Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Openverse VS Storyblocks

Compare Openverse VS Storyblocks and see what are their differences

Openverse logo Openverse

Openverse is an Openly Licensed Images and Audio database and a growing community of photographers, illustrators, and musicians who share their work under a Creative Commons license.

Storyblocks logo Storyblocks

You bring the vision, we bring the royalty-free stock. Choose from millions of images, video footage clips, After Effects templates, and audio tracks.
  • Openverse Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-11
  • Storyblocks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-14

Openverse features and specs

  • Free Access
    Openverse provides a vast collection of high-quality images, audio, and other media for free, which can be valuable for content creators, educators, and developers.
  • Creative Commons Licensing
    All media available on Openverse is under Creative Commons licensing, ensuring that users can legally use, share, and adapt the content according to the specified terms.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to search for and find media assets quickly and efficiently.
  • Integration with WordPress
    As a part of the WordPress ecosystem, Openverse integrates seamlessly with WordPress websites, allowing users to easily add media to their content without leaving the CMS.
  • Community Contribution
    Openverse fosters a community of contributors who provide a wide range of media, ensuring a diverse and continually growing collection.

Possible disadvantages of Openverse

  • Quality Variability
    While there are many high-quality resources available, the open contribution model can result in varying quality levels across the media library.
  • Licensing Interpretation
    Understanding and correctly applying Creative Commons licenses can be complex for some users, leading to potential legal complications if not done properly.
  • Limited Media Types
    Compared to some other media libraries, Openverse has a more limited selection of media types, focusing primarily on images and audio.
  • Dependence on Community Contributions
    The growth and quality of the library heavily depend on the community's contributions, which can be inconsistent over time.
  • Search Limitations
    The search functionality, while useful, may not always yield precise results, requiring users to spend more time refining their searches.

Storyblocks features and specs

  • Extensive Library
    Storyblocks offers a vast library of high-quality stock footage, images, audio files, and templates, which covers a wide range of topics and genres.
  • Unlimited Downloads
    With a subscription plan, users can download unlimited assets without worrying about additional costs or usage restrictions.
  • Affordable Pricing
    Storyblocks' subscription model provides affordable options for individuals and businesses, making premium content accessible without breaking the bank.
  • Royalty-Free Licensing
    All content on Storyblocks comes with royalty-free licensing, meaning that users can use the assets in their projects without needing to pay recurring fees or royalties.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The website is designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing users to find and download the content they need quickly and efficiently.

Possible disadvantages of Storyblocks

  • Subscription Model
    While the subscription model is cost-effective for frequent users, it may not be as appealing to those who only need occasional access to stock content, as it requires ongoing payments.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to some premium stock content platforms, Storyblocks may lack some advanced features, such as AI-driven search capabilities or exclusive, high-end content.
  • Content Variability
    Though the library is extensive, the quality and uniqueness of the content can vary, which may require users to spend additional time filtering through to find the best assets for their needs.
  • Potential for Overuse
    Because the content is available to a wide audience, there is a chance that the same assets could be widely used across different projects, leading to less originality.
  • Cluttering
    The vast selection and frequent additions can sometimes make it difficult to sift through the sheer volume of available assets, potentially leading to decision fatigue.

Analysis of Openverse

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Openverse is a valuable tool for anyone looking for free, high-quality media content. Its ease of use, extensive library, and integration with WordPress make it a great resource for a variety of users.

Why this product is good

  • Openverse, a project by WordPress.org, is a powerful search engine for openly licensed and public domain content. It provides users with access to a huge library of images and audio files that can be used for free, which is beneficial for content creators and educators. The platform is user-friendly and integrates seamlessly with WordPress, making it convenient for those already using the WordPress ecosystem. It also promotes the use of Creative Commons licenses, supporting open culture.

Recommended for

  • Content creators looking for free media resources
  • Educators in need of openly licensed educational materials
  • Web designers and developers using WordPress
  • Anyone interested in supporting and using open culture and Creative Commons licensed content

Analysis of Storyblocks

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Storyblocks is a reputable and reliable resource for creators and businesses looking for diverse, high-quality stock content without the complexity of single-licensing purchases. Its subscription model is particularly appealing to frequent users who require access to a wide range of materials.

