Storyblocks review: $299 a year for footage, music and images together
Storyblocks sells footage and music on one annual fee, and the bundle is priced so that taking both separately makes no sense. Our check of storyblocks.com on 12 June 2026 recorded Video at $149 a year, Audio at $149 a year and All Access, which adds images, at $299.
The short answer
Buy Storyblocks Buy Storyblocks All Access if your edits pull in stock footage as often as stock music. It was $299 a year when we checked storyblocks.com on 12 June 2026, which is about $24.92 a month, with unlimited downloads and a licence that keeps covering the videos you have already published after you cancel.
Skip it if music is the real requirement and footage is occasional. Epidemic Sound Personal was $9.99 a month, or $107.88 a year, on our 10 June 2026 check, and Artlist Music Only was $199 a year on 11 June 2026, both of which are music specialists rather than a bundle.
Where Storyblocks fits
Storyblocks is for the video producer whose timeline regularly needs something they did not shoot. Our 12 June 2026 check recorded three tiers, each with unlimited downloads during the subscription, and the distinction between them is which asset types you can take: footage and templates, music and sound effects, or everything plus images.
The pricing has one quirk that decides the whole purchase. Video was $149 a year and Audio was $149 a year, so buying the two separately comes to $298. All Access was $299, which is a dollar more and adds images on top. If you need both footage and music, there is no sensible reason to buy two single-type plans, and that is clearly deliberate.
On a monthly basis, All Access at $299 a year is about $24.92 a month if you divide by twelve, and a single-type plan at $149 a year is about $12.42. Those are comparison figures rather than billing options: our check recorded annual subscription as the billing model, so the year is what you are buying.
The licence is the other reason people choose this product. Our check recorded a perpetual-style model under the Storyblocks Content License Agreement: content downloaded during an active subscription stays licensed for the projects it went into after the subscription ends. That puts it in the same camp as Artlist, which was $199 a year for Music Only on our 11 June 2026 check, and the opposite camp from a pure subscription licence.
Client work is covered in general terms and not in all terms, which is a distinction worth taking seriously before you deliver. The Content License Agreement covers the ordinary run of commercial digital distribution, and broadcast, theatrical and out-of-home delivery are the cases to confirm in writing first. Our pricing check does not record a separate broadcast tier, and the absence of one on the rate card is not the same as coverage.
Against the category, Storyblocks is the breadth option rather than the quality option. Epidemic Sound Personal was $9.99 a month, or $107.88 a year, verified 10 June 2026, with ContentID whitelisting on linked channels that Storyblocks does not offer. Artlist Music + SFX was $259 a year, verified 11 June 2026, and Artlist 360 with footage was $499. Musicbed Solo was $16.99 a month, verified 12 June 2026, with commercial scope starting at $49 a month on Plus. For music alone, each of those is a stronger buy than the $149 Audio tier.
Every figure here comes from a check made on 12 June 2026, roughly four months before this review, and we have not re-verified it since. Our snapshot also records no catalogue counts, so this page puts no number on how many clips or tracks you get. Read the live rate card before paying for a year, and the stock media and music licensing category carries the alternatives with their own dates.
Storyblocks pricing
Storyblocks prices per year by asset type, with unlimited downloads inside the subscription. Everything below comes from our check of storyblocks.com on 12 June 2026 and has not been re-verified since, so confirm it before committing to a year.
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Video | $149/year | Stock footage and templates, unlimited downloads during the subscription. About $12.42 a month if you divide by twelve |
| Audio | $149/year | Music and sound effects, unlimited downloads during the subscription |
| All Access | $299/year | Video, audio, images and templates. A dollar more than the $298 that Video and Audio cost separately. About $24.92 a month |
Nothing here is quoted and nothing is metered. Four things set what you pay:
- Which asset types you need. One type was $149 a year and all of them $299 on our 12 June 2026 check, so the bundle is the default for anyone who needs two.
- Whether you would otherwise buy both single plans. $149 plus $149 is $298 against $299 for All Access, which makes the pair pointless.
- How long you stay. The licence on what you have already downloaded is recorded as surviving cancellation, so a single year is a usable purchase rather than a rental.
- Your delivery channels. Broadcast, theatrical and out-of-home use are the cases to confirm against the Content License Agreement before delivery.
Storyblocks pricing against the rest of the category
For footage and music together, $299 a year on our 12 June 2026 check is the cheapest bundle in this category. Artlist 360, the comparable all-in-one, was $499 a year verified 11 June 2026, with Music + SFX alone at $259. For music by itself, Storyblocks is the weakest buy on both price and reputation: Epidemic Sound Personal was $9.99 a month, or $107.88 a year, verified 10 June 2026, which is less than the $149 Audio tier and adds whitelisting. Musicbed sells the professional end, with Solo at $16.99 a month and Plus at $49, verified 12 June 2026. All four checks fall within three days of each other.
Storyblocks billing and licence terms worth knowing
The licence surviving cancellation is the term that changes how the annual fee reads.
