AI Video Agency Pricing Models Explained
Reviewed list of AI video agency pricing models: per-second, per-deliverable, retainer, credit pack and hybrid, with named studios and published rates.
AI video agencies bill in five shapes: per-second (almost always a 30-second increment), per-deliverable package, monthly retainer, credit pack, and hybrid (a named package plus a retainer). Two more shapes show up on the same invoices: a minutes-capped subscription, and a per-route then per-asset broadcast quote. A USD 500 package and a GBP 15,000 broadcast asset are not the same product.
This page is for marketing leads and producers who have a quote and need to know what they are being asked to buy. It is a billing-shape explainer, not a ranked studio list. We checked each company's own site and named work; rates are quoted only where the company or a public directory states them; reviewed 2026-09-05.
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AI video agency pricing models, with a named example for each
Eight vendors. Match the unit to the job before you compare prices. Cost bands by deliverable sit in AI video production cost. A studio shortlist sits in Best AI Video Production Companies 2026.
| Billing model | Unit of sale | Example on this page | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-increment | 30 seconds of finished film | Gisteo AI Avatar | Extra length is billed in 30-second steps |
| Per-deliverable | Named package, one or more files | MAW Spark, Ignite | Duration is a band inside the package |
| Retainer | Month of generation after a setup fee | Life Media UK | Setup is a separate fee; volume is per quarter |
| Credit pack | Credits spent on generations | HeyGen | A credit is not a directed commercial |
| Hybrid | Package plus monthly retainer | ArcaneWiz | The retainer has a 3-month minimum |
| Per-route | Research route, then broadcast asset | Myth Labs | Animatic and on-air sit in different bands |
| Minutes plan | Minutes of avatar video per month | Synthesia | A studio avatar is a paid yearly add-on |
| Capped downloads | Final downloads per month | Waymark | Drafts are unlimited; masters are not |
Gisteo
Gisteo is a Miami, United States studio founded in 2011. It produces avatar and cinematic AI commercials, plus an unlimited yearly plan covering AI and custom explainers one project at a time. Avatar work is billed per increment. The yearly plan is a cap, and jobs still queue one at a time.
Named work: 62or70.com AI campaign videos on the services page. AI Avatar is USD 1,000 for the first 30 seconds, plus USD 500 for each extra 30 seconds. The unlimited yearly plan is USD 20,000 covering AI videos one at a time, on the unlimited plan page.
Best for: avatar films billed in 30-second increments, or a yearly explainer queue that can wait.
MAW AI Studios
MAW AI Studios is an AI video studio in Pakistan. It sells named packages for single spots, campaign suites and monthly retainers, with human art direction and cinematic post. The unit of sale is the package. Duration is a band inside the package (15 to 60 seconds on Spark), not a running clock.
Named work: the Tooth911 AI commercial on the homepage. Spark is from USD 500 for one 15-60s video. Ignite is from USD 2,000 for 3-5 assets. Genesis is a custom-quoted retainer. Figures are on the homepage.
Best for: a single 15 to 60 second spot, or a 3 to 5 asset suite, billed as a package.
Life Media UK
Life Media UK is a Bristol, United Kingdom video agency founded in 2011. It sells AI retainers with a one-off brand-asset setup fee, then monthly generation of social and campaign videos. Setup is billed first, so the monthly line is not the whole cost.
Named work: ZiaBia video work on the cost page. The retainer is GBP 500 per month after a setup of GBP 1,000, 3,000 or 5,000 depending on Enhance, Create or Replicate, for about 15 videos per quarter (pricing page). Ask what counts as one video.
Best for: UK social and campaign volume after a brand-asset setup, billed monthly.
HeyGen
HeyGen is a Los Angeles, United States AI avatar platform founded in 2020. It bills a monthly credit pool spent across Avatar IV, translation and other generative video features. This is a tool plan, not a directed studio package. Credits meter generation, not a locked master.
Named work: HP AI avatar videos on the pricing page. Creator is 600 credits at USD 29 per month. Pro is 1,000 credits at USD 49. Business is 1,500 credits at USD 149, with optional top-up packs (pricing page).
