10 Best Stock Footage Websites (Spring 2023)
The overview of the best stock footage websites – from top with a bunch of features to free and high-rated ones.
Did you know that most people, about 75%, would rather watch a product review video than read an article about it? With such stats, it is easy to believe that video streaming is the future of digital marketing. Although the importance of video content cannot be ignored, producing a high-quality video can be expensive. Stock footage is the savior when you cannot afford to produce your videos consistently.
Finding the best stock footage for filmmaking and personal use can be daunting. We have rounded up [product_count] of the best stock footage sites with the top one – [first_product] to help you make an informed choice. Some features we considered when making the product list are pricing which affects your budget, and you may consider free websites for the beginning. Quality and range of themes – in case you’re planning to make a large range of video cuts or develop your filmmaking skills, and license limits to planning your work.
| Name | Nomination | Overall rating |
|
1. Pond5 A first-rate stock footage site with a massive library of over 60 million royalty-free stock videos, sound effects, music tracks, and images |
Editor’s Choice | 9.9 |
|
2. Gettyimages A fantastic stock photo agency with unique, top-rated video and image content best suited for enterprises and large businesses |
Premium Pick | 9.8 |
|
3. Artgrid A stock footage subscription service with thousands of top-quality footage in a wide range of formats and story-driven organization that makes editing easier |
Best for Beginners | 9.6 |
|
4. Raw Film A unique stock footage site with consistently, stunning, high-quality content that you can request to be custom-made if you do not find what you are looking for |
Best for Custom Content | 9.5 |
| 5. Adobe Stock
Over 200 million stock assets, including footage, photos, illustrations, and music for different types of content creators who love variety |
Best for Variety | 9.3 |
|
6. Soundstripe User-friendly site with great quality royalty-free music, video, and sound effects for different projects at incredibly affordable prices for different types of video content creators |
Best for Musicians | 9.0 |
|
7. Shutterstock An excellent stock footage site with over 10 million royalty-free, high quality, 4K and HD videos and a user-friendly interface |
Best User Experience | 8.9 |
|
Online Library with over a million digital assets, including audio clips, graphic design templates, WordPress themes, images, and video footages |
Best Value for Money | 8.8 |
|
9. Film Supply Iconic stock footage with premium pricing and a matching sophisticated licensing that suits big brands in need of consistent, high-end content |
Best for Film Makers | 8.7 |
|
10. Videvo A variety of free and premium stock videos, music, templates, motion graphics, and sound effects for videographers and video editors on a tight budget |
Best Low-Budget | 8.5 |
Detailed Product Reviews
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $199
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 28
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: 10
Pond5 is one of the most popular and biggest marketplaces for stock video footage. The New-York based company is dedicated to providing royalty-free stock videos that people can easily access anytime. The company’s primary mission is to provide creators, producers, and filmmakers with the tools and content they need to improve their craft.
Pond5 tops our list because of its massive library collection. It has over 60 million stock footage, music tracks, sound effects, and images that suit different types of content creators. After subscribing to any of the website’s plans, you will have access to about 13 million after-effects templates and 3D models. For $199 per month or $999 per year, you can download 10 stock footage every month. A single HD clip costs anywhere between $25 and $450. For 4K quality images, you would have to part with anything between $5 and $500. All these files come with a royalty-free license. The Library constitutes two primary assets; Editorial and Commercial. You cannot use the ‘Editorial’ content for promotions, advertisements, or any type of endorsements, but you can use the ‘Commercial’ content for commercial projects.
Compared to other stock footage sites on this list, Pond5 is a bit on the pricier end. If you have a high budget for premium quality video files, the site is worth giving a shot at. Otherwise, there are better options you may want to consider on the list.
What we liked
- Millions of stock videos available
- Offers integration for all major video editing software
- Allows uploading of video to see similar footage.
- Helps you find videos, TV series and more
- Thousands of videos are added daily
What could be better
- Premium pricing
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $4,250 (for a set of 10)
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 10
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: 10
Gettyimages is a brand that needs no introduction. It is one of the most renowned stock photo agencies in the stock photography industry. The website boasts a full, enormous library with millions of stock images, videos, and much more. It is incredibly easy to use, thanks to neat content organization into categories, collections, and lightboxes. You can easily get what you are looking for by using filters.
