The Best Stock Media Software in 2026
We researched stock media software using vendors’ official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Rankings focus on the category’s core job: sourcing licensable creative assets, value for money, and verified features such as catalog formats, download allowances, and license terms.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
Shutterstock#1 of 329.3/10Broad stock media library with subscriptions, packs, team plans and API access.
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Runner-up
Adobe Stock#2 of 329.2/10A broad stock library with Creative Cloud sharing, AI Studio editing and tiered subscriptions.
7-day trial
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Top-ranked free plan
Depositphotos#3 of 329.1/10A broad stock library with AI tools, mobile apps, and flexible download options.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 32 tools, best first
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Best forTeams needing broad stock media and API access
Broad stock media library with subscriptions, packs, team plans and API access.
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Shutterstock -
Best forCreative Cloud users licensing varied stock assets
A broad stock library with Creative Cloud sharing, AI Studio editing and tiered subscriptions.
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Adobe Stock -
Best forBudget-conscious buyers wanting varied media
A broad stock library with AI tools, mobile apps, and flexible download options.
9.1/10★★★★★Visit Depositphotos -
Best forFree photo and video downloads with API access
A free source of searchable photos and videos, with mobile apps and API access.
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Pexels -
Best forFree users seeking a broad creator-content library
A broad free media library for creators, with mobile apps and an image-and-video API.
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Pixabay -
Best forFree photo users who may need paid downloads
A free photo library with optional Unsplash+ downloads, editing tools, and API access.
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Unsplash -
Best forBuyers needing images, editorial assets and video
A stock-media library with image tiers, editorial filtering and a video-inclusive plan.
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit iStock -
Best forBuyers needing editorial and varied media formats
A broad stock-media library with free collections, subscriptions, credit packs and API access.
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Dreamstime -
Best forLow-cost stock downloads with team and API tools
A stock marketplace with free downloads, Pro licensing, team tools, and an asset API.
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Vecteezy -
Best forBuyers focused on licensed still-image variety
A searchable web library for licensing still images through subscriptions or credits.
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit 123RF -
Best forCreative teams wanting unlimited multi-format assets
A broad creative asset library with unlimited downloads and project-based commercial licensing.
8.3/10★★★★☆Try Envato Elements -
Best forVideo editors needing templates, footage, and plugins
A broad creative-asset library for video editors, with selected free downloads and paid unlimited access.
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Motion Array -
Best forVideo teams needing unlimited high-resolution footage
Unlimited HD-to-8K footage, with licensing and extras varying by plan.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Storyblocks -
Best forVideo creators seeking flexible per-item or subscription
A broad stock marketplace for video creators, with flexible licensing and AI-powered search.
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit MotionElements -
Best forCreators licensing music and sound effects for video
A broad audio-licensing catalog with editing tools for video and other media work.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Epidemic Sound -
Best forVideo editors sourcing music and sound effects
A music- and SFX-focused library with subscriptions, à-la-carte licensing, and a free collection.
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Pond5 -
Best forMusic buyers needing stems, SFX, and collaboration
Music and sound-effects licensing with stems, clearance tools, and team options.
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Soundstripe -
Best forMusic licensing with subscriptions or single-track buys
A music-focused library with subscription and single-track licensing for creators and teams.
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit PremiumBeat -
Best forMusic-focused creators seeking stems and editing workflow
A music-focused subscription library with stems, sound effects, and licensing tiers.
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit Artlist -
Best forProjects needing curated music and premium sound effects
A music-focused licensing service with deep search, song versions, and sound effects.
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Musicbed -
Best forLow-cost royalty-free music licensing
A music-focused library with unlimited online subscriptions and per-track licenses.
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Jamendo -
Best forEditorial and creative image licensing via API
A searchable image library with licensing options and an API for application integration.
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit Getty Images -
Best forEditorial-heavy teams needing search and API tools
Broad stock-content search and an API, with monthly subscriptions starting at $139.
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Alamy -
Best forTeams licensing curated photos and illustrations
A curated stock library with commercial and editorial licenses, team options and an API.
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit Stocksy -
Best forBuyers licensing individual HD or 4K video clips
License individual HD or 4K clips with royalty-free, rights-managed, or editorial options.
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Dissolve -
Best forSolo creators seeking high-resolution stock footage
A footage subscription built around story-grouped clips, high resolutions, and RAW and LOG formats.
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Artgrid -
Best forProduction teams needing researched, rights-managed clips
Curated, researched footage with rights-managed licensing priced per clip.
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Filmsupply -
Best forScientific and medical imagery buyers
A specialist stock library for licensed scientific and medical images and video.
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forNature-focused image and footage licensing
A focused licensing library with search, rights filters, lightboxes and online image orders.
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forAudio teams using AI search and mobile workflows
Audio-focused stock media with AI search, stems and mobile downloads.
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit Audiio -
Best forInstitutions licensing art, culture and history media
A specialist licensing archive for art, culture and historical media.
6.3/10★★★☆☆Try Bridgeman Images -
Best forDesigners seeking a subscription font library
A font-focused subscription with searchable previews, downloads, and commercial licensing.
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit site
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shutterstock | No | 9.3 | |
| 2 | Adobe Stock | No | 9.2 | |
| 3 | Depositphotos | Yes | 9.1 | |
| 4 | Pexels | Yes | Free | 9.0 |
| 5 | Pixabay | Yes | Free | 8.9 |
| 6 | Unsplash | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 7 | iStock | $29/user/mo | 8.7 | |
| 8 | Dreamstime | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 9 | Vecteezy | Yes | 8.5 | |
| 10 | 123RF | No | 8.4 | |
| 11 | Envato Elements | No | 8.3 | |
| 12 | Motion Array | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 13 | Storyblocks | $21/user/mo | 8.1 | |
| 14 | MotionElements | No | $198/yr | 8.0 |
| 15 | Epidemic Sound | No | 7.9 | |
| 16 | Pond5 | Yes | 7.8 | |
| 17 | Soundstripe | No | 7.7 | |
| 18 | PremiumBeat | No | 7.6 | |
| 19 | Artlist Music | No | 7.5 | |
| 20 | Musicbed | 7.4 | ||
| 21 | Jamendo Licensing | No | €6.59/mo | 7.3 |
| 22 | Getty Images | 7.2 | ||
| 23 | Alamy | No | $139/mo | 7.1 |
| 24 | Stocksy | No | 7.0 | |
| 25 | Dissolve | 6.9 | ||
| 26 | Artgrid | No | 6.8 | |
| 27 | Filmsupply | No | $109/unit one-time | 6.7 |
| 28 | Science Photo Library | No | 6.6 | |
| 29 | Nature Picture Library | No | 6.5 | |
| 30 | Audiio | 6.4 | ||
| 31 | Bridgeman Images | No | 6.3 | |
| 32 | Creative Fabrica Fonts | No | 6.1 |
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How we rank stock media software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update