Many B2B SaaS companies ask us to create a whiteboard explainer video with the belief that at least some aspects are likely correct. An example would be a company that has seen an explainer video on a competitor’s home page, and a member of their product team believes that the method used in the project is too complicated to be adequately demonstrated through a standard demo. They then send the information off to a vendor and spend anywhere from $3,000 to $7,000 creating a 90-second video that will receive approximately 312 views in Q1. We review those briefs weekly.
What is a whiteboard explainer video (and what counts as “whiteboard”)
An example of a type of animated short film for explaining an idea; whiteboard animations are typically done with live drawings on a whiteboard while a narrator speaks. The key difference from other types of films is that the action of drawing appears to happen before your eyes. In this regard, Explainvisually states, “a whiteboard animation video is an animated film which is produced in front of the viewer.”
There are two primary ways to create whiteboard animation VI. One way is true hand-drawn: artists record themselves drawing while they sync their movements with narration. Another method is software-driven, using tools such as VideoScribe or Doodly. These allow artists to select a previously rendered track of an object moving along a line and then have a video of a hand moving along with the same path as if it were actually creating the original movement.
Benefits of whiteboard animation for SaaS storytelling
Whiteboard is made to do only one thing: take a vague thought and create a step-by-step story that the viewer can follow – without knowing the background. A line becomes a building, then a workflow, then a customer outcome. The movement adds a way to give the viewer a story spine, which screen-recording UI footage will never be able to do. There are many situations when this will earn its money: when the product solves a problem that the buyer didn’t even realize they had; when the method of how something was done is more important than how the UI looked; and when the screenshots make the viewers bounce off.
Whiteboard animation reduces cognitive load – and this is likely its quietest advantage. While a high-fidelity UI screencast demands that the viewer process multiple things at once (e.g., button, navigation menu, table), the brain of the viewer can focus all of its processing power on understanding the underlying reason why the product solves their problem (i.e., the methodology) instead of figuring out how to navigate the UI. Therefore, it is an excellent format for closing the gap between a prospect’s problem and the technical implementation of your software.
In addition, simple images act as superior memory hooks. Many times, rapid-fire UI changes in a standard demo will blend together in a viewer’s memory. However, because of its unique visual properties – a metaphorical image that represents an API connection, such as a bridge – a whiteboard representation will provide a distinct visual reference point. Thus, difficult-to-understand B2B concepts will be easier for viewers to remember after viewing a 90-second whiteboard video clip, and will provide an easy-to-recall narrative that stakeholders can discuss about the tool inside their organization.
Optimizing for muted viewing and mobile consumption
An extremely important aspect of whiteboard video strategy in 2026 is accessibility and the “mute-first” viewing experience. If your viewer cannot determine your core value proposition within the first 15 seconds of viewing your animation alone, then your video failed to communicate your concept to the muted audience.
Additionally, consider using the “looping” ability of your video. Using an animated looping 15-second teaser on your landing page that displays your main benefit may be far more effective than a 90-second full-length explainer that requires a click-to-play interaction. Experiment with both types of clips; often, the shorter self-explanatory clip will help prompt users to view the full explainer and therefore enhance overall engagement metrics of your video versus simply being another static endpoint.
Quoted conversion rates vary widely among vendors but are generally stated to be between 20% to 30%. Typically there is no supporting study cited, year referenced or methodology identified. Folklore. From over 90 SaaS clients that we support through our editing service: while whiteboard video typically increases time spent on-page by 40% to 90% relative to time spent on-page compared to text-only, real impact isn’t necessarily associated with converting demo bookings. Vendor-quoted stats often lack a source. Hand on a Whiteboard cites figures with no study, year, or methodology.
Common mistakes to avoid in whiteboard scripts
Too much text on screen. The most frequent mistake in writing whiteboard scripts is putting too much text on the screen. Since the whiteboard style is based upon illustrating an idea through drawing motion, placing too much text on the screen results in a visual conflict – the viewer cannot read the text while observing the animation simultaneously. A good whiteboard script should utilize imagery to augment or illustrate your voiceover rather than duplicating your script verbatim.
