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How much is a Snapchat Geofilter?

How much is a Snapchat Geofilter?

Snapchat geofilters allow users to add location-specific overlays to their snaps and stories. Geofilters have become incredibly popular among Snapchatters as a way to customize their content and represent their location. But how much do Snapchat geofilters actually cost to create and use?

What Are Snapchat Geofilters?

Snapchat geofilters are graphic overlays that can be added to snaps and stories to indicate the user’s location or venue. There are several different types of Snapchat geofilters:

  • Community Geofilters – Available for public use in specific neighborhoods, cities, and locations.
  • On-Demand Geofilters – Custom filters created by users for one-time personal events.
  • Sponsored Geofilters – Paid branded filters created for businesses, organizations, or events.
  • Global Filters – Special filters for major holidays, events, and causes available globally.

When users swipe to add filters to their snaps, any geofilters that are currently available in their location will appear as an option. Geofilters allow users to get creative and customize their snaps in a way that represents where they are. Snapchat has released over 1 million community geofilters for public use around the world.

On-Demand Geofilter Pricing

If users want to create a custom geofilter for an event or occasion beyond the available community options, they can pay to design their own through Snapchat’s On-Demand Geofilters platform.

On-Demand Geofilters start at $5.99 for 20,000 views over any area for up to 30 days. The price adjusts based on the size of the geographic area, length of time, and expected number of views. Here are the standard tiers of On-Demand Geofilter pricing:

Size Minimum Price
2,000 sq ft $5.99
5,000 sq ft $7.99
20,000 sq ft $9.99
75,000 sq ft $74.99
250,000 sq ft $124.99
500,000 sq ft $224.99

So a small 2,000 square foot filter would start at $5.99, while a larger city-wide 500,000 square foot filter would start at $224.99. The minimum cost covers 20,000 views over the chosen timeframe and geographic area.

Additional view packages can be added on top of the base price:

Additional Views Add-On Price
20,000 $5.99
50,000 $9.99
100,000 $16.99
500,000 $59.99
1,000,000 $99.99

So for a 2,000 square foot filter for a house party, the minimum would be $5.99 for the area and 20,000 views. Adding on an extra 100,000 views would bring the total to $22.98.

Sponsored Geofilter Pricing

Sponsored geofilters are filters created for businesses, brands, organizations, or events. These operate like ads within Snapchat’s geofilter options. According to Snapchat, sponsored filters receive prime placement within the snap filter menus.

Sponsored geofilters are sold through Snapchat’s advertising platform. The cost depends on factors like timing, targeting, and competition. Prices reportedly start around $500 per day for targeted local filters. National or global sponsored filters start at $100,000 and up per day.

Snapchat also offers more premium sponsor packages like:

  • Snapchat Lenses – Interactive augmented reality filters ($700k+/day globally)
  • Snap Ad with Geofilter – Combination ad and branded filter
  • Our Story Sponsorship – Brand integration into crowd-sourced stories

For example, 16 Handles ice cream reportedly spent over $50,000 on a single sponsored geofilter that ran for one week across six states. Meanwhile, smaller local businesses often spend between $500-750 to run Sponsored Geofilters targeting their city.

Community Geofilter Approval

Snapchat has released over 1 million community geofilters that are available for free public use. These are designed by Snapchat and feature icons and images representing different neighborhoods, landmarks, and cities.

Users can also submit their own Community Geofilter designs through Snapchat’s website. Designs must adhere to Geofilter Guidelines covering topics like visual clarity, offensive content, branding, copyrights, and quality expectations. Once approved, the user-submitted geofilter becomes available for public use in the requested location.

Submitting a Community Geofilter design is free. The approval process usually takes 1-2 weeks. If approved, the geofilter is added to Snapchat’s local options for 24 hours. There are currently over 500,000 user-generated Community Geofilters available globally.

How Geofilters Make Money for Snapchat

Snapchat doesn’t directly charge for community geofilters or make money when someone views or uses one. But geofilters as a whole provide significant revenue potential for Snapchat in a few key ways:

  • On-Demand Sales: Direct revenue from users paying to create custom geofilters for personal events.
  • Sponsorship Sales: Big revenue source selling sponsored geofilters to advertisers and brands.
  • Ad Sales: Sponsored filters boost Snapchat’s ad inventory and premium branding options.
  • Data Collection: Location data and user engagement insights on geofilter usage.

While community geofilters don’t directly bring in revenue, they provide core value for the platform. Geofilters attract users, drive engagement, and collect data that Snapchat monetizes through other channels.

Some estimates indicate Snapchat makes up to $1-2 million per week selling sponsored geofilters to advertisers and brands. The company generated over $4 billion in global revenue in 2020, with the U.S. market making up over half. Sponsored filters and on-demand geofilter sales represent a significant chunk of Snapchat’s revenue stream.

Conclusion

Snapchat geofilters provide a creative, interactive way for users to customize their snaps and stories. While community geofilter options are free to use, creating a custom On-Demand Geofilter costs a minimum of $5.99 based on size and duration. Sponsored geofilters can cost over $100k for major national or global campaigns.

For most individual users, occasional geofilters will be free or just a few dollars. But brands pay top dollar to get their logos, mascots, and slogans featured. Ultimately, geofilters generate revenue for Snapchat through paid promotions, sponsorships, increased ad inventory, and data collection opportunities.

Geofilters show no signs of losing popularity among Snapchat’s young user base. Their visual appeal and personalization potential will continue driving user engagement and revenue on the platform into the future.