Stock footage is a great way to add some flavour to your videos. No matter what business you are in, you can always use stock footage to make your videos better. While there are quite a few stock footage sites, there are only a few that offer unlimited stock footage downloads at a reasonable price.
After sorting through dozens of stock footage sites and consulting with video editing experts, I think the best option for most video editors is Storyblocks, a source of 1+ million stock videos, audio, and sound effects that is not only trustworthy and transparent but also high-quality and reliable.
The best way to get unlimited stock footage downloads
Storyblocks is the best way to get unlimited stock footage downloads. I recommend purchasing the Unlimited All Access or Unlimited Video plan.
Storyblocks
The best source of stock footage.
The Unlimited All Access ($30/month) grants you:
- Unlimited downloads of HD & 4K footage;
- After Effects templates;
- Music & sound effects;
- Photos, vectors, and illustrations.
The cheaper Unlimited Video plan ($20/month) grants you HD & 4K footage and After Effects templates.
How much do unlimited stock footage subscriptions cost?
Subscription plans with unlimited downloads cost between $10/month and $199/month. The price depends on the seller. But it does not correlate with the video quality. In fact, Storyblocks and Artgrid videos are exceptional. Plus, they are inexpensive.
I rated stock footage sites that offer unlimited downloads on a scale from 0 to 5, by considering video quality and number, pricing, and legitimacy.
| Provider | Price | Video count | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storyblocks | $20/month | 1 mil+ | 4.7/5.0 | Get now » |
| Artgrid | $25/month | 160K+ | 4.5/5.0 | Get now » |
| Videvo | $12/month | 500K | 4.1/5.0 | Get now » |
| Storytape | $199/month | 25,670 | 3.9/5.0 | Get now » |
| Provideo factory | $10/month | 200K | 3.2/5.0 | Get now » |
| FilmHERO | $15/month | 12,000 | 2.1/5.0 | Get now » |
The best unlimited stock footage subscription sites
Subscribing to an unlimited downloads plan is the best way to get stock videos for video editing. At the same time, it saves money and gives peace of mind because you don’t have to worry about counting downloads.
As a result, getting unlimited downloads is one of the best ways to boost creativity. In fact, even professional video editors use these subscription plans for their YouTube videos and other commercial projects.
1. Storyblocks
The best stock footage site boasting low prices and high-quality videos.
- Rating: 4.7/5
- Number of videos: 1 million
- Price: $20-$30/month
- Review: Storyblocks review
- Coupon: /
Even the best video editors in the world use Storyblocks. And here’s why.
First, the unlimited downloads allow them to test out different clips. Otherwise, you have to buy the videos before trying them. Adobe, with Adobe Stock integration in the Creative Cloud, is the exception. But, it’s more expensive and doesn’t offer unlimited downloads.
Second, the high quality and quantity of videos ensure that you will always be able to find what you need for any project. As a result, Storyblocks proves useful for many video editors who lack their own videos. The unlimited downloads give you the ability to download videos without paying attention to the quotas.
Lastly, nobody else offers footage, music, After Effects, Adobe Premiere templates, and images in one inexpensive plan.
Do you need a professional video editing app? Storyblocks has its online version.
Key Takeaways:
- Access to 1 million+ premium, royalty-free video, audio, and image assets.
- Flexible plans, including monthly and yearly subscription options.
- A powerful, easy-to-use, online video editing tool that lets you create more.
- Access to Storyblocks’ unique data and insights helps you curate the right content for your audience.
- One plan for videos, music, After Effects, and video Maker.
- The best ratio between price and video quality and quantity.
- Trusted by the world’s best video editors.
2. Artgrid & Artlist
The best Storyblocks alternative offering 8K videos.
- Rating: 4.5/5
- Number of videos: 160K+
- Price: $25-$50/month
- Review: Artgrid & Artlist review
- Coupon: /
Artgrid is more expensive than Storyblocks, and it has 9x fewer videos. However, Artgrid has been used by many famous YouTubers, including Peter McKinnon.
Video quality sets Artgrid apart from other stock footage providers. Their videos are technically superb. But they also have sentimental value.
Unfortunately, Artgrid does not offer any all-in-one subscription plans. Instead, you have to buy videos and music separately. Moreover, music and sound effects are available only at a sister website, Artlist.
To get everything you get at Storyblocks for $30/month, you need to spend $50/month at Artgrid and Artlist. Plus, you need to create two accounts and switch between them all the time.
Nonetheless, I love Artgrid because it allows me to organise my content into collections. So I can organise it even before licensing it. It’s a great way to get ready for a project.
Key Takeaways:
- Superb video quality (up to 8K);
- For music and sound effects, you need a separate subscription plan at Artlist;
- Preparing for projects is fun and enjoyable with collections.
- Unlimited music and SFX means no matter how big your project is, you will always have unlimited access to new music.
- You can use the music and SFX in an unlimited number of projects.
- Lifetime use means you can use the music and SFX in as many of your projects as you need for as long as you want.
- New music and SFX every day means you never run out of new music to use.
- Artgrid is pre-checked for YouTube, so you can use the music and SFX in your YouTube videos.
3. Videvo.net
The cheapest but lacks in quality.
- Rating: 4.1/5
- Number of videos: 500K+
- Price: $12-$20/month
- Review: Videvo.net review
- Coupon: PTT15
Unlike other stock footage sites, Videvo offers free stock videos in addition to premium clips. More than 18K videos are free to use with attribution to the author and/or Videvo. If you want to avoid giving credit, you have to get a premium plan, like Videvo Plus.