Why this product is good

  • Storyblocks is considered good by many users due to its extensive library of high-quality royalty-free content, including stock videos, photos, audio, and templates. It offers a subscription model that provides unlimited downloads, which is highly beneficial for creators who need a large volume of content without worrying about additional costs. The platform also offers flexible licensing options and has user-friendly search and filtering tools to help users find exactly what they need quickly. Additionally, Storyblocks' commitment to continually updating their library ensures a broad range of fresh content.

Recommended for

    Storyblocks is recommended for content creators, marketers, filmmakers, video editors, and anyone who regularly needs high-quality stock media for their projects. It's particularly beneficial for those working on tight budgets who want to maximize value through a subscription model. It's also suitable for educators and small business owners looking to enhance their digital content.

Openverse videos

No Openverse videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Storyblocks videos

Storyblocks Review: Is It Worth It In 2020 | IMHO Reviews

More videos:

  • Review - Storyblocks Review: Is it Worth The Money?
  • Review - Honest Storyblocks review - No, it is not sponsored by Storyblocks :) Come, enjoy this stock footage
  • Review - Storyblocks vs Envato Elements | Review
  • Review - StoryBlocks Stock Video Review - Is it worth it for small YouTube channels?
  • Review - What They DON’T Tell You About StoryBlocks

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Openverse and Storyblocks)
Image Marketplace
68 68%
32% 32
Stock Images
0 0%
100% 100
Photos & Graphics
70 70%
30% 30
Audio & Music
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Openverse and Storyblocks. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Storyblocks should be more popular than Openverse. It has been mentiond 12 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Openverse mentions (4)

  • Museums with CC0 Collections
    Also see https://wordpress.org/openverse/ it allows you to filter to only public domain images. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Google Broke Image Search for Creative Commons and Hardly Anyone Noticed
    Thanks for the HN treatment. As a followup piece, a Google response of this being "a bug". Followup story, my return rate for CC licensed images of "dog" went from 3 to 13. More than that, license info is not displayed (only linked), is frequently wrong, and photo credits often given to the site, not the creator of the image. https://cogdogblog.com/2022/10/google-cc-image-search-better-sad/ Try Openverse for much... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Google Broke Image Search for Creative Commons and Hardly Anyone Noticed
    Last time I've checked, Creative Commons had their own search for things under their licenses. But now apparently that project got transferred to WordPress and is now named Openverse: https://wordpress.org/openverse/?referrer=creativecommons.org Anyways, I'd argue that's the most comprehensive database of CC-licensed works. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Best Practices for Attribution
    > In addition, a searchable database of Creative Commons works would be a welcome addition to the Internet. Openverse is a CC search engine with 600 million items: https://wordpress.org/openverse/ And of course, Google Images supports CC search for images. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago

Storyblocks mentions (12)

  • I need help finding the background music In this video right here
    Trust me I spent the entire night yesterday listenting to more than 300 background musics on storyblocks.com and also on youtube hoping to find this specific one but I did not. Which made me think that it's probably a song from a video game or something since mike love videogames. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Question about stock photos and copyright content
    Aside from sites others have already mentioned, have you checked out Storyblocks or Artgrid? Source: over 2 years ago
  • A last, small message from Technoblade
    Music licensing is extremely complicated. Unless the song already exists as one that you can easily buy the rights to from a service such as storyblocks.com you have to negotiate for rights, which takes a long time. Services like that tend to only license music that can be called "elevator music" or music that goes well in the background, but isn't listened to on its own. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Documentary Background Music
    FYI: This is the documentary it was featured in (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcJlvN1ssco) starting around the 7:28 mark. I contacted the channel and they claimed they got it from storyblocks.com back in 2017 but I have searched through hundreds of songs on that site with no luck. Source: over 2 years ago
  • My daughter is interested in graphic design. Her birthday is coming up soon. Any gift ideas?
    Subscription to an asset library like http://elements.envato.com or http://storyblocks.com. Source: almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Openverse and Storyblocks, you can also consider the following products

DuckDuckGo - The Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.

Shutterstock - Shutterstock is a provider of stock photos, illustrations, and vector art. The website allows individuals to purchase a subscription and download copyrighted art for creative projects. Read more about Shutterstock.

Pixabay - Over 270,000 free photos, vectors and art illustrations

Epidemic Sound - Website with licensed music to use in youtube videos

Searx - Open source metasearch engine

Google - Google Search, also referred to as Google Web Search or simply Google, is a web search engine developed by Google. It is the most used search engine on the World Wide Web