SCENARIO · SMALL BUSINESS
The small-business AI video budget
| Monthly content package | Generation budget | Replaces |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: 8 social clips | $15–25 | ~$300 freelancer package |
| Growth: 16 clips + 2 product videos + 1 ad | $45–70 | $800–1,500 agency retainer |
| Aggressive: daily posting + monthly campaign | $120–180 | $2,500+ production budget |
Rates shown at each model's base tier, verified July 2026 from official vendor pricing pages and documentation. Vendors change prices without notice — see methodology.
Where small businesses get the most per euro
Three jobs deliver outsized returns: product clips anchored to your real photos (see product demos), local-flavor social content that would otherwise never justify a videographer, and one properly produced ad per campaign (the $14 commercial). The Growth package above covers all three inside most businesses' coffee budget.
The honest overhead
Generation is cheap; time isn't free. Budget 3–6 hours monthly for prompting, selection and light editing, or the tooling cost of delegating it. Start on free allowances — Google's $300 credit alone covers a quarter of experimentation — and only add paid tiers once a content rhythm exists. A subscription without a posting habit is the most common small-business waste in this market.
Run your own numbers. The cost calculator applies your clip length, resolution and a realistic retake buffer across every model at once.