Top 5 Agencies to Buy Royalty Free Cheap Stock Footage
December 5, 2022
Are you on the hunt for cheap stock footage that you can use in your videos? Look no further. Here you will find the best agencies to buy Royalty-Free footage clips at low prices.
And of course, as a creative, you want the best cheap stock videos for your projects. At these super affordable stock video sites, cheap does not mean in any way low quality. You can license HD and even 4K clips to use in your video or film, without spending thousands. Isn't that the dream? Some of them are even offering unlimited downloads and a simple video editor. Others will give you video subscriptions at a bargain.
Cheap Stock Footage: Where to Buy Video Footage cheaper?
These are the stock agencies we recommend you to use when you want to maximize your budget's value. Each with their own particularities, they all offer some of the lowest prices in stock footage and have collections full of high-quality clips. Have a look at our list of the best economical stock footage providers.
BONUS: StockPhotoSecrets Shop – Get Low-Cost Stock Videos
The hugely popular Stock Photo Secrets Shop is the place to go for all small and medium-sized businesses looking for high-quality stock footage. Not only do they have a huge library counting in the tens of thousands of thousands of video footage in every genre you can think of, all in full HD quality, but also have unbeatable low prices in convenient, on-demand purchase models! It’s well worth taking the time to check out, and you can do so by reading our full StockPhotoSecrets Shop review.
This agency sells stock video footage in SD, HD, and 4K in the form of video packs, that you can buy on demand. You pay upfront for a number of video downloads, and you use them to get the clips of your choice. They offer 3 main packs, with each successive pack offering better discounts. Grabbing a 5-pack of video clips will set you back $198, the 10 pack weighs in at $380 and the 25-pack comes in at $980, or $39, $38, and $36 per video respectively. This is one of the lowest price rates in the stock footage industry, especially considering they are all full HD 1080 videos.
Even more awesomely, joining the website as a member will throw a massive 50% discount on top of every video pack, leaving them priced in at $99 for the 5 pack, $190 for the 10 pack, and $450 for the 25 pack! How to become a member? Simply subscribe to any of the awesome and very reasonable image plans they have available, which will also grant you all the complementary skills for your projects. A nicely round deal!
Shutterstock is one of the most popular stock imagery agencies, mainly because of its huge library and its low prices. They have over 19 Million video footage clips, with great variety in themes and styles and a good filter system to find them. Most of their footage is HD and they also have a large selection of 4K clips and of course stock images. Learn more about this agency in our Shutterstock review. To see the do's and don'ts of Shutterstock footage, check our Shutterstock Video License explanation post!
Shutterstock has just launched a great Small Footage Subscription for those with tighter budgets and lesser video needs. This plan gives you 5 video clips per month for just $99 monthly (billed annually upfront), which comes as $19.80 per clip –in HD and 4K.
They also have regular video subscriptions with 10 or 20 footage clip downloads per month, all in HD and 4K resolution, that you can hire month-to-month, annually with monthly payment, or annually paid upfront. These plans are a great deal in savings, as you can get them for as little as $159 per month, and if you're willing to invest in a year paid upfront you can get an HD or 4K clip for as little as $8.33!
Finally, they sell stock videos on demand by a single clip or with video packs. All their on-demand prices are based on video resolution and volume of purchase. You can buy videos a la carte, from $19 for Web size all the way to $79 and $199 for HD and 4K clips respectively. They do have a huge variety of slow motion and time-lapse royalty-free video clips.
But video packs offer a better price deal if you're willing to do a greater (yet small) upfront investment. Video packs let you buy downloads beforehand, and then use them to get videos. There are packs from 5 and up to 25 videos, arranged by resolution. The greater the pack is, the lowest each individual video costs. For example, HD clips are $79 each, but with a 5 download video pack, you pay $369, meaning each clip is $73.50. And with a 10 download pack, for $699, you're paying each clip at $69,90.
And great news for your budget: you can save even more with our special Shutterstock Promo Code, which gives you 15% off your footage purchase! You might even snatch some free clips in the meanwhile.
iStock is another top stock imagery agency, the one that has been in the industry for longer than all the others. Owned by Getty Images (the most renowned stock photo agency in the world), iStock offers a large collection of stock footage that includes lots of clips that are exclusive to their site, at very affordable prices. To read more about this company, go to our iStock review.
They sell stock videos a la carte, and they are priced in credits. Price is based on whether the clip is exclusive or not, rather than on image resolution. Essentials collection features all the clips that are non-exclusive. While still high quality and suitable for a broad range of uses, these clips are more affordable, at 6 credits each.
