No monthly fee
You pay 15% of the campaign you fund, and nothing when you're not running campaigns. Unspent budget returns to you under the rules.
UGC platform for brands that need ads every month
A UGC platform should do more than list creators. UgcBoard runs the whole job: brief, escrow, applications, agreement, delivery, approval and payout, for a flat 15% fee.
The short answer
A UGC platform is software where brands brief creators, hire them and get licensed videos for ads and product pages. They charge in one of three ways: a price per video, a monthly subscription plus a fee on creator pay, or a percentage of the campaign. UgcBoard takes the third route: no subscription, a flat 15% inside the budget you fund, and escrow until you approve.
What a UGC platform does for a brand
- Puts your brief in front of creators who fit your niche.
- Ranks applications so you review the strongest first.
- Writes the agreement and the usage license for every hire.
- Holds the money until you approve the work.
- Keeps deliverables, comments and revisions in one place.
- Pays creators and sends you an invoice.
Some platforms called UGC platforms display customer reviews on product pages. UgcBoard is a different kind: it is where brands hire creators to make videos.
The UgcBoard workflow
- Post the campaign and set the payout per creator.
- Fund it by US bank transfer. It goes live when the transfer posts.
- Select creators from ranked applications.
- Approve the videos, or approval happens automatically after 5 days.
- Payouts go out and your license is active.
How UGC platforms for brands charge
| Model | How you pay | Typical published price | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per video menu | Prepaid pack spent per video | From $99 a video, more for length and add-ons | Billo |
| Subscription plus fee | Monthly or quarterly plan, plus a fee on each creator payment | $249 to $500 a month plus 5% to 20% | Collabstr, Insense |
| Tiered marketplace | Optional plan that lowers the fee | 8% to 15% fee, plans from $0 to $499 a month | JoinBrands |
| Campaign fee | A share of the budget you fund, no plan | 15% inside the budget | UgcBoard |
| Agency retainer | Monthly retainer covering creators and editing | Often $2,000 a month and up | Managed UGC agencies |
Figures come from each vendor's own pricing pages as checked in October 2026. Read the detail in our Billo pricing, Insense pricing and Collabstr alternative breakdowns.
What a month of UGC costs on a UGC platform
Say you want eight new videos a month for Meta and TikTok ads, each creator taking home $175.
| Item | Subscription platform at $400 a month plus 10% | UgcBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Creator pay | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Plan | $400 | $0 |
| Fee | $140 | $247, 15% of a $1,647 budget |
| Total for the month | $1,940 | $1,647 |
| Month with no campaign | $400 | $0 |
A subscription starts to win once creator spend passes roughly $5,000 a month, every month. Below that, or when your spend swings with launches and seasons, paying per campaign costs less. The UGC budget calculator runs your own payout and creator count.
Why brands pick UgcBoard over a subscription platform
You set the payout
Creators see exactly what they will receive on the campaign card, because nothing is taken from their side. Higher payouts attract creators who quote above menu rates.
Escrow on every hire
The full budget is held until you approve the work. If a creator never delivers, the money for that spot comes back to you.
The license is written down
Each agreement names the platforms, the paid ads term of 3, 6 or 12 months, and whether whitelisting and raw footage are included.
What to check before you pick a UGC platform
- Total cost per video, including plan, brand fee and any fee taken from the creator.
- Whether you can post a brief creators apply to, or only buy fixed packages.
- Who sets the creator's pay, you or a menu.
- Whether money is held in escrow until you approve.
- What the usage license covers: platforms, paid ads term, whitelisting, raw footage.
- How many revision rounds are included.
- Whether creators are in the US if you sell to US buyers.
- What happens to unused money: refunded, kept as credit, or expired.
Who uses a UGC platform like UgcBoard
DTC and Shopify brands
Teams refreshing Meta and TikTok ads every month before creative fatigue sets in.
Amazon sellers
Sellers who need listing demos and Sponsored Brands cuts. See Amazon UGC for formats and costs.
Apps and SaaS
Product teams that want testimonial style videos and screen recorded walkthroughs with nothing to ship.
Agencies
Shops running UGC for several clients, with a workspace and an invoice per client at the same 15%.
UGC platform questions
What is the best UGC platform for brands?
The best UGC platform depends on how you buy. Billo suits brands that want a fixed price per video, Insense suits steady monthly spend above about $5,000, and UgcBoard suits brands that want to set the payout per creator with no subscription. Our best UGC platforms page compares them side by side.
How much do UGC platforms cost?
Published prices run from about $99 per video on per video platforms to $249 to $500 a month plus a 5% to 20% fee on subscription marketplaces. UgcBoard has no plan and charges a flat 15% inside the campaign budget, so eight videos at $175 per creator cost $1,647 in total.
How do UGC platforms work?
You post a brief with the product, deliverables and payout, creators apply or are matched, you pick who to hire and ship the product. The creator films, you review and request revisions, then approve. The platform pays the creator and your usage license starts.
Are UGC platforms worth it?
For most brands, yes, compared with sourcing creators by DM. A platform handles contracts, payment, deadlines and the license, which saves hours per creator and protects you if someone doesn't deliver. The fee is usually lower than an agency margin of 30% or more.
Do UGC platforms take a cut from creators?
Some do. Collabstr and JoinBrands charge creators a fee on their payout, which pushes their quotes up. UgcBoard charges creators nothing, so the amount on the campaign card is what they receive.
Run your next campaign on a UGC platform built for paid social
Post the brief for free, fund it when you are ready, and pay creators exactly what the card says.