How Much Does Scientific Animation Cost? SciTube Lite vs Classic vs Plus vs Full 3D
Scientific animation can cost anything from under £1,000 for a limited-production research video to tens of thousands of pounds for specialist 3D scientific animation.
But comparing prices per minute only tells part of the story.
SciTube is not simply an animation creation service.
We provide a complete research communication service, taking a project from the original research through understanding, scripting and visualisation, into production, and then through to publishing and dissemination.
Every SciTube project includes this wider service as standard.
The main difference between our four production levels is how the science is visualised.
SciTube pricing at a glance
| Service | Price | Production | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Lite | £980 for up to 2 minutes | Limited production using professional stock footage, imagery, graphics, narration and music | Lower budgets and research that can be represented effectively using existing visual material |
| Animation Classic | £2,300 for up to 3 minutes | Fully bespoke 2D animation | Research requiring visuals designed specifically around the science |
| Animation Plus | £4,800 for up to 3 minutes | Bespoke 2D plus two custom 15-second 3D sequences | Greater scientific detail or a more visually striking showcase piece |
| Full 3D Animation | £8,000 per minute | Fully bespoke 3D scientific animation | Flagship projects requiring maximum visual impact |
What is included in every SciTube price?
Whichever production level you choose, the wider SciTube service is included.
That means:
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understanding the original research
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developing the communication approach
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professional scriptwriting
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scientific visualisation
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storyboarding and production planning
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animation or video production
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narration, music and sound
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researcher review
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publishing through the SciTube platform
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distribution through our YouTube and TikTok channels
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dissemination through our social media channels
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access to our audience of more than 100,000 science enthusiasts
Publishing and dissemination are not paid extras.
They are included within our standard prices.
Researchers also receive the finished communication asset to continue using through their own websites, presentations, conferences, social channels and local communication activities.
If a client does not want us to publish or disseminate the work, they are completely welcome to opt out and use SciTube as a production-only service.
There is no reduction in price.
What is SciTube Video Lite?
Video Lite is our lowest-cost option at £980 for up to two minutes.
It still includes the wider SciTube service. We understand the research, develop the story, write the script, produce the video, publish it and disseminate it.
The limitation is in the visual production.
Video Lite is deliberately a limited-production service.
Rather than creating bespoke animated scenes specifically for the individual research project, we work primarily with professionally sourced stock footage, photography, illustrations, graphics and other visual material available through our licensed stock libraries.
This allows us to offer a professionally produced research communication video at a much lower price.
But there is an important limitation:
We can only use what is available to us.
If your research requires us to show a very particular experiment, scientific mechanism, molecular pathway, location, device or other highly specific element, suitable stock material may simply not exist.
For example, we might easily source excellent imagery relating to cities, sustainability, healthcare or renewable energy.
If you need us to show a precise relationship between particular countries, locations, technologies and findings from your individual study, that becomes bespoke visual production.
For that you need Animation Classic or above.
Who is Video Lite best for?
Video Lite can work particularly well for:
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public health
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healthcare
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social science
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education
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environmental research
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population research
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projects involving people and places
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projects where communication budget is limited
The key question is whether the broader story can be represented effectively using visual material that already exists.
If you need visuals designed specifically around your research, Video Lite is not the right production level.
See a Video Lite example
Prof Christian Bar & Dr Shambhabi Chatterjee: Rewinding the Clock on Lung Disease – A Potential New RNA Therapy for Pulmonary Fibrosis
We strongly recommend viewing a Video Lite example before choosing the service so the production style and level of customisation are completely clear.
Video Lite: £980 for up to 2 minutes
What is SciTube Animation Classic?
Animation Classic costs £2,300 for up to three minutes and is our most popular production level.
This is where we move from finding appropriate existing visuals to creating visuals specifically around your research.
Our editorial team first works to understand the science and translate it into a clear story.
Our animation team then creates bespoke 2D scenes around exactly what needs to be communicated.
