Adobe Stock Review (2025): Is It Worth It?

Website	stock.adobe.com
Photos	768 million
Videos	56 million
Audio	85,287
Templates	297,355
Price	$29.99/month
Licensing	Royalty-free
Free Trial	Yes (10 free images)
Alternatives	Shutterstock & iStock
Pros	✔ Integrated with Adobe Creative Cloud ✔ Standard and premium visuals ✔ Powerful AI search and filtering ✔ High-quality assets ✔ Free trial
Cons	✘ Pricey compared to other stock marketplaces ✘ Downloads are limited

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4 out of 5

Summary

Great-quality assets and Adobe CC integration make it stand out, though pricing is higher and subscription downloads aren’t unlimited.

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After years of editing videos and creating content for clients, I’ve built up a solid understanding of what makes a stock media platform actually useful.

In this review, I’ll test Adobe Stock by looking at stock media quality, pricing, and website features.

Get a 30-day free trial. Explore high-quality stock assets to enhance your next project. 🙌

What Is Adobe Stock?

Adobe Stock started in 2015 when Adobe bought Fotolia. It began as an image library, but today you’ll find millions of high-quality assets like footage, templates, and audio.

Who Is Adobe Stock For?

It’s for both companies and individual freelancers. Whether you’re a filmmaker, content creator, photographer, or graphic designer, basically anyone who needs high-quality assets for a creative project can use Adobe Stock.

How Does It Work?

Using Adobe Stock is really easy. Here are six simple steps to find, purchase, and download assets.

1. Click on the button at the top to visit the homepage
2. Type into the search bar or select a category.
3. Browse the search results and find something you like
4. Buy a subscription or credit pack.
5. Download the file.
6. Drop it into your project, and you’re done!

Also, if you’re already using Adobe Creative Cloud, you can edit and preview watermarked assets inside apps like Photoshop.

However, you don’t need to be a Creative Cloud member to use Adobe Stock, as it’s a separate service.

Features

What makes Adobe Stock stand out from the crowd? Here are some of my favorite features.

Creative Cloud Integration

Adobe Stock works directly inside Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and other Creative Cloud apps. You can search, preview, and license assets without ever leaving your project, which makes the whole workflow way faster.

AI Search and Filtering Tools

The platform includes advanced search options like visual search, style filters, color matching, and “find similar.” It’s designed to help you land on the right asset quickly instead of scrolling endlessly.

Standard and Premium Assets

You have access to both standard assets (regular photos, vectors, templates, and more) and premium assets from top-tier contributors. Premium content costs more, but it’s usually higher quality and more unique—great for projects where you want something that really stands out.

Video Content

Adobe has a strong video library, including 4K, slow-motion, and cinematic footage. Combined with Premiere Pro integration, it’s especially convenient for editors.

Template Selection

You’ll find templates for Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and After Effects—ideal for creators who want plug-and-play starting points for graphics, motion titles, social posts, and more.

Pricing

Adobe Stock keeps things pretty straightforward. You can go with a subscription or buy credit packs on demand, depending on what works best for your workflow. There are plans for individual creators as well as full creative teams.

Subscriptions

Adobe Stock used to only offer credit packs, so it’s great to see they now provide fixed subscription plans like other stock sites. If you need assets regularly, a monthly or annual subscription is usually the best value — and the annual plan gives you the lowest price per asset.

They don’t offer unlimited downloads, but some plans do let you roll over any unused assets into the next month. And if you ever cancel your subscription, you’ll still keep the license rights to everything you’ve already downloaded.

Credit packs

If you only need a few assets here and there or want access to premium content like video clips, on-demand credit packs are probably your best bet.

Not every asset costs the same number of credits. Here’s a quick breakdown:

In short, buying bigger credit packs gives you better value because the cost per credit goes down.

You’ll be glad to know Adobe Stock still offers a 30-day free trial, which lets you download up to 10 standard assets. A nice little perk if you want to test things out first.

Licensing

For peace of mind, Adobe Stock gives you permanent royalty-free licenses on all its assets. You pay once and can use the media without ongoing fees. The exact usage terms depend on the license type. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Is Adobe Stock Worth It?

In short, yes. Adobe Stock is absolutely worth it. You get access to millions of high-quality assets in one place, and the Creative Cloud integration makes the whole workflow even smoother. The AI-powered search tools are a big bonus too, making it much easier to find the right style, look, or match without digging for hours.

The only real downside is the price, which is higher than some competitors, and the fact that subscriptions don’t include unlimited downloads.