Startups: 24 great Stock Video Footage Sites 2023
You’ve heard it said that a picture can say a thousand words. Well, a video can show a thousand pictures! Creating high-quality video content used to be an expensive investment. But now, there’s quite a range of free stock Video Footage Sites that allow marketers and bloggers to capture audiences without breaking the bank.
However, not all free stock Video Footage Sites are created equal. Some claim to be free, but if you dig a little deeper, you may discover download limits and content with watermarks that are not always for commercial use.
Tip for entrepreneurs
Video editors, content creators, designers, and other creative artists can frequently find themselves in a pit where time is of the essence. Spending hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on a few seconds of good footage is not an option. But thanks to an ever-growing community of videographers, so much so that more than two dozen Video Footage Sites are frequently updating their directory of free stock video footage to serve their visitors and communities.
Best Free Stock Video Footage Sites
1. Ignite Motion
Need a background for your video? Ignite Motion has you covered. They appreciate – but don’t require – credit from people who use their clips.
Why should you use Ignite Motion to find free stock footage?
Ignite Motion is one of those free stock Video Footage Sites that focus entirely on one type of footage, so you know just what to expect. In the case of Ignite, you can get a variety of background videos for your project. Check it out to see if your project could use a background video from the over 22 categories it covers. Visit
2. Mitch Martinez
If you’re searching for 4K footage, look no further than this site. While it doesn’t appear to be updated anymore, there are still plenty of videos in numerous categories for you to browse. If you’re planning to use a clip in a commercial project, you will need to complete a release form first. Visit
Why should you use Mitch Martinez to find free stock footage?
Almost all its footage are free and in 4K resolution.
Download all 30GB of footage in one click for $993. Monzoom
Not everything on Monzoom is free, but they do have a freebies page that consists mostly of backgrounds and intros. Users aren’t required to credit the site. Visit
Why should you use Monzoom to find free stock footage?
Free video assets in multiple categories, including intros, transitions, and overlays
4. SplitShire
SplitShire is the brainchild of web designer Daniel Nanescu, who wanted to share his collection of free stock photos and videos with the world. The only restrictions on what you can do with the content: you may not resell it, upload it to other stock websites, or create anything offensive with it. Visit
Why should you use SplitShire to find free stock footage?
No registration or attribution required
Great for aerial footage5. Pexels
Pexels Videos offers completely free videos. All videos are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. You can edit or change the videos and use them free for personal and commercial projects. All without asking for permission or setting a link to the source. So that attribution is not required.
The videos you can find on Pexels will ensure that you are all set up for footage for promotions, website introductions, project demos, or simple and relaxing footage for your latest YouTube videos. The most popular categories are nature, technology, People, and cities. Visit
6. Videvo
Videvo has really evolved as a stock footage platform in recent years. With thousands of stock videos uploaded to Videvo thanks to its generous community members, freelancers, videographers, and generally nice people. Apart from free video footage, Videvo also offers free motion graphics resources; in fact, hundreds of them. Visit
7. Videezy
Videezy is part of the Eezy Inc. family. If you are looking for free and modern stock videos, some of which are shot in 4K resolution, then Videezy is worth taking a second look at. You will not regret it. Video categories like nature, urban, ocean, sky, and city are favorite attractions for those who need category-specific footage. On the other hand, you can also use the search bar and discover keyword-targeted footage. A lot of the content on the site is more than one minute long, giving you the freedom to further edit the video footage to better suit your project needs.Visit
8. Pond5
Pond5 is one of the largest creative media sites on the planet. With more than seventy employees, this royalty-free footage resource focuses on providing exceptional content for those in need. Anyone with creative aspirations can become a paid member of the site and share their work in exchange for a 50/50 split of the earnings made. You provide content, Pond5 provides the buyers – as simple as that! All footage comes in several formats. These are standard SD, flexible HD option, and 4k option. And there are so many categories to choose from, like animals, medical, nature, New York City, sunset, vintage and waterfall.Visit
9. Motion Array
Motion Array is the ultimate filmmaker and video editor’s platform. They offer a huge library of stock video footage, Premiere Pro and After Effects Templates, as well as royalty-free music. Paying members get unlimited access to their whole library. They also offer a free membership that gives you access to thousands of free video clips, music tracks, and video templates.Visit
10. Pikwizard
The collection of free stock videos on Pikwizard seems to be endless. You will find everything on the platform, from animal and art videos to building, food, education and healthcare footage, amongst many more. You can hunt content by popular categories or enter any keyword you want in the search bar. Sure, you can browse the content, from page to page, but there are 180 of them, so you know that it will take you a long time to end. Each video also comes with information on use and attribution.Visit
11. Bigstock
