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 vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
At a glance
- Price: Shutterstock $7/mo vs Envato Elements $16.5/mo — Shutterstock is cheaper to start.
- Free tier: Shutterstock Yes; Envato Elements No.
- HIPAA: Shutterstock —; Envato Elements —.
Side by side
| Shutterstock | Envato Elements | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $7/mo (Generative AI Plus) | $16.5/mo (Core) |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| HIPAA (BAA) | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | — |
| GDPR | — | — |
| Best for | High-volume image downloaders needing a large, well-curated library | High-volume freelancers and agencies needing mixed asset types (photo, video, audio, templates) under one flat fee |
Sources — Shutterstock: stockphotosecrets.com (verified 2026-06-13). Envato Elements: checkthat.ai (verified 2026-06-13).
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