by Pond5 Media Ireland LimitedStock video marketplaces for contributors
A footage-first stock marketplace that pays a flat 30% share per non-exclusive video license, or 40% for exclusive video, with no levels to climb.
Sell 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.
Pond5 is built around footage, and its sell page states "1.5M+ Searches every week" and "1M+ Customers in 185+ countries". Clips can also be sold through subscriptions, resellers, creative software tools and partner deals at the same share, and Pond5 says it expects to distribute some content through Shutterstock, paid through Pond5. Non-exclusive video earns 30% of net license revenue from the first license, and exclusive video earns 40% while still allowing Shutterstock. Dataset licensing adds a 20% share unless you opt out.
Against 3 other products we reviewed in Stock video marketplaces for contributors: what you pay for with each, the five access facts, the plan limits we recorded and each review's bottom line. The note under the table says how each one was checked.
| Metric | Pond5 | Shutterstock Contributor | Adobe Stock Contributor | Storyblocks Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | 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 reachPut your footage in front of Shutterstock’s buyers and partner channels for free, while you keep selling the same clips anywhere else. | 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 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 | 7.5 | 7.7Best | 6.5 | 4.7 |
| Free option | Free plan | Free plan | Free plan | Free plan |
| Card to start | No card needed | No card needed | No card needed | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve | Approval wait |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices | Prices hidden |
| Video royalty (new non-exclusive seller) | 30% flat from the first license; no levels | 15% for the first 10 video licenses a year; 22% average over 100, computed | 35% flat from the first license | Not stated as a percentage; a monthly share of a revenue pool, split by downloads |
| Highest video royalty | 40% exclusive (video only; Shutterstock still allowed) | 40% over 25,000 video licenses a year; no exclusive program | 35%; no levels and no exclusive program | Not stated; video is non-exclusive only, with no exclusive rate |
| Dollar earnings per download published | No, a percentage of net license revenue | No, a percentage of the price received | Yes: $2.80 to $8.40 (subscriptions), $22.40 to $28.00 (HD), $56.00 to $70.00 (4K), US prices | No; the agreement says per-download earnings are not disclosed |
| Per-download minimum | Not stated | $0.10 at every level | Not stated for video | Not stated |
| Payout minimum | $25 (fixed; smaller balances roll over) | $25 (you can set it up to $2,000) | $25 | $10 on Payoneer; not stated for other methods |
| How payouts are made | Automatic, monthly on the 15th | Automatic, monthly | On request, from 45 days after the first sale | Automatic, monthly on the 15th; you can hold payments |
| Payout methods | PayPal, Skrill (4% deducted), Payoneer | Payoneer, PayPal, Skrill (no bank transfer, wire or check) | PayPal, Payoneer (outside the US only), Skrill | Payoneer, PayPal, direct deposit, wire, check, eCheck ($0 to $25 fee per payout) |
| Joining | Open and free; government ID check before submitting; every file reviewed | Open and free; tax form needed; every file reviewed | Open and free with an Adobe ID; email and phone checks; every file reviewed | Free, by application with a portfolio review; under 5% of artist applications accepted |
| Removing clips | Delete single files any time; batch removal through support | Delete one or many at any time | Delete one at any time; removing more than 100 items or 10% (whichever is greater) in 90 days needs 90 days’ notice | By request, with 30 days’ notice |
| AI training use of your clips | Dataset licensing at 20% per licensed item; opt-out | Data licensing at a 20% average share; video opt-out | Used to train Firefly; no opt-out; discretionary yearly bonus | Covered by the agreement; AI revenue share at a rate Storyblocks sets; no opt-out described |
| AI-generated video | Not accepted | Not accepted | Accepted when labelled | Not accepted |
| Bulk upload and metadata | FTP and CSV metadata; batch edit and templates | FTPS and CSV metadata; web upload of up to 100 files | CSV metadata; SFTP for qualified accounts | sFTP and CSV metadata (Shutterstock and Pond5 CSVs accepted); web upload of up to 100 files |
| Bottom line | 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, Shutterstock Contributor is a free, open, non-exclusive outlet with paid and optional data licensing and automatic monthly payouts. The share starts at 15% and resets every January, and a few pages disagree on payout details. | 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, 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: Pond5: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Shutterstock Contributor: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Adobe Stock Contributor: 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.
Review from public pages
Written from Pond5's public pages (pricing, security or privacy, and docs) as read on Oct 15, 2026. We did not sign up, and no hands-on run is published yet.
We read Pond5's contributor portal on Oct 15, 2026: the Payout Overview, the guides on tagging, pricing, uploading and preparing footage, the legal guidelines, the Exclusive Video Artist Program and Referral Program pages, the FAQ, Data & Trends, Shoot Briefs and the news posts on rate and pricing changes. www.pond5.com returned an error to us, so the sell page (Jul 10, 2026), the Contributor Agreement (version 2025-01-15, the latest update named in a help article dated Mar 20, 2026; copy of Jul 29, 2025), the US buyer pricing page (Jul 1, 2026, in USD) and several help articles were read from Internet Archive copies. We did not sign up, upload or log in for this review.
The earnings rules are clear on the main points. The payout overview and the agreement give the same flat rates (30% non-exclusive video, 40% exclusive video, 30% other media, 20% datasets), explain that a subscription download is paid on the price paid for that item, and say payouts go out automatically on the 15th once the balance reaches $25. Dataset use is described, paid and can be switched off under Preferences.
