20 Animated Video Production Companies Compared (2026)

The animated video production company to hire depends on the job. For an explainer with a published price band, start with Epipheo, Demo Duck or Yans Media; for the deepest review records, Wow-How Studio and Studio Pigeon; and for brand work where craft is the whole point, BUCK, Giant Ant, Oddfellows or BluBlu Studios. I co-founded Moonb, a creative studio that makes animation alongside design and video, and it sits at number one with that disclosure attached.

I checked every studio below against its own website and its Clutch profile on 5 October 2026. For each one I noted what it says it is, where it works from, which clients it names on its own site, whether it publishes a price, and how deep its review base runs. When a studio does not publish something, the entry says so instead of guessing. Three names from the previous version of this list are gone, and I explain why near the end.

If you only want the numbers:

• Five of the 19 publish a price. Epipheo (Starter Explainer from $5K), Demo Duck (2D typically $20,000 to $25,000), Yans Media ($5,000 to $8,500 for 60 to 90 seconds), MotionCue (monthly plans from $5,000) and Squideo (from £750 plus VAT). Kasra Design shows budget bands on its quote form.
• Review depth varies wildly. Wow-How Studio has 166 Clutch reviews and Studio Pigeon 62, while BUCK, Giant Ant, Oddfellows and Frantic have no Clutch profile at all.
• Several studios changed shape this year. Psyop now runs as a group of about 15 studios that includes Golden Wolf, BUCK and Giant Ant share the Residence umbrella, and Frantic now sells CGI only.
• Ongoing models are rare. MotionCue and Moonb are the only ones built around a monthly relationship; the rest sell per project.

How I compared the 20 studios

I weighed four things without a numeric score. The first is the work itself, because a reel does not lie about craft, though it can hide who made it. The second is which styles a studio really specializes in versus the ones it lists to look full-service, and the third is the kind of client it usually serves, since a studio built for Fortune 500 launches will quote you accordingly. The last is how open it is about money, because a partner who dodges the price early tends to dodge harder conversations later. For product renders and 3D explainers from one team, see our 3D animation services page.

If you are still choosing the look itself, my guide to animation styles is a better first stop than this list, and the breakdown of what animation costs will help you read the quotes that come back. If the animation is for a product launch or a demo, our product video production page shows how we make those.

The 20 studios

1. Moonb

I co-founded Moonb, so this first slot is mine and you should weigh it that way. We are an embedded creative team: a dedicated Creative Director plus animators, motion designers, designers and editors who stay on your brand from one project to the next, so the tenth animated video looks like it belongs with the first.

• Based in: remote, embedded with your team
• Best for: brands that need animation every month alongside design and video
• Pricing: one set monthly rate, or a per-project quote
• Clients they name: Dell, Toyota, Nestle
• Clutch: 4.9 from 14 reviews

Here is one of ours: a short film we made for United Way that follows one character’s journey to explain what the organization does, built with several animation techniques in a single piece.

Josh Kirshman, United Way’s Director of Marketing, summed up the project for us in one line: “This was the best experience we have had with a large project like this.”

2. Epipheo

Epipheo calls itself “the studio that pioneered explainer video,” with “15+ years. 6,000+ videos. 3,000+ brands” behind it. It is based in Cincinnati and has been fully employee-owned since 2021.

• Based in: Cincinnati, Ohio
• Best for: an explainer where you want to know the price band before the first call
• Pricing: Starter Explainer $5K to $25K, Signature $25K to $75K, Cinematic from $75K; 2D animation $15K to $45K and 3D $35K to $120K
• Clients they name: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Deloitte, Cisco
• Clutch: 4.9 from 28 reviews

3. Demo Duck

Demo Duck describes itself as “an explainer video production company that leverages collaboration to get the job done.” It works out of Chicago and mixes 2D character animation, motion graphics and live action.

• Based in: Chicago, Illinois
• Best for: one well-crafted explainer when the style is still open
• Pricing: a custom 2D animated video “typically runs between $20,000-25,000”; scripted live action $40,000 to $60,000 and up
• Clients they name: Google, Dropbox, GEICO, Netflix, Northwestern Mutual
• Clutch: 5.0 from 10 reviews

4. Yans Media

Yans Media sells itself as an “animated explainer video company with proven results.” It has a US address in Newark, Delaware, while Clutch lists its headquarters in Yerevan, Armenia.

• Based in: Newark, Delaware and Yerevan, Armenia
• Best for: SaaS and product explainers on a defined budget
• Pricing: $5,000 to $8,500 for a 60 to 90 second animation; an AI-assisted tier at $3,500 to $5,500 and enterprise work at $8,500 to $20,000
• Clients they name: Cisco, DoorDash, VISA, Databricks, Intel
• Clutch: 5.0 from 11 reviews

5. Wow-How Studio

Wow-How Studio introduces itself as a team “who are masters of art and animation,” and it covers almost every 2D and 3D style plus whiteboard and kinetic typography. Its site lists San Francisco and London; Clutch also lists Kyiv.

