What does a finished AI ad cost? (2026)

Unit cost is comparable only after defining the deliverable. A product image, raw AI scene and scripted, edited video require different work. Calculate cost using the tasks and accepted outputs actually included in the proposal.

Count usable outputs

Track produced, approved and used files separately. Ten raw scenes edited into one video are not ten finished ads. Clarify whether format exports count as versions or concepts.

Total invoices, software, relevant internal hours and finishing work for the bounded task. Divide by accepted deliverables using a fixed definition, and disclose launched volume so unused production remains visible.

Use package arithmetic carefully

EUR 4,900 divided by 18 Pilot videos is approximately EUR 272.22; EUR 8,500 divided by 40 Retainer videos is EUR 212.50; EUR 18,000 divided by 90 Brand System videos is EUR 200. These allocations cover different package contents.

They do not establish which option is cheapest for your brief. Duration, coordination and character/style work differ. Review deliverables before comparing averages.

Compare proposals using the same unit

Twenty raw clips differ from five finished ads exported in four formats. Separate concepts, finished videos and exports before calculating unit prices.

Add missing scripting, selection, editing, audio, captions and localisation work, distinguishing estimates from actual hours.

Clarify rejected-output handling and the boundary between corrections and new requests. Technical completion alone does not establish acceptance.

Report cost per accepted unit with its definition and show unused outputs separately. Use the findings to improve procurement rather than inflate file counts.

Track produced, accepted and launched material separately. A raw scene can be a useful ingredient without being a complete ad, while several exports can be versions of the same concept. The unit definition belongs beside every cost figure so readers can see what was actually purchased.

The published package calculations allocate fees across included videos; they are not offers for individual videos. Different durations, coordination requirements and character or style work affect the comparison. Use those figures after the scope is clear, then include internal work and rejected-output handling. An unused approved delivery is also worth recording because it may reveal a planning problem rather than a production-quality problem.

Compare a retainer, creators and an in-house editor on one unit

When you compare routes, use a stricter unit than accepted deliverables, and use the same one for all three: ads approved and launched in the month. Record produced, approved and launched counts side by side for each route, then divide each route's full cost by its approved and launched ads.

For a retainer, the full cost is the fee plus the cost of your team's briefing and review time, and its launch and testing time if your team runs the ads. AI Vidia's Performance Retainer is EUR 8,500 a month for 40 videos of up to 30 seconds in 9:16. The fee alone works out to EUR 212.50 a video, and only if all 40 are approved and launched. Either your own team or AI Vidia launches them, agreed per client, and the count works the same way in both cases. A sample Performance Retainer month shows what the fee covers and what falls on your team.

For creators, include fees, product seeding, briefing and reshoots. For an in-house editor, include their hours, software and discarded generations. Leave a cost out of one route and that route looks cheaper.