A few points need a question. For video, the pricing guide says the price you enter is one of several factors used to set the list price, and an Aug 2024 news post names the tiers Standard and Premium; their prices are not published, while other pages say you set your own prices. The FAQ defines exclusive content as not on any other marketplace, while the program page and agreement allow Shutterstock, and a 2023 news post still shows older exclusive rates. The Extended License guarantee fee and the account-closing fee are not quantified, and changes to the agreement bind at your next upload or two weeks after notice, whichever is earlier.
Non-exclusive video earns 30% of net license revenue on every license, with no download counts to reach and no yearly reset, and the same share applies to subscription, Global Market and Partner sales.
Compared: Shutterstock starts video at 15% for the first 10 licenses of a year and resets every January 1; iStock pays non-exclusive video 20%, and Adobe Stock a flat 35%.
Exclusive video earns 40% from the day you enrol, the same clips may still sell on Shutterstock, and a separate account can hold only the clips you want exclusive.
Compared: Shutterstock and Adobe Stock have no exclusive program; iStock’s exclusive track pays 25% to 45% on istock.com.
Dataset licenses for computer vision and language model training pay 20% per licensed item, metadata is anonymized, model releases are never shared, and an opt-out sits under Preferences.
Compared: Adobe Stock uses clips for Firefly with no opt-out; Storyblocks describes no opt-out from its machine learning use.
The Sales Data tab shows sales, revenue, page views, bin adds and cart adds per clip. FTP upload, CSV metadata, batch edit and metadata templates are documented, and Data & Trends and Shoot Briefs show what buyers search for.
Compared: iStock’s public pages describe no FTP or CSV upload.
You earn 20% of a new buyer’s first purchase and 5% of their purchases for a year, plus 10% more when they buy your own work, and 5% of a referred artist’s sales for a year.
Compared: No referral program appears on Adobe Stock’s contributor pages, and iStock publishes no referral rate.
For video, the price you enter is one of several factors used to set the list price, in Standard and Premium tiers whose prices are not published, and the agreement lets Pond5 adjust prices. You still set prices for music, SFX, photos and templates.
Workaround: Ask support how a clip is placed in a tier; the archived US buyer pricing page lists video starting at $39.
The share is of net license revenue: taxes, refunds, chargebacks, card and currency fees, buyer discounts and an Extended License guarantee fee that is not quantified can come off first. No minimum per download is stated.
Workaround: The Sales Data tab shows revenue per clip, so you can check what each license paid.
No page describes holding payouts (the FAQ mentions only an "Enabled Payouts" setting) or raising the $25 minimum, Skrill deducts 4% at each payout, and contributors in Russia and Belarus currently have no payout option.
Workaround: PayPal and Payoneer have no fee stated on the payout page.
Agreement changes bind at your next upload or two weeks after notice. The FAQ and the program page define exclusive content differently, a 2023 news post shows older exclusive rates, and the account-closing fee is not quantified.
Workaround: The payout overview and the 2025-01-15 agreement match on rates; ask support in writing about anything else.
Joining and uploading cost nothing. You earn a fixed share of net license revenue: 30% for non-exclusive video, 40% for exclusive video, 30% for other media and 20% for dataset licenses, with no levels. On the archived US buyer pricing page (Jul 1, 2026, USD), video starts at $39, so a sale at that price pays $11.70 non-exclusive or $15.60 exclusive before deductions. Footage Plus is shown as $199 a month ($19.90 per item for 10 downloads) or $999 a year ($8.32 per item); the payout overview says only that subscription payouts follow the price paid for each item, so if a download is valued at that per-item price it pays about $5.97 or $2.50 at 30% (all computed). Buyer discounts, Partner and dataset licenses at lower prices, the Extended License guarantee fee and Skrill’s 4% can make a sale pay less. US persons earning $10 or more a year need a W-9.
Delete single files from the Uploads page at any time, or ask support or [email protected] for batch removal; licenses already sold stay valid, items in a buyer’s cart can be bought for 90 days, and promotional use may continue for a year. You can download a CSV of your uploads’ metadata. On closing, Pond5 may hold amounts owed for 30 days and deduct an administrative fee that is not quantified. Leaving the exclusive program takes 180 days’ written notice.
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.
| Limit | As recorded |
|---|---|
| Video royalty (new non-exclusive seller) | 30% flat from the first license; no levels |
| Highest video royalty | 40% exclusive (video only; Shutterstock still allowed) |
| Dollar earnings per download published | No, a percentage of net license revenue |
| Per-download minimum | Not stated |
| Payout minimum | $25 (fixed; smaller balances roll over) |
| How payouts are made | Automatic, monthly on the 15th |
| Payout methods | PayPal, Skrill (4% deducted), Payoneer |
| Joining | Open and free; government ID check before submitting; every file reviewed |
| Removing clips | Delete single files any time; batch removal through support |
| AI training use of your clips | Dataset licensing at 20% per licensed item; opt-out |
| AI-generated video | Not accepted |
| Bulk upload and metadata | FTP and CSV metadata; batch edit and templates |
Read from the vendor's public pages on Oct 15, 2026. No hands-on run is published yet. How we check
We have not published a sign-up run for Pond5 yet. The access facts above were read from its sign-up and pricing pages on Oct 15, 2026.
We have not published API calls for Pond5 yet.
Pond5 lists 5 plans.
Prices as listed, USD, excluding tax; observed 2026-10-15.
Source: contributor.pond5.com pricing page. Prices change; the observed date above is when our agent read them.
We read the earnings, payout, agreement, upload and AI pages of three stock video marketplaces on the same day and scored them on the same six indicators. What a new contributor earns per license, how payouts and AI training work, and who should pick which.
