Quick answer
- US: most freelance video editors charge $25-$150 an hour, and $300-$1,500 for a typical YouTube video project.2
- Per finished minute: a 10-minute YouTube video at $75 a finished minute is $750.4 Studios charge about $75-$200+ per finished minute.3
- Canada: junior editors charge about $30-$50 CAD an hour, mid-level $50-$85 and senior $85-$140.7
Hourly rates by experience
| Level | US (USD) | Canada (CAD) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level / junior | $20-$454 | $30-$50, median $407 |
| Mid-career | $45-$854 | $50-$85, median $657; $38-$65 most common band9 |
| Senior | - | $85-$1407 |
| Overall | $25-$1502; $15-$150+3 | - |
| Marketplace | Upwork median $35, typical $10-$601; Fiverr puts the average cost around $656 | - |
Marketplace rates sit well below what editors charge direct clients. Use them as a floor for very simple work, not as your benchmark.
Per project and per finished minute
Hourly billing makes clients nervous about how long you'll take, so most editors quote per project or per finished minute once they know their speed.
- Per project: $300-$1,500 for a typical YouTube video2; $200-$2,000+ for freelance projects generally.3 An older guide put a 3-6 minute video around $350.5
- Per finished minute: quote a rate per minute of final video - for example $75 a minute makes a 10-minute video $750.4 It works best for repeat content in a consistent style.
Whatever you quote, the hidden variable is raw footage. Two hours of footage for a 10-minute video is a very different job from 20 minutes, so ask how much footage there is before you price.
Monthly packages for YouTubers
Creators who post on a schedule often want a monthly package: a set number of long-form videos and shorts each month for a fixed fee. Price it from your per-video rate, offer a modest discount for the commitment, and agree on turnaround times, revision rounds and how footage gets to you.
What should a beginner video editor charge?
Entry-level editors commonly charge $20-$45 an hour,4 or $30-$50 CAD in Canada.7 Start there for simple cut-and-caption work while you build a portfolio, but quote per project as early as you can - you'll get faster, and per-project pricing lets you keep the benefit.
Video editing rates in Canada
- Freelance: $30-$50 CAD junior, $50-$85 mid-level, $85-$140 senior.7
- Most common band: $38-$65 an hour for established editors working with small businesses and startups.9
- One Toronto company: about $45 an hour plus HST.8
- Employee wages for comparison: $18.15-$54.27 an hour10; C$18-$59, averaging C$25.11 Freelance rates sit above wages because you cover your own software, hardware and unbilled time.
Quote in CAD before tax and register for GST/HST once your taxable revenue passes $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters. For services, the rate you charge generally depends on where your client is located, and work for clients outside Canada is often zero-rated - check CRA's rules for your situation.
Common questions
How much should I charge for basic video editing?
Simple cut-and-caption work typically sits at the entry level: about $20-$45 an hour in the US and $30-$50 CAD in Canada, or a per-project price based on that.
How much should I charge for a video edit?
Most freelancers charge $300-$1,500 for a typical YouTube video, or quote per finished minute - $75 a minute makes a 10-minute video $750.
What is the average video editor hourly rate?
Freelance editors typically charge $25-$150 an hour in the US; on Upwork the median is $35. In Canada, mid-level editors charge about $50-$85 CAD.
How much should I charge for video editing per month?
Price a monthly package from your per-video rate times the videos per month, with a small discount for the commitment and clear turnaround and revision terms.
How much do video editors charge in Canada?
About $30-$50 CAD an hour for juniors, $50-$85 mid-level and $85-$140 senior, with $38-$65 the most common band.
Quote from a real brief, not a vague DM
On 1MinuteBooking, creators book a free onboarding call and send the project as a quote request with footage length, style, deadline and extras asked up front. Free plan, no time limit.
See the video editing booking pageSources
- Upwork, Video Editor Hourly Rates | Cost to Hire Video Editor
- Krock, Video Editor Rates in 2026: What to Charge (and Pay)
- Moonb, Video Editing Costs in 2026: Freelance vs Agency Rates
- Pixflow, Video Editing Pricing Guide 2026: Freelance Rates That
- Markup.io, Video editor rates: how much to charge (2023 guide)
- Fiverr, How Much Does a Video Editor Cost?
- Freel (Canada), Video Editor Freelance Rates in Canada (2026) | Freel
- Edit Extreme (Toronto), Our Video Editing Pricing & Hourly Rates - Toronto (one company's rates)
- SoloHourly (Canada), Freelance Video Editor Rates in Canada (2026) - SoloHourly
- Indeed Canada, Video editor salary in Canada (employee wages)
- PayScale Canada, Video Editing Hourly Rate in Canada (employee wages)
Prices are what these sources published as of September-October 2026. Rates vary by city, season and the job itself - use them as a starting point, not a rule.