Dubbing isn't one price — it depends on how faithfully the new audio has to match the picture. Here's what each style of dubbing costs per minute, with real starting rates and the factors that move the figure, so you can budget before you brief.
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Dubbing replaces the original dialogue with a new-language performance, and the cost depends almost entirely on how tightly that performance has to lock to the picture. A quick voice-over read is one price; a full-cast, lip-synced feature is another. Below is what each approach costs as a starting point, and the levers that move it.
The three styles of dubbing, and what they cost
Dubbing is priced per finished minute of video, per language. The style you choose is the single biggest driver of cost:
- UN-style (voice-over) dubbing — the translated read sits over the original at a lower volume, as in documentaries and interviews. The most economical option, from about £60 per finished minute.
- Professional lip-sync dubbing — the new dialogue is adapted and performed to match mouth movements and timing. From about £95 per finished minute.
- Full-cast dubbing — a full cast of native actors, directed to picture for drama, film and premium content. From about £180 per finished minute.
There's a £400 minimum project fee, so very short pieces are priced to that floor. See the full dubbing rates for the per-tier breakdown, or weigh dubbing against captions in the dubbing vs subtitling guide.
What moves the price
Within any style, five things drive the final figure:
- Runtime — dubbing scales per finished minute of video.
- Sync type — UN-style is cheaper than lip-sync, which is cheaper than full-cast.
- Number of voices — more characters means more casting and studio time.
- Number of languages — each one repeats translation, casting and recording.
- Usage & turnaround — broadcast rights and rush deadlines add to the base.
A quick way to estimate
For a rough budget, take the per-minute starting rate for your style, multiply by the runtime, then multiply by the number of languages — and remember the £400 per-project minimum. It's a ballpark, not a quote: the real number depends on the number of voices, usage rights and turnaround, which is why we price each project individually.
Get an exact figure
The fastest way to a real number is to send us the video. Explore our dubbing services, see how dubbing fits the wider picture in how much does video localisation cost?, or send us your video for an itemised, no-obligation quote — usually the same working day, backed by our Price Match Promise.