- Video
- $149 per year as of 12 June 2026. Footage and templates, unlimited downloads while subscribed.
- Audio
- $149 per year. Music and sound effects on the same unlimited terms.
- All Access
- $299 per year, a dollar more than the $298 the two single plans cost together, and it adds images.
- Monthly equivalent
- About $24.92 a month on All Access and $12.42 on a single type, as arithmetic only. Billing is annual.
- Free trial
- 7 days with catalogue access, as recorded on our check.
- On cancellation
- Content downloaded while subscribed stays licensed for the projects it went into, under the Content License Agreement.
- Check date
- 12 June 2026. Not re-verified since, so read the current rate card first.
These figures are four months old and given with their date for that reason. Our snapshot records no catalogue sizes, so if you need a clip count, take it from Storyblocks rather than from us. The creator tool cost calculators will compare a bundle against a two-service stack once you have today's numbers.
What Storyblocks gives up
Music quality is the trade you are making, and it is the main one. A bundle at $299 a year cannot match a specialist catalogue, and the two music-first products in this category are priced below the $149 Audio tier or close to it: Epidemic Sound Personal at $9.99 a month, or $107.88 a year, verified 10 June 2026, and Artlist Music Only at $199 a year, verified 11 June 2026. Buying All Access for the music alone is the wrong purchase.
Our check recorded no ContentID whitelisting. If a claim lands on a video using a Storyblocks track, you resolve it with your licence documentation rather than preventing it, and our snapshot records nothing about how long that takes, so we will not put a number on it. Epidemic Sound, verified 10 June 2026, does record whitelisting on linked channels.
The Audio plan on its own is poor value. At $149 a year it costs more than Epidemic Sound's $107.88 annual figure, verified 10 June 2026, for a library nobody buys Storyblocks for. It exists so that the $299 bundle looks inevitable, and it does its job.
Billing is annual, so there is no way to match spend to an irregular production year. The 7-day trial is the shortest in this category, which makes the real evaluation window a week rather than the fortnight or month the competition gives you.
A contributor-fed library means the quality varies clip to clip, and unlimited downloads do not fix a thin result for a specific brief. Budget browsing time, and test it against a real edit rather than a search that you already know will work.
The licence that survives cancellation covers the projects you already made, not new ones. A lapsed subscription does not let you reuse last year's download in this year's video, which is the same boundary every permanent-licence product in this category draws.
The pricing evidence here is from 12 June 2026, about four months old. Bundle pricing is exactly the kind that moves, and the one-dollar gap between $298 for two single plans and $299 for All Access is a detail that only holds while both rates hold.
How Storyblocks compares
The four tools below are the music and stock media subscriptions weighed against each other, and the axis is breadth against music quality. Each price is that vendor's own published rate with the date we checked it, all four within three days in June 2026. The wider field sits in the stock media and music licensing category.
| Tool | Best for | Price | Where it breaks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storyblocks | Footage, music and images under one annual fee | $149/year single type, $299/year All Access (June 2026) | Audio is the weak half; no whitelisting; 7-day trial |
| Artlist | Higher-end music with a licence that survives cancellation | $199/year Music Only, $499/year Artlist 360 (June 2026) | Annual billing only and no free trial |
| Epidemic Sound | Monetised own channels wanting claims prevented | $9.99/mo Personal, $107.88/year (June 2026) | Licence lapses on cancellation; no footage |
| Musicbed | Commercial and broadcast music licensing | $16.99/mo Solo, $49/mo Plus (June 2026) | Music only, and Solo excludes commercial use |
What to test in the Storyblocks 7-day trial
Our 12 June 2026 check recorded a 7-day free trial with catalogue access, the shortest in this category. A week goes quickly, so decide what you are testing before you start it, and confirm the tiers first because our figures are four months old.
- Check storyblocks.com/pricing for the current tiers and trial length. Ours are from June 2026 and this is the step not to take on trust.
- Search the footage library against a brief you have already solved elsewhere, so you can judge the result rather than the search box.
- Do the same for music, honestly. If the audio does not clear your bar, the Audio half of the bundle is dead weight and the $149 Video plan may be the right purchase.
- Add up what you currently pay for footage and music separately. If the total beats $299 a year, All Access is the cheaper stack, and if it does not, it is not.
- Read the Content License Agreement for the delivery you make, especially if anything goes to broadcast, cinema or out-of-home screens.
- If music is the real requirement, compare Epidemic Sound at $9.99 a month, verified 10 June 2026, or Artlist Music Only at $199 a year, verified 11 June 2026, on their own trials before paying for a bundle.
- Download what you need while the subscription is live. The licence attaches during the subscription and holds for those projects afterwards, and the cost calculators will total the year once you have the current rate.
Storyblocks questions buyers ask
How much does Storyblocks cost?
