Corporate Video Examples: 12 Types (+ Cost)
October 17, 2026
VEC Team — February 21, 2026 — 18 min read
Choosing the right explainer video company is one of the most consequential marketing decisions a SaaS founder or marketing leader will make. A great explainer video can compress months of onboarding confusion into 90 seconds of clarity. A bad one wastes budget, delays launches, and—worst of all—misrepresents your product to exactly the people you're trying to impress.
The explainer video space has exploded in recent years. There are hundreds of studios, agencies, and freelance collectives competing for your attention. Some specialize in SaaS. Most don't. And the difference between a company that understands software and one that simply animates pretty shapes is the difference between a video that converts and one that collects dust on your homepage.
This guide walks you through everything you need to evaluate, compare, and confidently select an explainer video company that understands SaaS inside and out. We'll cover the red flags, the green flags, the questions you should be asking, and the frameworks that make the decision easier.
Let's start with the obvious question: why can't you just hire any animation studio? After all, explainer videos are explainer videos, right?
Not quite. SaaS products live in a world of abstract value propositions, complex feature sets, and buyers who are often evaluating five or six competitors simultaneously. Your explainer video isn't just a "nice to have"—it's often the first meaningful interaction a prospect has with your product.
A specialized explainer video company understands:
Generic studios can make beautiful animations. But beautiful animations that miss the point are expensive decorations. You need a partner who can translate complex software into compelling narratives.
Whether you're creating your first explainer or replacing one that isn't converting, use these eight criteria to build a shortlist of companies worth talking to.
The single most important signal is their portfolio. Don't just look at the animation quality—look at what they've explained. Have they worked with SaaS products? B2B platforms? Developer tools? Fintech? If their reel is dominated by consumer brands, restaurant promos, and event videos, they probably aren't the right fit.
Look for videos that:
Some companies take a brief and animate it. Others challenge your brief, rewrite your script, and help you think about where the video lives in your funnel. You want the latter.
A good explainer video company should ask you uncomfortable questions: Who is this video for? What action do you want them to take? Where will they see it? What do they already know about your product? If a studio just asks for your logo, brand colors, and a script, they're an execution shop—not a strategic partner.
The script is where 80% of your video's success is determined. Animation quality matters, but a perfectly animated video with a weak script will underperform a mediocre animation with a killer script every single time.
Ask whether the company writes scripts in-house. Ask to see script samples. Ask about their revision process. The best studios have dedicated copywriters or creative directors who understand SaaS messaging frameworks—jobs-to-be-done, problem-agitate-solve, before-after-bridge.
SaaS explainer videos come in many styles: 2D character animation, motion graphics, isometric illustrations, screen recordings with animated overlays, whiteboard animation, and mixed media. The right style depends on your brand, your audience, and your message.
A versatile explainer video company should be able to recommend the right style for your situation—not just default to whatever their animators are most comfortable with.
How does the company work? What's the timeline? How many revision rounds are included? When do you see the first draft? How is feedback collected and incorporated?
Transparent processes reduce friction and prevent misunderstandings. Ask for a step-by-step breakdown of their production process before signing anything.
Pay attention to how quickly they respond during the sales process. If they're slow to reply to your inquiry, imagine how they'll communicate during production when you're on a deadline. Look for companies that assign a dedicated project manager and use structured communication tools (Slack channels, project dashboards, etc.).
Pricing in the explainer video world is all over the map. You'll find companies charging $500 and others charging $50,000 for what looks like the same deliverable. The difference is in strategy, quality, and service depth.
For a professional SaaS explainer video, expect to invest between $5,000 and $25,000 depending on length, complexity, and animation style. Anything significantly below that range likely involves templated animation or offshore labor with limited creative input. Anything above it should include extensive strategy, custom illustration, and premium sound design.
The best companies track the impact of their work. Ask for case studies that show measurable results: increased conversion rates, higher demo request volume, reduced support tickets, improved onboarding completion rates. If a company can't point to any performance data, that's a yellow flag.
Let's talk about what should make you run the other way. These red flags apply whether you're evaluating a $2,000 freelancer or a $30,000 agency.