• Based in: San Francisco and London, with production in Kyiv per Clutch
• Best for: buyers who want the deepest track record of client reviews
• Pricing: not on its site; Clutch lists a $5,000 minimum and $25 to $49 an hour
• Clients they name: Google, Sony, KPMG, Grammarly, Mercedes-Benz
• Clutch: 4.9 from 166 reviews

6. Studio Pigeon

Pigeon Studio, as it now signs itself, has “over a decade of experience handcrafting animations” for brands, agencies, governments and NGOs. It works from Warsaw and Kraków and covers 2D, 3D, cel animation, character design and animated training videos.

• Based in: Warsaw and Kraków, Poland
• Best for: handcrafted character animation with a strong review record
• Pricing: not on its site; Clutch lists a $10,000 minimum
• Clients they name: Unilever, Electrolux, Vinted, Honda, InnoGames
• Clutch: 4.9 from 62 reviews

7. Kasra Design

Kasra Design leads with “Custom explainer video & 3D animation production” and says it has made more than 2,000 videos since 2011. It runs offices in Singapore, Malaysia and Anaheim, California.

• Based in: Singapore, Petaling Jaya and Anaheim
• Best for: explainers that need 2D and 3D in the same piece
• Pricing: quote-based; its form offers budget bands from USD 3,000 to 5,000 up to USD 50,000 and above
• Clients they name: Panasonic, Shell, Intel, Visa, Petronas
• Clutch: 4.8 from 21 reviews

8. Synima

Synima calls itself “the global creative video agency for the world’s most ambitious brands.” It works from London, New York, Los Angeles and Amsterdam and covers 2D, 3D, character and stop-motion animation alongside live action and training video.

• Based in: London, New York, Los Angeles and Amsterdam
• Best for: global brands that want animation, live action and training video from one partner
• Pricing: not on its site; Clutch lists a $5,000 minimum
• Clients they name: BMW, Microsoft, Deloitte, GSK, J.P. Morgan Chase
• Clutch: 4.9 from 38 reviews

9. MotionCue

MotionCue promises to take marketers “from animated explainers to live action shoots” while making the process “stress-free and enjoyable.” It has teams in New York, Los Angeles and Islamabad.

• Based in: New York, Los Angeles and Islamabad
• Best for: teams that want a steady flow of product video on a monthly plan
• Pricing: MotionCue Plus at $6,000 a month, $5,500 on a quarterly plan or $5,000 on an annual one, with no long-term contract
• Clients they name: Microsoft, Aircall, Loom, Johnson & Johnson, Slack
• Clutch: 4.9 from 25 reviews

10. Explainify

Explainify says it opened “to make complicated messages simple through short videos,” and it has been making animated explainers since 2012. Clutch places it in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

• Based in: Fayetteville, Arkansas, per Clutch
• Best for: B2B explainers for complex or technical products
• Pricing: not on its site; the pricing page only offers a call
• Clients they name: American Red Cross, Hotjar, Alteryx, CommonSpirit, Silicon Mobility
• Clutch: 4.9 from 18 reviews

11. Squideo

Squideo creates “professional, goal-orientated and powerful animated explainer videos,” and it also makes e-learning courses and compliance training. It is based in Cottingham, East Yorkshire.

• Based in: Cottingham, England
• Best for: simple 2D explainers and training animation on a small budget
• Pricing: professional explainer videos from £750 plus VAT, with optional hosting plans from £99 a month
• Clients they name: NHS, Unilever, Amazon, Aldi, Network Rail
• Clutch: profile with no reviews yet

12. Cub Studio

Cub Studio makes “animation with character that gives ambitious brands something people actually care about.” It describes itself as a Brighton studio with a global client list and also builds Lottie and Rive assets for product teams.

• Based in: Brighton, England
• Best for: character-led animation and sports or product graphics
• Pricing: not publicly stated
• Clients they name: Formula 1, MasterClass, HomeServe, World Rugby, Therabody
• Clutch: profile with no reviews yet

13. BluBlu Studios

BluBlu says it crafts “bold visuals and heartfelt stories that make brands impossible to ignore,” and its about page calls it an Academy Award-nominated, Sundance-winning creative house. Clutch lists Chicago as headquarters with teams in Warsaw, London and Japan.