Best for: teams spending a monthly credit pool on avatar, translation and related generative video.
ArcaneWiz
ArcaneWiz is a Ramat Hasharon, Israel AI video studio. It sells Spark, Studio and Enterprise packages plus monthly retainers for ongoing cinematic AI commercials and brand films. That is hybrid billing: a named package for a hero, then a retainer with a three-month minimum.
Named work: the CatRex TikTok commercial case study. Spark is USD 2,500, Studio USD 8,000, Enterprise USD 25,000. Retainers start from USD 15,000 per month with a 3-month minimum (pricing page). Ask what the retainer includes in files.
Best for: a cinematic package now, plus a retainer when you can commit to three months.
Myth Labs
Myth Labs is a London, United Kingdom AI studio. It quotes per research route and per broadcast asset rather than per second, with separate bands for animatics and on-air films. A route is a line of enquiry, not a finished master.
Named work: Nestle Compleat hybrid AI animation on the AI video production page. Research animatics are GBP 4,000 to 15,000 per route. Per-asset broadcast is GBP 15,000 to 45,000. Per-campaign multi-market is GBP 40,000 to 120,000+ (pricing page). Ask whether a second route is a new research fee.
Best for: brand and agency work that needs a research or animatic route before a broadcast asset.
Synthesia
Synthesia is a London, United Kingdom AI avatar platform. It sells monthly or yearly plans capped in video minutes and credits, with a paid studio-avatar add-on. The unit is minutes (and an optional custom presenter), not a directed 15 to 60 second commercial.
Named work: Zoom AI avatar videos on the pricing page. Starter is about 10 minutes of video per month at USD 18 billed yearly. Creator is about 30 minutes at USD 89 monthly. The Studio Express-1 avatar add-on is USD 1,000 per year (pricing page). Ask whether the studio avatar is yours after the year.
Best for: presenter and training films bought as a minutes-capped plan, with an optional yearly studio avatar.
Waymark
Waymark is a Detroit, United States AI ad platform. It offers unlimited drafts but a capped number of finalized, downloadable video ads per month on each plan. Drafts are not deliverables. The meter that matters is the final download.
Named work: LemonBrew Lending video ads on the marketing pricing page. Starter is USD 350 per month billed annually for four final downloads, or USD 399 monthly for two downloads. Team is from USD 1,125 per month (pricing page).
Best for: local and performance ads that need a fixed number of downloadable masters each month.
How to choose
The failure mode is mixing units on one spreadsheet. A credit, a 30-second increment, a package, a route and a download cap do not add. Ask these four questions of every quote. For the commercial-shaped version of the same numbers, see How much does an AI commercial cost.
What is the unit, and what is the turnaround? Write the unit in the statement of work: 30-second increment, named package, month, credit, minute, route, or final download. Then write first-cut date. Gisteo's unlimited yearly plan covers AI videos one at a time, so parallel jobs wait. Waymark caps masters, not drafts. Life Media UK's about 15 videos per quarter is a volume band, not a day count.
What is a revision, and what resets the meter? Ask whether a new prompt direction is a new Spark, a new increment, a new route, or a draw on the retainer. Credit and minute plans make another take a spend against the pool. Myth Labs broadcast quotes (GBP 15,000 to 45,000 per asset) should say whether a second route is a new research fee (GBP 4,000 to 15,000). ArcaneWiz retainers start from USD 15,000 per month with a 3-month minimum.
Who holds rights, likeness and the AI label? Avatar tools (HeyGen, Synthesia) sell a presenter licence as much as a video. Synthesia's Studio Express-1 avatar is USD 1,000 per year. Ask whether that avatar is yours after the year. For cinematic commercials, ask who owns the film and the intermediates. Disclosure and AI labelling sit on you as the advertiser in most markets. Write the label into the statement of work.
Who owns the prompts, seeds and unused balance? If you change vendor you will need the prompt stack, seeds, reference stills and edit project, not only an MP4. Ask what happens to unused HeyGen credits, Synthesia minutes and Waymark downloads at period end. On a Life Media UK retainer, ask who holds the brand-asset setup if you stop paying GBP 500 per month.
