Where to Sell Stock Footage: The Best Marketplaces for Videographers

If you’re a videographer sitting on a goldmine of stunning b-roll, drone shots, or cinematic clips collecting dust on your hard drive, it might be time to turn that footage into passive income.

Selling stock footage is one of the easiest ways to monetize your creative work while you sleep.

The cool part?

You don’t have to be a full-time filmmaker to make this work—you just need good-quality, usable clips and the right platforms to sell them.

There are a bunch of stock footage marketplaces out there, but not all of them are created equal.

Some are beginner-friendly with simple upload processes and wide exposure, while others are more exclusive but offer higher payouts.

Let’s start with one of the biggest players—Shutterstock.

It’s a giant in the stock world, and that comes with pros and cons.

On the upside, your footage gets in front of millions of buyers.

On the downside, the payout per clip isn’t super high, especially for beginners.

But if you're uploading regularly and your content is useful (think business, nature, cities, or tech), you can start stacking commissions.

Next up is Adobe Stock, which has become a favorite for a lot of creatives.

The cool thing here is that it integrates directly with Adobe Premiere and other Creative Cloud apps, so buyers are already in the ecosystem.

The quality bar is a little higher, but they tend to pay more per sale than Shutterstock.

Plus, if you’re already using Adobe products, it feels like a natural fit.

Another solid choice is Storyblocks, which operates on a subscription model, meaning contributors get paid based on total downloads rather than individual sales.

This can be great if you have a large portfolio and want steady earnings rather than waiting for one-off purchases.

Storyblocks is popular among content creators looking for affordable, high-quality footage, so the demand is strong.

If you’re looking for a more exclusive platform with high payouts, Motion Array is worth considering.

It’s known for catering to professional editors and content creators, and while their selection process is more curated, the earnings potential is higher.

If you create high-end, well-polished footage, Motion Array can be a great place to showcase and sell your work.

And let’s not forget Pond5, which is pretty versatile and still one of the top places to sell stock footage.

One of the best features?

You can set your own prices.

That kind of control isn’t super common, and it’s great for creators who want to value their work accordingly.

Pond5 also has a wide buyer base and solid contributor tools to help you manage your portfolio.

Ultimately, where you choose to sell your footage depends on your style, goals, and how much time you want to invest.

Some videographers stick to one platform; others spread their content across multiple sites to maximize reach.

The key is to stay consistent, upload high-quality clips, and think like your customer—what kind of footage are people searching for, and how can you deliver that?

Once you get the hang of it, selling stock footage becomes a fun, creative way to earn passive income while doing what you love.