Are you looking for the best cheap stock footage for your projects? Whether it’s free or paid, you’ll find something adequate to your needs and budget on this list.
Nowadays, it’s more important than ever to have quality video content for your social media, marketing campaigns, or presentations.
From students to medium-sized businesses, everyone needs the best stock video to stand out. Not everyone has the same budget, nor do they have the same licensing needs.
That’s why I’ve compiled this list with a wide variety of choices so you can find the one that’s best for you.
How Much Does Stock Footage Cost?
It’s difficult to round up a price for stock footage because the cost depends on many factors.
On-demand purchase models are always more expensive than subscription-based ones.
Some stock agencies offer unlimited downloads with their subscriptions. Therefore, the price per item is low or high depending on how many you use.
You also need to consider the quality of the video, the indemnification cap, the number of users, etc.
So, stock footage can be free to use, or it can cost over $40. I know it’s a vague answer, but unfortunately, that’s how it works.
To give you more concrete information, I’ve compiled a list of popular websites with an overview of their pricing plans and conditions.
In the next section, you’ll find free stock sites, and right after that, you’ll find the most popular options on paid websites.
Top 8 Free Stock Footage Sites
These are the most popular stock video sites for free content. Some offer the entire library for free, while others offer part for free, and you need to purchase video packs or a membership to access premium clips.
Below, I’ve summarized how each site works and provided an overview of their license policy. However, you should always review the full license conditions directly on the website before downloading any video.
Pixabay
Pixabay offers stock videos you can download, modify, and use for free. Their royalty-free license allows editorial and commercial use.
However, the content of the video might be protected by privacy laws, trademarks, etc. So, be careful – mainly when used for commercial purposes.
The download format is MP4, and the resolution is up to 1920×1080.
Pexels
Pexels is a popular website where you can download free stock photos and videos. You can choose the video resolution from various options, and the download will be an MP4 file.
You can use and modify the video footage for free; attribution is optional. Of course, it’s always welcome.
Coverr
Unlike the previous choices, Coverr only has video stock footage – you won’t find stock photos.
They have a huge library of free video clips, but purchasing a premium account to access members-only content is possible.
The license allows you to use and modify the videos free of charge for commercial and editorial purposes. They ask contributors for model releases but won’t provide them to you. They don’t have brands, trademarks, or property releases.
Videvo
This site offers stock video footage and motion graphics. They have over 1,560,000 free clips and over 3 million if you include the premium library, which I’ve included in the next section of this article.
Many free videos have a CC-BY 3 license, which requires attribution. Not all videos allow commercial use – you can check out the usage restrictions under the download button of each stock video.
Videezy
On Videezy, you can find free HD and 4K royalty-free video clips. The free license allows you to use the footage on editorial and commercial projects – however, attribution is required.
You can buy credit packs to download Pro stock videos and eliminate the attribution requirement.
The individual video costs $19, but purchasing a video pack significantly diminishes the price per video.
XStockVideo
XStockVideo offers royalty-free videos, which you can use for free on any free-to-view project.
If you want to use the stock videos for commercial purposes, including YouTube videos with ads, commercial apps, etc., you need to buy an extended license.
You can choose from three resolutions and download the videos as MOV files.
Adobe Stock
Most people think that Adobe Stock is a paid service. It has a vast library of stock photos and HD clips that require a fee or a subscription – I’ll cover that in the next section.
However, Adobe Stock also has a free collection, and it’s not as small as you’d think. To give you an example, I searched for free aerial footage, and it gave me almost 6,000 results.
The assets from the free collection have the same license as the paid ones, which means you can use them for personal, editorial, and commercial purposes.
Mixkit
Mixkit is a stock website where you can download, among other assets, free 4k and full HD quality videos. The license covers all uses, including commercial ones, and no attribution is required.
Inside the library, you’ll also find AI-generated videos, and there are templates for the most popular video editing software. You don’t have to subscribe, and there’s no download limit.
Top 12 Cheap Stock Footage Sites
If none of the free options fulfill your needs, you can find affordable stock videos on any of these stock video sites.
This is an overview of the current prices and terms. Please review them on the official websites before subscribing or using their services.
Envato Elements
Envato Elements offers high-quality videos, b-roll footage, and motion graphics. You can narrow your search with useful filters to find what you need faster.
All content has the same license and broad commercial rights, but its download grants a specific use. To use the video again, you must register it every time.