As the name suggests, Bigstock is a massive platform of stock content for just about any intention and project. With that in mind, indeed, Bigstock also contains every possible video your heart desires. Use the filtering functions to simplify your search, or just type in your keyword and hit enter. Spice up your project with fresh content and grab everyone’s attention with an engaging video. If you are exclusively looking for free videos, only 35 are available during the 7-day free trial. Still, that might be more than enough to kick-start your project in style for some.Visit
12. Dissolve
Dissolve provides high-quality footage for use in any videos. In other words, regardless of your project, you will find something valuable on Dissolve. Editors, filmmakers, and producers can use Dissolve stock footage to augment and enhance their custom work. With more than 1.3M stock videos to choose from, you are bound to create something great! Just enter a simple keyword and watch tens of thousands of videos unfold before you. All complement each other with a concise description explaining the scenery and place where the video was shot. Find the right material quickly on Dissolve and create new content for your website or blog without breaking a single drop of sweat.Visit
13. VideoBlocks
VideoBlocks has got one of the most appealing stock footage offers on the market. VideoBlocks is home to more than one hundred thousand stock videos. Many of which are now in full HD and 4K resolution. The signup price for a whole year is $99. This gives you the ability to have unlimited download potential. Moreover, all new content that is being added to the site will automatically be available for instant download. Besides, if you are interested in sharing your content with the whole world, you can become a VideoBlocks contributor today – sign up and start earning.Visit
14. VidsPlay
VidsPlay focuses on providing its users with easy to download, easy to navigate, and most importantly – easy to view stock videos. In fact, for some, the most important factor is that all the content you find on VidsPlay is free of charge. The database is updated weekly, and more than one hundred great videos are available for download. With our broad collection of free stock video sites to visit, you can now discover loads of popular and not-so-popular footage to add to your page and use on your social media accounts. To download and use VidsPlay material, you will never need to pay royalties – use them without opening your wallet.Visit
15. Pixabay
Pixabay is an outstandingly massive resource for visual content. A global community of creative and talented individuals regularly contribute to Pixabay their amazing works. Indeed, Pixabay is also a free stock video site with footage of all kinds. There are four main categories, one of which is videos. From then on, type in the search function hit enter, and enjoy the amazingness instantly delivered to your screens. Also, you can quickly check popular searches or learn more about advanced searching on Pixabay first and go from there. If you are putting something special together or you would like to spice things up with a short video clip, you will indeed find the right one on Pixabay.Visit
16. Wave.video
Wave.video is another powerful platform with an endless collection of free stock videos. For your information, in the first place, Wave.video is an online video maker. However, since the package of stock videos is so vast, Wave.video deserves inclusion in this list of the best free stock video sites.
In short, Wave.video is an all-in-one website where you can get as creative as possible and craft nifty videos to engage your visitors and users. Moreover, you can also upload your media and instantly differentiate yourself from the masses. Create videos with meaning and shine online thanks to Wave.video.Visit
17. MotionElements
If you hunt for the best free stock video sites, we have quite a bunch here. MotionElements is a breathtaking resource for footage and stock video, which you can put into play for your online intentions. Instead of taking clips yourself, you can now find all sorts of different masterpieces online, which you can employ free of charge.
Sure, many different rules apply to each, but you can still freely use the video you find on MotionElements to entertain your followers. Remember that MotionElements’ content is royalty-free, meaning you can use it repeatedly for different projects you have going on on your end.Visit
18. Coverr
Coverr is a dope free stock video site with beautiful content for your website. You can choose between different categories, like food, nature, tech, people, urban, animal and aerial. Besides, you can also try the search function and see what you get for your targeted keyword. What’s cool about Coverr is that it delivers seven new videos each Monday. And if you would never want to miss new content, make sure you become a subscriber and join the Coverr community. If you decide to use Coverr videos, make sure you first check out the simple three-step process to add the video of choice to your page. Visit
19. Life of Vids
Life of Vids gives away loads of free video content to use on your pages and blogs. All the videos genuinely are free of charge. However, the only limitation is using up to ten videos on your page. In other words, don’t just download the entire collection that Life of Vids has in store for you and add it to your webspace. But you can always buy peeps a cup of joe or a beer or even mention them and help them grow the community, and they might allow you to use even more footage. If you head over to the collections section on Life of Vids, you can search by categories and save yourself time.Visit
20. SplitShire
While SplitShire focuses predominantly on pictures, the platform also has loads of free stock videos. There are many beautiful and enticing footage that you can get your hands on without spending a dime. Especially if you are looking for content to add to your social accounts, videos work well. And you can now test it out almost instantly by downloading the content from SplitShire and uploading it to Facebook, Instagram, or any other platform you are active on. Fun fact, although SplitShire is a pretty serious deal, only one human is behind the project.Visit
21. Openfootage
