If you’re a video editor or a marketing agency, there’s no replacement for a good stock footage subscription. So, investing in professional stock videos, templates, and audio makes sense if you want to save your budget and time. In this Motion Array vs. Envato Elements comparison, I’ll share my experience with you (the likes and dislikes).
The verdict: While both Envato Elements and Motion Array provide royalty-free assets, Envato Elements comes out on top with its more affordable pricing and a much larger collection—though Motion Array’s smaller, quality-focused library might be the go-to for creators seeking less volume but more curated content.
Envato Elements vs. Motion Array: At a glance
| Envato Elements | Motion Array | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating: | 4.8/5.0 | 4.3/5.0 |
| Pricing: | From $11.50/month | $19.99–$29.99/month |
| Pros | – Massive volume of assets – Affordable pricing with discounts – Diverse range of digital assets – Provides indemnity | – High-quality, curated assets – Simple, straightforward pricing – Good variety despite the smaller library – Easy-to-use interface |
| Videos: | 4.2 million | 90,000 |
| Music: | 145,000 | 100,000 |
| SFX: | 629,000 | 100,000 |
| Templates: | 461,000 | 60,000 |
| Coupons | Envato Elements discounts 71% OFF | – |
| Support | Help Center, FAQs, email | Help Center, FAQs, email |
| Photutorial reviews | Envato Elements review | Motion Array review |
| Get 57% off | View offer |
There are many factors that make Envato Elements the go-to platform for creatives, including the largest variety of content available anywhere, unlimited downloads, and a straightforward royalty-free license. This stock media website is particularly well-equipped for video editors, as it comes with 4.2 million videos, 145,000 music, 629,000 SFX, and 461,000 video template for Premiere Pro, DaVinci, and After Effects. Envato Elements also has a decent indemnity (Learn why it’s important in our guide) for an unlimited downloads subscription (they usually don’t have any).
Other than being limited to a rather small collection of stock photos compared to giants like Shutterstock, the only major drawback is its poor search, which can often display content that’s completely unrelated to your query. This is a common issue for many platforms with such a breadth of content.
Pricing
Both Envato Elements and Motion Array operate on the premise of unlimited subscriptions, allowing you to download an unlimited number of assets for a fixed monthly fee. What makes Envato Elements stand out is its remarkably affordable pricing.
At first glance, Envato’s monthly plan of $39/mo may not seem cheap. However, the annual subscription introduces a substantial 57% discount, reducing the monthly cost to only $16.50. Eligible students can enjoy an extra 30% off, making their monthly rate just $11.50. Photutorial readers can also take advantage of a special offer—70% off their first month with the monthly plan, also dropping their initial payment to $11.70.
In contrast, Motion Array maintains fixed pricing without discounts. The monthly subscription is $29.99/mo, while the annual plan is $19.99/mo ($239.88/year). They also offer a Team plan starting at $37.50/mo for 2–20 users, whereas Envato team plans start at $10 per member.
Winner: Envato Elements
Number & quality of assets
When it comes to stock assets, Envato Elements and Motion Array both offer photos, videos, music, sound effects, and video templates. However, Envato Elements has a clear advantage in terms of the number and variety of assets available.
Envato Elements provides not only stock media but also fonts, PowerPoint templates, website themes, 3D assets, plugins, and more. This makes it a much more versatile resource for creatives, entrepreneurs, and freelancers. Envato simply has a wider selection thanks to its sheer volume of content.
In terms of quality, Motion Array edges out Envato Elements slightly. Envato likely has stricter review standards for assets. However, this does not mean high-quality assets are absent on Envato. You can certainly find excellent stock media, but you may have to sort through more low-quality items to find the gems.
Winner: It’s a tie
Licensing
Both Motion Array and Envato Elements offer very similar licensing models. They both operate on a royalty-free basis, meaning no additional fees need to be paid to use an asset once it’s been downloaded under an active subscription. The assets from both platforms can be used across all projects, be it personal or commercial, while your subscription is active.
When it comes to post-subscription usage, both platforms allow perpetual use of assets that were downloaded and incorporated in projects during the period of an active subscription. In other words, even if you cancel your subscription, the usage rights for those specific projects continue indefinitely. However, neither platform permits the use of downloaded assets in new projects after the cancellation of the subscription.
As for indemnity, there’s a significant difference. Envato Elements limits its liability or indemnity, which is calculated based on the total amount paid for the subscription six months prior to any event triggering liability. This could amount to a maximum of $246 for individual plans and up to $645 for teams. On the other hand, Motion Array does not provide any form of indemnity, which makes it a bit more risky.
Winner: Envato Elements
The verdict
There are many bad stock footage sites out there, but neither Envato Elements nor Motion Array is one. In fact, they’re both among the top 10 you can pick, so you cannot go wrong with either. That being said, if I had to pick right now, I’d go for Envato Elements because it has more video assets, better licensing terms, and it’s cheaper.
Just to remind you, these are the 2 best deals you can get on Envato Elements right now:
- Annual discount: (57% off) for $16.50/month
- Photutorial discount: (70% off your first month) for $11.70/month
