How to choose a stock media subscription: licence, cancelling and what's included

Stock media subscriptions give you footage, music, sound effects and templates for a monthly fee. What separates them is less the catalogue than the licence: who it covers, where you can publish, and what happens when you stop paying. We compared six from their own pricing and licence pages, read Sep 25 to Sep 27, 2026.

What our ranking weighs, and why

Our stock media subscription ranking scores each company on its cheapest plan that includes stock video. The weights, detailed on our methodology page:

• Price, 35%. The monthly price, annual prepay included, before promotions.
• Licence, 25%. Commercial and client work scores highest; your own channels only scores half.
• After you cancel, 15%. Whether what you published while subscribed stays licensed.
• Catalogue, 15%. Which of stock video, music, sound effects and templates the plan includes.
• Free plan or trial, 10%.

The price range you'll see

Billed yearly, the cheapest plans with stock video run from Canva Pro at $144 a year ($12 a month) to Artlist Max at $50.66 a month. In between: Envato Core at $16.50, Storyblocks Essentials at $21, Motion Array Everything at $24.99 and Adobe Stock's 10-credit plan at $29.99 on an annual commitment. Month to month, the same plans cost $18 to $49.99, and Artlist shows no monthly price for Max.

The traps our research found

A licence that covers only you. Storyblocks' Individual license covers "usage by the individual", and its licence text points client coverage to the Business License. Compare Envato, whose licence says "You can use an Item to create an End Product for yourself or for a client of yours", and Artlist, whose Pro license names "commercial use, client work and global distribution".

Client work not mentioned. Motion Array's licence page says "Personal and commercial licenses included" and covers advertising, broadcast TV and feature films, but none of its pages addresses client work.

Content locked inside the tool. Canva's content licence lets you use content only inside a Canva design, never as a standalone file, and says Canva "reserves the right to cancel or change the licenses".

Finish before you cancel. Envato's licence becomes perpetual only for end products completed during the subscription; unfinished ones lose it. Handing an end product to a client also needs an active subscription.

After cancelling, old work only. Storyblocks covers what you published while a member "forever", but you can't use downloaded assets in new work afterwards. Artlist lets you keep using published projects "in the same media". Motion Array says "the projects you finished as a paid member will remain covered forever".

A small monthly allowance. Adobe Stock's entry plan includes up to 1 video a month. Envato and Storyblocks sell unlimited downloads.

Missing asset types. Storyblocks Essentials has no music or sound effects. Canva and Adobe Stock don't list sound effects.

Cancellation fees. Adobe Stock's annual plan charges up to half the remaining commitment if you cancel after 14 days.

A checklist before you pay

1. Read the licence for client work, and whether a client can keep using what you hand over.
2. Check broadcast, streaming, paid ads and feature film limits if you work in those.
3. Find out what stays licensed after you cancel, and whether unfinished projects are covered.
4. Confirm the plan includes every asset type you need: video, music, sound effects, templates.
5. Check whether downloads are unlimited or capped each month.
6. Compare yearly and month-to-month prices, and look for early-cancel fees.
7. Check seat limits: some entry plans state they cover one person.
8. Use a free account or trial to check the catalogue.

Which kind of buyer each one fits

• You design in Canva. Canva Pro puts stock video, photos and music inside the editor for $12 a month billed yearly, as long as the content stays inside Canva designs.
• You edit for clients. Envato and Artlist both name client work in their licences. Envato is cheaper; Artlist's licence also covers the client's use of the finished project.
• You want everything in one plan. Motion Array's Everything adds video-editing plugins and LUTs to footage, music and sound effects, but check with it before relying on it for client work.
• You only need footage. Storyblocks Essentials covers unlimited footage and templates, for your own projects.
• You license a few assets a month. Adobe Stock's Standard License can be transferred to a client or employer, but video is capped at one a month.

Where to go next

See the full stock media subscription ranking and how each score is worked out on the methodology page.