Most Canadian businesses pay between $1,500 and $15,000 for a single professional video project in 2026, and between $2,500 and $10,000 a month for ongoing video content. Where you land depends on crew size, the number of shoot days, how many edited versions you need, and whether anyone publishes and promotes the result. This guide breaks those numbers down so you can compare quotes on what they deliver rather than on the total at the bottom.

Typical video production prices in 2026

  • Freelance videographer: roughly $75 to $150 an hour, or $500 to $1,500 for a half day of shooting with basic editing.
  • Single short-form social clip: $150 to $750 per finished vertical video when bought one at a time. Batched from a planned shoot day, the cost per clip drops sharply.
  • Shoot day with a batch of edited social clips: $1,500 to $6,000, depending on crew, gear and how many clips are edited.
  • Brand film or promo video (60 to 120 seconds): $4,000 to $15,000 for a single day with a small professional crew, plus cutdowns.
  • Multi-day commercial or corporate production with talent, several locations and motion graphics: $15,000 to $60,000 and up.
  • Monthly video content retainer with a recurring shoot day, editing and delivery: $2,500 to $10,000 a month.

These are the bands we see in real quotes across Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, and they match the figures in our guides to corporate video production and brand videography. A quote far outside them is not automatically wrong, but it deserves a closer look at what is and is not included.

What actually drives the price

Every video quote is built from the same few ingredients. Change any one of them and the number moves.

  • Crew size. One shooter who also edits is the cheapest setup. Add a producer, a second camera, a sound recordist or a lighting technician and the day rate climbs quickly. Social content rarely needs more than one or two skilled people. A scripted brand film with interviews usually needs three to five.
  • Shoot days. Each extra day adds crew, gear and travel. The most reliable way to lower cost per video is to plan more content into fewer days.
  • Pre-production. Scripts, shot lists, location checks, casting and scheduling. Cheap quotes often skip this step, which is why cheap shoots often produce footage that cannot be used.
  • Editing and post-production. Colour grading, sound mixing, captions, motion graphics and the number of versions. Ten vertical cutdowns take longer to edit than one horizontal film, even from the same footage.
  • Talent and locations. Actors, voiceover, location fees, permits and props. Filming your own staff in your own premises keeps these close to zero.
  • Usage and licensing. Licensed music, stock footage and paid talent rights for advertising. These grow when a video runs as a paid ad for months.

Price by type of video

Brand films and promo videos. A polished one to two minute film for your homepage, a launch or a pitch deck. Expect $4,000 to $15,000 for a well planned single day. The film itself is only part of the value: a good crew will capture enough extra footage for shorter cutdowns at the same time.

Short-form social video. Reels, TikToks and YouTube Shorts. Bought individually, clips are expensive per asset. Planned as a batch, one shoot day can produce thirty or more vertical clips for $1,500 to $6,000. Our guide to batching a 30 day short-form plan shows how that works in practice.

Testimonial and case study videos. Usually $1,500 to $5,000 each when filmed on their own, and far cheaper when two or three customers are filmed on the same day.

Real estate and property videos. Single listings tend to run $400 to $2,000 depending on drone footage, twilight shots and editing. Agents who need consistent personal brand content usually get better value from a monthly arrangement, as in our Keller Williams real estate video work.

Ad creative for Meta, TikTok and YouTube. Ads need volume more than polish, because creative wears out within weeks. Budget for several variations of every concept rather than one perfect ad.

Does Toronto, Montreal or Halifax change the price?

Yes, mostly through day rates and logistics. Toronto sits at the top of the range: crew rates are higher, and travel time across the GTA, parking and permits get billed. Montreal rates are similar or slightly lower, but bilingual production adds work. A real French version means a French script, French on camera talent or voiceover and French captions, not just translated subtitles, so plan for that in the budget. Our bilingual SEO guide covers why a translated version underperforms. Halifax day rates are generally lower, but the pool of experienced crews is smaller, so book early for spring and summer, and expect travel fees if a crew comes from out of province.

One-off project or monthly retainer?

The most useful number is not the day rate. It is the cost per publishable asset. Picture a $5,000 shoot planned around one 90 second film: that is $5,000 per asset. The same day planned for batching might produce the film, thirty vertical clips and ten ad variations. That is about $120 per asset, and enough material to publish consistently for a month.

A one-off project makes sense for a launch, a single hero film or a specific event. A monthly retainer makes sense when you need to show up on social and in ads every week, because the planning, crew and editing are already set up and each month builds on the last. Our in-house vs agency comparison covers when hiring your own videographer is the better deal.

Hidden costs to ask about before you sign

  • Revision rounds. How many are included, and what each extra round costs.
  • Raw footage. Whether you receive the unedited files and who owns them.
  • Music licensing. Whether tracks are licensed for paid ads, not just organic posts.
  • Extra formats. Vertical, square and horizontal versions are often priced separately.
  • Captions and translation. Especially relevant in Montreal and for any video that plays without sound.
  • Travel and rush fees. Out of town shoots and short deadlines add up.
  • Ad spend. A quote for ad creative almost never includes the budget to run the ads.

How to compare video production quotes

  1. Count the finished deliverables: how many edited videos, in which formats and lengths.
  2. Ask what pre-production is included: script, shot list, location scouting, scheduling.
  3. Confirm the crew: who will be on set and for how many hours.
  4. Check revisions, raw footage ownership and licensing in writing.
  5. Ask who publishes the videos, who runs any ads, and how results are reported.
  6. Ask for examples from your industry and, ideally, the results they produced.

That fifth question matters most. A video that sits in a shared folder has cost you money and produced nothing. Production is only worth paying for when someone owns distribution.

What video production costs at Social Signals Marketing

Our engagements start at $2,000 per month, and every quote is broken down line by line: planning, shoot time, editing, publishing and paid media, so you can compare it fairly with any other quote. Most clients choose a monthly content engine rather than a single project: a recurring shoot day planned around batching, edited for every platform, published through managed social channels, and used as creative for paid campaigns. That model produced over 1,000,000 organic views in 30 days for Tacoboyz and more than 100,000 views across the top four videos for Greenstone Landscaping.

To see what video could return for your business before you spend anything, try our ROI calculator, browse our short-form video service, or ask for a custom quote.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 1 minute promo video cost?

In Canada in 2026, a professionally produced one minute promo or brand video usually costs $4,000 to $15,000 with a small crew and a single shoot day. Simpler videos filmed by one videographer can cost $1,500 to $4,000, while productions with actors, several locations and motion graphics can exceed $20,000.

How much do videographers charge per hour in Canada?

Freelance videographers typically charge about $75 to $150 an hour, or $500 to $1,500 for a half day of shooting with basic editing. Rates are usually highest in Toronto and somewhat lower in Halifax. Agencies and production companies charge more because they include planning, crew and post-production.

Is it cheaper to hire a videographer or a video production company?

A freelancer is cheaper for a single simple shoot. A production company or agency is usually cheaper per finished video when you need planning, several formats, consistent monthly output and someone to publish and promote the content, because one planned shoot day can produce dozens of assets.

How much does short-form video production cost?

Bought one at a time, a finished vertical clip for Reels, TikTok or Shorts costs about $150 to $750. A planned shoot day that produces a batch of thirty or more clips usually costs $1,500 to $6,000, which brings the cost per clip down to well under $200.

What is included in a monthly video content retainer?

A typical retainer of $2,500 to $10,000 a month includes planning and scripting, a recurring shoot day, editing into vertical and horizontal formats, captions and delivery. Higher tiers add publishing, community management and paid ad management. Ad spend itself is usually billed separately.