How to make your budget and your stock footage content needs meet? That's one of the main concerns of most stock footage buyers.
There's a lot of agencies where you can buy great stock footage cheap, but buying a la carte or on-demand can exceed your budget when you need lots of stock videos, when you use stock footage constantly, or both. There are also resources to get great stock footage for free, but these are usually limited services and don't work when you need variety and quantity of clips. We have just released a full guide on how to buy stock video.
What's the solution to get lots of stock videos, constantly and cheap? 3 words: Stock Video Subscriptions aka a flat rate of stock video clips.
And here you'll find the top 8 subscription offers to make the best out of your budget and get all the content you need for your projects.
What is a Stock Video Subscription
This concept refers to a buying model in which you get a fixed number of video downloads to stock footage in return for a periodic, flat fee.
Normally arranged monthly and annually, stock video subscriptions let you download stock media a certain number of clips per month or per year, and the final price is always much lower compared to what you'd pay for each clip individually.
It's a great solution when you need a lot of clips, and you need them periodically. It's also a good offer for anyone wanting to get stock videos cheap, but given it involves a longer-term commitment with an agency, it's not the best choice if you only need stock footage sporadically.
The Top 8 Best Stock Video Subscriptions
There are several stock video sites and companies selling stock footage under the subscription model, but here we list the best offers in terms of content, motion backgrounds, and price. Some of them are so good they're listed in our guide to the Best Stock Footage Sites in the market!
Shutterstock Video Subscriptions
The stock media titan Shutterstock has a very rich stock footage catalog that is arguably the largest on the web. Most of this content is available on HD and 4K resolution, and it's Royalty Free, perfectly suitable for all kinds of professional, commercial-oriented productions. The company recently included stock video subscriptions into their offer, making them way more affordable and convenient – not that they weren't already a great choice. For more info, check out our full Shutterstock Video review.
This is what Shutterstock has to offer:
- Over 19 Million stock videos and adding hundreds of thousands of files every month
- Most clips available in SD, HD, and 4K
- Subscriptions: Small Footage Subscription for 5 videos monthly, regular plans with 10 videos a month and 20 videos a month
- Plans can be hired month-to-month, annually but billed monthly, or annually and paid upfront – the latter offers the best per-clip rates
- AI-powered search tool for a video that uses pixels and image recognition software to find similar content
Shutterstock's subscriptions are a novelty –launched in April 2020– and a great option for creatives needing freshly new videos constantly. The most recently added Small Footage Subscription is ideal for low budgets. The Shutterstock video library is incredibly varied so you'll have access to virtually any content you can imagine, and you can download videos for a small fraction of the price you'd pay if buying per piece or with a prepaid pack.
The plans available are:
| Small Footage Subscription: 5 Clips a Month | 10 Clips a Month | 20 Clips a Month |
|---|---|---|
| Month-to-Month $189 | Month-to-Month $359 | Month-to-Month $669 |
| Annual billed Monthly $99 | Annual billed Monthly $159 | Annual billed Monthly $199 |
| Annual billed Upfront $1,599 | Annual billed Upfront $1,999 |
Shutterstock has so many positives one does not know where to begin. This is a well-cemented, solid, and trustworthy company, one of the leading names in stock media. They're well known for their huge pool of content with extensive variety, super sharp quality, and strong commercial orientation. Buying stock footage at Shutterstock is a great way to ensure the quality and effectiveness of your productions!
Sign up for free at Shutterstock now to explore their stock footage. And hear this: now you can buy a Shutterstock Video subscription with a 15% discount, thanks to our exclusive Shutterstock Video Coupon Code!