That might include:
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scientific mechanisms
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biological processes
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experiments
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specific locations
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research findings
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cause and effect
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relationships between concepts
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data
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processes that cannot be filmed
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abstract scientific ideas
The simplest distinction is:
Video Lite uses what is available.
Animation Classic creates what the research needs.
You also do not need to arrive with a finished public-facing script, storyboard and creative brief.
You give us the research.
We help turn it into communication.
See an Animation Classic example
Dr Xiaolei Zhu & Dr Barbara Slusher: A New Approach to Depression Treatment Targets Brain Immune Cells
Animation Classic: £2,300 for up to 3 minutes
What is SciTube Animation Plus?
Animation Plus costs £4,800 for up to three minutes.
It includes the fully bespoke 2D production of Animation Classic together with two custom 15-second 3D animated sequences.
But Plus isn’t simply Classic with a bit more detail.
The 3D elements can do two different jobs.
More scientific detail
Some mechanisms are easier to understand when we can show them in three dimensions.
For example:
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molecular interactions
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anatomy
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cellular mechanisms
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medical devices
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materials
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engineering systems
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internal structures
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microscopic processes
The rest of the story can still be communicated effectively in bespoke 2D, while 3D is reserved for the parts where it genuinely adds something.
More visual impact
Sometimes the brief is not only:
“Help people understand this.”
It is also:
“We want this to look impressive.”
Animation Plus gives us the opportunity to introduce visually striking 3D moments without requiring the budget of producing the entire video in 3D.
It is particularly effective for:
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flagship research projects
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major programmes
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important funding outcomes
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conferences
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institutional showcases
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research launches
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major collaborations
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prominent website content
For many projects, Animation Plus is the sweet spot.
It combines the flexibility of bespoke 2D with selected high-end 3D sequences that can add scientific detail, visual impact or both.
See an Animation Plus example
Dr Angelo Hooker: Understanding Intrauterine Scarring to Improve Fertility and Pregnancy Outcomes
Animation Plus: £4,800 for up to 3 minutes
What is full 3D scientific animation?
Full 3D scientific animation costs £8,000 per minute.
And full 3D isn’t simply about having more detail.
It is about creating a one-off visual masterpiece.
With full 3D, the entire visual world can be designed around the research.
Structures, environments and objects can be created specifically for the project. We have much greater control over movement, materials, perspective, lighting, cameras and how the viewer travels through the scientific story.
It gives us the greatest freedom to create something scientifically useful and visually exceptional.
Full 3D is the ultimate showpiece
Full 3D is particularly useful when the finished animation itself needs to make an impression.
Think:
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an impressive hero animation on a website homepage
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the centrepiece of a major conference presentation
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presentation and conference decks
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large exhibition displays
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funding pitches
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stakeholder presentations
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major research launches
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institutional showcases
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flagship research programmes
Full 3D can explain highly complex science.
But it also gives you the ultimate wow factor.
If Animation Plus provides selected standout 3D moments, full 3D allows the entire production to become the showpiece.
See a full 3D animation example
Professor Peter Palese: New COVID-19 Vaccines Aim to Increase Global Access and Protect Against Emerging Variants
Full 3D Animation: £8,000 per minute
SciTube is not just an animation studio
This distinction is particularly important when comparing prices.
Our starting point can simply be the research.
We don’t expect a researcher to arrive with a public-facing script, storyboard, creative direction and dissemination plan.
We work through questions such as:
What has actually been discovered?
What matters most?
Who needs to understand it?
What prior knowledge can we assume?
What needs to be visualised?
What can be simplified without damaging the science?
What should somebody understand when the video finishes?
That thinking comes before the animation.
Because a beautifully produced animation that nobody understands hasn’t done its job.
Publishing and dissemination are included as standard
When the animation is finished, our job isn’t finished.
Every SciTube project is published and disseminated as part of our standard service.
