Artlist vs Storyblocks Comparison 2026
Artlist bundles music, footage and plugins into one subscription from $19.99 a month billed annually, and the licence survives cancelling for anything already published. Storyblocks splits its catalogue instead: its entry tier at $21 a month covers footage, images and templates only, and music does not show up until Unlimited All Access at $30. Compare the plans that actually include music, and Artlist runs about $120 a year cheaper. Compare entry tier to entry tier and the gap nearly closes, because the entry tier skips music entirely.
One licence covering music, footage and plugins
Unlimited stock downloads on one subscription
At a glance
- Artlist starts cheaper, at $19.99.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Artlist | Storyblocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $19.99 | From $21 |
| Pricing model | Paid subscription | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Annual only |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export |
Artlist
One licence covering music, footage and plugins
Artlist sells a subscription that licenses everything on it for everything you make, including the videos you monetise, and the licence survives the subscription ending for anything already published. That last clause is the one worth reading twice, because it is where most stock music libraries hedge. The catalogue leans cinematic. Somebody who needs one track this month will find a per-track shop cheaper, and Artlist does not sell that way.
Our note
The licence terms are the product here and the catalogue is secondary, which is the opposite of how these are usually sold. Compare against Epidemic Sound on what happens when you stop paying rather than on how many tracks each claims.
Only on this side
- Works with YouTube
- Works with Instagram
- Works with TikTok
Storyblocks
Unlimited stock downloads on one subscription
Storyblocks charges a flat subscription and lets you download as much as you want, which is the opposite of the credit model everywhere else and much easier to budget against. Footage, music, images and templates all sit under the same plan. The library is smaller than Shutterstock's and you notice it on anything specific.
Why people weigh these two
- Storyblocks instead of Artlist
- Storyblocks offers unlimited stock downloads on one $21 subscription, the same all-you-can-take shape without the plugin side.
- Artlist instead of Storyblocks
- Artlist adds editing plugins into the same licence as the music and footage, starting at $19.99, more tools bundled in beyond what Storyblocks covers.
Which one should you pick
Pick Artlist if music is why you are buying and you want it included from the first tier. At $19.99 a month billed annually it is roughly $120 a year cheaper than the Storyblocks plan that actually includes music, and anything published while subscribed stays cleared after you stop paying.
Pick Storyblocks if footage and templates are the main draw and music is secondary. Its entry tier at $21 a month billed annually slightly undercuts Artlist's entry tier and includes 4K footage, images and an Adobe plugin, but music and sound effects only arrive on the $30 All Access tier, which is where the real price comparison against Artlist belongs. Small Business at $40 extends the same catalogue to a company under 50 people.
Common questions
- Is Artlist cheaper than Storyblocks?
- It depends which Storyblocks tier includes what is needed. Against Storyblocks' entry tier at $21 a month, Artlist's $19.99 entry tier is only slightly cheaper. Against Unlimited All Access at $30, the tier that actually includes music, Artlist runs about $120 a year cheaper.
- Does Storyblocks include music on its cheapest plan?
- No. The entry tier at $21 a month covers footage, images and templates only. Music and sound effects start on Unlimited All Access at $30 a month. Artlist includes music from its $19.99 entry tier.
- What does Storyblocks add at the Small Business tier?
- At $40 a month billed annually, Small Business extends the same footage, image and template catalogue to a company under 50 people. Artlist's tiers scale by which libraries are included and how much AI allowance comes with them, rather than by company size.
- Does either one plug directly into a video editor?
- Storyblocks has an Adobe plugin that searches and drops assets from inside Premiere. Artlist is tagged for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube use rather than a specific editor, and its subscription bundles its own plugin suite in with the music and footage licence.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.