The signature collection includes all the stock video footage that is exclusive to iStock, and you can only license with them. They are very high-end video production suppliers creating these clips exclusively for iStock. These shots are significantly higher quality, as they are high-value productions with a superior overall look. For this reason, they are priced higher, at 18 credits each. The best is that 4k HD costs the same.
Now, credits have different values depending on the credit pack you buy (the larger the pack, the cheaper the individual credit). The minimum packs required to buy stock footage take their price to $60 for Essential and $165 for Signature. But it can go much lower than that with larger packs, as low as $24 and $144 respectively. Plus, you must know that these prices do not vary with video resolution, meaning with $60 you can buy a 4K Essential clip all the same as an SD one. This is by far one of the lowest prices for 4K footage in the market!
And you can have more. With our limited-time, exclusive iStock Promo Code you can get 15% off in EVERYTHING including CREDITS! For a limited time, you'll be able to buy credit packs at iStock with this great discount, to get your stock footage cheaper than ever! Grab the code today!
Videvo.net launched in 2012 with the goal of becoming the ultimate source for free stock footage and motion graphics. Over the years, their library has grown to include premium video and audio, which is accessible via their two Premium Plans. While their free content has varying licenses, their Premium Plans guarantee Royalty-Free licensing. In total, their library includes 15,000 free video clips and Motion Graphics, 85,000 Premium Clips, and 100,000 Audio Assets. All premium clips are provided in HD resolution and above. Find out more in our Videvo review!
Their Premium Plans, Videvo Plus, and Videvo Pro are offered as both monthly and yearly subscription plans. While the monthly subscription plans offer a set number of premium clip downloads per month, the yearly subscription extends the number of monthly downloads to unlimited.
Videvo Plus
only $14.99 billed Monthly, or save 20% at $144 Annually
25 Premium Video Downloads per month (unlimited in Annual plans)
Royalty-Free License
Money-back guarantee
Videvo Pro:
only $24.99 billed Monthly, or save 20% at $240 Annually
50 Premium Video Downloads per month (unlimited in Annual plans)
More good news: with our special Videvo Coupon Code, you can unlock a 20% discount on Plus and Pro plans, and get unlimited downloads at the lowest prices ever!
Save 20% off with our exclusive Videvo Coupon Code on their Video Subscriptions Videvo Plus and Pro! Safe most with their yearly plan Videvo Pro and ...
Videvo.netsubscriptions are good if you are on a limited budget and if they have the videos you need. Check their website first to see if they have the clips you need. Don't miss out on the unlimited download options in their annual plans (monthly plans are limited). While their collection is still small(ish) compared to other stock agencies, it's growing very fast and the quality is great at that price point.
Motion Array – Stock Footage + More Creative Resources
Motion Array is a one-stop-shop for video creatives, that offers all kinds of creative resources, on a subscription-only service. It includes libraries of royalty-free stock footage and motion graphics, stock music and sound effects, stock photos, presets and templates for industry-standard, video editing tools, and even workflow solutions for freelancers like a portfolio builder and a video collaboration board. The quality of assets is suitable for professional use, with videos from 2K and up to 5K+ resolution. The catalog is somewhat modest compared to other options listed, with 700K+ files in total, but it's very varied and does well covering most topics and genres.
This service works under subscription only, and it has options for individuals and teams. It's worth noting that all plans come with unlimited downloads, and full access to all the available resources –tools, plugins, and integrations–. For individual use, membership is $29.99/mo hiring it month-to-month, and $249.99/year (or $20.83 per month) with an annual commitment. More info can be found in our Motion Array review.
However, you now have the chance to save on your subscription with our cool Motion Array coupon that gives you a $50 discount on an annual plan! Pay only $199.99/year (or $16.67/mo) and enjoy unlimited downloads in Motion Array for a whole year!
As for multiple seats, the Team membership is annual only, it allows from 2 and up to 20 members, and costs $224.99/year per member.
Free Downloads at Motion Array
Additionally to their premium, paid offers, Motion Array offers free accounts that give you limited access to their service. This includes free downloads of a reduced selection of assets (including stock videos), and one-month free trials for their workflow tools, among other perks.
If you are looking to get all your creative needs covered with a single subscription, Motion Array is certainly worth exploring!
ProVideo Factory – Unique Clips from Around the Globe
ProVideo Factory is an excellent choice if you are looking for high-end stock footage from various corners of the world, at affordable prices. This company specializes in videos shot with state-of-the-art cameras by dedicated teams that produce content exclusively for this library. The footage comes in up to 8K resolution and is all Royalty-Free for commercial use. To learn all about their service, read our full ProVideo Factory review.