What these models cost
Figures below are what those eight companies publish. Source pages were checked on 2026-09-05.
| Company | Model | Rate signal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gisteo | Per-increment and yearly cap | AI Avatar USD 1,000 first 30 seconds, then USD 500 per extra 30 seconds; unlimited yearly USD 20,000, one project at a time | unlimited plan page |
| MAW AI Studios | Per-deliverable | Spark from USD 500 for one 15-60s video; Ignite from USD 2,000 for 3-5 assets | homepage |
| Life Media UK | Retainer | GBP 500 per month after setup of GBP 1,000, 3,000 or 5,000; about 15 videos per quarter | cost page |
| HeyGen | Credit pack | Creator 600 credits at USD 29 per month; Pro 1,000 at USD 49; Business 1,500 at USD 149 | pricing page |
| ArcaneWiz | Hybrid | Spark USD 2,500; Studio USD 8,000; Enterprise USD 25,000; retainers from USD 15,000 per month, 3-month minimum | pricing page |
| Myth Labs | Per-route | Research animatics GBP 4,000 to 15,000 per route; broadcast GBP 15,000 to 45,000 per asset; multi-market GBP 40,000 to 120,000+ | pricing page |
| Synthesia | Minutes plan | Starter about 10 minutes at USD 18 billed yearly; Creator about 30 minutes at USD 89 monthly; Studio Express-1 avatar USD 1,000 per year | pricing page |
| Waymark | Capped downloads | Starter USD 350 per month billed annually for four final downloads, or USD 399 monthly for two; Team from USD 1,125 per month | pricing page |
Doing it in-house
A producer, an editor and a brand stills folder can attempt the same 15 to 60 second spots without a studio invoice. Generate and edit on Versely, an AI content studio for image, video, voice and music generation from 50+ models, with a video editor and its own agent, a workflow canvas, trend analysis and social scheduling. The Android app and the web app share one account. iOS is coming soon.
For a social or ad cut, generate in the AI video generator on Kling 3.0 or Veo 3.1, then cut 9:16 and 1:1 versions in the editor. For a talking-head presenter, use the AI avatar generator, then voice with ElevenLabs v4. Model cards sit on the models page. Time for selects, captions, a rights pass and a disclosure line still sits on the team.
FAQ
What is per-second pricing for an AI video agency?
On this page it is a 30-second increment, not a true per-second clock. Gisteo lists AI Avatar at USD 1,000 for the first 30 seconds, then USD 500 for each extra 30 seconds. Ask whether titles, end cards and revisions sit inside the increment.
How does an AI video retainer work?
A retainer is a monthly fee for a queue of work, usually after a setup. Life Media UK lists GBP 500 per month after a setup of GBP 1,000, 3,000 or 5,000, for about 15 videos per quarter. ArcaneWiz lists retainers from USD 15,000 per month with a 3-month minimum. Ask what counts as one video, and who holds the brand kit if you stop.
Are AI video credit packs cheaper than a studio package?
The published tool plans sit below the published studio packages: HeyGen Creator is USD 29 per month for 600 credits, Synthesia Starter is USD 18 billed yearly for about 10 minutes, MAW Spark is from USD 500, and ArcaneWiz Spark is USD 2,500. A credit pack is a generation pool. A studio package is a finished film with human art direction.
What does hybrid pricing mean at an AI video agency?
Hybrid here means a named package plus a retainer, not a blend of live action and generated shots. ArcaneWiz sells Spark, Studio and Enterprise (USD 2,500, USD 8,000, USD 25,000) and retainers from USD 15,000 per month with a 3-month minimum. MAW AI Studios sells Spark and Ignite packages and a custom-quoted Genesis retainer.
Who owns the prompts and seeds when I hire an AI video agency?
Ask. None of the eight pages we checked publish a default prompt-and-seed handover. If you change vendor you will need the prompt stack, seeds, reference stills and edit project, not only an MP4.
Get listed
Studios and tools can apply for a free listing on this page. Featured placements are paid, marked as sponsored, and reviewed by us before they go live. How to apply, and the terms for a featured slot, are on how listing works. Companies already listed across these pages are on the index of listed companies.