• Based in: Chicago, Warsaw, London and Japan, per Clutch
• Best for: 2D brand films with festival-level craft
• Pricing: not on its site; Clutch lists a $10,000 minimum
• Clients they name: Netflix, American Express, Samsung, Major League Baseball, World Wildlife Fund
• Clutch: 5.0 from 38 reviews

14. Giant Ant

Giant Ant keeps its description short: “a creative studio. Art, design, animation & ideas.” It works out of Vancouver and has been part of Residence, the network BUCK founded, since 2022, while keeping its own name.

• Based in: Vancouver, Canada
• Best for: design-led animation for tech brands
• Pricing: not publicly stated
• Clients they name: Optimizely, OpenTable, Duolingo, Microsoft, Rover
• Clutch: no profile found

15. BUCK

BUCK describes itself as “a global creative company that brings brands, stories, and experiences to life through art, design, and technology.” It is a Certified B Corp with offices in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Sydney, Amsterdam and London, and it founded the Residence network that Giant Ant also belongs to.

• Based in: Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Sydney, Amsterdam and London
• Best for: flagship brand work across 2D, 3D, character and live action
• Pricing: not publicly stated
• Clients they name: Google Pixel, Microsoft, IBM, TurboTax, Kia
• Clutch: no profile found

16. Oddfellows

Oddfellows calls itself “builders of moving experiences” and works across creative direction, design, motion, illustration and brand systems from Portland, Oregon.

• Based in: Portland, Oregon
• Best for: design-driven motion for tech and consumer brands
• Pricing: not publicly stated
• Clients they name: Figma, Google, Netflix, Spotify, Nike
• Clutch: no profile found

17. Golden Wolf

Golden Wolf calls itself a “multi-award-winning creative agency & animation studio, born in London and raised in New York.” Doodles announced a deal to acquire it in January 2023, and its site now names the Psyop Media Group network as a close partner.

• Based in: London and New York
• Best for: high-energy 2D and 3D for consumer and gaming brands
• Pricing: not publicly stated
• Clients they name: Instacart, McDonald’s, Chevrolet, Adidas, Epic Games
• Clutch: profile with no reviews yet

18. Psyop

Psyop now presents itself as “an independent, artist-led studio collective built on craft and innovation,” a group of about 15 studios that includes Golden Wolf. The core Psyop studio works from Los Angeles, New York, Stuttgart and Mexico City.

• Based in: Los Angeles, New York, Stuttgart and Mexico City, plus group studios worldwide
• Best for: broadcast-scale CG and mixed-media campaigns
• Pricing: not publicly stated
• Clients they name: Google Maps, Jordan, Converse, Riot Games, Coca-Cola
• Clutch: no confirmed profile

19. Sarofsky

Sarofsky is “the creative studio that applies blockbuster thinking to brands that want to earn their place in culture and stay there,” best known for main-title sequences. It is based in Chicago.

• Based in: Chicago, Illinois
• Best for: title sequences and VFX-heavy brand pieces
• Pricing: not publicly stated
• Clients they name: Marvel Studios, Apple, Netflix, HBO Max, A24
• Clutch: 5.0 from 7 reviews

20. Frantic

Frantic has narrowed its pitch to CGI: “the CGI studio built for products, campaigns and ideas where detail, precision and momentum matter.” It works from London and Thame, Oxfordshire.

• Based in: London and Thame, England
• Best for: photoreal 3D product films for premium brands
• Pricing: not publicly stated
• Clients they name: Sony, BBC, Coca-Cola, McLaren, TAG Heuer
• Clutch: no profile found

Studios I removed this time

Three names from the earlier version of this list are out. Kimp sells a monthly design service that includes some motion work, which makes it a different kind of purchase from an animation studio. I could not read Wyzowl’s own site this month, because it blocks automated checks, so none of its claims could be verified for this update. And Grumo Media’s site shows no visible new work since 2019, its pricing page now returns an error and it lists no address or phone number, so I could not confirm it is still taking projects.

How I would pick from this list

If you have one explainer to make and a fixed budget, start with the studios that publish a price: Epipheo, Demo Duck and Yans Media let you rule yourself in or out before the first call. If you want reassurance from other buyers, Wow-How Studio and Studio Pigeon have the deepest review records. For a brand film where the craft carries the message, BUCK, Giant Ant, Oddfellows and BluBlu are the names I would brief, and for a photoreal product reveal, Frantic.

The pattern I would flag is repetition. If you need animation every month, plus the design and social cuts that go around it, hiring a project studio each time gets slow, because every brief starts from zero. That repeat need is the reason embedded teams like mine exist, and MotionCue’s monthly plan answers the same need from the studio side. For the services-and-pricing view of the same market, my companion roundup of video animation services goes deeper on packages.

If you want a feel for what separates a craft studio from a template shop, Insider’s look at how Pixar animates human characters is worth the time. Most of the work it shows sits in decisions an audience never consciously notices, and that is exactly what you pay a good studio for.

All 20 studios in one table