Outsourcing video editing helps you scale up your content quantity and quality. It frees up your time and brainspace and instantly gives you access to the finely-honed skills of professional editors.
But how much does it cost?
Here’s a break-down of how much video editors usually charge, and what decides how much exactly you will end up paying.
Key Takeaways
- How much video editors charge depends on where you hire them and how work-intensive your edits are.
- Freelance video editors can be the cheapest option but working with video editing companies gives you better security and quality guarantees.
- Complex editing requirements, long raw footage and shorter turnaround times will drive up prices.
- Video editing subscriptions trap you with fine print and limit your overall video output.
Keep reading for the full scoop!
What Factors Influence Video Editing Pricing?
First off, here are the big factors that determine how much video editing will cost:
- Choosing freelance video editors vs. video editing services
- Edit complexity and run length
- Raw footage length and quality
- Turnaround time
Let’s dig in.
Opting for a Freelance Editor vs. a Video Editing Service
Pricing for freelance video editors varies wildly, as we’ll explain in the next section.
Video editing services are usually more expensive than the cheapest freelancers, but come with several advantages including quality guarantees and redundancies.
Another major difference is the pricing model: Freelancers often charge an hourly rate while companies offer either project-based or subscription pricing.
The Complexity and Length of Your Required Edits
Are you looking for straightforward cuts and color grading? Or advanced VFX? The more complex your required edits, the more expensive it will be.
Freelancers working on a per-hour basis will need more time to implement everything. And many video editing services make you opt for higher-priced packages for complicated edits.
Similarly, there’s the length of your final video that you want to aim for. Is it a 90-second Instagram Reel? Or a 20-minute YouTube video essay?
In general, you can calculate that a single minute of your finished video will take an editor between 30 and 60 minutes to finalize.
The Length and Quality of Your Raw Footage
Going through your raw footage is among the most time-consuming parts of a video editor’s job. The longer your raw footage is, the more time this curation step will swallow up. (Especially if your video files aren’t clearly labelled and sorted into folders.)
Similarly, the quality of your raw footage matters. If there’s background noise to filter out, shaky takes to stabilize, or color grading that needs major work, editors will take more time and resources.
Freelancers, again, will charge more work hours on your project. Video editing companies often require clients to pay add-ons for raw footage surpassing certain time or file size thresholds.
Your Required Turnaround Time
A final factor that influences how much you’ll end up paying for your video edits are turnaround times. Put simply: The faster you want results, the more you have to pay.
Here, video editing companies typically have the edge over freelancers. Many services offer 24–48h turnaround times. That is, the time between you submitting your project and them sending you a first draft. How long it takes to finalize a project depends on how many revisions you need to request.
Freelancers do sometimes promise first drafts within one or two working days, but since they’re flying solo, their availability is usually limited.
Now that all that is out of the way, let’s take a look at how much video editors usually charge – both as freelancers and as part of video editing companies.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Freelance Video Editor?
As mentioned above, the pricing range for freelance video editors is huge. There are two main reasons for this.
First, skill. The more highly skilled a video editor is, the more they can charge for their services. Reliable, professional editors are in high demand and often charge upwards of $80 per hour. They are often also booked out or paid retainers by existing clients, so finding one open to taking on new work requires a fair bit of luck.
In contrast, rookie editors often offer their services at much lower rates, especially if they’re still building their portfolios. Here, you’re looking at $30-$50 per hour.
The second factor that determines how much a freelance video editor charges is their geographic location. Many freelance editors are from countries like India or Pakistan where living expenses are much lower than in the US. They can offer their – often top-notch – services at lower rates and still afford a solid quality of life. (Think in the range of $10 per hour.)
However, with freelancers from abroad, there is always the risk of a cultural disconnect. It can be tricky to edit content for a target audience whose cultural reference system is entirely different from your own and many edits from overseas fall flat for exactly that reason.
The bottom line? You can expect to pay from around $50 per hour for a solid freelancer – and not worry too much about skill or cultural barriers.
How Much Does a Video Editing Company Cost?
In contrast to freelancers, video editing companies usually offer per-project or subscription-based pricing. Either way, they typically charge a little more than what you’d pay a freelancer. In return, video editing agencies provide greater security and quality guarantees.
In other words, you pay a little more for peace of mind.
Their teams consist of pre-vetted editors with proven skills. There are redundancies in case your editor gets sick or is out of office. Plus, you can rely on multiple levels of accountability to guarantee turnaround times, video quality, and responsiveness. (No danger of being ghosted!)
The one thing to be careful about with video editing companies is the pricing model.
Video editing subscriptions can be tempting – especially since they’re advertised as “unlimited” and start at around $1,200 per month. (And going all the way up to over $10,000!) However, they are often scams, trapping you with the fine print. (Spoiler alert: You can submit as many orders as you like, but they’ll only get edited one after the other. Combined with average turnaround times and revision requests, this puts a realistic cap of around four videos per month on your productivity.)
The more flexible and budget-friendly alternative is project-based pricing. Here, you can expect solid edits to start at around $300 for long-form videos and $100 for short-form or vertical content.
The upside? You pay for the edits that actually get done. No more, no less. No matter if it’s two videos one month and six the next. Plus, some video editing services working on a per-project basis – such as Tasty Edits – also work on multiple projects in parallel at no extra charge.
The Bottom Line
How much, then, does video editing really cost? It’s a specialized craft, not a generic commodity.
The main factors are:
- whether your hire freelancers or a video editing service
- your quality requirements
- desired turnaround
- your footage length and quality
- pricing model and volume
- how much you value peace of mind
Ready to get started? Tasty Edits offers all-round video editing services and YouTube channel management for professional creators. Check out our portfolio – or start your first edit today!
FAQs
How much do video editors usually charge?
How much video editors charge depends on the length of your raw footage and the complexity of your edits. Among freelancers, pricing ranges from $10 to over $150 per hour. Video editing companies offer subscriptions (around $1,200-10,000+ per month) or project-based pricing (starting at $300 for long-form and $100 for short-form videos).
How much does it cost to hire a video editor?
How much it costs to hire a video editor depends on the length and complexity of your edits, the skill level and location of your editor, and whether you opt for a freelancer or a video editing company. For freelancers, you can expect to pay around $50-$80 per hour. Video editing companies offer subscriptions (around $1,200-10,000+ per month) or project-based pricing (starting at $300 for long- and $100 for short-form videos).
How expensive is video editing?
How expensive video editing depends on how long and complex your edits are and whether you work with a freelancer or a video editing service. For freelancers, you can expect to pay around $50-$80 per hour. Video editing companies offer subscriptions (around $1,200-10,000+ per month) or project-based pricing (starting at $300 for long- and $100 for short-form videos).
