Artlist review (2023): A small collection but up to 8K footage resolution

Photutorial’s take

Artlist is the best and one of the most affordable resources for stock videos, music, and sound effects. You can get unlimited downloads of all of them for just $29.99/month. The same would cost you hundreds of dollars elsewhere.

Pros

• Single license, lifetime use, low annual price, and unlimited downloads
• High-quality songs and sound effects
• No change in usage rights for corporate or broadcasting use
• Decent and fair pricing

Cons

• No indemnity
• No single file downloads
• Inaccurate genre categorization in some instances
• Significantly fewer tracks compared to other services
• Higher pricing compared to some competitors
• Sleek yet not as simple UI

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4.8

Photutorial Score

We score stock media sites based on objective testing data and subjective expert analysis. Our 5 scoring factors are weighted based on importance and designed to showcase the best stock media sites. For more information see our testing and scoring system explanation here.

Artlist.io is a royalty-free stock video, music, and SFX platform operating on an unlimited download basis. With 8K footage and other video editing assets, combined with video and image editing apps, it serves as a one-stop shop for video creators. However, it’s not up to the standard of Adobe Stock + Premiere Pro, which is reserved for professionals without budget constraints.

Don’t get me wrong; Artlist is not bad at all. You get unlimited downloads of all video editing stock assets and a video editing app for $40 per month. In addition, the simple royalty-free license allows you to upload videos to all major streaming platforms, including Twitch and YouTube. All this makes Artlist a solid option for beginner to intermediate video editors with a moderate budget.

However, I wouldn’t recommend it to professionals. Compared to Adobe’s 26 million videos, Artlist’s collection contains only about 180,000. In addition, the video editing app lacks advanced editing features professionals need for their workflow. Yet, keep in mind that Adobe Stock is much more expensive overall.

Artlist pricing

Artlist changed its pricing yet again; since they’ve been experimenting a lot lately, it’s possible your pricing will differ from the one I see. At the time of the writing, Artlist has four plans for individuals, differing in price, license, and the assets you can download with them. Yet, all of them are based on unlimited downloads.

The biggest drawback of Artlist pricing is that all plans are annual, meaning you can’t subscribe for fewer than 12 months. The only exception is the Music & SFX – Social plan, which costs $14.99 when you pick the monthly option.

As a stock footage subscription costing from $29.99 per month, Artlist is much cheaper than high-end stock sites like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock, where a single video costs around $10+. But in terms of value for your money, Envato Elements is a clear winner over Artlist as a stock video site.

While Artlist still offers competitive pricing when it comes to sheer volume and variety of content, Envato Elements surpasses it, providing a broader and richer collection of video footage. Envato Elements stands out as a comprehensive hub for creative assets, extending beyond stock videos (4.2 million) to include graphics, templates, photos (8.1 million), and even audio at one low cost of $16.50 per month.

Artlist licenses: Personal vs Unlimited

Both Artlist licenses are royalty-free, which basically means that once you download the asset, you can use it forever without having to pay fees every time you use it. The only difference between Personal and Unlimited is where and how much you can use that asset.

Basically, the Personal license allows you to use music and SFX you download only on your social platforms and podcasts. It further restricts your use to one channel per platform (for example, you can’t have two Instagram accounts). On the other hand, the Unlimited license comes without those restrictions. You can have unlimited channels on every platform, and you can use the assets for paid ads, client work, websites, broadcasting, and TV.

Can you use the Artlist license commercially?

Yes, you can use Artlist licenses commercially, making it a worthwhile consideration for businesses and professional creatives. For large organizations with over 100 employees, Artlist offers a specially crafted Enterprise plan. This plan is tailor-made to cater to your larger scale needs, offering a comprehensive solution that can fit seamlessly into your creative workflow. Thus, Artlist, with its various licensing options, has positioned itself as an excellent resource for businesses and organizations of various sizes.

Can you monetize your videos?

Yes, when you have an active Artlist subscription, you can monetize any video you create and publish.

For team-oriented projects, Artlist’s Team plans, including Music & SFX Team and Max Team, offer the opportunity to monetize videos on any platform worldwide. These plans cover the team listed on the license; however, the license can’t be used for team members’ personal projects.

AI-powered search

For creators where time is money, this search is a godsend. The AI seamlessly understands the subtle intricacies of our language, eliminating the all-too-familiar cycle of tweaking search terms or rectifying typos. You think it; you type it—whether it’s “sunset over a bustling city” or “lonely tree on a windy hill” — the AI intuitively understands and produces.

But this feature isn’t merely a search bar. It’s almost like a collaborative partner. Often, I started with a vague idea, only to be led down a rabbit hole of inspiration thanks to AI’s suggestions. Wondering how to portray ‘hope’ or ‘freedom’ in your project? The AI not only finds relevant footage but often surfaces angles or themes you might not have initially considered.

Diving a bit deeper, traditional search engines primarily focus on keyword matching. Artlist’s AI-powered engine transcends this. It translates visual elements from footage into a comprehensive language model. This essentially means results are based on a profound understanding of your input, not just a mere keyword match. Amit Bendor, the brain behind this at Artlist, encapsulates this as a creative expanse that grasps artistic nuances, moods, and a plethora of other dimensions.

My advice? Jump into Artlist footage, put in those phrases or feelings, and see where it takes you. The search experience was refreshing and, quite honestly, invigorating. Beyond this, Artlist’s robust library of music, effects, and templates still stand strong to supplement your projects.

Artlist alternatives

Artlist is a popular source of stock videos, audio, and templates for video editors. However, it has some drawbacks, like no indemnity and a relatively small collection compared to competitors. This has led many users to look for Artlist alternatives that better suit their needs.

Envato Elements is considered the best overall Artlist alternative. It has a much larger library of over 4 million stock videos plus hundreds of thousands of video templates, audio files, and more. Envato Elements also provides indemnity of up to 6 months’ subscription fees. Other top choices are Pond5 for its expansive 8K video collection and high $1 million indemnity, Shutterstock for its 29 million cheap stock videos, and PremiumBeat for superior quality audio.

When selecting an Artlist alternative, consider your specific needs like indemnity amount, total number of assets, file formats, and pricing model. For example, if you need more videos and assets than Artlist provides, Envato Elements’ extensive library is a great option. But if you mainly want music and sound effects with a solid license, PremiumBeat may be better. Evaluate Artlist’s pros and cons against your individual requirements to find the best alternative service for you. The right platform can remove creative limits and allow you to express yourself through unlimited downloads of videos, audio, templates, images, and more.

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