The best thing about Gettyimages is that you can use its royalty-free content severally, unlike most stock agencies that cap reproduction at 500,000. The royalty-free license is enhanced and non-exclusive, so anyone from anywhere in the world can use the content. This may be a challenge if you need uniqueness for your content.
Unlike other stock footage sites on this list, Gettyimages does not offer subscriptions. The site sells images and videos on demand only. What’s more, you can only buy photos and videos individually or in packages. The images and videos cost between $150 and $499, depending on the resolution and what a package constitutes. The lack of subscription offers makes Getty images more expensive than many other video sites on this list. If you are an individual or business in need of unlimited content, Getty images may not make sense economically. You may be better off with other options on this list.
What we liked:
- Top-quality videos and images
- Broad licensing terms
- Easy access to millions of videos and images
- Easy-to-use interface
- There is a free demo version
What could be better:
- No subscription options
- Premium pricing
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $24.92/32.92/49.92
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 25
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K/8K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: all
Art grid is pretty recent, but it has already made a name for itself as one of the market’s best stock footage subscription services. You can access a wide variety of high-quality stock videos from the site for a low monthly fee. The library has a collection of over 100,000 stock videos in various formats and resolutions. If you subscribe to the Junior HD plan, which is $24.92 per month or $299 per year, you get access to download HD videos as much as you want. The Creator 4K plan offers unlimited downloads of 4K/ProRes/DNxHR videos at $39.92 per month or $479 annually. If you are a professional, the Pro RAW/LOG plan would suit you best, with unlimited downloads of 4K/8K/RAW/LOG videos in ProRes/DNxHR formats at $49.92 per month or $599 annually.
Art grid is our second best pick because of its unique story-driven organization of clips that makes editing a breeze for most content creators. Its license is also incredibly straightforward.
Unlike other sites like Pond5, Artgrid’s footage is royalty-free, and you can use any of it for commercial and personal projects. Moreover, you can keep and use all the videos you download even after canceling your membership. The daily downloading limit is 100 clips.
What we liked:
- Unlimited downloads
- Straightforward licensing
- Allows the use of downloaded videos even after withdrawing from membership
- Story-driven organization of clips makes editing easier
- New clips are constantly added
- User-friendly interface
- Subscription covers both personal and commercial use of clips
- Footage available in different formats and resolutions
- Relatively affordable
What could be better:
- Has no option for buying clips without a subscription
- Some categories do not have a lot of footage yet
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $67.15
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: >20
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K/8K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: 50
Raw film is a stock footage site that does not have the bells and whistles that most of the popular options on this list have, but it offers visually stunning clips at an affordable price. The site’s entire library has the best-looking shot with consistent quality. The clips come in various formats and resolutions ranging from 4K to 8K. Nearly all the collections in the library have over 100 shots to meet different creative needs.
Besides top-notch video quality, Raw film is fourth on our list because of the excellent features on the list that make finding what you need simple. Some features include a preview grid that gives you a good sense of each clip, ‘Download all preview’ that allows you to get a zip of all the shots in one collection, and ‘Extended preview’ on top of each collection. Another praiseworthy feature of the site is the ability to see all the shots in the upgraded form if you want.
Raw film stacks up against other new stock footage sites like Artgrid. However, its content variety is still subpar. Plus, its search and filter options are not as comprehensive as other sites. On the bright side, the site has a few clips in 8K and 5K quality for free, and best of all, you can request them to produce custom content for you if you can’t find what you need.
What we liked:
- You can get custom content
- Easy-to-use interface
- High-quality images and videos
- Has a few free clips
What could be better:
- The preview files have a different resolution from the final files
- License does not allow multiple uses of a clip
Features:
- Pricing per Month: 15/48.19/120.48
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 15
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: 3/6/25
Adobe Stock is one of the most loved stock sites because of its wide variety of content. Most video content creators by the site’s richness when it comes to unique content, even on unusual and special topics. The site has over 200 million digital assets, including footage, photos, music, and illustrations. Their pricing is nice and simple, and you can choose between subscriptions and credit packs depending on your needs. Moreover, the site offers special individual pricing for freelancers and team pricing for businesses, so everyone gets the best bang for their buck.