Finished work is published through SciTube and distributed through channels including:
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the SciTube platform
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YouTube
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TikTok
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our social media channels
SciTube has built an audience of more than 100,000 science enthusiasts, so researchers aren’t simply given an MP4 and expected to start finding an audience from zero.
Publishing and dissemination are already included in the project cost.
Researchers can then extend that reach further through their own communication networks.
You can continue using the animation yourself
The finished animation is also designed to become a long-term communication asset.
Researchers and institutions can use it through their own:
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websites
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university pages
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project websites
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presentations
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conference decks
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exhibitions
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teaching
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stakeholder meetings
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social media
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funding presentations
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press and media activities
Rights in the original work we produce for the client are passed back to them in accordance with our terms so they can continue using their animation.
Where third-party licensed assets are used, particularly in Video Lite, those underlying assets remain subject to their respective licence conditions.
The important point is that the animation is not created solely to sit on SciTube.
It becomes something the client can keep using.
What is the SciTube production process?
1. We understand the research
You provide the paper, project or scientific information.
Our team reviews it and identifies what matters.
2. We identify the audience
Communication for another specialist is very different from communication for patients, policymakers, students or members of the public.
3. We write the script
Our editorial team turns the research into a clear story designed for the intended audience.
Researchers review the content to ensure scientific accuracy.
4. We visualise the science
The production approach depends on the service.
Video Lite: available professional stock material.
Animation Classic: bespoke 2D animation.
Animation Plus: bespoke 2D plus selected 3D.
Full 3D: complete bespoke 3D production.
5. We produce the animation
Our production team brings together the visual story, animation, narration, music and sound.
6. The researcher reviews the work
Researchers remain involved at agreed review stages so the science stays accurate.
7. We publish it
The finished project is published through SciTube and our video platforms.
8. We disseminate it
We distribute the work through our established science communication channels.
9. You continue using it
The client then continues using the finished animation through their own communication activities.
That complete journey is what the SciTube price covers.
Competitor pricing analysis: how much do other scientific animation companies charge?
Scientific animation prices vary enormously.
Some companies publish prices openly. Others operate entirely through individual quotations.
For this comparison we looked at pricing published by scientific and medical animation companies themselves and, where prices were not available directly, wider online research and industry comparisons.
We have identified where figures are estimates rather than supplier-published prices.
We have not submitted false enquiries or pretended to be prospective customers to obtain confidential quotations.
Prices and services change, so this is intended as a guide rather than a guaranteed current quotation from another supplier.
Scientific animation price comparison
| Provider | Service | Indicative price | Approx. equivalent per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| SciTube | Video Lite, up to 2 minutes | £980 total | ~£490/min* |
| SciTube | Bespoke 2D Animation Classic, up to 3 minutes | £2,300 total | ~£767/min* |
| SciTube | Animation Plus, up to 3 minutes including two 15-sec 3D sequences | £4,800 total | ~£1,600/min* |
| SciTube | Full 3D | £8,000/min | £8,000/min |
| Science Animated / Sci Ani | 2D animation | From £2,367/min | £2,367+/min |
| Science Animated / Sci Ani | 2D with 3D models | From £4,158/min | £4,158+/min |
| Science Animated / Sci Ani | Full 3D | From £9,240/min | £9,240+/min |
| Animate Your Science | 90-sec whiteboard video abstract | From US$3,690 | ~US$2,460/min* |
| Animate Your Science | 90-sec motion graphics video abstract | From US$5,130 | ~US$3,420/min* |
| Podymos | 2D medical animation | Approx. £4,000–£8,000/min | £4,000–£8,000/min |
| Podymos | 3D medical animation | Approx. £8,000–£15,000/min | £8,000–£15,000/min |
| Microverse Studios | 1-minute scientific animation | US$35,000–$45,000 | US$35,000–$45,000/min |
| Random42 | Standard 60–90 sec MoA/MoD animation | Estimated £30,000–£60,000 | Scope dependent |
*Equivalent per-minute figures are shown simply to make comparison easier where a supplier sells a longer package. They are not the way SciTube prices these services.