Inconsistent metaphor. Many teams also fall victim to inconsistent metaphors. If you begin your video using a mountain-climbing metaphor to describe growth and then switch to a gardening metaphor in the latter part of the video, you’re forcing your viewer to learn two separate visual idioms in less than two minutes. This causes friction and diminishes your core message. Select one clear visual idiom and remain consistent throughout to your call-to-action.
Who whiteboard animations are best for (and who should skip them)
Don’t invest in whiteboard animation if your SaaS is primarily a developer tool, workflow automation or an analytics dashboard. Your target audience wants to see your software, not a cartoon version of it. Create a screen-recorded product demo video with motion graphic overlays.
Do invest in whiteboard animation if you sell into education, healthcare, financial services or nonprofit organizations.
Rule of thumb: if a smart person outside of your company can describe what your product does after viewing your home page video, then you were successful with whiteboard.
Integrating whiteboard videos into content marketing ecosystems
Rather than simply leaving the video sitting statically on your website page, smart marketers use it as a foundation for further content development. One example would be taking the central 15-second loop showing the problem and slicing it up into smaller pieces. The resulting GIF can be used as an individual piece of social media content to raise brand awareness without having to require viewers to engage fully with a video play.
Another example is taking the narrative framework of your whiteboard video and using it as an outline for creating new content including blog posts or whitepapers. Also, by utilizing similar metaphors in your blog post headers and your video animation you reinforce the mental model that viewers are building around how they perceive you as an organization.
Lastly, consider using email nurture campaigns. Often a thumbnail of your whiteboard video that is linked back to a dedicated landing page performs better than text-only links in B2B email sequences. The thumbnail conveys that the user will receive an explanation from a human, not from a sales pitch. When treated as modules of ideas – as opposed to standalone files – you greatly expand your ROI per dollar spent on producing your whiteboard animations.
Examples worth studying
Dropbox’s 2009 video was never traditional whiteboard. It is referenced by every copycat. Each illustration is matched to a single beat.
Each example relies on a script. From Jeanne King’s 9.5-step guide to creating a whiteboard animation: “I think this is the #1 reason why people want to make whiteboard animation videos… The idea is simple enough. However, translating that idea into an actual script can be difficult.” If the script would not play as a podcast then the animation cannot salvage it. We have more reels of different industries on our explainer video examples page.
Regardless of how many colors or illustrations are included in a whiteboard animation, certain brands will only accept certain styles based upon their brand pillars. Minimalist black-and-white whiteboard animations generally succeed for high finance or legal SaaS due to the seriousness associated with them.
This is in contrast to scripts focused on structure. Problem-focused scripts spend almost all of their time on empathy with the user’s current pain point and are successful for awareness-stage videos. Solution-focused scripts are common for consideration-stage videos and focus on demonstrating the “how it works.” According to Spiel Creative, the structure should always match the visitor’s intent – whether that be awareness or consideration traffic.
Evaluating ROI for whiteboard projects
Whiteboard animation success should be evaluated by more than simply total views. For TOFU landing pages, the primary KPI is both time-on-page and scroll depth. If a whiteboard video is able to increase time-on-page by 40 to 90 seconds, it is successfully keeping users engaged.
Finally, testing whiteboard animation against either live-action or high-fidelity animation is necessary. While Powtoon states conversion lifts of up to 300% exist for whiteboard animation, these results are directionally biased. Testing provides the ability for your team to determine if whiteboard simplifies demonstrations more than a polished UI tour.
Where and when to include whiteboard animation within a SaaS funnel
Whiteboard succeeds in three areas of the funnel and does not perform elsewhere.
TOFU landing page: a 60 to 90-second introductory video prior to scrolling, autoplay muted with captions, creates conceptual pitches.
Sales enablement: a 75-second primer after a discovery call introduces prospects to something they may send to a decision-maker who was not present during the call. This is more effective than a PDF one-pager in educating potential customers in the education and healthcare industries.
