As more people seek to flex their creative muscles online, royalty-free imagery has grown in demand. Today, you will find plenty of services for all kinds of media, from music to video and sound effects.

Adobe Stock and Storyblocks are two of the most popular places to find royalty-free visuals and audio. But how do they compare, and which one should you consider using? Keep reading to find out.

Pricing

Adobe Stock and Storyblocks adopt different pricing models. To make things easier for you to follow, let’s break them down into two sections.

Storyblocks

Storyblocks has a tiered subscription model; the entry point is Starter, which costs $15 per month. With Starter, you get five monthly downloads for high-definition (HD) footage, music, photos, vectors, and illustrations.

Storyblocks’ Unlimited All Access plan is one of the more popular plans. With this plan, you get unlimited downloads for 4K and HD footage—along with the other assets already mentioned. You also get templates to help you create videos in Adobe After Effects.

You can also get the Pro plan for $35 per month, including an Adobe Premiere Pro plugin.

If you’re part of a creative business, you can get a quote and a dedicated price for what you need.

Adobe Stock

The amount you pay per month for Adobe Stock will differ depending on several factors. First, the country you live in will determine the platform’s pricing. Secondly, how much you pay depends on how many credits you buy.

When using Adobe Stock, you can purchase either a monthly subscription plan or credit packs. The $29.99 per month subscription gives you 10 standard assets each month, while the $49.99 plan gives you 25 standard assets or three HD videos.

Meanwhile, the highest plan costs $199.99 monthly and lets you download up to 750 standard assets—or 25 HD videos—per month.

The prices mentioned above are the monthly average when you pay annually. When you pay month-to-month, they change to $49.99, $69.99, and $249.99, respectively.

Adobe Stock also lets you buy credits without a timescale. These are as follows:

  • 5 credits: $49.95
  • 16 credits: $149.99
  • 40 credits: $359.99
  • 80 credits: $669.99
  • 150 credits: $1,200

It’s worth noting that the assets you purchase will take up different credits. For example, an HD video costs eight credits, and 4K costs 20. Standard images, meanwhile, are one credit—and premium ones are 12.

Image Availability

When choosing a royalty-free platform, you’ll want to consider the number of images available.

Adobe Stock has a huge selection of still images, with well over 200 million available. You can find photos from numerous genres, including travel, sports, and business. You can get a preview before purchasing if you want to ensure you’re downloading the right image.

Adobe Stock Image Search Screenshot

Similarly, Storyblocks has a wide selection of stock images. However, its selection is nowhere near as big; you’ll get around 433,000 visuals available.

While Storyblocks hasn’t got as many images as Adobe Stock, you can still choose from various categories. Examples include food, technology, and weather.

Storyblocks Image Backgrounds Screenshot

Video Availability

You will find plenty of stock image websites beyond Adobe Stock and Storyblocks, and many people actually go to these platforms for video content instead. And like with images, these two royalty-free media websites differ a little in terms of the selection you’ll get.

Adobe Stock has a huge video suite, with over 20 million to choose from. You can pick stock videos in HD and 4K, with multiple genres—including lifestyle and travel—available. Besides standard videos, you can also use motion graphics and video loops.

Storyblocks, like Adobe Stock, has a wide selection of videos available; you can choose from over one million. You will find HD and 4K videos in multiple genres, such as finance and transport.

Cross-Device Apps

If you’re making visual content on the go, you might want downloadable apps for your go-to royalty-free platforms. For example, Epidemic Sound has an app for iOS and Android devices. Is that the case for Adobe Stock and Storyblocks, then?

In short, Adobe Stock and Storyblocks don’t have mobile apps. As a result, you’ll need to go onto their websites if you want to view and download media.

Other Available Media

Photos and videos are great, but they’re not the only things you will find on Adobe Stock and Storyblocks. Below is a breakdown of what you can expect to find on each of these platforms.

Adobe Stock

As you might have expected from a company geared toward helping creatives in multiple fields, Adobe has included multiple media types on Adobe Stock. For example, you can find fonts to help you create visuals, such as posters. On top of that, you will also find an array of templates.

Adobe Stock also has numerous vectors that are spread across multiple categories. You will find vector art to signify outdoor adventures, along with others highlighting tech—plus much more.

When you use Adobe Stock, you can also download infographics and music.

Storyblocks

Storyblocks also has different forms of media available. In addition to images, you will find illustrations that are suitable for multiple scenarios. On top of that, you can download moving backgrounds that will help you present stories better.

When using Storyblocks, you can also choose from sound effects and other forms of audio. Moreover, you can find a wide selection of vectors.

More Differences Between Adobe Stock and Storyblocks

Before we wrap up this article, let’s look at some other areas where Adobe Stock and Storyblocks differ from one another.

Plugins

Both Adobe Stock and Storyblocks offer plugins, but their options differ quite significantly.

Depending on the plan you choose, you can get a plugin with Storyblocks for Premiere Pro. When you have this, you can access all the content in your plan without needing to go to the website.

Adobe Stock has a much bigger selection of plugin options. You will find several plugins for numerous Adobe platforms, such as Photoshop, Lightroom, and XD.

Storyblocks Maker

When you download footage from Storyblocks, you can use it with video editing software like DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro. However, you can also create your own video projects with Storyblocks Maker.

Storyblocks Maker is a simple editing tool that lets you put together videos with music files and more. You can also use the tool to create Instagram Reels and all kinds of other social media content.

Which Languages Can You Use on Adobe Stock and Storyblocks?

Storyblocks and Adobe Stock also differ in terms of the languages you can use on each platform. At the time of writing, Storyblocks is only available in English.

On the flip side, you can navigate the Adobe Stock website in multiple languages. Some of those available include English, Dutch, German, Korean, and Italian.

Adobe Stock vs. Storyblocks: What’s Your Pick?

Adobe Stock and Storyblocks are both excellent places to find royalty-free stock footage and images. Adobe Stock has a higher amount of content to choose from—but considering that the platform is more established than Storyblocks, this isn’t surprising.

Nonetheless, Storyblocks is still a pretty decent platform to choose if you want videos for YouTube B-roll and such. The best choice will largely depend on what you’re trying to find and how often you’ll use these tools.