Science Animated currently publishes 2D animation from £2,367 per minute, 2D animation incorporating 3D models from £4,158 per minute and full 3D from £9,240 per minute.
Animate Your Science currently advertises a 90-second whiteboard-style video abstract from US$3,690 and a 90-second motion-graphics version from US$5,130. Its package also includes PhD-trained creative input, voiceover, music, revisions, captions, licensing and social sharing.
Podymos publishes typical costs of £4,000–£8,000 per minute for bespoke 2D medical animation and £8,000–£15,000 per minute for 3D medical animation.
At the premium end of the market, Microverse Studios publishes typical scientific animation budgets of US$35,000–$45,000 for one minute, US$55,000–$65,000 for two minutes and US$75,000–$105,000 for three minutes.
Random42 does not publish a standard price list. Its own website says projects are individually costed according to scope, complexity, length, resolution and technology, and confirms that its service includes scientific scripting, referencing, storyboarding, animation, professional voiceover, editing, music and global copyright.
Industry research provides some indication of where Random42 sits in the market. One healthcare-animation comparison estimates approximately £30,000–£60,000 for a standard 60–90 second Random42 MoA/MoD animation and £60,000–£100,000+ for more complex drug-launch campaigns. These are third-party estimates, not prices published or confirmed by Random42, and should be treated accordingly.
An important point about SciTube Classic and Plus pricing
This is easy to miss when looking at the table.
SciTube Animation Classic costs £2,300 for up to three minutes.
It does not cost £2,300 per minute.
If the full three-minute allowance is used, that works out at approximately £767 per finished minute.
Likewise:
SciTube Animation Plus costs £4,800 for up to three minutes.
Across a full three-minute production, that is approximately £1,600 per finished minute, including two bespoke 15-second 3D sequences.
And Video Lite costs £980 for up to two minutes, equivalent to approximately £490 per finished minute across the full two-minute allowance.
We do not actually sell these packages on a per-minute basis.
The figures are shown purely to make comparisons with companies advertising per-minute prices easier to understand.
Comparing price alone can still be misleading
We don’t include the competitor table to suggest that every company is offering exactly the same thing.
They aren’t.
Science Animated, Animate Your Science, Random42, Microverse Studios and Podymos all have different production models, audiences, specialisms and levels of service.
Some are heavily focused on pharmaceutical and medical animation.
Some provide extremely high-end CGI.
Some focus strongly on academic research communication.
A complex pharmaceutical mechanism-of-action video requiring extensive modelling, regulatory review and photorealistic 3D can quite reasonably cost far more than a university research animation.
So price matters.
But scope matters just as much.
Compare the complete service, not just the animation
This is where SciTube’s pricing becomes particularly important.
Our £2,300 Animation Classic price covers up to three minutes, but that £2,300 is not simply paying somebody to animate a script you already wrote.
It also includes:
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understanding the research
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science communication expertise
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scriptwriting
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visual development
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storyboarding
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bespoke animation
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narration, music and sound
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researcher review
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publishing
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dissemination
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access to an existing audience of more than 100,000 science enthusiasts
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a finished communication asset the client can continue using
The same principle applies across all four SciTube production levels.
So when comparing quotes, don’t ask only:
How much does the animation cost?
Ask:
What happens between me handing over my research and people actually seeing and understanding the finished communication?
What about making a scientific animation yourself with AI?
AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to creating scripts, imagery, voices and video.
That is a good thing.
We use technology ourselves where it improves the process.
But access to AI tools and a complete research communication service are not the same thing.
If a researcher decides to produce everything themselves, somebody still needs to:
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understand what should be communicated
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identify the audience
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translate the research into a suitable script
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maintain scientific accuracy
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work out what should be visualised
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generate or create the visual material
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maintain consistency
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edit the production
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manage narration and sound
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review the finished work
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publish it
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distribute it
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find an audience
AI can make parts of that process faster.
