UGC rates in 2026: what creators charge for UGC videos

Short answer: there is no single market rate for UGC videos. Most creators start with a base fee per video. Then they charge more for usage rights, raw footage, extra hooks, and letting the brand run the video as an ad from the creator's own account. One UGC marketplace, Billo, lists videos starting at $99 on its platform. Brands or agencies may pay more when they work with a creator directly.

Facts last checked on October 18, 2026, against the sources linked below.

What is UGC, and how is it different from influencer content

UGC means user generated content. For creators, it usually means short videos made for a brand to use in ads or on the brand's own social pages, not the creator's.

This is different from influencer marketing. An influencer posts on their own account, to their own audience, and the brand pays for that reach. A UGC creator hands over a video file. The brand decides where it goes. Many UGC creators have small followings or none at all. They are paid for the video they make, regardless of how many people follow them.

How UGC pricing actually works

Most creators price a UGC video in layers. A base fee covers filming and editing one video. Everything else is an add-on, priced on top.

The common add-ons:

• Usage rights. The base fee often covers "organic only" use. That means the brand can post the video on its own channels but not run it as a paid ad. Running it as a paid ad usually costs more. The price can also depend on how long the brand keeps the rights, say 6 or 12 months. It can depend on which platforms it covers too, like Instagram and TikTok only, or everywhere, including Google and TV.
• Raw footage. Creators usually keep the unedited clips unless the brand pays extra for them. Brands want raw footage when they plan to edit it themselves or reuse clips later.
• Extra hooks or variations. A "hook" is the first few seconds of a video, the line that makes someone stop scrolling. Brands often want several hooks cut from one shoot, so they can test which opening works best. Each extra hook or edit is usually a separate line item.
• Whitelisting or spark ads. This means the brand runs ads directly from the creator's own account, using the creator's handle and engagement history. It performs better than a normal ad, so it is priced as its own add-on, separate from usage rights.

Because of all these layers, two creators can quote very different totals for what looks like the same job. Before comparing rates, check which of these four add-ons each quote actually includes.

What creators actually charge

Rate figures are hard to verify, because most creators negotiate privately and few platforms publish real numbers. We could only confirm one source with an actual figure.

Billo is a UGC marketplace that sells to brands. Brands pay Billo per video, and Billo pays the creator out of that fee. Billo says videos start at $99 on its platform, with full usage rights included in that starting price. Extra footage, additional hooks, and spark ads cost more, but Billo doesn't publish exact add-on prices. Because Billo sets this price itself, it reflects what one marketplace charges brands. It is not an independent survey of what creators charge when pricing their own work directly.

We looked for a rate guide from a creator community or an independent survey to compare against. We could not find one that loaded with real numbers. So we are not giving you a wider range here. If you want to know what you personally should charge, use the rate card below instead. Price your own base fee, then add for usage rights, footage, hooks, and whitelisting based on what each brand actually needs. For the bigger picture on pricing a brand deal, including flat fees versus revenue share, see how much to charge for brand deals.

Rate card template

Use this as a starting structure. Fill in your own numbers, based on your editing time, your niche, and what brands in your space have paid before.

A rate card works best alongside a short media kit that shows your past work and who you've worked with. See the media kit template for a simple layout.

Pitch email template

This is a short outreach email a creator can send to a brand, asking for UGC work.

Frequently asked questions

How much should a beginner charge for a UGC video?

There is no fixed starting number, and we could not verify one from an independent source. Start by pricing your time (filming plus editing), then add a bit more than you think, since brands will often ask for usage rights or extra hooks on top.

What does "usage rights" mean in a UGC quote?

It means how the brand is allowed to use your video. A quote that says "organic only" means the brand can post it on their own pages but not run it as a paid ad. Running it as an ad, and for how long, usually costs extra.

What is whitelisting or spark ads?

It means the brand runs an ad directly from your account, using your handle. It is priced separately from usage rights, because it uses your account's engagement history, something a normal usage rights deal does not touch.

Should I charge the same rate to every brand?

No. Your base rate can stay fixed. Add-ons should change based on what each brand actually wants: how long they keep usage rights, how many hooks they need, and whether they want whitelisting.

Why can't this post give a full rate range?

We only found one platform, Billo, with a published starting figure, and it's the price Billo sets for its own marketplace, not an independent survey of creator rates. Rather than guess at a range, we left it out.