- Stock video sites at a glance
- Ten places to find b-roll for business videos
- Free, free plus premium, or a subscription: three ways in
- Reading a footage licence before you press download
- Matching footage to the job
- Five steps to b-roll that doesn't look like stock
- Where I'd start for business b-roll: my advice
- Frequently asked questions
The best stock video sites for a business video fall into three groups: free libraries you can download from straight away, libraries that mix free and premium clips, and subscription or licensing platforms for more polished footage. Pick the access model first, then read the site's licence for your use. Ten sites follow in no particular order.
B-roll is the footage that plays while someone's talking: the coffee pouring, the team round a whiteboard, the city at dusk. Almost every business video needs some, and very few businesses have the time to film it all themselves.
The ten sites below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order. Every description comes from each site's own pages, read as of Nov 2026, and the licence wording I quote is theirs, not mine.
Stock video sites at a glance
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Beachfront B-Roll | Free stock footage library | Free HD clips, time-lapses and animated backgrounds |
| Canva | Design platform with stock video | Stock clips beside templates and effects in one editor |
| Coverr | Free and premium stock video | Free and premium HD and 4K clips, plus music |
| Dareful | Free 4K and HD footage site | Free 4K and HD clips, with a sign-up for more |
| Envato Elements | Subscription creative asset library | Royalty-free HD and 4K footage plus motion graphics |
| Filmsupply | Cinematic footage licensing platform | Licensing premium cinematic clips from film-makers |
| Mixkit | Free stock video library | 4K and HD clips with no watermark or account |
| Motion Array | All-in-one video membership | Unlimited downloads of footage, templates and presets |
| Pexels | Free stock photo and video library | Free clips for personal and commercial use |
| Videezy | Community stock footage site | Free HD and 4K clips shared by videographers |
Ten places to find b-roll for business videos
Beachfront B-Roll
Best for: Business videos that need free HD b-roll, time-lapses or animated backgrounds, from a library the page describes as royalty free and free to download.
Canva
Best for: People who'd rather pick stock clips inside the editor where they build the video, next to templates and AI-powered video effects.
Coverr
Best for: Creators who want HD and 4K footage, music and images that the page says need no attribution, with an AI creative studio alongside.
Dareful
Best for: Background and scene-setting shots from a site that says its 4K and HD stock footage is completely free, with a sign-up for more.
Envato Elements
Best for: Editors who download footage often and want motion graphics and other creative assets from the same subscription.
Filmsupply
Best for: Brand films and adverts that need cinematic, story-driven clips from award-winning film-makers, licensed through a platform built for premium footage.
Mixkit
Best for: Quick social and website videos where you want free 4K and HD clips with no watermark and no account to set up first.
Motion Array
Best for: Video editors who want stock footage, templates, presets and music under one membership, with unlimited downloads according to the page.
Pexels
Best for: Website headers, promo videos and social posts, using footage the page says is free for personal and commercial use.
Videezy
Best for: Anyone happy to browse a community library where videographers share free HD and 4K footage, plus After Effects templates and backgrounds.
Free, free plus premium, or a subscription: three ways in
Stock video sits on three different access models, and the site's own words tell you which one you're looking at. Free libraries come first. Pexels' page says all its videos are free for personal and commercial use, Mixkit's page says you can download without a watermark and with no account required, and Beachfront B-Roll's page says its library is royalty free and free to download.
Then there are sites that mix the two. Coverr's page offers free and premium HD and 4K footage, and Canva's video page is headed Free and Premium Stock Videos, so some clips sit behind an upgrade. The third group works on a subscription or a licence. Envato Elements' page says its footage is ready to download with your subscription, Motion Array's page talks about unlimited downloads in one membership, and Filmsupply's page describes a platform for licensing premium cinematic footage.
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Here's the part most lists miss: sites come and go. Dissolve's own address now carries a notice that it's winding down its stock footage and photography business. If a clip you've relied on came from a library that closes, you'll want your licence records to hand, which is one more reason to save them as you go.
Reading a footage licence before you press download
- Commercial use. Check the licence says commercial use is allowed if the video promotes your business, and look for any limits on adverts.
- Attribution. Some sites say no credit is needed; others ask for one. Find the exact wording rather than assuming.
- People and brands in shot. Clips that show recognisable faces, logos or buildings can carry extra conditions, so read that section of the licence closely.
- Free versus premium clips. On mixed libraries the free and premium clips can sit side by side, so check the label on each clip before you build an edit round it.
- What happens if a membership ends. With subscription libraries, read what the licence says about projects you finished while you were a member.
- Keep a record. Save the clip's page, its licence and the date you downloaded it in the same folder as the project.
Matching footage to the job
A website header loop wants a slow, simple shot that still looks good when it repeats. A social clip wants movement in the first second and works fine in HD, because most people watch on a phone. An advert or brand film is where cinematic footage earns its place, and where you should read the licence most carefully. Explainer and training videos need lots of short, plain clips of people working, so a big free or membership library usually suits them better than a premium licensing site.
If you're also hunting for sound, my list of royalty-free music sites covers the other half of the edit.
Five steps to b-roll that doesn't look like stock
- Write the script first, then list the shots you need line by line, so you're searching for a purpose rather than browsing.
- Search for actions and settings, not ideas: hands typing on a laptop beats a vague search for success.
- Pick clips with similar light, colour and pace so the edit feels like one shoot.
- Trim each clip to the few seconds that matter and avoid the opening frames everyone else uses.
- Mix stock with a little footage of your own, even phone shots of your desk or team, so viewers see something real.
Do you make stock video footage or a stock video library? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Where I'd start for business b-roll: my advice
Start free and only move up when the free libraries run dry. For website headers, social posts and simple explainers, a free library with a clear commercial-use line in its licence is usually enough. If you're making videos every week and keep needing templates and music too, a subscription library makes sense. Keep premium licensing platforms for the adverts and brand films where the footage carries the whole message. Whichever route you take, read the licence for your exact use and save a copy with the project.
For more free options, my guide on where to get free stock video goes further, and if you need stills too, there's my list of free stock photo sites.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What is a stock video site?
It's a library of ready-made video clips you can download and use in your own videos, under the terms of the site's licence. Some are free, some mix free and premium clips, and some work on a subscription or licence.
Can I use free stock video in a business video?
Many free libraries say their clips can be used for personal and commercial use. The terms sit in each site's licence, so read it for your use, especially for adverts or anything showing recognisable people or brands.
What's the difference between royalty free and free?
Royalty free means you don't pay each time the clip is used. It doesn't always mean the clip is free to download, because some royalty-free libraries work on a subscription or licence.
Do I need to credit stock video creators?
It depends on the site. Some pages say no attribution is needed, while others ask for a credit. Check the licence wording on each site before you publish.
Do I need 4K stock footage?
Not for most social posts, which are watched on phones. 4K helps when you want to crop, zoom or reframe a shot in the edit, or when the video will be shown on a big screen.
How do I stop stock footage looking generic?
Search for specific actions rather than ideas, keep the light and colour consistent across clips, and mix in some footage you've filmed yourself.
