The reason TikTok costs more per follower is that a TikTok video is a video. There is no equivalent of a cheap feed post: the format factor for a photo carousel is 0.6 and for a Story 0.3, both against a video at 1. You are paying for production as well as distribution on every deliverable, which is also why TikTok briefs convert well into straight UGC deals.
The numbers
| Audiencefollowers | Videotypical, then low to high | Photo carouseltypical, then low to high | Storytypical, then low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000followers | $60$40 to $85 | $35$25 to $50 | $20$15 to $25 |
| 10,000followers | $100$70 to $145 | $60$45 to $85 | $30$20 to $45 |
| 25,000followers | $255$180 to $355 | $155$105 to $215 | $75$55 to $105 |
| 50,000followers | $510$355 to $710 | $305$215 to $430 | $155$105 to $215 |
| 100,000followers | $840$590 to $1,180 | $500$355 to $710 | $250$175 to $355 |
| 500,000followers | $3,600$2,525 to $5,050 | $2,150$1,510 to $3,025 | $1,080$760 to $1,510 |
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.
Follower count is a weaker signal on TikTok
Distribution on TikTok is driven by the recommendation feed rather than the follower graph, so a 5,000 follower account can outperform a 200,000 follower one on a given video. Our engine still prices from followers because that is what is reliably observable, but it means the engagement adjustment carries more weight here than on Instagram.
In practice that argues for volume and for judging creators on recent view counts rather than on audience size. A 25,000 follower TikTok video at $255 typical, bought five times over, is a better structure for most brands than one video at $840, because you get five shots at the feed instead of one.
Spark Ads and what they cost on top
Running a creator's TikTok as a Spark Ad means the ad appears from their handle, which is the whitelisting arrangement rather than a plain licence. Our influencer engine prices paid ads at 1.4 on the post rate for three months and 1.8 for twelve. In the UGC model, whitelisting is a flat 30% of production, or $70 per video at micro tier.
Whichever structure you use, agree the access window in days and who moderates the comments. An expired Spark Ads code stops a working campaign silently, and comment moderation left unstated is the reason some creators price whitelisting high or decline it.
TikTok supply in our index
We hold 1,639 UGC-qualified TikTok creators against 22,393 on Instagram, out of 24,032 in total. TikTok is the thinner side of our index, which has a direct effect on pricing: a TikTok only brief takes longer to fill, and a brief that is slow to fill is one where the budget tends to drift upward to close it.
The practical move is to brief the deliverable rather than the platform. A vertical video shot for TikTok runs on Reels and Shorts unchanged, so briefing for the format and letting creators from either platform respond widens your pool considerably and keeps the quote near the typical figure.
Judging a TikTok creator before you pay
Ask for median views on the last twenty videos, not the best one. TikTok distribution is volatile enough that a single strong video tells you almost nothing, while a median across twenty tells you what to expect from the one you are commissioning. A creator whose median sits well above their follower count is worth more than the table figure; one whose median sits far below it is worth less, whatever the audience number says.
Then watch three videos with the sound on and ask whether you would keep watching. TikTok is the platform where a weak first second is fatal and where nothing else in the brief can rescue it. If the creator's own openers are good, brief lightly and let them write the hook. If they are not, write the hook yourself and buy variations, which our model prices at 20% of the video fee each.
Questions people ask
How much do TikTok influencers charge per video?
Our engine puts a 10,000 follower TikTok video at $100 typical and a 100,000 follower video at $840, at TikTok's typical 5% engagement rate with organic use only.
Why is TikTok more expensive per follower than Instagram?
Because every TikTok deliverable is a video. Our engine uses a base of 12 dollars per thousand followers on TikTok against 10 on Instagram, where a feed post is the cheaper reference format.
What do Spark Ads cost on top of the video?
As whitelisting, our UGC model prices it at 30% of production, which is $70 per video at micro tier. On the influencer engine, paid usage multiplies the post rate by 1.4 for three months.