If you need versatility, Openfootage is one of the finer free stock video sites for you. From footage and panoramas to time-lapse and fire clips, you can find them all and then some on Openfootage. You can browse by the main categories on the left or use the search bar when looking for something more specific. Each piece of content also comes with additional information about the location and tags, which you can also use for searching other videos and visual works of art. There are four folks behind the Openfootage project, creating outstanding footage for the entire world to use and take to their advantage. Visit
22. Mixkit
On Mixkit, you will find only high-definition videos. To increase the hype, Mixkit releases a collection of ten new and free videos each week. They come in various categories to cover as many projects and tastes as possible. For instance, on Mixkit, you will find coffee, transport, outdoors, music, city, and lifestyle videos, to name a few. Eleven main categories consist of tons of free videos for everyone to benefit from. Also, Mixkit continues to grow its community of contributors, meaning you can become one. Never miss the next free video package and sign up for Mixkit’s newsletter.Visit
23. Dareful
Dareful is a one-person show from the creative Joel Holland. When writing this, Dareful’s free stock video collection might not be that huge, but you sure will find some excellent and interest-sparking material produced by Joel. Knowing that all the free footage is in 4K, you know that you get only the best of the best on Dareful. There are even some mind-blowing aerial clips that will take your breath away. You can expect new clips to drop weekly. Stay tuned and never miss new content from Joel himself that he will deliver straight to your inbox. Visit
24. 123RF
123RF is a free stock content site behemoth. There, you will find something for everyone. 123RF is also very heavy on free stock videos, with more than twenty different video categories. There is video content about animals, babies, business, fashion, people, romance, travel, weddings, and many other topics. The comprehensive collection of creative works on 123RF is over one hundred million. I know, right? That sounds almost too immense. It is almost guaranteed that you will find the right footage for your needs without really needing to dig too deep. Visit
Bonus Stock Video Footage Sites
25. Footage Crate
Footage Crate is perhaps the only site on our list today that heavily focuses on providing stock videos in the FX category. Anyone creating movies and short clips and needs some special effects added to them will greatly benefit from the kind of content that Footage Crate brings to the table. All the available FX effects are full HD! On Footage Crate, you will find different content categories, like explosions, fire, anime, creatures, horror, muzzle flashes and a ton more. If you need something different, you better check out Footage Crate right now and start creating eye-catchy masterpieces. Visit
26. Mazwai
Mazwai is a straightforward stock footage site that provides more than two hundred clips that you can browse and view directly from the homepage. Just roll over any of the clips, and they will begin to play. Moreover, to explore more clips, start scrolling down and see all the other content that Mazwai has available for you. Mazwai delivers some astonishing footage, and a lot of it is about two to three minutes long. To cut a long story short, Mazwai gives you a ton of content to work with, helping you spice up your webspace. Visit
The Legal Stuff: What You Need to Know When Using Free Video Footage Sites
Not all stock footage is created equal as far as legality goes. Of course, you can’t just grab any footage off the internet and use it in your own marketing – but even footage that’s been licensed for public use may come with a set of rules and regulations that you need to understand. Here are the main things you need to know before you start using stock footage in your own work.
You can’t just grab any footage off the internet and use it in your own marketing – but even footage that’s been licensed for public use may come with a set of rules and regulations that you need to understand.
Rights-Managed and Royalty-Free – What Do They Mean?
During your search for free stock footage, you’ll probably come across the terms “rights-managed” and “royalty-free.” These mean significantly different things.
If you download or buy royalty-free footage or images, you can use them as many times as you want, in just about whatever way you want – there are few restrictions. The content is considered yours after purchase or download, and you don’t have to pay royalties to the original creator.
Anybody can also download Royalty-free images, so other people and companies around the world may be using the same footage or images as you are.
Rights-managed content
Rights-managed content comes with a far stricter set of guidelines. These guidelines are laid down by the entity licensing the footage or image, so there are no hard-and-fast rules for what you will and won’t be allowed to do with the content.
However, you’ll probably be restricted in where, how many times, and for what purpose you can use the content. Rights-managed content is often more exclusive than royalty-free content, so you may be the only person using that footage or image. However, rights-managed content can also be quite expensive.
It’s generally a good idea to stay away from rights-managed content if you’re looking to keep things as simple and inexpensive as possible. Fortunately, if you’re looking for free stock footage, most of what you find will be royalty-free. It will also most likely carry a Creative Commons license.
So, what is it exactly?
Creative Commons Licenses of Video Footage Sites Explained
A Creative Commons license is a type of copyright license that allows a piece of content to be distributed freely. However, just seeing the words “Creative Commons” on a piece of content doesn’t mean you can use it however you want. There are a number of different Creative Commons licenses that stipulate what you can and can’t do with a piece of content. Here’s a simple breakdown of the different types.
Learn more about creative commons licenses on their official website
Source: creativecommons.org