UGC rates, 2026

What a UGC video actually costs.

Published market rates by creator tier, the usage-rights maths that turns a $250 quote into $437.50, and every add-on that gets billed after you say yes. Then our number, which includes the parts most quotes leave out.

In short

A UGC video averages $150 to $212, with a median near $175, and that figure covers production only. Rates are set by deliverable complexity and usage scope, never by follower count. Running the content as a paid ad is licensed separately at roughly 20 to 30 percent of the base rate per month, and whitelisting from the creator's own handle typically adds 30 to 100 percent per month on top. QuickAds charges $129 per UGC video flat, with editing and full IP assignment included and nothing added to what the creator is paid.

Market figures verified September 2026.

Rate card

What the market charges, by tier.

Every figure below is production only. None of these numbers include the right to run the video as a paid ad, which is the line item that changes the total most.

Published 2026 UGC video rates by creator tier, with the QuickAds flat rate for comparison.
TierPer videoWhat it means
Beginner creator$75 to $300Newer creators building a portfolio. Quality varies widely and so does reliability.
Market average$150 to $212The commonly cited range for a completed, edited short-form deliverable. Median sits near $175.
Mid-tier creator$300 to $1,000Consistent output, faster turnaround, usually able to deliver multiple hooks from one shoot.
Top performer$600 to $3,000+Proven ad performance and a track record brands will pay a premium to borrow.
Mid-tier influencer post$2,000 to $5,000A different product entirely: you are buying audience access, not a content asset.
QuickAds UGC$129Flat, per video. Editing and full IP assignment included, nothing added on top of the creator fee.
Usage rights

The base rate is not the price.

A base fee normally buys limited organic use on your own channels. Every other deployment is licensed on top, per month, as a percentage of that base.

Paid social use
20 to 30%

of base rate, per month, to run the content as an ad on Meta, TikTok or YouTube.

Website use
25%

of base rate, per month, to use the content on your own site.

Email use
15 to 20%

of base rate, per month, to use the content in email marketing.

Worked example
Base rate, one UGC video (includes 3 months organic use)$250
Paid social ads, 3 months at 25% of base per month$187.50
Whitelisting from the creator's own handlequoted separately
Actual cost of the $250 video, before whitelisting$437.50

The video was quoted at $250. Three months of paid social use took it to $437.50, a 75 percent increase, before anyone mentioned running ads from the creator's own handle.

The comparison trap. A $150 video with no paid rights can cost more than a $250 video with 90-day paid rights included. Two quotes are not comparable until you know whether either one lets you actually run the ad.
The rest of the invoice

What gets billed after you say yes.

  • Raw unedited footage. Commonly adds 30 to 50 percent, useful only if you edit in-house.
  • Extra hooks or opening variations. Multiple openers from one shoot, to test in paid media, usually priced per variant.
  • Revisions beyond the included round. Normally a per-revision fee, and normally capped to the original brief.
  • Rush delivery. A surcharge on the base rate.
  • Exclusivity. Charged for the time the creator is blocked from working with competitors.
  • Marketplace fees. Platforms typically take 20 to 30 percent from the creator, and commonly add 7 to 20 percent on top of each creator payment on the brand side.
What we do differently. $129 flat. Editing, full IP assignment, raw plus edited cut, and no percentage added to what the creator is paid. Volume above 30 videos a month drops the rate 5 percent, and that is the only discount on the card.
Definitions

The six words a UGC quote assumes you know.

Most of the gap between a quote and the final invoice lives in these terms.

UGC
User-generated content. Video made by a creator for a brand to use on its own channels and in its own ads. Priced on the deliverable.
Base rate
The fee for creating the content. Normally covers limited organic use only, not paid advertising.
Usage rights
The licence to use the content, scoped by channel and term. Priced as a percentage of base rate per month.
Buyout
A licence in perpetuity. Rare, and priced accordingly, because the creator is selling rather than renting.
Exclusivity
A period during which the creator cannot work with competing brands. Charged for separately, since it blocks future work.
Whitelisting
Running paid ads from the creator's own handle rather than the brand page. Commonly the largest single add-on.
Questions

UGC rates, answered.

Market figures below come from published 2026 pricing research, cited at the foot of the page. Our own rate is the one on the table above.

How much does a UGC video cost?

A single UGC video averages about $150 to $212, with a median near $175. Beginners charge $75 to $300, mid-tier creators $300 to $1,000, and top performers $600 to $3,000 or more. Those figures cover production only. Running the video as a paid ad is licensed separately at most suppliers.

How much should a UGC creator charge per video?

The market-accepted floor for a completed, edited short-form deliverable is around $150. Rates are set by deliverable complexity and usage scope, not by follower count, which is why a creator with 200 followers can legitimately charge $200 to $300 for a strong 30-second testimonial.

Does follower count affect UGC rates?

No. UGC is priced on the content itself, so the creator's audience never enters the transaction. Influencer pricing is the opposite: you are paying for access to an audience, so reach and engagement set the number. A mid-tier influencer post commonly runs $2,000 to $5,000 for the same length of video.

What are usage rights and why do they cost extra?

Usage rights are the licence to use the content, scoped by channel and by term. A base rate normally covers limited organic use on your own channels. Paid advertising is a separate tier, commonly 20 to 30 percent of the base rate per month. Website use runs about 25 percent per month and email about 15 to 20 percent.

How much does whitelisting add to a UGC rate?

Usage rights and whitelisting together typically add 30 to 50 percent to the base rate, and whitelisting alone is often quoted at 30 to 100 percent per month because the brand is borrowing the creator's credibility as well as their content.

Why is the cheapest UGC quote often the most expensive campaign?

Because the quote usually excludes the thing you need. A $150 video with no paid usage rights can cost more than a $250 video that includes 90-day paid rights, once you buy the licence you actually need. Two quotes are not comparable until you know whether either includes the right to run the content as an ad.

What else gets billed on top?

Raw unedited footage commonly adds 30 to 50 percent. Extra hooks or opening variations, revisions beyond the included round, rush delivery and exclusivity are all normally separate line items. Volume commitments pull per-video rates down by roughly 15 to 30 percent.

How much do UGC agencies charge?

Agency package pricing commonly runs $4,000 to $8,000 a month, with published tiers in the market around $4,500 for 12 videos or $6,500 for 18. A retainer rarely shows how much reaches the person actually making the video.

Do UGC marketplaces add a fee on top of the creator's rate?

Most do. Marketplace platforms typically take 20 to 30 percent from the creator side, and on the brand side commonly add 7 to 20 percent on top of each creator payment, or charge a monthly subscription for access.

What does QuickAds charge?

$129 per UGC video, flat, with editing and full IP assignment included and nothing added on top of what the creator is paid. Influencer video with the creator's own handle is $299 for 5K to 50K followers and $699 for 50K to 250K, each including 30-day paid usage rights and the partnership code going live in your own ad account.

Next

One number, creator fee inside it.

Influencer video with the creator's own handle is $299 for 5K to 50K followers and $699 for 50K to 250K, each including 30-day paid usage rights and the partnership code going live in your own ad account. The whitelisting window is stated per creator in the brief, with extension pricing quoted up front.

See the full pricing
Market figures: Influee 2026 UGC rate data, Influencer Marketing Hub 2026 benchmark survey of 600+ marketers, Superscale 2025 usage-rights pricing, PitchBrand licensing framework, Creator Blitz 2026 rate research.
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