Short answer
Quote per video to win a new client, per batch to prove results, and move to a retainer once a client orders every month. Quote per finished minute only when the client already thinks in minutes, for example long explainers. Whatever the unit, price the work (strategy, scripts, revisions, delivery) and treat the platform cost as a small input. Rates below come from published 2026 agency guides; your own numbers should replace them after a month of tracking hours.
The three units
Per finished minute. Easy to explain and to compare, but a 30-second ad takes nearly as much brief, script and review time as a 90-second one. Quoted per minute, short ads end up underpriced. Use it for longer videos, or as a sanity check on a per-video price, not as the headline.
Per video. The unit most clients understand. Motionbox’s August 2026 guide puts a finished AI UGC ad at $150‚Äì$350 from solo editors and $400‚Äì$900 from agencies. The risk is scope: define the number of revision rounds, the aspect ratios and what counts as a “variation” before you send it.
Retainer. A fixed monthly fee for a set number of videos, with a revision turnaround. Motionbox lists AI UGC retainers at $2,500 to $8,000 a month, including 12 ads a month with 48-hour revisions at $3,600. Levitate Media, a traditional video production vendor, says retainer pricing “usually wins” when a client produces two or more videos a month, and claims 15‚Äì25% per-video savings at four or more (the vendor sells retainers, so treat the figure as a claim, not data). Levitate also says limited rollover of one to two months is reasonable and that pure use-it-or-lose-it terms are a red flag.
Convert your platform cost into each unit
On Fabeo’s pricing page (opened 2026-10-31), paid plans are monthly: Professional $12 for 4 rendered minutes, Enterprise $24 for 8, Agency $39 for 15 (about $2.60 a minute), each with videos up to 2 minutes and no watermark. The headline rate is $3 per rendered minute.
Two points about rendered minutes:
- They are the minutes you render, not the minutes you deliver. Retakes count, so budget more rendered minutes than delivered ones. A 2x buffer is a starting assumption (our estimate, not a measured figure); replace it with your own number.
- Unused minutes carry over to the next month, and you can top up at any time at $3 a rendered minute, in $5, $10 or $100 packs (confirmed by Fabeo). A busy month doesn’t stop delivery, and a quiet one isn’t wasted.
Per delivered minute at a 2x buffer on the Agency plan: 2 √ó $2.60 = about $5.20. Per 30-second ad: about $2.60. Those are the numbers to hold against your quote: the platform is a rounding error next to your time.
Three worked quotes
These are illustrations that use the sourced ranges above, not recommendations. Hours are Motionbox’s estimates for AI UGC ads: about 2‚Äì3 hours for the first ad in a batch and 40‚Äì60 minutes for each next one; Motionbox assumes a $100 hourly floor and suggests pricing variations at 40‚Äì60% of the first ad.
1. One ad, per video. 30 seconds, 9:16, captions, two revision rounds. Price within the agency range of $400–$900 per ad. Platform cost: about $2.60 of rendered minutes at a 2x buffer. Time: 2–3 hours. At $500 you earn roughly $170–$250 an hour before overheads.
2. A batch, per video. One concept, five hook variants. Motionbox’s example rate is $1,250. Time: about 2‚Äì3 hours for the first ad plus four more at 40‚Äì60 minutes, so roughly 5‚Äì6 hours. Platform: about $13 of rendered minutes (five 30-second ads, 2x buffer, Agency rate).
3. A retainer. Twelve ads a month with 48-hour revisions: Motionbox’s example is $3,600. Twelve 30-second ads is 6 delivered minutes, about 12 rendered minutes with a 2x buffer. That fits in the Agency plan’s 15 minutes, so the platform cost is $39 against a $3,600 fee, about 1%. The 3 minutes left over carry over to next month.
Cross-check per minute. Quote 3 delivers 6 minutes for $3,600, which is $600 a delivered minute. Quote 1 is $1,000 a delivered minute. If a client asks “what is that per minute?”, you can answer, and you show that short ads cost more per minute than long ones because the fixed work does not shrink.
What to put in writing, whichever unit you pick
Motionbox’s guide gives advice that applies to every model:
- Include two revision rounds and charge for extra ones ($75–$150 each in their rate card).
- Define a round as one consolidated list of notes, not notes spread over several days.
- Quote add-ons (extra hook, extra aspect ratio, rush delivery at +25–50%) as named line items instead of one bundled price.
- Put platform compliance and any required AI disclosure in writing.
- Review your rates every quarter against your actual hours.
For the review step, a shared review link keeps all feedback in one place: Fabeo’s Agency plan includes client review links and a feedback-and-rework flow. Review links are Fabeo-branded, so tell clients up front. See also client approval workflows.
FAQ
Should I quote per minute for AI video?
Rarely as the headline. Short ads cost almost as much to brief, script and review as long ones, so a per-minute price underpays them. Use it as a cross-check.
When should I move a client to a retainer?
When they order every month. Levitate Media says two or more videos a month is where retainers usually win. Start per video, then offer a retainer once results are proven.
Do I have to tell clients my platform cost?
No. Clients pay for results and your judgement. Show a line item for what they get, not what the tool costs.
What does the platform cost for a retainer?
On Fabeo’s Agency plan, $39 a month for 15 rendered minutes. Unused minutes carry over, and extra minutes are $3 each. Work out your own retake buffer first.
Next step
Use the AI video cost calculator to find the plan that fits your monthly minutes, then compare it with the cost per minute across tools.