Our check of storyblocks.com on 12 June 2026 recorded three plans: Video, which is footage and templates, at $149 a year, Audio, which is music and sound effects, at $149 a year, and All Access, which adds images, at $299 a year. All plans were recorded with unlimited downloads during the subscription period and perpetual-style licensing for downloaded content under the Storyblocks Content License Agreement. A 7-day free trial was recorded. Billing is annual, so $299 a year works out at about $24.92 a month as arithmetic only, not as a payment option. Those figures are about four months old, so read the current rate card first.
What is Storyblocks All Access and is it worth it?
All Access was $299 a year on our 12 June 2026 check and bundles stock footage, music, sound effects, stock photos and video templates under one subscription. It is worth it for video producers who use both footage and music in a regular workflow, and the maths is stark: Video at $149 a year plus Audio at $149 a year is $298, so All Access costs a dollar more and adds images. If you already pay more than $299 a year for separate footage and music services, the bundle saves money. If you only need music and rarely touch footage, the music specialists are cheaper: our separate checks recorded Epidemic Sound Personal at $107.88 a year on 10 June 2026 and Artlist Music Only at $199 a year on 11 June 2026.
Does Storyblocks have perpetual licensing?
Yes. Storyblocks uses a Content License Agreement that functions similarly to Artlist's perpetual model: content you download during your active subscription is licensed for the projects you used it in, even after you cancel. This means stock footage or music you used in videos from previous years remains licensed for that content permanently. Unlike Epidemic Sound's subscription-based model, your archive is protected after cancellation.
Does Storyblocks protect against YouTube ContentID claims?
Storyblocks provides a valid licence for use of its music, and our check recorded no proactive ContentID whitelisting of the kind Epidemic Sound offers for linked channels. If YouTube's ContentID system files a claim against a video using a Storyblocks track, you dispute it with your Content License Agreement documentation. We hold no verified figure for how long that resolution takes and will not estimate one. For monetised creators who want no ContentID friction at all, Epidemic Sound's whitelisting model prevents the claim rather than resolving it after the fact.
How does Storyblocks compare to Artlist?
Artlist wins on music curation; Storyblocks wins on breadth and on bundle price. Both use a licence that keeps covering content you downloaded while subscribed. On price, our separate check of artlist.io on 11 June 2026 recorded Artlist Music + SFX at $259 a year, against Storyblocks Audio at $149 a year on our 12 June 2026 check: choose Artlist for the higher music quality and the per-track licence documentation, and choose Storyblocks if you also need footage and want one subscription. For creators who mainly need music, Artlist is the better buy. For creators who need footage and music together, Storyblocks All Access at $299 a year usually beats assembling a two-service stack.
How many stock footage clips does Storyblocks have?
Storyblocks markets its video library as the largest in a creator subscription, and our pricing check of storyblocks.com on 12 June 2026 recorded no clip count, so we are not going to publish a number for it. Take the current figure from Storyblocks itself. What matters more for a buying decision is that the catalogue is fed by independent contributors, so quality varies clip to clip and across resolutions, and unlimited downloads do not help with a brief the library serves thinly. Test it in the 7-day trial against a real edit rather than against a search you know will succeed.
Can I use Storyblocks for commercial client work?
Yes: the Storyblocks Content License Agreement covers most commercial digital distribution scenarios including branded social media content, online advertising, and client deliverables for digital channels. Review the specific license terms for broadcast, theatrical, or out-of-home distribution before using Storyblocks assets in those contexts, as standard subscription coverage may not extend to all distribution types. When in doubt, contact Storyblocks support to confirm coverage for your specific use case before delivering to a client.
Is Storyblocks better than Envato Elements?
For video-focused creators who need stock footage and music, Storyblocks is the more focused subscription: All Access was $299 a year on our 12 June 2026 check, covering footage, music, sound effects, images and templates. We hold no verified pricing snapshot for Envato Elements, so this page will not quote a figure for it; check its own rate card before comparing. On substance, Envato Elements is the better fit if you need design assets such as fonts, graphics and templates for still work alongside video, and Storyblocks is the better fit if footage and audio are the job. Neither competes with the music specialists on catalogue quality: Epidemic Sound was $9.99 a month on our 10 June 2026 check and Artlist Music Only $199 a year on 11 June 2026.
Does Storyblocks include sound effects?
Yes. Our 12 June 2026 check recorded the sound effects library in both the Audio plan at $149 a year and All Access at $299 a year, on the same unlimited download and perpetual-style licence terms as the music and footage. The library covers transitions, ambient sound, production elements and foley. If effects are the only reason you are considering the Audio tier, compare it against the music specialists first, because our separate 10 June 2026 check recorded Epidemic Sound at $9.99 a month with its own effects library included.
Is there a free trial for Storyblocks?
Yes. Our 12 June 2026 check recorded a 7-day free trial with catalogue access, which is the shortest trial in this category: Epidemic Sound recorded 30 days on 10 June 2026, Musicbed 14 days on 12 June 2026, and Artlist no trial at all on 11 June 2026. Seven days is enough to test footage quality, browse the music library and look at templates if you plan the week. Use it on your real production workflow rather than on browsing, so you know whether the catalogue meets your standard before paying $299 a year for All Access.