If a company is ready to quote you a price without understanding your product, audience, or goals, they're selling a commodity—not a solution. A professional explainer video company will always start with discovery. They need to understand your business before they can price a project accurately.
Templates have their place. But if every video on their portfolio looks identical—same character style, same transitions, same layout—you're getting a templated product. For SaaS, where differentiation matters, cookie-cutter videos actively hurt your brand perception.
If they can't tell you exactly what happens after you sign the contract, you'll be navigating chaos. Good studios have a documented process: kick-off call ? script ? storyboard ? style frames ? animation ? revisions ? delivery. Each step should have clear timelines and deliverables.
"It depends" is not a pricing model. While final costs do depend on scope, a reputable company should be able to give you a range and explain what influences the price. If you can't get a ballpark after a 20-minute conversation, move on.
Revisions are not a nice-to-have—they're essential. If a company charges extra for every small change or limits you to a single revision round, you'll either overpay or settle for a video you're not happy with.
This is the biggest red flag of all. If an explainer video company is more interested in your brand guidelines than your target customer's pain points, their priorities are misaligned. Design matters. But message matters more.
On the flip side, here's what a great partnership looks like from the start:
Now that you know what to look for and what to avoid, let's talk process. Here's a practical framework for finding and selecting the right partner.
Before you reach out to anyone, get clear on what you need. Write a brief that covers:
Search for "explainer video company" along with qualifiers like "SaaS," "B2B," or "tech." Look at curated lists on platforms like DesignRush, Clutch, and G2. Ask your network for recommendations—especially other SaaS founders who've been through the process.
Visit each company's website and evaluate their portfolio against the criteria above. Eliminate anyone whose work doesn't resonate or whose portfolio doesn't include relevant SaaS examples.
Send your brief to all shortlisted companies simultaneously. Pay attention to:
Schedule calls with your top 3-4 candidates. During these calls, assess their strategic thinking, cultural fit, and communication style. Ask them to walk you through a recent SaaS project from start to finish.
You should now have enough information to make a confident decision. Don't default to the cheapest option—default to the option that demonstrates the deepest understanding of your product, audience, and goals.
The explainer video market is evolving rapidly. Here are the trends shaping how SaaS companies approach video in 2026:
With mobile accounting for the majority of video consumption, forward-thinking explainer video companies are now producing vertical (9:16) versions alongside traditional horizontal formats. According to Levitate Media, vertical format is becoming the primary choice for many brands to accommodate mobile-dominant viewing. If your company only delivers 16:9, you're leaving social media performance on the table.
AI tools are being used to accelerate certain production steps—generating initial concepts, creating rough storyboards, drafting first-pass scripts. But the best explainer video companies are using AI to enhance human creativity, not replace it. The studios that lean too heavily on AI tend to produce generic, undifferentiated content. The ones that use it judiciously produce better work, faster.
The line between explainer videos and product demos is blurring. Modern SaaS explainer videos increasingly incorporate actual UI elements, screen recordings, and interactive-feeling sequences. This reflects the broader shift toward product-led growth, where the product itself is the primary sales tool.
Smart SaaS companies are moving away from one-and-done explainer videos toward video series that cover different aspects of their product, different audience segments, and different funnel stages. The best explainer video company partners will help you think in terms of a video content strategy, not just a single deliverable.
Beyond the final video file, here's what a comprehensive engagement should include:
Budget is always a factor. Here's a realistic breakdown of what different investment levels typically deliver:
$1,000 — $3,000: Template-based animation with basic customization. Suitable for internal videos, quick social content, or MVPs. Don't expect strategic input or custom illustration at this price point.
$5,000 — $15,000: The sweet spot for most SaaS companies. Custom illustration, professional scripting, dedicated project management, and 2-3 revision rounds. This is where you'll find the best balance of quality and value.
$15,000 — $30,000+: Premium production with extensive strategy, custom character design, advanced animation techniques, celebrity or premium voiceover, and comprehensive format deliveries. Appropriate for flagship products, major launches, or companies where the video will be a cornerstone of their marketing.