Adobe Stock has a user-friendly interface with filters to help you narrow down your search. After buying a credit pack or subscription, you can download the file you want and use it in your project. Best of all, all the content is royalty-free, meaning you can use any assets however you like without worrying about copyright issues.
Adobe Stock has the edge over other high-end stock sites like Shutterstock and Pond5 because of its integration with other creative apps. All your download assets are stored in your account, including themes, fonts, and audio. Although its pricing is pretty standard for sites within its range, Adobe stock still wins users’ hearts with the 30-day free trial.
What we liked:
- Wide variety of assets
- User-friendly interface
- Integration with other creative apps
- Simple pricing
- Reasonable pricing
- 30-days free trial
What could be better:
- The licensing variety can be confusing
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $9.99/19.99/33.99
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 12
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K/8K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: all
Soundstripe is popular because it was the first stock media company to offer unlimited access to subscription-based royalty-free music. The stock footage site is pretty new, and it brings everything creators loved about their music library to video content. The royalty-free music, videos, and sound effects on Soundstripe are good enough for different creators, including; podcasters, YouTubers, independent filmmakers, and Instagram influencers. The site is user-friendly, and you can easily get what you need from the primary catalogues; Music, Video, and special effects. Further, to make your search easier, you can use different filters, including theme, mood, type, artist, duration, and much more.
Soundstripe’s video catalogue has more than 70,000 clips to choose from. The massive library has superior quality content that is professional and free to use. For your projects, you can download any type of clip from the catalogue, including intro shots, transitions, pauses, quiet moments, and emotional parts.
Sounstripe compares favorably with other video sites on this list in terms of affordability. If you are on a tight budget, Soundstripe should be your prime pick. Only Envato Elements comes close in terms of reasonable pricing. The subscription plans range between $9.99 and $33 per month, and each offers unlimited access to the site’s massive library. Soundstripe is an excellent option for beginners on a tight budget.
What we liked:
- Reasonably priced
- Unlimited downloads
- Easy-to-use interface
- High-quality footage available in HD to 8K
- Licenses protect your work forever
- Straightforward licensing
- Videos are carefully curated by in-house creative team
What could be better:
- The interface takes time to load
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $49/199
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 20
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: 3/20
Shutterstock is remarkably popular and if you search for the word stock on Google, it comes as one of the top results. Despite being known for the best photos, Shutterstock is a pretty decent site for videos, especially for a business that is looking for consistency in quality and variety. The site offers attractive monthly and yearly subscriptions, and you can also buy clips separately. The two subscription plans range between $49 to $199 per month and $499 to $1999 yearly. The first subscription plan has 3 clips and is much cheaper, while the second subscription plan has 20 clips.
Shutterstock made our list because of its huge library with over 10 million royalty-free 4K and HD videos that will help you easily create any type of video content. Also, unlike many sites, Shutterstock has a superb user-friendly interface with unique experiences like resolution search. Moreover, any of its subscriptions include a footage license, which covers web use. You can contact the company directly if you need other distribution rights like for TV or film.
Compared to other video sites, Shutterstock is quite pricey. However, it is hard to match its quality and variety. It is a close second and a great alternative to Pond5 if you have a budget for such high-end video stock subscriptions.
What we liked:
- Millions of footage available
- Easy-to-use interface
- Allows downloading of videos, music, and images
- The videos comply with most websites’ guidelines
What could be better:
- Premium pricing
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $33
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 26
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: all
Envato Elements is a prime option for video content creators, web developers, web designers, and freelancers who need access to bulk content for their projects. It has a wide variety of digital assets that can suit different content creators, including graphic templates, sound effects, music, and photos. You can find stock footage on the site in both HD and 4K quality. You will also enjoy a vast selection of WordPress themes, plugins, and template kits that can help you build a superb website from scratch or improve the one you have.
