If you’ve ever tried to incorporate royalty-free assets into your Creative Cloud projects, you’ve likely run into Adobe Stock.
You may have noticed that some photos, videos, templates, and other assets are available for free, while others are not.
It can be confusing to understand whether Adobe Stock comes with Creative Cloud or not.
In this article, I’ll clarify which Creative Cloud plans include Adobe Stock and how to include it in your current plan.
I’ll also explain how to access Adobe Stock assets without using other Creative Cloud apps.
Navigating this can feel like going down a rabbit hole, but my goal is to help you better understand how to get the best value for your money when using Adobe Stock assets.
However, I encourage you to check the Adobe official website for current information before subscribing or upgrading because they may change their plans and pricing.
Does Adobe Stock Come With Creative Cloud?
Adobe offers multiple plans and pricing options so users can choose the one that best fits their needs. While this versatility is certainly helpful, it may be difficult to navigate.
This is true for all Creative Cloud plans, but it can be especially tricky with Adobe Stock, as each asset may come with different prices and licensing terms.
So, let’s break things down to better understand what you can get and for how much when you use Adobe Stock and the Creative Cloud.
What is Adobe Stock?
Let’s start from the beginning – what is Adobe Stock?
Adobe Stock is a service where users can find millions of high-quality, curated, royalty-free assets for their projects.
Adobe Stock offers creative assets such as photographs, videos, vectors, illustrations, motion graphics, audio tracks, templates, and 3D models.
You can use these assets as the starting point of your project or enhance one already in the works. Adobe Stock assets are suitable for presentations, websites, advertising, social media, art projects, etc.
There are three types of Adobe Stock licenses: Standard, Enhanced, and Extended. These licenses determine how you can use the assets and the number of copies you are allowed to distribute.
You can learn more about the differences on the Adobe Stock License Terms page.
Do Creative Cloud Plans Come With Adobe Stock?
Generally speaking, no. While Adobe Stock is integrated to work with all the Creative Cloud apps, it’s a separate product that requires its own subscription or payment.
However, CC users have about one million assets available for free via the CC apps such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and InDesign. You can buy further assets from there as well.
If you’re already a Creative Cloud member or planning to subscribe without a trial, you can start a 30-day free trial of Adobe Stock. Alternatively, if you’re beginning a 7-day free trial of a Creative Cloud app, you’ll also receive a 7-day Adobe Stock trial.
(Learn more about how Creative Cloud works here.)
According to the FAQ section on the Adobe Stock website, you can add an Adobe Stock plan to your current Creative Cloud membership by visiting the Adobe Stock Plans page.
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You must be signed in to your account to do this. You can start a free trial and then subscribe to Adobe Stock.
If you have a Teams membership, you can add Adobe Stock to your plan from the Admin Console.
According to the ‘Manage your Adobe Stock membership‘ page, you can also upgrade your current Creative Cloud plan to one that includes Adobe Stock.
When I wrote this article, I found only two plans that offer Adobe Stock as part of the membership: Adobe Express Premium and Creative Cloud All Apps.
The Adobe Express Premium plan offers the entire Collection of over 195 million photos, videos, and music from Adobe Stock. However, they have a limited license.
The Creative Cloud All Apps only offers over one million photos, drawings, video clips, and other assets. To unlock more assets, you need to buy Adobe Stock as an add-on to the All Apps subscription.
Please double-check what’s included and how much it costs before upgrading, as Adobe may change its plans and pricing.
How to Get Adobe Stock?
In the previous section, I explained how you can get Adobe Stock if you’re using other Creative Cloud apps – whether you already have a subscription or you’re subscribing for the first time.
However, you don’t need a subscription to any other Creative Cloud product to access the assets from Adobe Stock. It’s also available individually.
Some creative assets in Adobe Stock are free, but most cost money. To buy an asset, you can get a paid membership, or you can buy credit packs and pay as you go.
Here’s a summary of the current prices. For more detailed information, visit the Adobe Stock official website.
Subscription Plan
When you get an Adobe Stock subscription, you can commit to it for an entire year and obtain more value for your money. If you don’t feel like committing long-term, you can pay month-by-month.
US$29.99 per month – annual plan. This subscription entitles you to 10 standard assets or 1 video a month. These assets come with a standard license, but if you want an extended one or a Premium asset, you get 20% off. The plan allows rollover of up to 120 assets. You can try it with a guarantee that lets you cancel risk-free in the first 30 days, giving you 10 free assets.
US$49.99 per month – annual plan. This option gives you 25 standard assets or 3 videos per month. The conditions are the same as the previous plan, but the rollover increases to 300 assets.
US$79.99 per month – annual plan. This membership includes 40 standard assets or 6 videos per month. The rollover is 480 unused assets. The license conditions and discounts are the same as the other plans.
US$199.99 per month – annual plan. The biggest plan includes 750 standard assets or 25 videos a month. The license conditions and discounts are like those from the other plans. However, there isn’t a 30-day risk-free trial.
US$29.99 per month – cancel anytime. This month-to-month subscription plan gives you 3 standard assets per month – not including videos. You can roll over up to 36 unused credits. Any additional assets cost USD$9.99.
US$69.99 per month – cancel anytime. With this plan, you can get 25 standard assets or 3 videos monthly and roll over up to 300 unused credits. You’re also entitled to 20% off extended licenses and Premium assets.
US$99.99 per month – cancel anytime. This option gives you 40 standard assets or 6 videos a month and rolls over up to 480 unused credits. The conditions are the same as the ones from the previous plan.
US$249.99 per month – cancel anytime. The conditions are the same as the previous plans, but it includes 750 standard assets or 25 videos a month.
Credit Packs
If you don’t use creative assets often, you may prefer to pay as you go instead of committing to a long-term subscription. Keep in mind that credits are valid for one year.
It’s also recommended to use credit packs instead of subscriptions if you commonly use 4K video, Premium assets, or extended licences.
When you buy credits, you can use them for any type of asset – of course, not all assets cost the same number of credits. The more credits you buy, the more money you save.
Here are your credit pack options.
5 credits – US$49.95 – This could buy you 5 standard images.
16 credits – US$149.99 – This could buy you 16 standard images or 2 HD videos.
40 credits – US$359.99 – This could buy you 40 standard images or 5 HD videos.
80 credits – US$669.99 – This could buy you 80 standard images or 10 HD videos.
150 credits – US$1,200 – This could buy you 150 standard images or 18 HD videos.