It doesn’t remove the process.
SciTube provides the complete journey from research to communication to audience.
That is what our prices should be compared against.
Which SciTube service should I choose?
Choose Video Lite if:
You want the most affordable SciTube option and are comfortable with the visual story being created using professionally sourced stock material available to us.
£980 for up to 2 minutes
Choose Animation Classic if:
You want fully bespoke 2D visuals created specifically around your individual research.
£2,300 for up to 3 minutes
Choose Animation Plus if:
You want bespoke 2D animation with selected 3D sequences for greater scientific detail, more visual impact or a stronger one-off showcase piece.
£4,800 for up to 3 minutes
Choose Full 3D if:
You want the highest level of visual freedom and a premium flagship piece with genuine wow factor.
£8,000 per minute
Whichever production level you choose, the wider SciTube service remains the same.
We understand the research.
We develop the story.
We produce the communication.
We publish it.
And we disseminate it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a SciTube animation cost?
SciTube Video Lite costs £980 for up to two minutes.
Animation Classic costs £2,300 for up to three minutes.
Animation Plus costs £4,800 for up to three minutes and includes two bespoke 15-second 3D sequences.
Full 3D scientific animation costs £8,000 per minute.
What is included in SciTube’s animation prices?
SciTube prices include research understanding, scriptwriting, visual development, production, researcher review, publishing and dissemination as standard.
Does SciTube charge extra for publishing?
No.
Publishing is included in the standard cost of every SciTube project.
Does SciTube charge extra for dissemination?
No.
Standard SciTube dissemination through our platform, video channels and social media network is included in the project price.
Can I opt out of SciTube publishing and dissemination?
Yes.
Clients are welcome to use SciTube as a production-only service if they do not want their animation published or disseminated through SciTube.
There is no reduction in price.
Does SciTube write the script?
Yes.
Researchers do not need to provide a finished public-facing script.
Our editorial team works from the research and develops a clear communication story for the intended audience.
Does Video Lite include bespoke animation?
No.
Video Lite is deliberately a limited-production service using professionally sourced stock footage, imagery and other available visual assets.
If specific visuals need to be created around your individual research, choose Animation Classic or above.
What is the difference between Animation Classic and Animation Plus?
Animation Classic provides up to three minutes of bespoke 2D animation.
Animation Plus provides up to three minutes of bespoke animation and adds two custom 15-second 3D sequences.
Those 3D sequences can provide additional scientific detail, additional visual impact or both.
Why choose Animation Plus instead of full 3D?
Many projects only need particular moments to be shown in 3D.
Animation Plus gives the project those standout sequences while keeping the majority of the production in bespoke 2D.
It can therefore produce a much more visually impressive showcase piece without requiring the budget of a completely 3D production.
How much does full 3D scientific animation cost?
SciTube full 3D scientific animation costs £8,000 per minute.
Published competitor pricing demonstrates that specialist 3D scientific and medical animation can range from around £8,000 per minute to tens of thousands of pounds or dollars depending on the studio, complexity and scope.
Can I continue using my SciTube animation?
Yes.
Clients can continue using their finished animation through their own websites, presentations, conferences, social media and other communication activities.
Rights in original bespoke work are passed to the client in accordance with our terms. Third-party assets used within a production remain subject to the appropriate licensing conditions.
Is SciTube cheaper than other scientific animation companies?
There is no completely fair like-for-like answer because different scientific animation companies provide different production styles and services.
However, publicly available competitor pricing shows that SciTube sits competitively within the market, particularly when Animation Classic’s £2,300 price covers up to three minutes and when research understanding, scripting, publishing and dissemination are included within the standard price.
We recommend comparing the complete service and deliverables rather than headline price per minute alone.
Can SciTube recommend the right option?
Yes.
Send us the research and tell us what you want the communication to achieve.
We can recommend the most appropriate production level based on the science, audience, intended use and available budget.