UGC rates 2026: what creators charge by level, deliverable and add-on

The headline numbers and where they come from

Every published UGC rate comes from a marketplace or creator platform. Each has its own creator pool and its own reason to publish, so read the basis before you quote a number. Only Collabstr states how its figures were measured.

1. 01

   Collabstr 2026 Influencer Marketing Report (anonymized data from more than 21,000 collaborations, 472,000+ packages and 200,000+ creators): average UGC asking price $180 per engagement, average UGC payout $154. The average UGC campaign cost fell 5.7%, from $209 to $197. Nearly 80% of all collaborations cost under $300, and UGC grew from 15% to 35% of campaigns on the platform.

2. 02

   Billo (pricing page dated October 9, 2026): videos start at $99. The base video is raw footage without captions, music or graphics, with two revisions within the brief and full usage rights after approval. Length, creator tier, extra hooks, extra aspect ratios and Spark Ads or partnership ads add to the price.

3. 03

   Insense (pricing page): UGC starts at $100 per video, and work from a UGC expert or raw plus edited assets can cost more. Brands also pay a subscription and a marketplace fee of 7–20% on top of creator payments.

4. 04

   Influee (rate guide, no data basis stated): most creators earn $150–$300 per video, with an average of $150–$212 and a median around $175.

5. 05

   JoinBrands (guide dated August 15, 2026, no data basis stated): an overall range of $200–$3,000 per piece, and $500–$1,200 per video for a median professional. This is the highest set of figures we found and it does not match the marketplace averages above.

UGC rates by experience level

Experience moves the price more than anything else. Audience size matters far less than in influencer work, because the brand posts the video, not the creator. SideShift says follower count has little to no impact on UGC rates, while engagement on past videos can. Collabstr also found niche matters: its most expensive niches were Skilled Trades ($309), Education ($307) and Entrepreneur & Business ($295).

1. 01

   Beginner: $100–$300 per video (SideShift, March 31, 2026). Influee says beginners may start around $100. JoinBrands puts beginners at $150–$400 per piece.

2. 02

   Intermediate: $300–$800 per video (SideShift). JoinBrands says $400–$1,000. Influee gives no figure for this tier.

3. 03

   Advanced or expert: $800–$1,500 or more (SideShift). Influee says seasoned creators can charge $500 or more; JoinBrands says $1,000–$3,000 or more.

UGC rates by deliverable

Few sources break prices down by deliverable, and those that do state no method. Treat these as quoted ranges, not market averages.

1. 01

   Short-form video: the base unit, priced as above. Billo's base is a raw video in one aspect ratio; editing, captions and extra crops cost more.

2. 02

   Hook or CTA variation on the same video: $50 each (Influee). SideShift says extra hooks cost less than new filming but gives no figure.

3. 03

   Photos: $200–$800 for 3–5 static photos and $300–$1,000 for 5–8 lifestyle photos (JoinBrands). Influee's example prices a product photo at $80.

4. 04

   Format-specific videos (JoinBrands): unboxing $250–$1,200, product demo $300–$1,500, testimonial or review $400–$2,000, before and after $350–$1,800.

5. 05

   Creator also posts the video on their own feed: a 20–30% premium (Influee).

6. 06

   Packages and retainers: SideShift gives examples of 3 videos for $600 and 5 for $1,000, and retainers of $600–$900 a month for 8–20 videos. Influee lists bundle discounts of 5–10% for 2 videos, 10–15% for 3–4 and 15–25% for 5 or more.

7. 07

   Performance pricing: SideShift's example is a $300 base plus $1–$4 per 1,000 views.

Add-ons and how they are priced

Add-ons are usually a percentage of the base rate. Usage rights for paid ads are the largest and the least consistent. Aspire's February 2026 survey of nearly 900 marketers and creators found creators who charge separately ask 15–35% of the base rate per 30 days of usage, or a flat $500–$1,000 extension. Influee lists usage rights at 30–50% of the base rate. SideShift gives 30–50% in one section and 30–100% in another. JoinBrands prices one platform for 3 months at the base rate, all paid channels for 6–12 months at 25–40% more, and unlimited perpetual use at 50–100% more. Our UGC usage rights guide explains organic versus paid terms, duration and exclusivity in detail.

The other common add-ons, with their sources: whitelisting or Spark Ads at 30% of the base rate per month, raw footage at 30–50% and rush fees at 25–50% (Influee). JoinBrands prices rush delivery (48 hours instead of 5–7 days) at 25–50% more, extra revision rounds at $50–$200 each, and category exclusivity for 3–6 months at 30–50% more. No source we found gives a figure for scriptwriting.

Marketplaces bundle some of this. Billo includes full usage rights after approval in its price, and Insense grants perpetual digital rights once content is approved and paid. Compare a direct creator quote with a marketplace quote only after you add the rights and fees each one leaves out.

UGC rates in the UK

We found no rigorous survey of UK UGC rates. Collabstr lists the UK as the second-largest country for creator talent on its platform, behind the US, which drives 66% of collaborations, but it does not publish rates by country. The UK figures that exist are either unsourced or converted from US data, and they disagree.

1. 01

   Prospects (UK careers service, February 2026): an average entry-level rate of £35 for a 30-second video. The page does not say where the figure comes from.

2. 02

   Whito (UK rate benchmarks compiled June 2026): £50–£250 per video for content posted on your own channels. Whito says its pound figures are approximate conversions of mostly US-dollar benchmarks, adjusted upward for UK audiences.

3. 03

   Influee's UK site advertises UGC videos starting at £98, without saying what that price covers.

How to use these numbers

For brands: price the test, not the video. A creative test needs several openings on the same body, and each extra hook, aspect ratio and month of paid usage changes the bill. Our UGC vs AI UGC cost breakdown works through a full budget, so it is not repeated here. Put deliverables, usage and payment terms in writing with the UGC brief template and a UGC contract. Draft the openings you want with the UGC hooks library, and when the ads run, compare them with the hook rate calculator.

For creators: start inside the marketplace ranges for your level, publish what the base rate includes, and price usage separately. Our UGC rate card guide shows how to lay out your prices, and the UGC script templates help you pitch concepts as well as footage. Influee says creators typically raise rates 10–20% every 6–12 months as they gain experience.

If you need many variants before you brief anyone, FireplaceUGC generates 9:16 creator-style takes with 500+ AI actors in modes such as Talking Video, at the credit rates on our pricing page. For agency workflows, see AI UGC for agencies. AI actors are not real customers, so they cannot replace a genuine creator testimonial, and disclosure rules apply.