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How much a freelance video editor costs, and how to compare two quotes
Per clip, per day or on a monthly retainer: what makes a freelance video editor's price vary, and the questions that let you compare two quotes fairly.
Published on · Joh · 7 min read
The question comes up in almost every first call, and it is a fair one. The short answer: a single figure means nothing. Two quotes both advertised "for one video" can describe work that has nothing in common.
Here is what makes the price vary, and how to compare without getting caught out.
On this site I do not publish rates. I would rather give you what you need to read a quote, whoever sends it to you.
The three ways of billing
Per clip. One price per finished video. It is readable, and suits a one-off need. The trap: the price assumes a length, a number of shots and a number of revisions that are not always written down.
Per day. The editor bills the time spent. Handy for a long, loosely defined project, less so for comparing, since you are buying time and not a result.
Monthly retainer. A volume of videos per month for a fixed price. It is the arrangement for clients who run ads continuously: the price per video falls with volume, and the editor knows your brand.
None of them is dishonest. What matters is knowing what you are buying: a delivery, some time, or a capacity.
What really makes the price vary
Length and density. A very fast-paced 30-second video, with animated subtitles and a cut every two seconds, often takes more work than a ten-minute interview.
The raw material. Well-shot footage edits quickly. A phone shoot with poor sound and no cutaways gets rescued in the edit, and that gets paid for.
Subtitles. They have become standard on short formats. Whether they are placed automatically, proofread, or animated word by word, the working time is not the same.
Formats. The same video delivered in 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1 means reframing and recomposing, not a simple export.
Revisions included. The most often vague line. A quote that does not say how many rounds of corrections are included holds a bad surprise for you.
Grading and sound. Colour correction, voice clean-up and mixing against music are steps in their own right.
Rights. Music, stock footage, fonts: who pays the licence, and for what use. An advertising video does not have the same needs as organic content.
The ad editor, a trade of its own
Editing a company video and editing an advert are neighbouring trades. An advert is judged on its first three seconds and on what it sets off, not on how good it looks.
An editor used to advertising knows how to build several hooks for one video, keep it readable without sound, and deliver variants to test. It is why an advertising editor can cost more than a generalist, and bring in more at equal budget.
How to compare two quotes
Ask both the same questions.
- How many videos, of what length, in which formats
- How many rounds of corrections are included
- Are subtitles included, and of what kind
- Who supplies the music, and under what licence
- What is the delivery time, and what happens if it slips
- Are the source files handed over to you
A quote that does not answer half of these points is mostly less precise, not necessarily cheaper. And what is not written down gets paid for afterwards.
The lowest price
It is rarely the cheapest. A mediocre video that gets no reaction costs its editing price, plus the ad budget spent distributing it, plus the time lost ordering another.
Conversely, a high price guarantees nothing. Look at work close to your need, and ask what it produced, not only how it was made.
Further reading: AI video or a real shoot: how to choose and What a Meta video ad costs.
Want a quote you can read? . We frame the need, and you leave with something to compare against.