Matic Broz has been in design—including stock photo and video industry and used Adobe software—for over a decade.
If you want to download photos, vectors, videos, audio, or any other file from Adobe Stock, you must have an active subscription or buy credits.
Which one you pick depends on your requirements, with the two most important being the number and frequency of downloads. If you need to download content regularly and at least 10 files each month, subscription plans make the most sense because they are the cheapest.
Adobe Stock does not offer coupons. The best way to start for free is to use the 30-day free trial.
[Editor’s note: Adobe Stock is currently experimenting with removing credit packs for individuals in some countries. This article will be updated when the testing is complete. In regions where Adobe Stock is not testing, the information below is 100% accurate.]
To download an asset from Adobe Stock, like an image, you need to get a subscription or credit packs and use those to download it.
| Content type | Subscriptions | On-demand |
|---|---|---|
| Standard assets (images, templates, audio, vectors) | $0.26–$9.99 | $8.00–$9.99 |
| Premium images* | $76–$95 | $96–$120 |
| Premium 3D* | $12.80–$80 | $16.00–$99.90 |
| Videos (HD, 4K)* | $7.99–$22.39 | $64.00–$199.80 |
| Templates, 3D, | $0.26–$9.99 | $8.00–$9.99 |
| Music | $0.26–$9.99 | – |
| Extended License* | $63.99 | $79.99 |
* You can buy premium content and extended licenses only with two subscriptions: 350 Assets and 750 Assets. Bought this way, they cost 20% less than buying them on-demand.
The table above shows the cost per download, calculated as the number of assets you can download for a given price. For example, a subscription for 10 standard assets per month costs $29.99/month with an annual commitment. This means one standard asset will cost you $2.99.
Adobe Stock pricing is simple and versatile, so it suits every customer and purpose. Still, you should know a few tricks that can save you a lot of money and nerves.
Adobe Stock offers two asset types: Standard and Premium. “Standard” refers to the “Standard License” you get with these assets, while “Premium” refers to the higher quality that comes with the Enhanced License.
Here is a table summarizing the key differences between Standard and Premium assets:
When you choose a subscription, you’ll pay a set amount and get a specific number of downloads each month. Each subscription plan is available with a monthly or annual commitment, with the annual being about 20% cheaper than the monthly, on average.
| Monthly | Annual | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 (or 1 video) | $49.99 per month | $29.99/month (30-day free trial) |
| 25 (or 3 videos) | $69.99/month | $49.99/month (30-day free trial) |
| 40 (or 6 videos) | $99.99/month | $79.99/month |
| 750 (or 25 videos) | $249.99/month | $199.99/month |
Subscriptions let you download everything. You get a certain amount of download credits that you can spend to get standard assets. Downloading HD and 4K videos will cost more credits.
If you purchase the 350 or 750 asset plans, you can download Premium Content and Extended Licenses, but they cost even more. For example, an Extended License would cost you 240 credits—the amount of credits that would add up to $64. However, downloading Extended and Premium content this way is 20% cheaper than buying credit packs.
The smaller two plans have 30-day free trials when purchased with the annual commitment. Anything you download during the trial period is yours to keep, even if you cancel.
What happens if you don’t use all downloads?
You can roll over a year’s worth of unused licenses with the three smaller subscriptions (10, 25, and 40 downloads). This is very useful if you do not use all the downloads in a given month because this way, they will not be lost, but you can use more in the next month.
Technically, you could buy an annual plan and use all unused licenses in the final 12th month.
What happens if you use all your downloads?
If you use up all your downloads in a given month and need more, you can buy additional assets for the same price as your subscription. For example, with the 10 monthly downloads for $29.99/month, you pay $2.99 per asset. This is also the price for additional assets.
May I share the assets with others?
No, the general subscriptions are for one user. If you want to share your assets, you must buy team subscription plans, which are more expensive but allow you to share the assets.
There are many ways or paths you can take to buy subscriptions, but the following is the easiest:
Or watch this short video we created for your help (Note: I already had an account, so I skipped the step 5).
These are the 5 credit packs you can buy as an individual:
As you can see, buying 150 credits is 20% cheaper than buying 5 credits if you consider the price per credit. They are valid for up to one year after the purchase and expire afterward.
These are the 5 credit packs you can buy as a team:
With credits, you get access to the entire Adobe Stock collection, including premium assets and the Extended License. You can spend the credits on any asset at Adobe Stock by finding the assets, clicking the download icon or button, and choosing your available credits as the buying option.
Each asset has a predefined price in credits, ranging from 1 to 50 credits.
Deciding between a subscription or purchasing credits depends on your needs. Before buying, consider:
Subscription credits versus credits from credit packs are different and not interchangeable. You receive subscription credits with a subscription plan and credits from packs as one-time purchases.
Pick subscriptions if: you need regular downloads (a consistent number each month) of standard images, templates, 3D models, or music tracks. Choose monthly subscriptions for access for up to 9 months or annual subscriptions if you need access for longer than 9 months.
Why 9 Months? Annual subscriptions provide around a 20% discount compared to month-to-month plans. So, if you need a subscription for 9 or more months, an annual plan ultimately costs less, even if you cancel before the full 12 months.
Pick credit packs if: you want to download premium assets not included with subscriptions (like high-res photos or 4K video) or if you don’t need regular downloads each month.
Adobe Stock is an integral part of Adobe Creative Cloud, which lets you browse and download all assets without leaving the apps. As of 2022, Adobe Stock is available in 9 apps, including:
Existing CC users
If you already use Creative Cloud apps like Adobe Photoshop, you can purchase Adobe Stock in several ways. However, the easiest way is to go to stock.adobe.com and buy it as described above.
You can also do it from within the Creative Cloud, but you’ll be redirected to a browser anyway.
New CC users
The easiest way to start your Creative Cloud subscription with Adobe Stock is to do it all in one go. Follow these steps:
Or watch this video to see it in action:
How does Adobe Stock licensing work? When you pay for an Adobe Stock image or other media asset (video, audio, etc.
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