How much does scientific animation cost?
From a straightforward research video to detailed 3D visualisation, prices can vary enormously. Here's what you can expect to pay, what actually affects the cost, and how to choose the right approach for your research.
What does a research animation cost?
There is no single price for scientific animation. A video using existing footage is a different job from illustrating a biological pathway in 2D or modelling a molecular interaction in 3D. SciTube offers four production levels so researchers can match the format to the science, rather than paying for complexity they don't need.
Video Lite
A narrated research video assembled from professionally sourced footage, imagery and graphics, with a script developed around your work.
Animation Classic
Custom 2D scenes, illustrations and motion designed specifically to explain your research, findings or methods.
Animation Plus
Bespoke 2D animation with two custom 15-second 3D scenes for structures or mechanisms that benefit from added depth.
Full 3D
£8,000/min
Detailed 3D modelling, animation, lighting and rendering for projects where spatial detail is central to the explanation.
What actually drives animation costs?
Duration matters, but it is rarely the whole story. These are the main things to check when you receive a quote from any scientific animation provider.
Stock, 2D or 3D?
Existing footage avoids much of the illustration and animation work. Custom 2D requires new assets. Full 3D adds modelling, materials, lighting and rendering.
How precise must it be?
A broad public-health message is different from a precise signalling pathway or engineering assembly. Specialist review and detailed visual references take time.
What moves on screen?
Simple diagrams cost less to produce than intricate biological structures, many interacting objects or detailed environments. Visual detail can matter more than runtime.
Who develops the story?
Some studios work from your finished script. Others include research interpretation, audience planning, scripting and storyboarding. Check which is in the fee.
What is included?
Scientific revisions, voiceover, music, captions, extra formats, translations and deadlines can change the scope. Agree approval stages and deliverables before starting.
What happens afterwards?
A studio may simply supply a file. Other services include publication and dissemination. Neither model is inherently better, but they should not be priced as identical.
How much do other scientific animation companies charge?
If you're comparing SciTube with Science Animated, Animate Your Science or specialist medical-animation studios, the first thing to check is whether you're looking at a whole-project price or a price per minute. Confusing those two makes a significant difference.
For up to three minutes of bespoke 2D animation. If all three minutes are used, that's about £767 per finished minute for comparison purposes. We do not charge £2,300 per minute for this package.
For up to 3.5 minutes, including two bespoke 15-second 3D sequences. Across the full allowance, that's about £1,371 per finished minute. Again, this is a package, not a per-minute rate.
Below are published prices and pricing guides from five established names in scientific and medical animation. These are relevant comparisons for researchers evaluating different services. Each figure links to the provider's own website.
| Provider | Public pricing | What the figure represents |
|---|---|---|
| Science Animated (Sci Ani) |
2D: from £2,367/min 2D with 3D models: from £4,158/min Full 3D: from £9,240/min |
Starting rates shown on its three separate service pages.
Services vary in the degree of bespoke modelling and 3D work.
2D source ↗ · Mixed source ↗ · 3D source ↗ |
| Animate Your Science |
Whiteboard video abstract: from US$3,690 for 90 seconds Motion graphics: from US$5,130 for 90 seconds |
Published video-abstract packages, including creative work,
voiceover, captions and revisions. These are
90-second project prices, not per-minute prices.
Provider pricing ↗ |
| Podymos |
2D medical animation: £4,000–£8,000/min 3D medical animation: £8,000–£15,000/min |
Indicative industry cost ranges in Podymos's medical-animation
guide, updated March 2026.
Not a fixed Podymos service quote.
Cost guide ↗ |
| Microverse Studios | One-minute project: typically US$35,000–$45,000 |
Typical scientific-animation budget published by Microverse
in March 2024, with higher totals for longer or more
complex productions. An older published benchmark,
not a new quotation.
Provider pricing article ↗ |
| Random42 |
Bespoke quotation No public standard price list found |
Random42 prices each scientific or medical animation according
to scope, length, complexity, resolution and technology.
We have deliberately excluded third-party price estimates.
Provider FAQ ↗ |
Sources checked 30 October 2026. Amounts are retained in suppliers' published currencies. Some are starting rates, some are budget guides and some are package totals; VAT, licensing and production scope may differ.
Which animation style is right for your research?
Start with the explanation, not the visual effects. Ask what the viewer needs to understand that a paper, photograph or static figure cannot easily show.
Choose stock-led video if…
You are explaining a social issue, public-health theme, environmental topic or other subject that existing imagery can represent accurately. Do not choose it if a specific mechanism must be illustrated.
Choose bespoke 2D if…
You need to show processes, results, causal relationships, experiments or concepts unique to your research. For many research explainers, clear 2D diagrams are all that is needed.
Choose mixed 2D and 3D if…
Your story is mostly two-dimensional, but a key molecule, device, anatomical structure or engineering system needs to rotate, separate or be explored in depth.
Choose full 3D if…
Spatial relationships are essential throughout, or the brief specifically needs detailed scientific models and high-end rendering. Confirm the required level of realism early.
Five questions to ask before accepting a quote
- Does the price include understanding the research, writing the script and developing the storyboard?
- How many review stages are included, and how are scientific corrections handled?
- Are voiceover, captions, music, licences and final video formats included?
- Can we reuse the finished video on our website, in teaching and at conferences?
- Will the provider help people discover the finished animation, or is distribution our responsibility?
Our prices cover more than production.
SciTube starts with your research, not a finished creative brief. Our team develops the explanation, produces the animation and works with you to check the science. We then publish the approved video and actively disseminate it through our research communication channels, as part of the standard package.
Research animations are published with a Crossref DOI and a reference to the original scholarly work. You can also use the finished video in your own communication, subject to the applicable licensing terms. If you prefer production without SciTube publication, that is possible too, although the package price remains unchanged.
Explore our animation library, editorial standards and citation guidance.
Scientific animation pricing FAQs
How much does one minute of scientific animation cost?
There is no universal per-minute rate. A studio may quote a per-minute price, a fixed-length package or a custom project fee. At SciTube, Classic is £2,300 for up to three minutes in total, while fully bespoke 3D starts at approximately £8,000 per minute.
Is 3D animation always better than 2D?
No. Good 2D animation can explain research findings, processes and abstract concepts extremely well. Choose 3D when the viewer genuinely needs to understand shape, depth or spatial relationships.
Can AI make scientific animation cheaper?
AI tools can help with drafts, visual ideas and some production tasks. For simple internal explainers, DIY may be a sensible option. But someone still needs to check scientific accuracy, consistency, image rights and whether the final explanation works for its intended audience.
Do I need to write the script myself?
Not with SciTube. Research interpretation, scriptwriting, visual planning and researcher review are part of our standard production process. When comparing studios, check whether those services are included.
Does the quoted price include VAT?
SciTube's listed prices exclude VAT. UK clients are charged UK VAT at 20%; invoices for clients elsewhere are handled according to the applicable tax treatment. We can invoice in other currencies.
Does SciTube charge extra to publish and disseminate the video?
No. Standard publication and active dissemination are included in the package price. Optional additional promotion or other upgrades are priced separately.