AI explainer video
An explainer video answers one single question in 60 to 120 seconds: what does your product do, and why should anyone care. We produce explainer and animation videos with generative AI, from the script and the image language through to the voice-over.
What an explainer video is
An explainer video tells its story in steps rather than in one arc. It shows the problem first, then the route, then the result, and it ends with exactly one next step. Unlike a commercial it is not trying to win attention but to remove a doubt that stands in the way of a purchase. That is why the quality is decided in the script and not in the animation. With us every scene is produced on its own with generative AI; people choose and finish it.
Explainer video, animation video or explainer?
The terms are used interchangeably but do not mean the same thing. The difference is whether a word describes the purpose or the technique.
| Term | What it describes | What it commits to |
|---|---|---|
| Explainer video | the purpose: making something understood | nothing, the technique is open |
| Animation video | the technique: everything is built, nothing filmed | drawn or generated images |
| Explainer | the same thing, the shorter word | nothing, often used in software |
| Whiteboard video | a style: a hand draws along | the symbolic level, no real products |
And for the line outwards: a brand film introduces the company, a commercial sells an offer, an explainer video removes a doubt. If the film is aimed inwards at your own staff, it is a training video.
AI explainer video and animation studio compared
For explainer videos there is a price index in the German-speaking market that collects the prices providers publish themselves. That makes this market easier to quantify than other video formats.
| Route | Typical price for 60 seconds | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| Animation studio | entry packages at a median of 2,313 € net, range 850 to 3,500 €; premium tiers start around 5,900 € | a drawn brand world with recurring characters is the goal |
| Do-it-yourself tool | subscriptions from about 15 to 58 US dollars a month, plus your own time for script, scenes and edit | the topic is standard and somebody in-house has the time |
| AI production with us | from 1,000 € net, fixed price in the offer | you need scenes that do not exist as footage |
The market figures come from the Explainer Video Price Index 2026 by Explikate, which collects the self-published prices of ten providers in Germany and Austria, as of 29.09.2026, retrieved 24.10.2026. The tool subscription prices are listed there too.
Formats and lengths
An explainer video rarely runs in one place only. We fix versions and lengths before production, so one production turns into several uses.
| Where it runs | Format | Usual length |
|---|---|---|
| Home page and landing page | 16:9 | 60 to 90 seconds |
| Ad and social feed | 9:16 or 1:1 | 15 to 30 seconds as a short cut |
| Sales conversation and trade fair | 16:9 | 90 to 120 seconds |
| Onboarding and training | 16:9 | up to 3 minutes |
What an explainer video suits
A commercial wins attention, an explainer video removes doubt. It pays off wherever people have to understand something before they buy:
- Software and digital services: what happens after sign-up, and what do I get out of it.
- Products that need explaining: technology, medical devices, components, financial products.
- Processes and procedures: applications, returns, assembly, safety instruction.
- Onboarding and training: the same good briefing every time, without someone giving it in person.
- Sales: the video a field rep sends ahead, so the meeting does not start from zero.
Three routes to an explainer video
| Classic 2D animation | Whiteboard and icons | AI production | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image language | drawn characters, one consistent style | very plain, symbolic | photoreal or illustrative, your choice |
| Changes | costly, every scene is animated again | easy | easy, scenes are regenerated |
| Showing real products | only as a drawing | no | yes, from your product photos |
| Typical strength | a brand world with recurring characters | processes in steps | scenes that do not exist as footage |
We work with the third route and mix in graphics and typography where it helps. If your explainer video should deliberately look drawn, we say so in the first call and point you elsewhere where that is right. An honest no costs less than a film that does not fit the brand.
What makes a good explainer video
The quality is decided in the script, not in the animation. We work to a simple structure:
- The problem in the first five seconds. Anyone who does not recognise the problem does not stay.
- One solution, not five. Every extra topic costs comprehension.
- Concrete instead of abstract. Not "efficient processes" but "three clicks instead of two phone calls".
- One clear next step at the end, not three options.
- Understandable without sound. A large share of plays run muted, so subtitles and on-screen statements are part of it.
You get the script for approval before production. Only then do images get made.
Voice-over and languages
You can book a human voice or use a synthetic one. Synthetic voices cost less and make later text corrections easy, because no new recording is needed. For multilingual versions that is the usual route: the same images, a new audio track, new subtitles. For voices that imitate a real person the labelling duty applies, and we need that person's consent.
Where AI reaches its limits
Two cases argue against AI production. The first is a continuous character who has to look exactly the same in every scene. Character consistency is the hardest part, and drawn animation solves it more reliably. The second is the screen recording: if your explainer video has to show exactly where someone clicks in your software, a real capture is the right thing, surrounded by generated scenes.
Which route fits your case we say in the first call, even when it argues against our own offer.
How a project runs
- First call: 30 minutes, the one question the video has to answer.
- Script: we write, you approve. Only then do images get made.
- Styleframes: stills set the image language and the mood.
- Production: scenes, voice-over, music, subtitles.
- Delivery: final version in all agreed formats, with a text-free version for translation on request.
That is the short version. All nine steps with the approvals are on Process.
Common questions
What does an explainer video cost?
At Syntax Motion projects start at 1,000 € net. In the German-speaking market the median entry price for an animated explainer video is 2,313 € net per 60 seconds, within a range of 850 to 3,500 €. The fixed price for your video is named in the offer, after a 30-minute first call.
What is the difference between an explainer video and a brand film?
An explainer video answers a factual question and removes a doubt, usually in 60 to 120 seconds. A brand film introduces the company and builds trust, usually in 60 seconds to three minutes. If you want to be understood you need the first; if you want to be remembered, the second.
How long should an explainer video be?
60 to 90 seconds for a home page or an ad, up to three minutes for training and onboarding, where viewers already bring interest with them. It only runs longer when the content genuinely demands it.
Do you deliver several languages?
Yes. The same images get a new audio track and new subtitles. That costs far less than a second production, because only text, voice and edit details are made again.
Do you write the script, or do we supply it?
Either works. Usually you supply bullet points and we write the script from them, which you approve before production. If you have a finished script we check it for length, clarity and whether it can be pictured.
Does an AI explainer video have to be labelled?
Only if it convincingly recreates real people, places or events. An illustrative explainer video usually does not fall under that. We supply the note anyway, so you can use it. Details in the guide to AI labelling.
If the film is not for customers but for your own staff, the right format is under AI training video.
Read on: Brand film with AI • Product video • Avatar video • Pricing