UGCStarsThe short version
Charge your starting rate for one finished video with organic use, set within the middle half of starting rates for your niche and country, then add paid ad usage, add-ons and rush delivery as separate lines on top. The calculator above shows that range and its median from the UGC Rate Index, plus an estimate for the usage and extras you pick.
The median is a reference point, not your price. New creators with a few strong samples can start near the bottom of the middle half, and creators with paid ad work in the niche at the top or above.
The usage and add-on figures are illustrative, not market data. Treat the calculator’s quote as a first draft, check it against your hours, then send it as one line per item.
The steps at a glance:
- Look up the median and middle half for your niche and country.
- Decide where in that range your work sits.
- Add usage for each video, by channel and length.
- Add each extra the brand asked for as its own line.
- Discount only when several videos share one shoot.
- Send the quote with one or two other options.
How the calculator works and where the numbers come from
The calculator combines real starting rates from UGCStars profiles with the example usage, add-on and bundle figures from the Creator Hub guide How to price your first UGC videos. Only the first is data. Adjust the others to your own bookings.
The Rate Index figures
The UGC Rate Index counts the starting rates creators set on their UGCStars profiles, one per creator. A starting rate covers one video with a standard edit and organic use. Every rate is converted to US dollars, and each figure is rounded to the nearest $5. The methodology has the details.
| Figure | What it means |
|---|---|
| Median | Half the starting rates in the group are lower, half are higher |
| Middle half | The 25th to 75th percentile: the middle 50% of starting rates |
| Starting rate | The 25th percentile, median or 75th percentile, by where you say you are, or your own rate |
| Quote per video | The starting rate plus the usage, add-ons and rush you picked |
| Package | The quote per video times the number of videos, after any bundle discount |
Median and middle half: UGC Rate Index. Quote and package: estimates using illustrative usage, add-on and bundle figures.
Small groups fall back to wider ones
Each figure needs at least 20 starting rates. When your group has fewer, the calculator widens it one filter at a time, for example from your niche in your country to your niche in every country, and says which group it used. A wider group includes creators outside your market, so treat it as a rougher guide.
US dollars and your own currency
The Index uses US dollars so that rates from different countries compare in one unit. Pick your currency and the calculator converts the figures at the exchange rates held on the Index’s snapshot day. Check today’s rate before a large quote, and name the currency in every quote.
Where you sit in the range
The calculator’s “Where you are” setting picks a point in your group’s range. Choose it honestly, or type in your own starting rate and see where it falls on the range drawing.
| Where you price | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Below the middle half | Rarely worth it. A very low rate can read as inexperience, and it’s hard to raise later |
| 25th percentile | New: fewer than 10 paid videos, with practice or gifted samples |
| Median | Some paid work and a few repeat brands, with samples in the niche you’re quoting for |
| 75th percentile | Established: a strong portfolio, repeat clients and samples that look ready to run as ads |
| Above the middle half | A skill the brief needs, such as a second language or expertise in the product category |
The middle three are the calculator’s New, Some paid work and Established settings. A guide to positioning, not data.
The four things that move you
- Experience. Paid jobs delivered and repeat clients. Count jobs, not years.
- Samples. They’re what a brand judges your work on. A few strong videos in the right niche beat a long, unrelated reel.
- Niche. Compare your niche’s figures with all starting rates before you assume your niche pays more.
- Production quality. Clean light, sound and editing save the brand a fix before the video can run.
Then check the number against your time. The pricing guide shows how to set a floor from your hours, for example 3.5 hours at $35 an hour, about $125. Don’t quote below your floor, whatever the range says.
Building the price for one video
The price of one video has three parts: your starting rate, usage on top, and the add-ons the brand asked for. Give each its own line.
| Line | How it’s worked out | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 30-second video, standard edit, organic use | Your starting rate | $125 |
| Paid ads on Meta and TikTok, up to 3 months | 40% of $125, inside the 30 to 50% range | $50 |
| 2 extra hooks | $20 each | $40 |
| Raw footage | A flat fee in the $40 to $60 range | $50 |
| Total | $265 |
Hypothetical quote on a $125 starting rate, using the calculator’s illustrative usage and add-on figures.
The $125 is the work. The other $140 is choices the brand can change without touching your rate. Where the calculator shows a range, pick one figure. A brand approves a number, not a range.
Rush delivery
A rush is a deadline inside your normal turnaround, such as under 48 hours. The calculator adds 25% to the whole quote for the video, about $66 on the $265 example above. Put your normal turnaround in every quote.
Usage rights in your quote
Usage is priced per video and per period, with organic posts included. Paid ads add 20 to 30% of your rate for up to 30 days, 30 to 50% for up to 3 months, 50 to 75% for up to 6 months and 100% for up to 12 months. Perpetual use with no end date adds 2 to 3 times your rate. These are illustrative ranges, not market data.
Write the channels, countries and end date into the usage line, with a renewal price. Ads that run from your own account through TikTok Spark Ads or Meta partnership ads are a separate monthly fee. How to charge for UGC usage rights covers ad access, exclusivity and buyouts.