They have a nice round deal with unlimited access to all their assets, including stock photography, stock music, etc. You also have unlimited downloads. The price starts at $39.
There are three different subscriptions – individual, teams, and enterprise.
Motion Elements
Motion Elements has a huge library with more than 7 million assets. Over 6,000 video stock footage can be used for free, but you can find affordable stock videos starting at $1 with their pay-per-item model.
Alternatively, you can get a subscription at the starting price of $16.50 per month if you pay upfront for the entire year.
Their royalty-free licenses allow commercial use unless the asset is marked as “Editorial-Only.” You can also find music, sound effects, and templates.
There’s no monthly download limit.
Videvo
I already mentioned Videvo in the free stock video sites sections because of their wide options of free content. However, you can also access their premium content with any of the subscription plans.
You can choose a month-to-month plan with five premium downloads for $7.99. Alternatively, you can subscribe for a yearly membership with unlimited downloads starting at $12.
They have a Safe Share Commitment and a money-back guarantee. All their content is royalty-free, and the usage restrictions are visible below the video download button.
Storyblocks
On Storyblocks, you’ll find stock video footage, animated backgrounds, templates, audio tracks, and stock images.
They offer a starter pack for $15 with a limit of 5 downloads per month, but it doesn’t include templates, 4K videos, or sound effects. To level up, the subscription starts at $30. There are also custom plans for businesses.
Storyblocks offers two types of license. The Individual license is a standard royalty-free one that covers a single user and up to $20,000 in indemnification.
The Business ones cover an entire team and have an indemnification coverage of up to $1 million.
You can install a plug-in to integrate Storyblocks with Adobe Premier Pro and After Effects.
Shutterstock
Shutterstock is one of the most famous stock photo sites. It also has a vast library of stock video and multiple types of assets. Each asset requires a separate subscription plan or credit pack.
If you buy credit packs, you can choose the number of credits, the video quality, and the license type. Each choice will impact the cost.
To lower the price of the footage purchase, you can check Shutterstock’s video subscriptions. You can choose between 5, 10, or 20 downloads per month and whether you want an annual plan or a month-to-month one.
Subscription plans only come with the Standard license – you can purchase the enhanced one for an extra fee.
Artgrid
Artgrid offers four subscription plans, the most basic of which starts at $19.99. All of them include unlimited downloads. A free trial entitles you to download videos with a watermark for personal use only.
They have a single, straightforward license. You can use their assets for editorial and commercial use. If you use them on a project for your client, your client is protected by the license, too.
You can download plug-ins to integrate Artgrid with most industry-leading software, such as Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, Da Vinci Resolve, and Final Cut Pro.
Artlist
Artlist is a platform focused on the audio part of the audio-visuals – from music to special effects to AI voiceover. However, it also has high-quality stock footage.
Of the five subscription plans it offers, only the two more expensive ones include stock video.
They have three licenses: Personal, Pro, and Business. The Personal one allows one user to monetize one channel per social platform.
The Pro license includes up to three channels and other projects – including client work. The Business plan extends the usage rights, covers entire teams, and is customizable.
Motion Array
Motion Array is another excellent choice to purchase cheap stock videos. You’ll also find templates, presets, music, photos, graphics, and more.
The individual subscription plan is only $19.99 with an annual contract or $29.99 for a monthly subscription. There are teams as business options, too.
All plans include unlimited downloads and commercial use – except for a small portion of videos labeled for editorial use.
There’s an Adobe Extension to integrate Motion Array with any Creative Cloud apps and plug-ins for all the industry-leading video editors.
iStock
iStock is a famous stock photo and video site owned by Getty Images. They’re committed to making their catalog more diverse and inclusive.
The Basic and Premium subscription plans don’t include video or music downloads. You need a Premium+Video plan for these assets, or you can buy them with credits.
The Premium+Video plan gives you access to the entire library, including Signature content. The cost starts at $99 for ten downloads a month.
On top of the usual search tools, it also has a reverse-video search. It also has an Adobe Creative Cloud plug-in to integrate the platform with all the Adobe CC apps.
You can also link iStock to your Dropbox, which makes it easier to organize your downloads and sync them across your devices.
Pond5
Pond5 is a stock website where you can find audio and video for your projects. You’ll find over 35 million creative, news, and archival clips.
It also integrates with all the major software and has a patented Visual Search.
You can purchase items with an Individual, Business, or Premium license. By default, all plans and packs include the Individual license.
Pond5 is one of the few sites that offer pay-per-item. Of course, it’s cheaper to buy packs, and the most affordable prices come with a subscription.
