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It's a split decision.
Envato is cheaper only if you qualify for its verified-student plan: $11.50/month billed annually. Its Core plan is $16.50/month billed annually; Storyblocks Essentials is $18/month billed annually. Choose Envato for its 30-million-plus mixed asset library and broad AI tools. Choose Storyblocks for human-created stock, editing templates, and AI search. Both list unlimited downloads, but Envato applies a Fair Use Policy. Neither lists a free plan.
01Side by side
| Envato | Storyblocks | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $11.50/month annually for verified students | $18/month annually for Essentials |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Broad creative assets and AI tools | Human-made stock media and editing templates |
| Core strength | 30M-plus assets across creative categories | 10M-plus human-created video, template, audio, image assets |
| Learning curve | Not stated on the vendor's site | Not stated on the vendor's site |
| Integrations/data | Integration details not stated | Templates for After Effects, Premiere, Resolve, Apple Motion |
| Team/seat costs | $29/month annually for two Team Core seats | $35/month annually for one Small Business user |
| Support | Review support score: 4; scale not stated | Review support score: 5; scale not stated |
Envato Choose Envato if
- Choose Envato if you qualify for student pricing.
- Choose Envato if you want assets across many creative categories.
- Choose Envato if broad AI tools matter to your workflow.
Storyblocks Choose Storyblocks if
- Choose Storyblocks if you want human-created stock media.
- Choose Storyblocks if you use its listed editing templates.
- Choose Storyblocks if AI-powered library search is useful.
02Pricing compared
Envato Core costs $16.50 per month billed annually, or $39 month to month. Verified students can get Student Core for $11.50 per month billed annually. Storyblocks Essentials costs €18 per month billed annually; monthly billing prices are not published. These prices use different currencies, so compare them in your billing currency before switching.
Both entry plans include one user and unlimited downloads. Envato Core includes 20 AI credits per month; Storyblocks Essentials includes 3,000 AI credits per month, but the sources don’t establish that credits are comparable across services. Envato’s higher plans add AI credits, while Storyblocks’ Unlimited All Access is €25 per month billed annually and includes 4,500 credits. Neither service lists a free plan. Envato says downloads are subject to its Fair Use Policy.
03Features and depth
Envato is the broader mixed-media library: it lists more than 30 million assets across photos, video, music, graphics, fonts and templates. Its subscription also includes AI tools for video, images, image editing, voice, music, graphics, mockups and sound. Envato says downloaded and generated assets include a lifetime commercial license. Core has 20 AI credits per month; Plus has 200 and allows three parallel AI generations.
Storyblocks lists over 10 million video, template, audio and image assets, described on its homepage as entirely human-created. It adds new pre-licensed content daily and offers AI-powered chat search. Its templates support After Effects, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Apple Motion. The AI Toolkit uses Runway’s Aleph model to edit footage and ElevenLabs for voiceovers. Storyblocks Essentials includes 3,000 AI credits monthly, and Unlimited All Access includes 4,500. Both services list unlimited downloads, but Envato explicitly applies a Fair Use Policy. Credit counts alone don’t show which service offers more usable AI generation.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Both services promise unlimited downloads, but the better fit depends on how you search and create. Storyblocks offers AI-powered chat search, which may help when keywords aren’t enough, and templates for several named editing apps. Envato combines its asset library with a wider set of AI tools, but that breadth means more features and plan-specific AI credit limits to sort through.
The available reviews are mixed rather than decisive: both score 6.5 overall. Envato’s review flags user-reported account and template headaches; Storyblocks’ review notes user-reported licensing concerns. Those are review summaries, not a measure of how often problems occur. Check the license terms and the tools you need before moving an existing workflow.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Envato or Storyblocks?
Envato Core is $16.50 per month billed annually, compared with Storyblocks Essentials at €18 per month billed annually. The currencies differ, so the listed figures aren’t a direct price comparison. Verified students can get Envato Student Core for $11.50 per month billed annually.
Do Envato and Storyblocks offer unlimited downloads?
Both list unlimited downloads on their subscriptions. Envato’s pricing details state that unlimited stock downloads are subject to a Fair Use Policy. Storyblocks lists unlimited downloads for Essentials, Unlimited All Access and Small Business plans.
Which service has more assets?
Envato lists more than 30 million assets, including photos, video, music, graphics, fonts and templates. Storyblocks lists over 10 million video, template, audio and image assets. The counts come from the published product information and don’t indicate how well either catalog fits a particular project.
Which one has the better AI tools?
They serve different needs. Envato lists tools for video, images, editing, voice, music, graphics, mockups and sound. Storyblocks offers AI-powered search and an AI Toolkit using Runway’s Aleph for footage editing and ElevenLabs for voiceovers. Their credit counts aren’t directly comparable from the available information.