Stock video marketplaces for contributors · Comparison

Adobe Stock Contributor vs Pond5 vs Storyblocks Contributor

3 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.

Side by side

Adobe Stock Contributor vs Pond5 vs Storyblocks Contributor: value, access facts, plan limits and bottom lines
Metric	Adobe Stock Contributor	Pond5	Storyblocks Contributor
What you're paying for	Built-in reachSell footage on Adobe Stock and inside Adobe’s own apps for one flat 35% share, with the dollar earnings per download published up front.	Built-in reachSell footage to a video-first buyer base at a flat 30% share from the first license, with no levels to climb and nothing to pay to join.	Built-in reachAdd your existing footage to a subscription library of everyday creators and business customers, without giving up the right to sell it elsewhere.
Overall score	6.5	7.5Best	4.7
Free option	Free plan	Free plan	Free plan
Card to start	No card needed	No card needed	–Not measured
Getting access	Self-serve	Self-serve	Approval wait
Starter priceCheapest paid plan	$0	$0	$0
Pricing model	Usage-based	Usage-based	Usage-based
Pricing page	Public prices	Public prices	Prices hidden
Video royalty (new non-exclusive seller)	35% flat from the first license	30% flat from the first license; no levels	Not stated as a percentage; a monthly share of a revenue pool, split by downloads
Highest video royalty	35%; no levels and no exclusive program	40% exclusive (video only; Shutterstock still allowed)	Not stated; video is non-exclusive only, with no exclusive rate
Dollar earnings per download published	Yes: $2.80 to $8.40 (subscriptions), $22.40 to $28.00 (HD), $56.00 to $70.00 (4K), US prices	No, a percentage of net license revenue	No; the agreement says per-download earnings are not disclosed
Per-download minimum	Not stated for video	Not stated	Not stated
Payout minimum	$25	$25 (fixed; smaller balances roll over)	$10 on Payoneer; not stated for other methods
How payouts are made	On request, from 45 days after the first sale	Automatic, monthly on the 15th	Automatic, monthly on the 15th; you can hold payments
Payout methods	PayPal, Payoneer (outside the US only), Skrill	PayPal, Skrill (4% deducted), Payoneer	Payoneer, PayPal, direct deposit, wire, check, eCheck ($0 to $25 fee per payout)
Joining	Open and free with an Adobe ID; email and phone checks; every file reviewed	Open and free; government ID check before submitting; every file reviewed	Free, by application with a portfolio review; under 5% of artist applications accepted
Removing clips	Delete one at any time; removing more than 100 items or 10% (whichever is greater) in 90 days needs 90 days’ notice	Delete single files any time; batch removal through support	By request, with 30 days’ notice
AI training use of your clips	Used to train Firefly; no opt-out; discretionary yearly bonus	Dataset licensing at 20% per licensed item; opt-out	Covered by the agreement; AI revenue share at a rate Storyblocks sets; no opt-out described
AI-generated video	Accepted when labelled	Not accepted	Not accepted
Bulk upload and metadata	CSV metadata; SFTP for qualified accounts	FTP and CSV metadata; batch edit and templates	sFTP and CSV metadata (Shutterstock and Pond5 CSVs accepted); web upload of up to 100 files
Bottom line	From its public pages, Adobe Stock Contributor pays a flat 35% on video from standard plans, credit packs and on-demand, and publishes the dollar figures per download. Clips also train Firefly with no opt-out, payouts are on request, and rates can change with no notice period.	From its public pages, Pond5 is a free, footage-first marketplace with a flat 30% share, a 40% exclusive option that still allows Shutterstock, and paid, optional dataset licensing. Video prices follow tiers that are not published.	From its public pages, Storyblocks Contributor is an application-only, non-exclusive video library with well-documented payouts and useful bulk tools. Pay is a share of a pool whose size is not published, and the agreement covers AI dataset use with no opt-out described.

Evidence: Adobe Stock Contributor: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Pond5: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Storyblocks Contributor: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.

When to pick each

In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.

From our Adobe Stock Contributor review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Adobe Stock Contributor when
You want 35% on non-exclusive video without going exclusive, dollar figures per download, or you sell labelled AI-generated video.
Pick Pond5 when
You want 40% for exclusive clips that may still sell on Shutterstock, automatic payouts on the 15th, or a dataset share with an opt-out.
From our Pond5 review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Pond5 when
You want automatic monthly payouts, dataset licensing paid at 20% with an opt-out, and an exclusive option.
Pick Adobe Stock Contributor when
You want a flat 35% share with dollar earnings per download published, or you make labelled AI-generated video.
From our Storyblocks Contributor review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Storyblocks Contributor when
You want more payout methods with published fees, the option to hold payments, and a CSV importer that reads your Pond5 file.
Pick Pond5 when
You want a flat 30% per license stated up front, 40% for exclusive clips, and a paid dataset share you can opt out of.
From our Storyblocks Contributor review
Checked Oct 15, 2026
Pick Storyblocks Contributor when
You want automatic monthly payouts, bank or check options with published fees, and a $10 Payoneer minimum.
Pick Adobe Stock Contributor when
You want a flat 35% share with dollar earnings per download published, open sign-up, or you make labelled AI-generated video.

Entry price

Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.

Adobe Stock Contributor
Free Collection (selected contributors)
$0/mo
Single payment per video: 7 credits for a one-year term or 16 credits for a perpetual term (1 credit = $1)
- Nomination during limited windows
- No royalties during the term
- One-year terms renew unless you opt out at the next review
- Content cannot be removed during the term
Pond5
Exclusive Video Artist Program
$0/mo
40% of net license revenue per video license; your video (and similar footage) only on Pond5 and Shutterstock
- Priority curation and support
- Two-week grace period to remove clips elsewhere
- Leave with 180 days’ written notice
Storyblocks Contributor
Solicited Work
Per contract
Work-for-hire under a contract arranged with a Storyblocks representative; payment amounts and dates are listed in the contract terms
- Content is exclusive to Storyblocks
- Also earns in the Partner Program

Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Adobe Stock Contributor 2026-10-15, Pond5 2026-10-15, Storyblocks Contributor 2026-10-15.

Which one fits

If you need to start today without a sales call: Pond5Self-serve sign-up, no card needed; the highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (7.5/10).
If you want to try it without entering a card: Pond5Free plan, no card needed, and the highest score of the 2 that skip the card (7.5/10).
Highest overall score: Pond57.5/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.

Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score

Full reviews

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