Envato Elements is an incredible stock footage site because it boasts over 2 million digital assets than satisfy various creative needs. Moreover, on top of the perks that come with a monthly or annual subscription, you get free access to a learning program, Tuts+, with courses, e-books, and tutorials covering various subjects. All the digital assets on the site’s library are licensed under one single-use commercial license. The license allows you to use all downloaded files in commercial projects, but you have to re-license every digital asset with each use. On the bright side, you would still have broad commercial rights for all the assets if you decide to end your membership.
Envato Elements compares favorably with other video sites on this when it comes to offering excellent value for money. It is incredibly affordable, yet it offers a relatively broad variety of digital assets for different types of video content creators. For its unlimited plan, you would only need to pay $33 per month and $198 annually. The student plan is more affordable and allows access to all the assets in the library at $23 per month and $138 per year.
What we liked:
- Excellent value for money
- Wide array of digital assets
- One single-use commercial license
- Unlimited download subscription
- 7-day free trial
What could be better:
- You have to re-license each item every time you use it.
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $109/219
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 54
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K/8K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: 5
Film Supply is another established name in the stock footage industry. It offers top-quality striking stock footage that is equally good or marginally better than what more popular sites like Shutterstock offer. Unlike most video sites, Film Supply offers free clip research. If you can’t seem to find what you need, just drop them an email, and they will send you a few suggestions that match your criteria.
The most special thing about Film Supply is its commitment to the filmmaking community. They frequently support and promote their creators’ personal passion projects on their social media pages. The site’s library is relatively pricier, but its distinctive high quality makes it pretty obvious that filmmakers have created the content for filmmakers.
Film Supply compares favorably with other stock footage sites with premium content like Artgrid in terms of quality. It offers fantastic and marginally better filtering than Artgrid, with more details of the video, like whether it was shot in anamorphic. Moreover, Film Supply is the only site on this list that offers real film assets shot on 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm, as well as footage shot at 8K and above. Its only downside compared to other stock sites is its high pricing and complicated, limiting licensing terms. If you are not into filmmaking, you should consider other options like Artgrid for better value for money and simpler ease of use.
What we liked:
- High-quality content best suited for film makers
- Supports and promotes top film making talent
- Offer help searching for a clip
What could be better:
- The site is not user-friendly
- Licensing is complicated and limiting
Features:
- Pricing per Month: $24.99
- Number of Stock Footage Categories: 25
- Quality of Stock Footage: HD/4K
- Unlimited Downloads per Month: 50
Videvo is a popular stock site among students and beginners because it offers free footage. It also has premium assets for commercial projects, which you can get with inexpensive monthly and yearly subscriptions. The site offers more than 500,000 high-quality stock footage, motion graphics clips, sound effects, music, and templates.
Videvo is our best low-budget pick because its video plans are remarkably affordable. The monthly subscriptions is only $24.99 per month. All the premium videos are licensed under a royalty-free license. The subscription limits you to 50 downloads per month.
Videvo stands out as the most affordable stock video subscription service on this list, but its video quality is not as great. It is an excellent option if you are a student videographer or video editor because of its easily free and affordable plans, but if you want top-quality footage for serious projects, you would be better off with other options on the list, like Envato Elements.
What we liked:
- Offers 18,000 free videos
- Incredibly affordable
- Hassle-free licensing
- Allows you to download videos according to shot types
- Money-back guarantee
What could be better:
- The free videos’ quality is relatively sub-par
- Finding a specific video can be challenging
Buying Guide
Whether you are new to the stock video industry or not, choosing a suitable site that meets your needs as a video editor or video content creator from the sea of options can be daunting. This buying guide has all the hints and tips on how to narrow down to a stock site that will meet all your creative needs as well as give you excellent value for your money.
What Are Stock Footage Websites?
Stock footage websites are websites that sell stock footage to creative. Stock footage is meant to be short clips or shots that have been filmed by videographers and put up for sale. The clips or shots can be licensed for any project, and they save creatives like film makers, YouTubers, Instagram influencers, and video editors the time and money it would cost them to create their own footage.
