The most useful thing on this page is not any single figure, it is the tier curve. Nano accounts price at the full base rate, micro at 0.85, mid tier at 0.7, macro at 0.6 and mega at 0.5. Rates per thousand followers fall as accounts grow, and engagement usually falls faster, which is why small accounts keep winning on cost per engagement.
The numbers
| Audiencefollowers | Instagram posttypical, then low to high | Instagram Reeltypical, then low to high | TikTok videotypical, then low to high | YouTube Shorttypical, then low to high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000followers | $60$40 to $85 | $90$65 to $125 | $60$40 to $85 | $60$40 to $85 |
| 10,000followers | $85$60 to $120 | $130$90 to $180 | $100$70 to $145 | $100$70 to $145 |
| 25,000followers | $215$150 to $300 | $320$225 to $445 | $255$180 to $355 | $255$180 to $355 |
| 50,000followers | $425$300 to $600 | $640$445 to $890 | $510$355 to $710 | $510$355 to $710 |
| 100,000followers | $700$490 to $980 | $1,050$740 to $1,470 | $840$590 to $1,180 | $840$590 to $1,180 |
| 500,000followers | $3,000$2,100 to $4,200 | $4,500$3,150 to $6,300 | $3,600$2,525 to $5,050 | $3,600$2,525 to $5,050 |
2026 planning estimates from our calculator model and public rate cards. Priced at each platform typical engagement rate with organic use only, no exclusivity and a tier-one market. Change any of those and the figure moves; the influencer rate calculator runs the same engine with every input exposed.
Estimate your own brief
The same model as the table, with your inputs. Nothing is sent anywhere and there is no signup.
The formula, written out
Followers in thousands, times the platform base, times the tier factor, times an engagement factor, times a format factor, times usage, exclusivity, niche and country factors. A floor applies so very small accounts are not priced at almost nothing. The typical result is then bracketed at 70% and 140% to give a negotiating band.
The engagement factor is the only part that rewards quality rather than size. It scales halfway toward the ratio of a creator's engagement rate against the platform typical, which is 2.5% on Instagram, 5% on TikTok and 4% on Shorts, and it is capped between 0.6 and 1.6 so one unusual month cannot double a quote.
Why cost per engagement is the number to compare
A per post rate tells you what something costs. Cost per engagement tells you whether it was worth it, and it is the figure that makes nano and micro accounts look as good as they usually are. On our engine a 10,000 follower Instagram account at typical engagement comes out at $85 per post, while a 500,000 follower account is $3,000: fifty times the audience for far less than fifty times the price, but also with a much lower engagement rate applied to it.
Run both through a cost per engagement comparison before you commit, and run the same brief through a UGC model as a third option. If the goal is creative that works in paid media rather than a moment of reach, paying an audience fee at all may be the wrong structure.
Rights change the total more than size does
Our engine treats rights as multipliers on the post rate: a brand reposting organically is 1.15, paid ads for 3 months is 1.4, paid ads for 12 months is 1.8. Exclusivity adds 1.25 at 90 days and 1.5 at six months. Stack a 12 month paid licence and six months of exclusivity and you have nearly doubled the cost of the same post.
That stacking is why the same creative is often cheaper bought as UGC. A UGC video at micro tier is $225 typical in our model, with 12 months of paid usage adding $225, and no audience component in either figure.
Where the published benchmarks disagree
Every influencer rate benchmark you find will disagree with every other one, and the reason is almost always that they are pricing different things. Some quote a post with organic rights, some bundle paid usage, some quote a package of three deliverables, and very few say which. When a figure looks wildly off from the table above, check the deliverable and the rights before concluding anyone is wrong.
The second reason is mix. A benchmark built from agency-mediated deals will sit above one built from direct deals, because it carries a margin. A benchmark built from marketplace listings will sit below, because listed prices are opening positions. Ours is neither: it is a formula with the multipliers exposed, so instead of trusting the output you can check whether each assumption matches your situation and change the ones that do not.
Questions people ask
What are typical influencer rates in 2026?
On our planning engine a 10,000 follower Instagram feed post is $85 typical and a TikTok video at the same size is $100, both at platform typical engagement with organic use only. These are planning estimates, not quotes.
Why do rates per thousand followers fall as accounts grow?
Because the tier factor steps down: 0.85 at micro, 0.7 at mid tier, 0.6 at macro and 0.5 at mega. Larger accounts sell more inventory at a lower unit price, and their engagement rate usually falls too.
Do influencer rates include the right to run ads?
No. Paid usage is a multiplier on top: 1.4 for 3 months and 1.8 for 12 months in our engine. Assuming it is included is the most expensive mistake in influencer budgeting.