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.

Shutterstock has the lower entry price — Shutterstock starts at $7/mo, Envato Elements at $16.5/mo. Free tier: Shutterstock Yes, Envato Elements No. HIPAA: Shutterstock —, Envato Elements —.

As of 2026-06-13 · figures link to their source below

Side by side

Shutterstock

$7/mo entry
Entry price$7/mo (Generative AI Plus)
Free tierYes
HIPAA (BAA)
SOC 2
GDPR
Best forHigh-volume image downloaders needing a large, well-curated library

Envato Elements

$16.5/mo entry
Entry price$16.5/mo (Core)
Free tierNo
HIPAA (BAA)
SOC 2
GDPR
Best forHigh-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

← All stock media compared · Open data