How to Choose the Best Stock Footage Website
Here are some crucial parameters to consider when choosing a stock footage website;
Quality
Choose a website that offers the best quality of videos to avoid creating subpar content. Websites with superior quality assets like Pond5, Artgrid, and Shutterstock are a bit on the pricey end, but a worthy investment. They guarantee variety, premium quality and uniqueness. If you are on a tight budget, go for options that offer the best balance between quality and pricing like Envato Elements.
Also, choose a stock website based on the type of content you create. For instance, if you are filmmaker, you would get the most out of Film Supply because the video content has been tailored by film makers to meet various film making needs.
Pricing
Stock websites have different pricing for their products. Some websites offer subscription plans while others don’t. If your project is going to need unlimited content, a subscription plan would make more economical sense than purchasing the stock footage separately. The pricing usually depends on the videos’ resolution and what a package or subscription plan constitutes. Choose one within your budget and take advantage of any offers, especially the ones that come with annual subscriptions.
Range of Themes
Different stock websites have different themes. If you need versatility and uniqueness in your work, choose a site that offers a wide range of themes like Shutterstock or Pond5.
Number of Downloads
Most stock websites have subscription plans with a limited number of downloads. For instance, Videvo only allows 5 downloads for its Lite monthly subscription plans and 50 downloads for its Pro monthly subscription. Pick a subscription plan that suits your creative needs. If you need unlimited content, choose plans that don’t have a download cap like the annual subscription plans for most sites.
Duration
Most stock footage sites offer access to their content when you subscribe to monthly or yearly plans. As a video content creator, it is highly likely that you will lack the time and money to create your own footage more than once in your career. Unless you are working on a one-time project, choose a plan that will give unlimited access to a variety of digital assets throughout the year.
License Limits
According to Soundstripe, video licensing is the legal process of paying to license video content for any other project. Most stock footage websites sell footage with a royalty-free license, meaning you can use the videos you buy without having to pay the original artist every time you use it. In essence, the royalty-free license is a fixed license that determines the number of times you can use a footage and where you can use it. Ensure you check the licensing page on the stock footage site to know the type of licensing they offer.
How to Use Stock Footage Effectively
Using stock footage effectively should be a breeze if you know exactly what you want. Here is how to go about it;
Make a Research
Visit any of the stock footage websites on this list, then search for the category or type of video you are looking for. From all the related search results you get, choose one that best matches your requirements after watching the preview. Download the clip directly if it is free or pay for it first if it is not free.
Edit the Clips
You must edit the video to fit with your original content. You must ensure that the colors and themes look the same for a consistent final result. Editing stock footage to achieve coherence may take time but it is necessary.
Use Motion Graphics
Motion graphics are more forgiving for a low budget because the videos allow you to tap into your creativity. According to Forbes, motion graphics is the best option for brands with a complicated story to tell, or a story that does not lend itself to live-action video. Motion graphics offer endless possibilities in creating a scenario you want with unlimited parameters. You can tell a story, share interesting data, or explain complex subjects with motion graphics and you wouldn’t have to spend a fortune.
FAQ
How many clips can I download from one website?
Each website has its own download cap depending on the subscription plan. Some allow you to download only 5 clips per month, others allow you to have unlimited access to the clips depending on the plan you have paid for.
Are free stock footage websites better?
Free stock footage sites are not the best compared to premium footage websites in terms of quality. If you are working on high-end projects you would be better off buying high-quality stock footage from premium websites. However, free stock footage websites are great for beginners and students with a low-budget.
Our Verdict
With all the pro tips on this guide, choosing the best stock footage site should not be a hassle anymore. Our product list has the best-rated stock footage sites in the market. For instance, professional video content creators swear by Pond5, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Artgrid’s premium quality and wide variety. Established businesses make the most out of Getty images’ unique digital assets and film makers cannot get enough of what Film Supply offers.
If you are on a tight budget but need good and consistent quality, Envato Elements and Soundstripe should be your prime picks. They offer high-quality content at reasonable prices. Video is the ultimate choice for a student or a beginner on a very low budget as they can take advantage of the free videos offered on the site. The premium plans on the site are also very attractive and suitable for any beginner creative.