TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Shutterstock

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/AShutterstock is a global technology company headquartered in New York, offering a creative platform boasting high-quality assets, tools and services. With it, users can license images, video, music, and editorial assets -- as well as custom content tailored to a brand’s needs. Shutterstock offers a variety of plans for individuals, teams, and enterprise customers as well as creative editing and collaboration capabilities.

    $379

    per month (2 users)

    Sound Forge

    Score10 out of 10
    N/AMagix Software offers Sound Forge, the company's audio editing and digital audio workstation. Magix acquried Sound Forge from Sony in 2016.N/A
    Pricing
    ShutterstockSound Forge
    Editions & Modules
    Single User - 10 Images
    $29 ($49)
    monthly, annual contract (no contract)
    On-Demand Packs - Standard License
    $29, $49, $299
    number of images (2, 5, 25)
    Single User - 50 Images
    $99 ($125)
    monthly, annual contract (no contract)
    Single User - 350 Images
    $169 ($199)
    monthly, annual contract (no contract)
    Single User - 750 Images
    $199 ($249)
    monthly, annual contract (no contract)
    On-Demand Packs - Enhanced License
    $199, $449, $1,699
    number of images (2, 5, 25)
    Teams (750 images per month)
    $379
    per month (2 users)
    Teams (750 images per month)
    $479
    per month (3-10 users)
    Teams (750 images per month)
    Contact Sales
    per month, 11+ users
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    ShutterstockSound Forge
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Best Alternatives
    ShutterstockSound Forge
    Small Businesses
    Pexels
    Score8 out of 10
    Descript
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Pexels
    Score8 out of 10
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Pexels
    Score8 out of 10
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    ShutterstockSound Forge
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.8
    (3 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    ShutterstockSound Forge
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Shutterstock
    It is best suited for medium enterprises who get a lot of workload for their video productions and have many clients but lack of creative individuals. because it is a bit expensive than other competitors, but for some studios having good budget and looking for improving their work quality then shutterstock is the best platform with very good quality and quantity of graphics, photos and videos. for small studios who are just starting out i think it is bit costly you can even go for some subscription based platforms which offer unlimited downloads but their is a bit downside you will have to compromise with quality of work. so in short if you have a decent budget then shutterstock is best for your creative needs.
    Incentivized
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    Boris FX
    Sound Forge is great for when you need to edit a lot of audio, like interviews, spoken word, podcasts, monologues, presentations, lessons—you name it. When you have a lot of audio to get through, Sound Forge can make it go by very quickly by using such features as the markers and hotkeys for normalization, inserting silence (where needed), graphical fades to remove audio artifacts, and so on. I've been able to edit a 1 hour interview in 2 hours, having made hundreds of edits in the process. Sound Forge is less useful for situations where you want to hear a realtime effects chain, or record with VST effects on. For instance, if you want the person being recorded to hear their own voice through headphones with reverb and compression applied, I do not know how to do this in Sound Forge. I think it is impossible, but even if it is possible, it is not readily apparent how to do so.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Shutterstock
    • Stock Imagery
    • SVG and Vector Assets
    • Video Footage
    Incentivized
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    Boris FX
    • Markers - You can rapidly edit spoken audio to remove pauses, "ums" and "ahs," by using the marker feature while listening to the audio in realtime. Then, you go back and cycle through the markers and make the edits very quickly.
    • Hotkeys - Once you've learned the Sound Forge hotkeys, you can rapidly perform a number of tasks related to audio editing and mastering.
    • Fixing Clicks and Pops - The Graphical Fade feature allows you to easily draw volume envelopes in extremely short spans of audio, to successfully remove clicks and pops without affecting the rest of the sound.
    • Organizing VST Plugins - Sound Forge has a nice way of organizing VST effects into folders so you can put your most regularly-used plugins in a "Favorites" folder while organizing others in a sensible way.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Shutterstock
    • The editing tool has recently been updated and it doesn't seem to be working properly right now. But I trust they'll get it resolved quickly
    Incentivized
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    Boris FX
    • Batch Processing - While I like a lot of things about the batch audio processing in Sound Forge, the inability to hear the effects chain is limiting.
    • Performance - Sound Forge takes a long time to open large files the first time they are opened, as it draws the waveform. It also takes a long time to save large files, every time.
    • Inability to Listen to VST FX in Realtime - Technically you can listen in realtime, but only from the beginning of the waveform, rather and it is not easy. You have to open the VST effect and turn on the "Preview" mode which starts the audio from the very beginning, without being able to seek.
    • Inability to Chain VST FX - You have to apply one, then apply the next, then the next, in a destructive mode. The only non-destructive way you can test out different FX chains is by applying them one at a time, and then hitting "Undo" over and over to get back to an earlier state. But you couldn't, for instance, add a reverb, then add compression, then go back and change the reverb. You'd have to undo the compression first.
    • FX Preset Management - You can save FX presets but it does not save your last-used settings from session to session, and with some VST FX plugins, it doesn't even save them between application, undoing, and attempting to apply again.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Shutterstock
    Shutterstock is easy to use. The UI is intuitive. Queries produce applicable assets. My only major gripe with the program is that there are sometimes "preimum assets" that are in queries that I wish there was a way to filter those out as they do not come with my subscription
    Incentivized
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    Boris FX
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Shutterstock
    No answers on this topic
    Boris FX
    I've never contacted MAGIX for support, nor Sony or Sonic Foundry before them (Sound Forge is on its 3rd developer now). But I've always been able to find exactly what information I needed through the support of its large user community. There are a number of audio engineering forums available where you can search the post history to find out how to do specific things in Sound Forge, or you can make a new post if you are running into an issue that has not already been solved.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Shutterstock
    Shutterstock library and pricing is better than Adobe Stock also the preview is far better than Adobe Stock that's why i am still using shutterstock rather than Adobe Stock, their have a huge collections of images, videos than Adobe Stock. also the user interface of shutterstock is easy than Adobe Stock
    Incentivized
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    Boris FX
    I tend to use WaveLab for recording, because I can apply effects chains to the audio as it is coming in. So, if I'm recording a singer, I can give them reverb, compression, EQ, and other audio effects in realtime going into their headphones. I'm still recording the dry signal, so I can change all of those effects later if I wish. Sound Forge does not have a way to do this as far as I know. Where I do prefer Sound Forge is audio editing, specifically of spoken audio, although it is quite useful for music as well. I worked for a company once where I had to edit hundreds of testimonials. I was paid on a per-testimonial basis, flat rate, so I had a strong incentive to get them done as quickly as possible, without sacrificing quality. I would listen through a testimonial all the way through, marking every area that had a long pause, an "ah" or an "um," a click, pop, or other undesirable audio artifact. I could then cycle through the markers and fix all the problems quickly.
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    Return on Investment
    Shutterstock
    • Allows me to provide more comprehensive marketing services to my clients
    • Saves time hunting for images
    • One-stop shop for all my image needs
    Incentivized
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    Boris FX
    • Sound Forge has had a very positive impact in saved time editing files. It would have taken me hours longer using WaveLab, Audacity, Adobe Audition, or some of the other competitors for tasks like editing interviews.
    • Sound Forge has also had a positive impact in saved time through its batch processing features which allow me to normalize and apply effects to a huge set of files all at once.
    • Sound Forge has not had any negative impacts that I am aware of beside the cost.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots