Costs and pricing
Part of How much do UGC creators charge in the UK? Rates by region and platform
How much do UGC creators charge in the UK? Rates by region and platform
UK UGC creator rates by region and platform, with TikTok, Instagram and YouTube bands, day rates and licence costs. See what moves the final invoice.
What to take away
- UK UGC rates are quoted per video, per day, per licence and per add-on.
- Platform mattersTikTok and Facebook usually sit below Instagram and YouTube for the same brief.
- Region mattersLondon runs about 30 to 50 per cent above Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff.
- A £300 TikTok video can become a £900 invoice once paid social rights and edits are added.
- Agree the unit, term and approver before you ask for a number.
All rates here are 2026 planning bands, refreshed quarterly.
Platform rates for UK creators
The table below uses working bands from public marketplace listings and agency rate cards. Use them as a starting point, not a quote.
UK UGC rates by platform
TikTok
- London per video
- £250-450
- Regional per video
- £150-300
- London day rate
- £500-800
- Regional day rate
- £350-600
Instagram Reels
- London per video
- £300-500
- Regional per video
- £180-350
- London day rate
- £550-900
- Regional day rate
- £400-700
YouTube Shorts
- London per video
- £350-600
- Regional per video
- £220-400
- London day rate
- £600-1,000
- Regional day rate
- £450-750
London per video
- TikTok
- £250 to £450
- Instagram Reels
- £300 to £500
- YouTube Shorts
- £350 to £600
- Facebook Reels
- £250 to £450
- Snapchat Spotlight
- £200 to £400
Regional city per video
- TikTok
- £150 to £300
- Instagram Reels
- £180 to £350
- YouTube Shorts
- £220 to £400
- Facebook Reels
- £150 to £300
- Snapchat Spotlight
- £120 to £250
London day rate
- TikTok
- £500 to £800
- Instagram Reels
- £550 to £900
- YouTube Shorts
- £600 to £1,000
- Facebook Reels
- £500 to £800
- Snapchat Spotlight
- £450 to £700
Regional day rate
- TikTok
- £350 to £600
- Instagram Reels
- £400 to £700
- YouTube Shorts
- £450 to £750
- Facebook Reels
- £350 to £600
- Snapchat Spotlight
- £300 to £550
Regional city means Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff and Leeds. Manchester and Birmingham sit near the regional band. Glasgow and Cardiff often quote 10 per cent below it. Bristol and Leeds sit between.
Region rates in detail
| Region | Per TikTok video | Per Instagram Reel | Day rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | £250 to £450 | £300 to £500 | £500 to £900 |
| Manchester | £170 to £320 | £200 to £380 | £350 to £650 |
| Birmingham | £160 to £300 | £190 to £360 | £330 to £620 |
| Glasgow | £150 to £280 | £180 to £340 | £300 to £580 |
| Cardiff | £150 to £280 | £180 to £340 | £300 to £580 |
Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne
Manchester sits between London and the northern cities. Agency commission adds 15 per cent to 25 per cent to the creator fee. The typical commission is 15 per cent to 20 per cent in London and Manchester, against 10 per cent to 15 per cent in Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne.
Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne fee bands are similar. Newcastle quotes exclude travel and studio costs more often.
A 12-month paid usage licence can add 50 per cent to 150 per cent to the base day rate.
The four units you are actually buying
Every quote is priced in one of four units. Name the unit before you compare anything.
Name the pricing unit first
- Per assetone finished video or stills set
- Per daycreator time on set or edit
- Per licencemedia rights by channel, territory, term
- Add-onsscripting, voiceover, raw files, reshoots
- Per videoone finished asset, usually with agreed edit rounds.
- Per daya shoot day, often used when several assets come from one session.
- Per licencethe right to use the asset for a set channel, territory and term.
- Per add-onextra edit rounds, exclusivity, travel, props or paid media rights.
What moves the number by platform
TikTok briefs often need a native hook and fast turnaround. Instagram Reels briefs often need higher polish. YouTube Shorts can carry longer scripts and more edit rounds. Facebook Reels often reuse TikTok assets, so the fee can drop. Snapchat Spotlight pays less because usage is narrower.
Where to price against real providers
Names to check. None has a public UK rate card.
- TikTok Creator Marketplace. Brands search creators by region and niche inside TikTok Ads Manager. TikTok does not publish a standard creator rate.
- Instagram Creator Marketplace. Part of Meta, it lets brands filter creators by location and audience. Payment is agreed directly with the creator.
- YouTube BrandConnect. A Google tool for connecting brands with YouTube creators. Brands usually book through Google Ads or a partner.
- TRIBE. A creator marketplace where brands post briefs and buy content per asset. It handles usage terms and payment.
- Upwork and Fiverr. Freelance marketplaces where UGC creators list fixed prices. Fiverr takes 20 per cent from sellers. Upwork uses variable service fees.
- Whalar and Takumi. UK-facing creator agencies with no public rate card. They quote per campaign.
Marketplaces' own fees are a separate question, covered in whether UGC marketplaces are worth it for small UK businesses.
A worked example for one commission
Here is one commission priced line by line. Figures are UK planning bands, not a quote.
One commission, line by line
- £400creator fee for two TikTok videos
- £350twelve-month UK paid social licence
- £120reshoot after first review
- £870planning total before VAT
The headline figure was £400. The invoice was £870. That gap breaks budgets.
The £870 planning total has four lines. The creator fee is £400. Licence, edit rounds and exclusivity make up the remaining £470. The figure shows how each line is priced.
Line / What it covers
- Creator fee
- Base video, concept and first edit round · £400
- Licence
- Channel, territory and term · Part of the £470 balance
- Edit rounds
- Extra rounds beyond the first · Part of the £470 balance
- Exclusivity
- Period when the creator cannot work with named competitors · Part of the £470 balance
- Total
- Planning total before VAT · £870
Terms to settle before you agree a number
A rate is comparable only once these lines are agreed.
- Deliverable count, aspect ratios, run time and file formats.
- Edit rounds included, and the price of each extra round.
- Licencechannel, territory, term and renewal price.
- Exclusivity window, the competitors it covers, and when it ends.
- Payment date, late payment terms and who pays platform commission.
- Whether the creator keeps raw files and who holds the master.
Rights and disclosure are cost lines too
Paid partnerships must be labelled so a viewer recognises the ad. The CAP guidance on recognising ads in social media sets the test. Reworking a caption after delivery is a real cost.
Copyright in the footage stays with the creator until it is assigned in writing. Assignment under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 is the clause that gives you reuse rights.
If a creator films identifiable passers-by or you hold their ID documents, UK GDPR applies. The ICO guidance hub covers lawful basis, retention and deletion.
Rights scope surprises more buyers than any other line, so we treat it in detail in UGC usage rights in the UK.
Common questions
How much do UGC creators charge in the UK?
Use the platform and region bands above. A TikTok video in Cardiff can start at £150. An Instagram Reel in London can start at £300. Add licence and edits before you budget.
Is a day rate cheaper than a per-video price?
Only when one shoot produces several assets. For one video, a fixed asset price usually costs less. You do not pay for unused hours.
Do London creators charge more?
Yes. The regional uplift is stated in the takeaway above. Travel can close part of that gap.
What should a single-campaign budget look like?
Split it into four lines: creator fee, licence, edit rounds and exclusivity. In the worked example, a £400 fee became an £870 planning total.
