Animated Explainer Video vs. Whiteboard Animation: Which Is Right for You?
When people start looking into explainer videos, they usually come across two very different styles: fully-animated explainer videos, and whiteboard (or “scribe”) animation, where a hand appears to draw the story on a whiteboard as a voiceover plays. Both can explain an idea well, but they suit quite different projects.
I should say upfront: I specialise in fully-animated explainer videos, not whiteboard-style animation, so take that into account as you read on. That being said, here’s a look at where each format actually works best.
What's the actual difference between the two?
A fully-animated explainer video uses illustrated characters, scenes, and motion design to tell your story visually - the kind of work you’ll see across my portfolio, from Matik’s product explainer to the various pieces I’ve made for The Guardian.
Whiteboard animation, by contrast, is built around a single visual device: a hand sketching images on a plain background in time with a script. It’s simpler by design, and that simplicity is exactly what makes it a different tool for a different job.
Whiteboard animation is usually quicker and cheaper to produce
Because whiteboard animation relies on simple line drawings rather than full scenes, characters, and colour, it’s generally faster to produce and cheaper to commission than a fully-animated video. If your budget is tight and your main goal is getting a straightforward message across in the most mundane way possible then this may be the best way forward.
Fully-animated explainer videos work harder for your brand
A fully-animated video can carry your actual brand colours, characters, and illustration style throughout, rather than a generic hand-and-marker look. As I mentioned in the animated explainer video service page, this kind of video can offer a strong ROI: once it’s made, that same visual style and even the animated assets can be reused across other videos, presentations, and marketing materials, which a whiteboard video’s plain style doesn’t lend itself to as well.
It’s also simply more versatile creatively. A product explainer like the one I made for Matik needed to show a specific interface and workflow, something whiteboard animation’s line-drawing style isn’t really built for.
Which one should you actually choose?
| Whiteboard animation | Fully-animated explainer video | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Lower | From around £5000-£6000, depending on style and length |
| Production time | Generally quicker | Around 4-6 weeks, depending on feedback stages |
| Brand personality | Limited, same hand-drawn look | Fully customised to your brand and characters |
| Best suited to | Simple, single-message educational content | Product demos, brand storytelling, marketing campaigns |
| Reusability of assets | Limited | High - illustrated assets can be reused across future content |
If you need to explain one simple idea on a tight budget and timeline, whiteboard animation is an option, just not one I produce myself. If you want something that looks and feels like your brand, shows off a product in detail, and gives you assets you can reuse again and again, that’s exactly where a fully-animated explainer video, and where my own work, comes in.
Got a project in mind? Send me an email and I’ll give you an honest read on which approach fits best, even if that means pointing you elsewhere.
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