Artgrid
Artgrid
is a new stock footage platform that specializes in super high-quality videos, produced by talented artists with top-notch gear. They have a varied, growing library with clips covering a plethora of popular and very sought-after topics, in quality up to 8K and RAW, under Royalty Free license on a subscription model. What's interesting in their offer is that additional to the regular, individual clips arrangement most stock footage catalogs use, Artgrid includes “stories”: groups of video clips shot by the same filmmaker, put together in a storytelling concept. These stories are great to inspire your creativity and show you the footage's usage possibilities. Best of all is they work with subscriptions means unlimited downloads per month and 4k HD video clips. For more info, you can check out our Artgrid review. And here are some key details:
- Thousands of stock footage clips
- High-resolution 4k HD and up to 8K and RAW/LOG format available
- Unlimited Downloads
- Subscription-based service, with three pricing tiers according to video quality
- Usage Rights are RF
- 2-month free trial available
- One of the best subscription plan in the business
These are the plans:
Artgrid subscriptions are ideal if you need or simply love working with unrestricted access to resources. While their collection is still small compared to other stock agencies, it's very varied and the quality is great. Definitely worth exploring!
back to menu ↑Storyblocks Video
Storyblocks Video was born as Videoblocks, a company specialized in stock footage, that later expanded and rebranded into Storyblocks as a stock media platform with dedicated libraries for stock video, stock audio, and stock images.
Lead by an awarded entrepreneur, they have one of the best and most innovative subscription models in the market, offering unlimited downloads for a flat fee. They are like the “Netflix for stock footage”. Know more about them in our full Storyblocks review. The former Videoblocks is now known as They are Storyblocks Video!
Here's what you can find at Storyblocks Video:
- Wholly owned collection of around 1 Million stock videos, motion backgrounds, after effects and more
- Image quality in HD, 4K, and 4K+
- Unlimited Downloads Subscription
- Basic Subscription for small budgets
Here are the membership options:
| Basic Plan (5 HD Videos per Month) | Unlimited Video (HD, 4K, AE Templates) | Unlimited All Access (Video, Audio, Images) |
|---|---|---|
| $19 Monthly | $39 Monthly | $65 Monthly |
| $99 Yearly | $199 Yearly (57% off) | $349 Yearly |
With Storyblocks' most popular Unlimited Video plan, the price you pay for each clip depends on how many of them you download. If you download hundreds of clips, you'll be paying fractions of cents for each. Their annual plan is one of the cheapest ever!
Join Storyblocks today and start downloading thousands of great stock footage clips. And now you can get insane savings with our special Storyblocks Promo Code: 57% off in your membership!
StoryBlocks (formerly known as Videoblocks) - Unlimited Downloads, Amazing Pro Footage
|
Videvo Plus and Pro (Very cheap)
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.
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. Here are more details on their offer:
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)
- Premium Audio Downloads
- Royalty-Free License
- Money-back guarantee
Videvo.net subscriptions 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.
back to menu ↑ProVideo Factory
ProVideo Factory is a relatively new stock footage site, but it's already picked by renowned brands like NBC and Samsung. The source clips from talented filmmakers from all around the world, resulting in a collection with a lot of regional variety. All their content is royalty-free and they offer Premium content on-demand as well as subscriptions with unlimited downloads. All the details, in our ProVideo Factory review. But the highlights are:
- Over 150,000 HD and 4k HD clips
- All wholly-owned, exclusive videos
- Unlimited Downloads
- Premium on-demand content up to 8K quality
- Subscription for high-quality footage up to 4K resolution
And this is their pricing:
ProVideo Factory service is a good fit if you are after regional variety and worldwide content. The unlimited subscriptions are a great deal to maximize costs, and the added discount for the on-demand collection lets you get ultra-high-definition clips at incredibly affordable rates. What's not to like in that?
back to menu ↑Pond5
Pond5 is a very popular, footage-first agency, operating for a decade. They have a huge contributor-sourced and contributor-priced library full of high-quality clips, and membership plans based on a curated stock footage collection. Learn more about this agency in our full Pond5 review.
Here's a little overview:
- Over 5.5 Million clips
- From Web and up to 4K+ resolution
- Collection of 200,000 selected clips for memberships
- Discounts in a la carte purchases
These are Pond5 membership plans:
Pro: 5 HD downloads a month.
- Monthly: $69 – $13.80 per clip
- Annual: $559 – $9.31 per clip
Premium: 10 HD and 4K downloads a month + selection of stock photos and audio files
- Monthly: $139 – $13.90 per clip
- Annual: $839 – $6,99 per clip!