Self-serve onboarding: a series of whiteboard sequences walk new users through concepts prior to hitting the UI of your product, thus lowering first-week churn. Hand on a Whiteboard states: “Whiteboard videos are ideal for SaaS onboarding. Whiteboard videos lead new users through setup and key features of a product in an entertaining yet easy-to-understand fashion.”
Where whiteboard fails: pricing pages, feature deep-dives, anywhere users want to see how your product works in motion. For these types of videos use an animated explainer video with motion graphics over a screen recording and save time.
How to create whiteboard animation: scripting, storyboard, hand-draw vs. software
The basic production sequence we follow is this:
- Create one objective in one sentence. Example: “Upon completion of this video, the viewer will have an understanding of how our software streamlines three manual processes within the claims processing area.” If you cannot come up with that one sentence, then no amount of process will help you.
- Write your script before you begin drawing. Average word rate of 130–150 words per minute. Write it out twice and eliminate any part which does not add to the overall storyline. According to Epipheo, “the most effective way to create whiteboard animation is to develop a clear, concise script which will guide the audience through each new concept, one visual at a time.”
- Record a scratch voiceover. Don’t record final voiceovers until after you have finalized your script. Use your smartphone audio recorder. Lock timing and give it to your animator.
- Storyboard one frame per idea. Don’t waste time with too much detail per sentence.
- Hand-draw or software. Traditional hand-drawn style costs between $4,000–$12,000 per finished minute. Software-driven costs between $0–$2,000 in license fees plus the value of your time.
- Add final voiceover, music bed, captions & color pass. Set music bed at -22 LUFS so narration remains audible.
Where most teams fail is step two. Most teams skip writing a script and start creating their storyboard. What results is a video that is more visually appealing than useful.
Whiteboard animation software compared
There are four major players in whiteboard animation software when doing this type of project in-house. The pricing listed below was confirmed by the vendors at the beginning of 2026 (sources: Neil Chase Film and Reality Premedia):
|
Tool |
Entry price |
Best for |
Watch out for |
|
VideoScribe |
$22.50/mo Pro |
Classic hand-drawn-on-white look |
Steeper learning curve, limited stock library |
|
Vyond |
$49/mo Essential, $89/mo Premium |
Character-driven business animation |
Does NOT look like whiteboard out of the box |
|
Doodly |
$39/mo Standard |
Templated whiteboard for beginners |
Templates look templated; quality plateaus fast |
|
Powtoon |
$50/mo Lite, $190/mo Professional |
Animated decks for internal comms |
Heavy upsell pressure on Pro features |
There are newer AI prompt-to-video programs (Golpo, Renderforest, AIDoodleTotal) that exist in their own category. In response to u/Just_Use8502 on r/DigitalMarketing: “VideoScribe is what everyone uses for whiteboard animation but it does not use artificial intelligence. Doodly or Renderforest can create the whiteboard style of animation but quality has hits and misses. I also think most AI whiteboard animation software is nothing but pre-set templates with auto-voiceover.” This sentiment continued into Q1 2026. For other formats, please review our SaaS explainer video writeup.
Production process, timelines, and cost ranges for B2B SaaS (2026)
The real costs for creating your own B2B SaaS whiteboard explainer videos in 2026:
Build it yourself. Cost of subscription will be between $30 to $200/month plus 15 to 40 hours to create a 90-second video. Total cash outlay under $500.
Low-cost freelancer or Fiverr. $200 to $800 per finished minute. Huge variance. Only suitable for internal use, not as a homepage video.
Mid-market studio. $2,500 to $5,000 per finished minute software-driven; $5,000 to $10,000 hand-drawn. Includes support for script development, 2–3 revisions, voiceover talent.
Premium agency hand-drawn. $10,000 to $30,000 per finished minute. Where Epipheo, Demo Duck, and Sandwich Video sit.
The Vidpros take
We don’t normally advocate for whiteboard as the default. Approximately one-third of the whiteboard briefs we receive turn into screen-recorded demos with motion graphics on top, because that is what the product needed. The remainder get successful whiteboard work that earns its budget based upon the project needs. Send us a 60-second product walkthrough and a line about your buyer and we will recommend a format and provide you the math behind it prior to quoting any animation costs.
