Storyblocks
For creators who want to makemore videos faster than ever before.
All the stock you need
Traditional stock sites limit content with a pay-per-clip model – Storyblocks gives you unlimited downloads so you can create more.
Storyblocks is the first unlimited download subscription-based provider of stock video and audio designed to help individuals and companies across all industries to create more effective & compelling video, fast and at scale. Storyblocks subscribers are able to download an unlimited number of clips from a vast and growing library of stock video, production music, motion backgrounds, sound effects, special effects, After Effects templates and have access to our easy-to-use video editor, Maker.
Storyblocks is a subscription stock footage website that offers members unlimited access to millions of videos, audio, images, After Effects templates, animated backgrounds, Premiere Pro templates for as low as $30 a month. All downloaded files are royalty-free and can be used in any of your projects forever.
In 2017, Videoblocks, a popular royalty-free video stock service and a graphics marketplace, launched a new stock photo, video, and audio service called Storyblocks. I’ve been a big fan of Storyblocks Video (f.k.a Videoblocks) for quite some time, so naturally, I was excited to test their new platform. And today, I’m ready to share my opinion with you.
What Makes Storyblocks so popular?
With the advent of video marketing, the demand for video editors has risen. Modern storytellers need unlimited downloads to keep up with the competition. In my experience, freelancers, influencers, and creative team members benefit most from Storyblocks. But it’s a fitting solution for beginners too.
1. Unlimited downloads
An endless supply of stock footage and audio simplifies the creative process. For starters, you don’t have to care about downloading a “wrong” video. If it’s not right, get another one free.
Second, counting downloads kills creativity. To me, it’s the most annoying issue when I work. So, having unlimited downloads makes it more enjoyable for me. And the clients love the results.
2. Large collection of stock footage with unlimited downloads
I’ve already mentioned the Storyblocks’ unlimited downloads. But it’s not the only site offering such services; there are four others. Yet, these sites come nowhere close in the number of available videos.
For example, some offer only 10k videos, meaning there’s a much smaller variety of footage. Compare that to more than 1 million videos at Storyblocks, and we get a clear winner.
3. Royalty-free license for all content
Everything you download from Storyblocks has a royalty-free (RF) license. What this means is you can use the content for commercial and personal use. And once you download it, you may use it forever.
The only thing you MUST NOT do with the RF license is to resell the content. Likewise, you may not use it for any defamatory or harmful purposes. But short of that, you’re free to do anything.
Storyblocks Pros
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Unlimited downloads. Storyblocks offers a membership that includes an unlimited number of downloads while the subscription is active and unlimited usage of files downloaded even after membership is no longer active.
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Easy licensing with unlimited usage. Standart and enterprise license: both are royalty-free in perpetuity, can be used worldwide, cover unlimited usage for individual and commercial projects. And unless your projects cost more than $20,000 to produce you can use the standard license.
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Great variety of stock footage – 1+ million HD and 4K clips, Adobe Premiere and After Effects templates, motion backgrounds; audio – 100,000+ music tracks and sound effects, and 430,000+ photos, illustrations, and vectors.
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New stock videos, images, and audio files are constantly being added to the platform at no extra cost for members.
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Storyblocks is very affordable. The price of Storyblocks unlimited annual subscription is the same as some stock companies charge for just one 4K video. There is also an option of getting a separate video or audio subscription in case you don’t want to get an unlimited one that includes everything. See the price breakdown below.
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Storyblocks subscription gives you access to their own online video editor, Maker. It simplifies the process of video creation and it is easy to use even for beginners.
Storyblocks Cons
1. Storyblocks is not free. But as you know, the free footage is usually of very low quality, and you wouldn’t want that for your projects.
2. Choosing the right subscription plan may be tricky. This article should help you make the right decision.
3. Storyblocks used to have a free trial option but they removed it a couple of years ago. However, since it only gave access to a video library (no audio or images) and considering the already low price of Storyblocks subscription, it’s not a big deal.
4. Storyblocks is a very popular site, so the content is a bit common, and sometimes you see the same footage in other people’s videos. That’s not an issue for me though, because the Storyblocks library is so big and diverse that I always find unique content for my videos there.
Storyblocks Pricing
Update: As of March 2022 Storyblocks no longer offers Unlimited Video or Audio Plans. Right now, you can choose between two subscriptions:
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Starter Plan that includes 5 monthly downloads (in total) of HD Footage, Music, Photos, Vectors, and Illustrations, and full access to video editor Maker – $180 per year or $20 per month
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Unlimited All Access Plan that includes unlimited downloads of HD Footage, 4K Footage, After Effects Templates, Music and Sound Effects, Photos, Vectors, and Illustrations, and full access to video editor Maker – $360 per year or $65 per month
How Much Does Storyblocks cost?
Unlimited All Access costs $65/month or $360/year. Basic Video with 5 downloads: $20/month or $120/year. Unlimited Video: $50/month or $240/year. Basic Audio with 3 downloads: $15/month or $120/year. Unlimited Audio: $30/month or $180/year. Images are included in Storyblocks Unlimited.
You can choose from two plans: Basic and Unlimited.
With the Basic Video plan, you get 5 HD clips per month. 4K footage, After Effects Templates, music and images are not included in the plan. So basically, you’re paying $20 per month – or $120 per year – for 5 HD footage clips.
With the Unlimited Video plan, you get an unlimited number of downloads: HD and 4K footage and After Effects Templates. Music and images are not included. This plan costs $50 per month or $240 per year ($20 per month) if you purchase an annual subscription.
Similar to Storyblocks Video, you can choose from two Audio plans: Basic and Unlimited.
With the Basic Audio plan, you get 3 downloads per month (only music). It costs $15 per month or $120 per year.
With the Unlimited Audio plan, you get an unlimited number of downloads of music and sound effects. Videos, images, and After Effects Templates are not included. This plan costs $30 per month or $180 per year if you purchase an annual subscription.
Storyblocks Images
Storyblocks doesn’t offer a separate Images plan, as it is included in the Storyblocks Unlimited All Access plan, which comes with unlimited downloads of HD and 4K Footage, After Effects Templates, Photos, Vectors, & Illustrations, and Music & Sound Effects.
Before the platform merger, images were sold separately and had a very affordable pricing model. I am hoping that this option will come available again in the future.
Storyblocks Unlimited All Access
This plan includes everything:
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Unlimited downloads of all videos, audio, and images.
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HD and 4K footage, and After Effects Templates
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Music and Sound Effects
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Photos, Vectors, and Illustrations
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Full access to Storyblocks online video editor MAKER
The price is $65 per month or $30 per month ($360 per year) with the purchase of an annual subscription.