They also have a Public Domain Project where you can find over 3,000 assets for free.
Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock is the stock library owned by Adobe; therefore, it’s natively integrated with all the Creative Cloud apps. This makes it very practical to use Adobe Premiere Pro or After Effects in your editing workflow.
The membership plans include a certain number of assets or videos – therefore, you don’t need a different subscription for each type of asset.
Subscriptions start at $29.99/mo for ten standard assets or one monthly video and go up to $199.99/mo for 750 assets or 25 videos – there are two other tiers in between.
It’s possible to roll over unused credits.
You can also subscribe to a monthly plan, but the cost per video will be higher. The on-demand prices are also high, but you won’t be tied to a membership. The starting price is $149.99 for 16 credits, which will buy you two HD videos or 16 standard images.
It’s worth mentioning that you have access to the entire collection if you have a Premium Adobe Express Collection. However, this only gives you a limited license.
You can also use over one million assets with the CC All Apps subscription.
ProVideo Factory
ProVideo Factory offers free videos, a very affordable subscription if you want full access, and a cancel-any-time policy.
The license allows editorial and commercial use. However, they will mark the video “model release” or “property release” when it’s safe to use the video commercially if there’s a person or private property.
You’re fully liable for how you use the content, as the indemnification is only 1 Canadian dollar.
The subscription plan allows unlimited assets, but raw files must be purchased individually at an extra fee.
What to Consider When Looking for Cheap Stock Footage
Low prices are important, but they’re not everything. Also, advertised affordable prices may not always be the better price deal once you get into the details.
So, here’s a list of things you should consider before you buy stock videos.
Cost. Before purchasing footage, you need to evaluate which is a better deal for you between a subscription plan and a video pack offer. A credit pack will always have a higher price-per-item, but it may be cheaper in the long run if you don’t use it regularly. Video subscriptions will save you money, but they require a long-term commitment. You may purchase month-to-month subscriptions as a compromise between the first two options.
Licensing terms and usage restrictions. Before purchasing, review the licensing terms and make sure the use you want to give to the video is included without extra fees. If not, make sure you find the best price for an extended license.
Liability. Not all stock video sites offer the same assurances regarding property and model releases. Plus, you need to check the legal indemnification in case of liabilities.
Resolution. The resolution regards the size and quality. Lower-resolution videos are available on most sites, but if you want high-quality footage, you need to study your options on each site.
Library. Before committing to a stock video site with a subscription, ensure they have a wide variety of high-quality clips that fit your needs.
Search filters. The time you spend looking for the perfect video can quickly add up and slow your production times. A website with good filters can make your search more efficient.
What About AI Stock Footage?
You can opt for AI-generated stock footage. There are plenty of websites that offer these videos free and paid. You simply need to input a specific prompt and generate content.
Keep in mind this is still a developing technology. So, it doesn’t consistently deliver a realistic result. Remembering the ethical side of using AI footage is also essential so as not to generate fake news or mislead your viewers.
Are AI Videos Copyright Free?
The copyright of AI-generated content is still under debate. So far, it’s been determined that it’s not copyrightable material. However, many popular stock imagery agencies have generators; you must pay the license to use their content.
FAQs About Cheap Stock Footage
Can you get free stock footage?
Yes, many stock video sites offer free downloads, but there are some caveats. Some sites only provide lower-quality videos for free while charging for high-resolution versions. Others may limit usage rights for free downloads. Most sites typically divide their libraries into free and premium categories.
What is the cheapest stock footage website?
Some of the most affordable options in the stock footage industry start at less than $6 per month with an annual subscription to ProVideo Factory, and $12 per month on Videvo.
What is the best stock footage site?
It depends. Videvo and ProVideo Factory have the most affordable subscriptions if you are looking for the best on a budget. However, if the best for you means the one with the highest liability indemnification, then you want the Enterprise Premier from Shutterstock.
So, there isn’t a single answer. It all depends on your needs and which one offers the best solution.
What is the best cheap stock footage site for buying videos for commercial use?
Most licenses offer commercial use without an extra fee. However, for commercial use, you want a site with a high indemnification cap that takes care of model releases, property releases, etc., so its content is safe to use.
Usually, it’s the websites with the higher prices that offer those assurances. However, a good compromise could be Videvo, which has a Safe Share Commitment and one of the lowest prices on the market.
Make sure you carefully read the terms and conditions to understand your liability.
