Sometimes finding the right clip for your video can be really challenging. If it’s not possible, for any reason, to shoot directly the desired footage, there are many websites which offer the possibility to download stock video footage.
A stock video is usually a short clip which can be used for any purpose. There are different options available, paid and royalty free, to be used usually for personal projects and offer high quality footage for free and with unlimited use.
Here is a list of the best sites available in 2021 (both paid and 100% free options).
PAID OPTIONS
FREE OPTIONS
PAID OPTIONS
Shutterstock
Probably the largest collection available online (over 19 million and updated daily), Shutterstock offers clips suitable for professionals and commercial-oriented productions. Big and trustworthy company, Shutterstock is one of the leading names in stock media. The cheaper subscription option starts at 99$/month (billed annually), granting 5 downloads per month.
Adobe Stock
The official stock website of the giant company, Adobe, offers Royalty-free video clips, along with audio, templates, 3D elements, photos, etc.
The video and Premium assets are based on credit packs, with the standard asset type costing less and the premium one more (ex: one standard image is 1 credit, 1 HD clip is 4 credits, 1 4K video is 8 credits).
Standard plans start at 29.99$ month (billed annually).
Envato Elements
https://elements.envato.com
Envato is a worldwide known platform which offers a huge variety of assets. Their stock video library contains a free offer, with 12 free files every month, and paid subscriptions starting at 16.50% for individual use. Their offer is extended to visual creators, web developers and freelancers, with an accurate selection of digital assets: video footage, audio clips, images and graphic design templates, WordPress themes, etc.
Artgrid
Artigrid is a recent platform, focused and specialized in top-notch quality video (mainly 4k and 8k) shot with the best cameras on the market. There is the possibility to download the RAW footage, and one of the most interesting features is the ‘stories’ section: groups of video clips created by the same filmmaker, with a storytelling concept.
After the 2-months free trial available, the main subscription options are: Junior: HD – 299$ / year (25$ / month)
Creator: HD and 4K – 479$ / year (40$ / month)
Professional: HD, 4K, 8K, RAW/LOG – 599$ / year (50$ / month)
Storyblocks
Storyblocks offers millions of good quality stock footage, animated backgrounds, plus After Effects templates, all divided by categories. Their subscriptions start from 10$ per month for individual use, granting 5 video downloads per month, and 30$ for the all access with unlimited downloads. For businesses, the quote is tailored on client’s needs.
Videvo
Lots of clips available, in 4k or Full HD format. They also have a section for music and sound effects. Around 15.000 free video clips are included in the library, with the option of Plus Plan at 14.99$ (25 downloads per month, unlimited with annual plan) and Pro Plan at 24.99$ (50 downloads per month, unlimited with annual plan).
ProVideo Factory
A good option with cheaper plans compared to other websites, it collects clips from filmmakers all around the world, with a library of more than 200.000 clips, and a free video section available.
They also offer the RAW16 files in 4K an8K quality on demand, shot with Red Cameras. The current best deal on the site is the 9.99$ / month (billed annually) with unlimited downloads.
Motion Elements
Motion Elements is a Royalty-free marketplace in Asia for Worldwide stock media., specialized in different products such as stock video (over 2 million clips), motion elements, templates, animations, special effects, 3D, etc.
They have the possibility of single-purchase, and a wide range of plans available, starting at 16.50$ / month (billed annually).
iStock
Backed by the famous Getty Images company, offers millions of premium-quality stock images and videos.
They offer exclusive content footage, meaning that you can it only on their site. It’s possible to download the videos through credit packs and single purchase.
FREE OPTIONS
If you’re looking for stock footage without having to invest money on an expensive subscription, there are many websites which offer totally free good quality footage. Most of them will require to give credit for the material, but this solution can be useful especially for personal videos and YouTube.
Here is a list of the most famous and thrust-worthy ones:
Pexels
Pexels is totally free, with no distinction between different licenses, and offer a preview of the file while hovering the mouse over the thumbnail. The graphic is catchy and recall Instagram layout. Not many top-notch quality files available, but worth taking a look, also for the photo section available on the site.
Pixabay
Easy and simple to navigate, Pixabay offers, just like other similar websites, not only free stock videos, but also different assets like photo, templates, etc.
Dareful
A great resource for those who are looking for high resolution videos. All the stock footage on Dareful is in 4k. The library is not huge at the moment, but more and more videos are getting added constantly.
Cute Stock Footage
Another website offering 4k video quality for filmmakers and video editors, with a basic graphic and category filter.
Vecteezy
Apart from the Pro section, with paid files starting at 9$ / month, it’s possible to access million of free resources, including 100% free stock videos, listed per category. The graphic is nice and simple to navigate.
With projects produced by 2Big production, video stocks are carefully selected depending on the size of the budget as well as the requirements of each project, with the ultimate aim of bringing the most perfect final video for client.