The video quality is satisfactory, with even pretty specific topics covered. However, sometimes finding a quality free video is not possible. In this case, you would need to resort to the premium plans.
Very affordable plans set Videvo apart from other stock footage sites. The monthly Videvo Lite plan costs $5/mo (5 videos), and the annual Videvo Plus costs $12/mo (unlimited downloads). The yearly plans represent the best price value given that the downloads are fully unlimited. Videvo Pro in particular is a one-stop creative destination for unlimited stock footage, motion graphics, templates, music and audio, all for $240/year.
Premium downloads are licensed under a royalty-free license, allowing for perpetual use even in commercial projects. However, content labelled “Editorial use only”, may be used for non-commercial purposes only.
Key Takeaways:
- Affordable unlimited plans.
- 500K premium and free videos.
- Free stock videos with attribution.
4. Storytape
- Rating: 3.9/5
- Number of videos: 25,670
- Price: $199/month
Storytape divides all videos into scenes. For example, “Gloomy Morning Mountains” contains 77 clips, and they all look alike. That way, you can get several high-quality videos with a specific motive.
However, that feature makes browsing for videos rather annoying. Even when you enter a search phrase, you need to open every scene individually to see the videos. The slow website makes matters even worse.
Moreover, the search doesn’t work as intended. For example, the phrase “cat” returns four scenes: “Cats At Home”, “Dog Playing in Backyard”, “Young Woman On Cell Phone”, and “Small Dog In Apartment”. Only one out of four is relevant.
For $199/month, you get unlimited downloads of 4K and 1080p videos and After Effects templates. Compared to Storyblocks, you pay 10x more, but you get 20x fewer videos.
Key Takeaways:
- Videos are divided into scenes;
- Website is super-slow, and search doesn’t work properly;
- Plans are expensive.
5. Provideo Factory
- Rating: 3.2/5
- Number of videos: 200K +
- Price: $10/month
Provideo Factory is the cheapest unlimited download option on this list. But it’s not at the top. Here’s why:
The videos are just not good. From a technical standpoint, they’re okay. But the artistic value is not there. A large portion of videos looks like an amateur shot them.
Also, the search engine does not work because it searches based on word resemblance instead of meaning. For example, searching for a “cat” returns videos of cats (duh), Xmas, cars, camels, cabs, and hats.
Key Takeaways:
- The cheapest option;
- Video quality is mediocre at best;
- Searching is useless.
6. FilmHERO
- Rating: 2.1/5
- Number of videos: 12,000
- Price: $15/month
FilmHERO‘s library collection contains only 12K videos. Although that sounds like a lot, it isn’t because the options on any given topic are scarce. A library needs at least 100,000 videos for a sufficient variety.
FilmHERO offers three purchasing options: one on-demand pack and two subscription plans. The best price per video is available with the yearly subscription plan. While it costs only $15, you only get 12,000 stock videos. In comparison, you get more than 1 mil videos for $20.
I tried searching for footage of a cat. And the results contained eight collections of couples and one collection of 10 cat videos.
Key Takeaways:
- Cheap plans;
- Small number of videos and poor video variety.
FURTHER READING
How to Get Unlimited Stock Footage?
The easiest way to unlimited stock footage is by choosing Storyblocks unlimited videos plan. It costs $20/month.
Total Time: 3 minutes
1. Go to Storyblocks.com.
2. Choose a plan.
If you’re only interested in stock footage, I recommend the Storyblocks’ Unlimited Video plan. It grants you access to HD & 4K footage and After Effects templates for $20/month.
When you edit videos, you also need music, photos, vectors, and illustrations. Storyblocks offers an excellent Unlimited All Access plan for $30/month. Best of all, it grants you unlimited access to all their content.
3. Enter payment information.
Storyblocks is perfectly safe to use. Hundreds of thousands of users purchased Storyblocks plans without any trouble.
4. Confirm the payment.
It will only take a minute.
5. Start downloading footage.
Nice! You’ll be able to download footage until you cancel the plan. You will be able to use the downloaded footage even after you cancel.
Estimated Cost: 20.00 USD
Tools:
- Computer with access to internet
- Sufficient budget
FAQs
Which is the best unlimited stock footage site?
Storyblocks provides the best ratio between price, video quality, number, and license usage. Unlimited stock footage downloads are available for only $20/month.
How much does Storyblocks cost?
Storyblocks (previously known as Videoblocks) cost $20 per month for unlimited footage downloads, $15 for unlimited music downloads, and $30 for unlimited footage, music, After Effects, and images.
What is the best stock footage subscription?
The Unlimited All Access plan provides everything a video editor needs. You get unlimited downloads of HD & 4K footage, After Effects templates, music & sound effects, photos, vectors, and illustrations for $30/month.
How can I buy stock footage without a watermark?
When you purchase a stock footage plan, every clip you download will be without a watermark. Choose one of the best unlimited downloads stock footage sites, such as Artgrid or Storyblocks. And purchase a subscription plan. The best part is that you can use this footage legally forever for almost any project.
Is it legal to use stock footage?
After you acquire a license to a particular video clip, you can legally use it within the allowed uses. Its uses depend on the license. If you break the license agreement, you might get into legal issues.
Is there free stock footage?
You can get free stock footage, but most experts, including me, advise against it. Free stock footage is licensed under a creative commons zero license, which provides no legal guarantees. On the other hand, choosing unlimited downloads plans is virtually the same as downloading it for free. Plus, you know that what you’re doing is legitimate.
Conclusion
Unlimited downloads plans of stock footage are a true blessing for video editors of any calibre. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner, always having an unlimited supply of footage at your hands is one of the best ways to supercharge your career.
