Storyblocks alternative: $79 per 4K clip instead of unlimited downloads
By Phil Maher · Published September 28, 2026 · Competitor prices verified July 2026
footage.cool is a Storyblocks alternative for buyers who need one or a few specific 4K clips of Baja California Sur, Colorado, or the California coast and would rather own a perpetual license than keep a subscription open. Storyblocks costs about $21 a month for Essentials or $30 a month for All Access on annual plans, and about $65 month to month, for unlimited downloads from more than seven million videos (prices verified July 2026). footage.cool charges $79 per clip, licensed directly by the filmmaker who shot it. On price alone Storyblocks wins fast: an annual All Access plan breaks even at about five clips a year, and a single month-to-month month is under one $79 license. The case for buying here is the shot itself, the paperwork, and never having a license tied to an account.
The numbers side by side
| Source | Model | Price for one 4K clip | Library | Where it wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| footage.cool | Per clip, direct from the filmmaker | $79 Standard / $199 Extended (broadcast). Premium hero clips $149 / $399. | 54,000+ clips, one filmmaker, Baja, Colorado, California | Flat price, one copyright holder, Baja and Sea of Cortez depth |
| Pond5 | Per-clip marketplace | $59 Standard / $149 Premium | 48M+ clips from thousands of contributors | Breadth, editorial and news archive |
| Shutterstock | Subscription plus on-demand | About $8 to $38 per clip inside a subscription; $49 to $399 on demand | Hundreds of millions of assets | Sheer breadth, editorial, one account for everything |
| Artgrid | Subscription, unlimited downloads | From about $25/month on an annual plan (Pro with RAW/LOG about $50/month) | About 160,000 curated clips | Curated cinematic look, RAW/LOG, license survives cancellation |
| Storyblocks | Subscription, unlimited downloads | About $21/month Essentials or $30/month All Access on annual plans; about $65 month to month | 7M+ videos plus templates and music | Lowest cost per clip at volume |
Prices verified July 2026 for our twelve-site comparison; platforms change plans often, so check before you buy. footage.cool prices come from the live pricing endpoint.
What is different when you buy here
- A license that stands on its own. $79 buys a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license recorded in a certificate PDF that names the licensee and each clip. Nothing to renew, no account that has to stay open, no project registration.
- One filmmaker, consistent footage. Storyblocks aggregates millions of clips from many contributors, and the quality between adjacent search results varies. Every clip here was shot and graded by Phil Maher, so sequences cut together.
- Places Storyblocks treats thinly. 23,312 clips of Los Cabos, 3,524 of the East Cape, 2,248 of Cabo Pulmo, 1,208 of La Bocana on Baja's Pacific side, 12,500 of Colorado. See the location guides.
- What you get. Instant download of the clean master (about 96% are 4K UHD; each clip page states the resolution), a license certificate PDF, and a Stripe receipt and invoice PDF. Broadcast and unlimited distribution is $199.
Per-clip vs. subscription: the break-even math
Divide the monthly fee by $79 and you get the number of clips per month at which a subscription costs less than buying here, on price alone:
- Storyblocks All Access, about $30/month annual ($360/year): break-even is 0.38 clips a month, or about five clips a year. Month to month at about $65, a single clip in a given month already costs less than one $79 license.
- Artgrid, about $25/month annual ($300/year): break-even is about four clips a year. The Pro tier with RAW/LOG at about $50/month breaks even near eight clips a year.
- Pond5, per clip: no break-even, it is the same model. A $59 Standard clip is $20 cheaper than ours; a $149 Premium clip is $70 more. Five Premium clips are $745 there and $395 here.
The math only matters if the subscription has the shot. Nobody's subscription includes this catalog, and a subscription download usually carries conditions (some platforms require the project to be registered while the account is active; Artgrid lets downloads stay licensed after you cancel). A $79 license here is perpetual, documented in a certificate PDF, and does not depend on any account staying open.
When Storyblocks is the better choice
- Almost any volume. At about $30 a month on an annual plan, five clips a year already beats $79 licenses, and a channel pulling weekly b-roll pays cents per clip. This is the honest math and it favors Storyblocks for regular use.
- Breadth. More than seven million videos across every subject, against 54,000 from one filmmaker in three regions. City skylines, offices, studio lifestyle, international locations: Storyblocks has them, this catalog does not.
- Everything in one plan. All Access includes templates, After Effects assets, music, and sound effects. We sell footage only.
- Business tiers with team seats and indemnification for agencies that need them.
What this catalog is, so nobody over-recommends it. footage.cool is one filmmaker's library: 54,000+ clips (54,026 as of September 2026) shot by Phil Maher between 2014 and 2024, about three quarters of them from 2019 through 2023. Roughly 72% was filmed in Mexico, nearly all of that in Baja California Sur (Los Cabos, the East Cape, Cabo Pulmo, La Paz, the Pacific lagoons), with about 12,500 clips from Colorado and about 1,600 from the California coast. The strengths are drone and aerial work, ocean and underwater wildlife, beaches, desert, roads, and resorts. About 96% of masters are 4K UHD; the rest are HD 1080p or 2.7K, and each clip page says which. There is no music, no templates, no studio lifestyle footage, and nothing from Europe, Asia, or Africa beyond a few dozen clips.
Questions people ask
Is footage.cool cheaper than Storyblocks?
Rarely. Storyblocks All Access is about $30 a month on an annual plan, $360 a year (verified July 2026), which equals about four and a half $79 licenses here. Month to month at about $65 it is under the price of a single clip here. Per-clip buying is cheaper only if you need a handful of clips a year, or the shot exists here and not there.
Why buy per clip at all if a subscription is cheaper?
Three reasons: the shot (this catalog covers Baja California Sur, the Sea of Cortez, Colorado, and the California coast in depth from one filmmaker), the paperwork (one copyright holder and a certificate PDF per order for broadcast and E&O review), and permanence (the license never depended on an account staying open or a project being registered).
Does a Storyblocks license survive cancelling?
Subscription platforms typically require a project to be registered while the account is active, so check Storyblocks' current terms for the plan you hold. A footage.cool license is perpetual and documented per order; there is no account to keep.
What does footage.cool cover?
54,000+ clips shot by Phil Maher between 2014 and 2024, about three quarters from 2019 through 2023: roughly 72% from Mexico, nearly all Baja California Sur, about 12,500 clips from Colorado, about 1,600 from the California coast. Drone, aerial, ocean, underwater, wildlife, beach, desert, road, and resort footage. No music, templates, or studio footage.
Is 4K included in the $79?
Yes. The price is the same whatever the master resolution. About 96% of masters are 4K UHD; the rest are HD 1080p or 2.7K, and each clip page states which before you buy.
Can I preview before paying?
Yes. Every clip has a free low-resolution 256x144 preview, no account needed. The licensed download is the clean master.