1v1 Pricing Showdown
Envato Elements vs Shutterstock
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for Stock Photo & Video decision-makers
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
When choosing between Envato Elements and Shutterstock for your stock photo & video stack, the right answer depends on three things: your budget, the specific features you actually use day-to-day, and your tolerance for renewal-price increases. Below we lay out the prices each vendor advertises today (verified against their live pricing pages), the plan limits that decide whether they'll fit your team, and the features that differ between them.
Envato Elements starts at $10.75/mo; Shutterstock starts at $29/mo. The cheaper headline price isn't always the cheaper total cost — renewal pricing, per-user fees, and overage charges can shift the math. Use the plan-by-plan tables below to model your actual spend.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| unlimited downloads | All plans | — |
| stock photos | Yes | — |
| stock video | Yes | — |
| music with stems | Yes | — |
| sound effects | Yes | — |
| design templates | Yes | — |
| graphics | Yes | — |
| fonts | Yes | — |
| 3d models | Yes | — |
| presentations | Yes | — |
| lifetime commercial license | For all downloads while subscription active | — |
| ai generations | Core 10/mo, Plus 100/mo, Ultimate unlimited | — |
| photos | — | Yes |
| vectors | — | Yes |
| illustrations | — | Yes |
| video hd | — | Flex subscriptions |
| video 4k | — | Separate packs or Enterprise |
| music | — | Flex subscriptions |
| editorial library | — | One of the deepest in stock |
| ai generator | — | Included across plans |
| on demand packs dont expire | — | Unique in category |
| indemnification | — | $10k standard, $500k Enterprise |
| 30 day refund | — | Yes |
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Dive Deeper
Envato Elements
Shutterstock
About the stock photo & video category
Stock media pricing in 2026 splits by business model. 'Per-asset' (Shutterstock On Demand 2-25 image packs, Adobe credit packs, iStock credits): pay by download, assets don't expire with subscription end. 'Monthly subscription' (Shutterstock 10-750/mo, Adobe Stock 10-750/mo, iStock 10+/mo): fixed monthly allowance, unused downloads rarely roll over. 'Unlimited subscription' (Envato Elements $16.50/mo Core, $39 Plus, $109 Ultimate): unlimited downloads across photos, video, music, templates, fonts, 3D. Adobe Stock integrates natively with Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator) — unique advantage for Adobe users. iStock and Shutterstock have the deepest traditional editorial libraries. Envato Elements has the broadest creative asset coverage (beyond just photos/video). Depositphotos competes on price — historically 30-50% cheaper than Shutterstock for similar libraries. AI-generated stock is now standard across all five, included at standard asset prices.
How to choose between stock photo & video options
First: what's your actual usage volume? 1-5 images/month: buy On Demand packs (Shutterstock 2-pack $39, Adobe credit packs). 10-50/month: subscription saves ~40% vs per-asset (Adobe Stock 10/mo at $29.99 annual, iStock Basic at ~$29/mo). 100+/month: Shutterstock 750-asset at $199/mo is cheapest per-asset ($0.27 each). Unlimited: Envato Elements at $16.50/mo covers photos + video + music + templates — can't be beaten for multi-format creators. Second: do you use Adobe Creative Cloud? Adobe Stock integration (preview, edit, license inside Photoshop/Premiere) is a genuine workflow advantage — worth 10-15% premium over competitors. Third: video or photos? Most plans are photo-focused with limited video; Shutterstock Video 10-pack ($125-150) and Adobe Stock HD videos included in Standard are the main options. 4K video usually separate premium. Fourth: editorial (news/events) or creative (lifestyle/business)? Getty iStock has strongest editorial library; Shutterstock competitive; Adobe focuses on creative. Fifth: license type? Standard license covers most use cases; Extended/Enhanced license for merchandise, reselling, or large print runs — usually 5-10x standard price per asset.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Envato Elements cheaper than Shutterstock?
- Envato Elements is cheaper starting at $10.75/mo. Envato Elements starts at $10.75/mo and Shutterstock at $29/mo.
- Which is better, Envato Elements or Shutterstock?
- Envato Elements scores 9.3/10 compared to Shutterstock's 8.9/10 in our analysis. Envato Elements ranks higher on features and value, but Shutterstock may suit specific use cases — see the feature comparison above.
- Is Envato Elements cheaper than Shutterstock for a team of 5?
- For a team of 5, Envato Elements costs $10.75/mo (flat rate) and Shutterstock costs $29/mo (flat rate). Envato Elements is the cheaper option at this team size.
- Are there other stock photo & video alternatives besides Envato Elements and Shutterstock?
- Yes. Our [Stock Photo & Video pricing comparison](/pricing/stock-media/) page covers all major providers with daily-verified prices. You can also see the [cheapest stock photo & video](/pricing/stock-media/cheapest/) for budget-focused options.