Pond5 subscriptions let you save hundreds of dollars from single clip purchases. You can get HD and 4K videos for as little as $6.99 each when their a la carte price at Pond5 (and most other top agencies) is between $50 and $300 per video!
As a bonus, all subscriptions come with a 10% off for a la carte purchases of any of the items in the rest of their vast library.
Sign up at Pond5 to get your membership today. Browse and download from a high quality curated collection of footage!
Download 1080p HD videos from Pond5 for only $35 to $79
Dreamstime
Dreamstime is an established stock imagery agency with 16 years in business. Well-known for their wide price range and varied buying options, they have high-quality stock footage and multiple subscription plans to buy them. Find out more about their offer in our full Dreamstime review.
Here are the must-knows:
- Around 1 Million stock videos
- From Web and up to 4K quality
- Wide offer in stock footage subscriptions
- Plans based on video resolution and download limit
Here are their options:
| Amount of Video Downloads | Web Resolution | HD 720p | HD 1080p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Download | $13 | $36 | $54 | $99 |
| 5 Downloads | $36 - $7.20 per clip | $121 - $24.20 per clip | $148 - $29.60 per clip | $297 - $59.40 per clip |
| 10 Downloads | $65 - $6.50 per clip | $225 - $22.50 per clip | $280 - $28 per clip | $559 - $55.90 per clip |
| 25 Downloads | $153 - $6.12 per clip | $444 - $17.76 per clip | $543 - $21.72 per clip | $1070 - $42.80 per clip |
Dreamstime subscription offer is wide and has varied price points, but is tailored by video resolution is not as flexible as the others. Keep in mind the highest resolution gives you greater versatility in edition and usage.
But the larger the plan is, the greater your savings are. The largest plan in ever resolution cuts over 50% from the smallest, 1 download option.
Register at Dreamstime now to start downloading cheap stock videos. And now you can save more with our special Dreamstime offer: get 20% off any stock footage subscription!
- 69 credits per 1080p HD video download
- $71.8 per 69 credits (based on ...
back to menu ↑
BONUS! MotionElements
MotionElements
is a well established, Asia-based company specialized in all things stock video. Footage clips, motion elements, animations, special effects, After Effects and Premiere Pro templates, 3D… you name it, they have it. All content in their marketplace is Royalty-Free and ready to download and use, and they have a wide range of prices. And they very recently added subscription plans to let you save in bulk purchases. Here are the highlights of their offer:
- Over 2 million stock video and stock music files
- High-quality content up to 4K
- Buy on demand with credits, or a la carte paying as you go
- Subscriptions priced according to the volume of downloads and media type
Here's what you can buy:
Plan for Video Clips + Apple Motion Files
- Starter: 3 monthly downloads for $75 monthly, and $49 a month annually
- Professional: 10 monthly downloads for $249 monthly, and $159 a month annually
Plan for Stock Music + After Effects Templates + Premiere Pro Templates
- Starter: 3 monthly downloads for $29 monthly, and $19 a month annually
- Professional: 10 monthly downloads for $89 monthly, and $59 a month annually
MotionElements subscriptions have very convenient prices, especially when hiring them annually, and reduce the costs from a la carte purchasing, letting you get videos for as little as $15,90 each. Their Professional plans also include multi-seat access, great for teams. And there's also a custom subscription option in the works, that will be soon available.
Sign up for free at MotionElements here, explore their curated selection, and get your subscription plan today!
Stock Video Subscription: A Great Solution for Volume Buyers
Stock footage subscriptions let you get a larger number of stock video clips on a periodic basis, with considerable discounts over single clip prices.
This makes them the best deal for you if your projects require lots of stock footage clips constantly. Buying them on-demand or a la carte would mean you don't have to commit to constant payments with a particular agency, but it's also more expensive.
Stock video subscriptions assure you will have the clips that you need, and at the lowest possible price. Plus, at most agencies, you can cancel your subscription at any time, with little restrictions or charges.
So now you know: if you need to buy lots of stock footage regularly, stock video subscriptions are for you. And here you have the top 3 offers to maximize your budget without compromising content quality. All you can possibly wish for from a stock footage agency!
