communication quality, timezone overlap (at least a few shared working hours), and portfolio quality. Many of the best animated explainer video companies work entirely remotely with clients worldwide.
The best animated explainer video companies include strategic services-messaging development, audience analysis, funnel positioning-as part of their offering. If your chosen company only does execution, you may need to handle strategy internally or hire a separate marketing consultant. For most SaaS companies, choosing a company with built-in strategic capabilities produces better results.
Include: your product description, target audience (be specific-job titles, company size, pain points), video objective (demo requests, signups, education), distribution channels, preferred style (if any), budget range, timeline, and 2-3 reference videos you admire. The more context you provide, the more useful the proposals you'll receive.
It depends on the video's role. If it's your primary marketing explainer-the video that introduces your product to prospects, lives on your homepage, and runs in paid campaigns-investing in quality pays for itself through higher conversion rates. If it's a supplementary video for internal use or a secondary landing page, a mid-tier investment may be sufficient.
Track metrics aligned with the video's objective. For homepage videos: conversion rate, time on page, bounce rate. For paid campaigns: view-through rate, click-through rate, cost per acquisition. For sales enablement: deal velocity, win rate with vs. without video. For onboarding: activation rate, time to first value, support ticket volume. Set baseline metrics before launch so you can measure lift.
Choosing an animated explainer video company is a significant decision-but it doesn't have to be a stressful one. With the evaluation framework in this guide, you have everything you need to identify great partners, eliminate poor fits, and make a confident choice.
Remember the core principles: prioritize strategic capabilities over pure animation skill, match the animation style to your audience and brand, invest at a level appropriate to the video's importance, and choose a partner who asks great questions about your business-not just your budget.
The right animated explainer video company won't just produce a video. They'll help you clarify your message, elevate your brand, and drive measurable business results. That's worth investing in.
Ready to start? Book a free consultation with VEC and let's explore what's possible for your brand.
