Pond5 Review (2025): Worth it or Not?

Website	pond5.com
Videos	49 million
Photos	112 million
Illustrations	31 million
Music	2.5 million
Sound Effects	3 million
Licensing	Royalty-free
Free Trial	No
Alternatives	Artgrid & Shutterstock
Pros	✔ Large stock library ✔ Flexible pricing options ✔ Easy-to-use website ✔ High-quality footage ✔ Simple licensing
Cons	✘ Some content is expensive ✘ No free trial ✘ Video subscription does not include the full library

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4 out of 5

Summary

Pond5 offers a huge, high-quality library with flexible pricing and simple licensing, though some premium clips are pricey.

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When editing content, using high-quality video footage, imagery, and sound is crucial. In this review, I’ll test out Pond5 by looking at stock media quality, pricing, and website features.

Get 20% off subscriptions and credit. Access premium footage and audio for your project. 🙌

What is Pond5?

Pond5 launched the first royalty-free footage marketplace in 2006. Since then, it has grown into one of the largest stock media providers globally, offering photos, music, sound effects, illustrations, and After Effects templates.

Major brands like Disney, BBC, ITV, and Netflix use Pond5 content in their productions.

Who Is Pond5 For?

Pond5 is built for everyone, from large production companies and major brands to independent filmmakers, freelancers, and solo creators.

Whether you’re working on big commercial projects or smaller passion pieces, its massive library and simple, royalty-free licensing make it a reliable choice for professionals at any level.

How Does It Work?

Pond5 makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. You can search by keyword, filter by media type, or browse popular terms right from the homepage.

There’s also a visual search tool that lets you upload an image or video to instantly discover similar content, which is a huge time-saver when you’re trying to match a specific look or style.

You can narrow your results even further by filtering for things like price, orientation, resolution, duration, frame rate, usage type (commercial or editorial), and even the artist behind the work.

Features

Here are a few more of our favorite Pond5 features that help it stand out from other stock media platforms.

Quick View Information

Pond5 makes it easy to preview key info right from the search results. Hover over a thumbnail and you’ll instantly see the clip’s duration, price, resolution, and whether it’s exclusive.

These quick-view details work across videos, music, and sound effects, helping you find what you need fast without clicking through every item.

Exclusive Footage

A lot of contributors upload exclusive footage to Pond5, meaning you can’t find it on competing sites like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock. This exclusivity gives you access to more original, less “stock-looking” content.

Curated Collections and Editorial Footage

Pond5 offers curated collections and a strong selection of historical, archival, and editorial footage — including news, documentary-style clips, and vintage media. That’s something most stock sites don’t specialize in.

Massive Video Library

Pond5 is known for its huge collection of high-quality footage, including HD, 4K, and even 5K clips. It’s one of the largest video-focused libraries out there, giving you far more variety than most stock media sites.

Strong Selection of Music and SFX

Where others offer a limited audio selection, Pond5 delivers millions of music tracks and sound effects. It’s a strong choice if you need both visuals and audio in one place.

Licensing

Pond5 keeps licensing straightforward. Once you license a file, you can use it worldwide, forever — no renewals or confusing restrictions.

All licenses are royalty-free and never expire, so you can reuse assets in as many projects as you like.

Editorial content may have additional limitations, but I like that Pond5 clearly labels these on each product page so you always know what’s allowed.

Pricing

Pond5 gives you flexibility with three ways to pay: subscriptions, credit packs, or individual purchases. You can choose whichever option fits your workflow and budget.

Subscriptions

If you use stock media regularly like me, a subscription is the most cost-effective option. Each plan includes 10 downloads per month at a lower price than buying assets one by one.

Unused downloads roll over to the next month, which helps you get full value from your plan.

*Pricing may vary depending on region and promotions offered on the Pond5 website.

Credit Packs

Credit packs are ideal if you buy assets occasionally but still want a discount. The more credits you purchase, the more savings you get.

Credits work like prepaid currency and can be spent on any media type. Just note that they expire after one year.

Pay Per Item

If you only need one or two assets, you can buy them individually. Prices vary based on resolution, exclusivity, and media type.

This is the simplest option for one-off projects without any ongoing commitment.

Is Pond5 Worth It?

In short, yes. I think Pond5 is one of the strongest options for stock footage and audio, thanks to its massive library and consistently high-quality content. The platform is genuinely easy to work with—searching, filtering, and previewing assets feels fast and intuitive, which saves real time during editing.

Pricing is flexible, with subscriptions, credit packs, and pay-per-item options, so you’re not locked into a single model. Also, the simple licensing structure is another big plus.

On the flip side, some clips (especially premium footage) can be expensive, and there’s no free trial to test the full library. It’s also worth noting that the video subscription doesn’t include every clip on the platform, which can be limiting if you need very specific footage.

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