You would think such premium quality footage would cost a pretty penny, but this agency's pride is to be accessible for most creatives' pockets. That's why they work with annual subscriptions that include unlimited downloads, priced at $149 for HD, and $299 for HD and 4K. Additionally, they offer a Premium library where you can buy video clips in up to 8K resolution and RAW files on demand, ranging from $40 to $200 depending on image quality.
What's cool is they also let you test their service and see the value in their content at no cost. All you have to do is sign up to download and use their selection of free stock footage!
ArtGrid – Unlimited Pro Stock Footage
ArtGrid is a stock footage service brought to you by the same owners of Artlist –a premium stock music site–. This platform focuses on high-value, professional stock videos shot with the latest cameras available and at top resolution. Their catalog is sourced from filmmakers and aimed at filmmakers and is royalty-free for commercial use. They have content in up to 8K and RAW, in a considerably large and varied collection spanning many popular subjects and styles. More details? See our ArtGrid review.
They sell 1-year memberships with full and unlimited access to their library, meaning you can download as many clips as you want for one flat fee. Such fee depends on the maximum resolution you want, ranging from $299 to $599 where the cheapest enables downloads in HD only, and the most expensive lets you get videos in all resolutions up to RAW/LOG.
If you need lots of super-curated, artsy, and current footage clips with professional quality, this can be the perfect fit for you!
Adobe Stock – Stock Footage for Creative Cloud
Adobe Stock is a new service that integrates stock footage (and photos, vectors, and illustrations) from popular stock agency Fotolia right into Adobe's Creative Cloud apps. The integration includes over 1 Million HD stock videos and over 100,000 4K clips. To learn more about this service, read our Adobe Stock review.
The service sells videos a la carte. HD clips are at $79 and 4K at $199. The buying system is easy and quick. Just select the videos you want, and enter your payment details. Simple as that.
They have high-quality videos on many different topics and themes, but the value in their offer is in the integration with their cloud resources. If you use Adobe's video editing apps, Adobe Stock makes your life easier by letting you search, license, and use stock footage shots without ever leaving the editing app's interface. Pretty cool.
Pond5 agency is very popular in the market and was one of the first successful agencies focused on stock footage. They have a huge library of over 5.5 Million clips, including HD, 4K, and 4K+ clips, and a model where videographers price their own clips, resulting in a wide range of prices, on average very affordable. If you want to know more about the company, go to our Pond5 review.
They sell stock footage on-demand with credit packs, but the pricing is super simple because a Pond5 credit equals $1. Instead of cutting from credit price, their packs give you bonus credits, the larger the pack, the greater the bonus. You can buy packs from $250 up to $5000, and get bonuses from $10 to $500 respectively. How many clips you can buy with your pack depends on your needs and selection: at Pond5 you can find Web resolution clips for $5, long 4K+ productions for $500 or more, and pretty much anything in between.
Plus they also offer subscriptions. Their memberships give you access to a curated collection of clips, and a different amount of downloads depending on the plan. Pro membership gives you 5 monthly downloads from a selection of 200,000 HD clips, for $59 a month or $559 a year (that is $11.80 per clip per month and $9.31 per clip per year). Premium membership gives you 10 monthly downloads from a collection of 200,000 videos that include HD and 4K resolutions, plus curated selections of bonus files like stock photos and sound effects; prices are $139 a month ($13.90 per clip) and $839 a year ($6.99 per clip). Low price or what?
If you're looking for lots of stock videos, Pond5 has the pricing range and subscription plans to make the best out of your budget. And with our special coupon code, you can save 20% off your purchase!
So there you have them. 5 of the best stock agencies to buy cheap royalty-free videos. With such low prices and simple buying systems, you have no excuses when it comes to spicing up your projects with high-quality stock video clips. Don't forget to also add sound effects to your videos or music for videos here.
These agencies will help you boost up your productions and get the best value for your money, all at the same time. What's more to ask?
I am a publisher and entrepreneur in the stock imagery field. I focus in providing knowledge and solutions for buyers, contributors and agencies, aiming at contributing to the growth and development of the industry.
I am the founder and editor of Stock Photo Press, one of the largest networks of online magazines in the industry. I am the founder of Microstock Expo, the only conference dedicated to the microstock segment. I created several software solutions in stock photography, like the PixelRockstar WordPress Plugin. Plus I am a recurrent speaker at Photokina Official Stage, and an industry consultant at StockPhotoInsight.
I am passionate about technology, marketing and visual imagery.