Packages and bundles
A bundle discount makes sense when several videos save you time, such as one product filmed in one session.
| Package | Videos | Paid ads, 3 months | Total | Per video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 video | $125 | $50 | $175 | $175 |
| 3 videos, same product, one shoot | $340 (10% off) | $150 | $490 | $163 |
| 5 videos, same product, one shoot | $530 (15% off) | $250 | $780 | $156 |
Hypothetical, on a $125 starting rate. Discount on the videos only, rounded to the nearest $5. Paid ads at 40% of the starting rate for each video.
The calculator does the same: it takes the bundle discount off the starting rate only. Each video runs as its own ad, so it carries its own usage fee whether the brand orders one or five.
When to skip the discount
- Each video is a different product or needs its own shoot.
- The deadline is tight and the package means working late.
A monthly batch with a minimum of two or three months is worth a discount, because it fills your calendar. Put your bundles on your rate card.
Presenting the quote
Send the price for exactly what the brand asked for, in lines, plus one or two other options. Options let a brand choose a smaller package instead of asking for a lower rate.
| Option | What’s included | Total |
|---|---|---|
| A: organic only | 3 videos with a 10% bundle discount, for the brand’s own channels | $340 |
| B: paid ads | Option A plus 3 months of paid ads on Meta and TikTok for each video | $490 |
| C: ad testing | Option B plus one extra hook per video and the raw footage | $600 |
Hypothetical, on a $125 starting rate.
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Subject | Quote: 3 videos for your vitamin C serum |
| Opening | Hi Ana, thanks for the brief. Here’s my quote for three 30-second videos, filmed in one session. |
| The quote | 3 videos with one round of changes each: $340 (10% off for three). Paid ads on Meta and TikTok in the US, 3 months from the first ad: $150. Total: $490. |
| Options | Without paid ads: $340. With an extra hook per video and the raw footage: $600. |
| Terms | Delivery 7 days after the product arrives. 50% before filming, the rest on delivery. Another 3 months of paid use: $50 per video. Prices in US dollars, valid for 30 days. |
| Close | If your budget is fixed, tell me the number and I’ll suggest what fits. |
Example quote, with hypothetical figures.
The brand email templates include a rates email for these lines, and the rate card template puts your full menu on one page. How much do UGC creators charge shows how brands compare quotes, line by line.
When a brand pushes back
When a brand says your quote is over budget, ask for the number. Then change the package, not your rate. A lower rate becomes your price with that brand next time.
| Change | New total | What the brand gives up |
|---|---|---|
| Two videos instead of three, both with paid ads | $350 | One video |
| Three videos, paid ads on one of them | $390 | Ads on two videos, for now |
| Three videos, organic only, with paid ads quoted for later | $340 | Ads, for now |
Hypothetical, starting from option B above: 3 videos with 3 months of paid ads for $490.
Each option keeps your $125 rate. The negotiating email in the brand email templates offers options like these. If a budget is below your floor even then, decline politely and name the smallest package you’d do at your rate.
When a discount is fine
Discount only when you get something back: a larger order, a monthly batch, a flexible deadline or full payment before filming. Name the reason, such as “10% off for a three-month batch”, so it doesn’t read as your new rate.
Product-only offers
Free product instead of a fee can be fine for something you wanted anyway, filmed for your own account or portfolio. It isn’t fine for videos the brand will run as ads. Reply with your rate and your smallest paid option.
When to raise your rate
Review your rate after every few bookings, and raise it when you see these signals:
- You’re booked out or turning down work.
- Brands accept your quotes without questioning the price, job after job.
- You’ve added ad work, brand work or a new skill since you set the rate.
- The calculator puts you near the 25th percentile, but your work now fits the median.
Raise in steps you can explain, such as from $125 to $150, and check where the new rate sits in the calculator’s range.
Telling existing clients
- Quote the new rate to new clients first.
- Give existing clients notice, such as 30 days, and honor quotes you’ve already sent.
- Say it in one line, for example: “From 1 March my starting rate is $150. Anything you book before then stays at $125.”
- Update your UGCStars profile and your rate card on the same day, so the numbers match.
Questions creators ask
Is the calculator’s quote what brands will pay?
Not necessarily. The median and middle half are real starting rates from UGCStars profiles, but the usage and add-on figures are illustrative. The final price is what you and the brand agree.
Should the rate on my profile match my quotes?
Yes. Brands filter by your starting rate, so the first line of every quote should be that number. If it’s out of date, update your profile first.
Can I use my own starting rate in the calculator?
Yes. Type it in your currency and the quote is built on it, with the median for your group shown alongside.
Does UGCStars take a share of what I charge?
No. Creators join free and UGCStars takes no commission. You agree the price and the payment terms directly with the brand.
Before you send a quote
For creators
- Did I check the median and middle half for my niche and country?
- Is my price at or above the floor my hours set?
- Does the first line match the starting rate on my profile?
- Do I know where the videos will run, for how long and in which countries?
- Is usage priced per video, with an end date and a renewal price?
- Is each add-on on its own line, and any discount only for videos from one shoot?
- Did I name the currency, delivery date, rounds of changes and payment terms?
- Did I offer a smaller option in case the budget is fixed?
One line per item, with an option or two, turns the calculator’s number into a quote a brand can approve.