Best Stock Media · head-to-head
Shutterstock vs Envato Elements
A sourced, side-by-side comparison for stock media. Shutterstock has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the public page it was captured from — the vendor's own wherever the vendor publishes the number, otherwise the named public source — with the date we captured it.
Shutterstock has the lower entry price — Shutterstock starts at $7/mo, Envato Elements at $39/mo. Free tier: Shutterstock Yes, Envato Elements No. HIPAA: Shutterstock —, Envato Elements —.
As of 2026-09-05 · figures link to their source below STALE
Side by side
Shutterstock
$7/mo entryEnvato Elements
$39/mo entrySources — Shutterstock: stockphotosecrets.com (verified 2026-09-03) STALE · 2026-06-13 · Envato Elements: elements.envato.com (verified 2026-09-05)
Key features
Shutterstock: 503 million royalty-free images, 40 million videos, 43,400+ music tracks; AI Image Generator (multi-model, commercially licensed output); Creative Flow browser-based design editor; Standard license includes $10,000 legal indemnification; Enhanced license $250,000; Free account: 3 royalty-free photos/month and 40 free videos (no paid plan required)
Envato Elements: 28+ million assets: 12.1M images, 7.5M videos, 270K music tracks, 800K sound effects, 627K templates, 282K 3D models, 61K fonts; Unlimited downloads with no daily limits; lifetime commercial license per completed project; 9 AI generation tools: ImageGen, ImageEdit, VideoGen, MusicGen, VoiceGen, SoundGen, GraphicsGen, MockupGen, InspoGen; Claim Clear tool for resolving YouTube Content ID music claims (HAAWK-registered tracks only); Commercial license survives subscription cancellation for already-downloaded assets