According to industry data, companies spend an average of $11,000 on an explainer video. For SaaS specifically, the range tends to be slightly higher due to the complexity of accurately representing software products.
Go into your discovery calls prepared. Here are the questions that separate serious buyers from tire-kickers—and signal to the studio that you know what you're doing:
We've seen these mistakes repeatedly, across companies of all sizes:
The cheapest option is almost never the best option. A $2,000 video that doesn't convert is infinitely more expensive than a $15,000 video that drives hundreds of demo requests. Think in terms of ROI, not absolute cost.
The worst thing that can happen during production is a stakeholder appearing at the eleventh hour with a completely different vision. Get alignment before you start. Product, marketing, and at least one executive should sign off on the brief and script before animation begins.
The most common script problem is trying to cram every feature, integration, and use case into a 90-second video. The best explainer videos say one thing, clearly, with emotional resonance. Everything else can live on your website, in your docs, or in follow-up content.
Making the video is half the battle. The other half is getting it in front of the right people. Before you invest in production, have a distribution plan: homepage placement, paid social amplification, email campaigns, sales enablement, content syndication, and partner channels.
Jumping straight to animation without investing in strategy is like coding without a spec. You might end up somewhere useful, but you'll waste time and money getting there. The strategy phase—defining objectives, audience, message, and distribution—is where the real value is created.
At Video Editing Company, we've built our entire practice around the needs of SaaS and B2B technology companies. Our team includes strategists who've worked in-house at software companies, copywriters who understand product-led growth, and animators who specialize in translating complex workflows into clear visual narratives.
Our process is designed for the way SaaS companies actually work:
Want to see if we're the right fit? Book a call View Pricing and let's talk about your project.
Most professional explainer videos take 4-8 weeks from kickoff to final delivery. The timeline depends on complexity, animation style, revision cycles, and how quickly feedback is provided. Rush timelines (2-3 weeks) are possible but may affect quality or require a premium.
For homepage or top-of-funnel use, 60-90 seconds is the sweet spot. This gives you enough time to establish the problem, present your solution, and deliver a call to action without losing viewer attention. For deeper product content or onboarding videos, 2-3 minutes can work well.
Let the professionals handle it. You know your product best, but professional scriptwriters know how to structure a narrative for video—pacing, hooks, transitions, and emotional beats. Provide a detailed brief and be active in revisions, but let the experts lead the writing.
Track metrics that align with your video's objective. For homepage videos: time on page, bounce rate, and conversion rate (demo requests, signups). For social: view completion rate, click-through rate. For sales: deal velocity and win rate when the video is used in the sales process. According to industry data, 83% of businesses report positive ROI from explainer videos.
An explainer video company specializes in narrative-driven videos that communicate product value. A general animation studio may be excellent at animation craft but lacks the strategic marketing expertise needed to make a video that actually drives business results. For SaaS, the distinction matters enormously.
Yes, but you'll get better results with format-optimized versions. A horizontal video for your website, a vertical version for Instagram/TikTok, and a square version for LinkedIn feed. Most professional explainer video companies offer multi-format delivery as part of their packages.
This is why the revision process matters. Reputable companies build multiple revision rounds into their contracts. The key is catching issues early—at the script and storyboard stages, not after animation is complete. Changes at the animation stage are significantly more expensive and time-consuming.
Use our 20-point checklist to evaluate and compare explainer video companies. Never second-guess your vendor choice again.
Get the Checklist → See PricingDon't treat this as a procurement exercise. The explainer video company you choose will shape how thousands of potential customers first experience your product. It will influence their perception of your brand, their understanding of your value proposition, and their likelihood of taking the next step in your funnel.
Take the time to evaluate properly. Use the criteria, questions, and frameworks in this guide. Talk to multiple companies. Review portfolios critically. And when you find a partner that truly understands SaaS—that asks the right questions, pushes back on weak ideas, and delivers videos that drive measurable results—invest in that relationship for the long term.
Your explainer video is often the most-watched piece of content on your entire website. Make sure the company behind it deserves that responsibility.
Ready to start the conversation? Book a free consultation and let's explore whether VEC is the right explainer video company for your SaaS product.
