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Keywording tools for stock footage, compared

There is no best microstock keywording tool for every contributor, but there is a best fit for how you work with video. Below, seven tools compared on the same criteria, each from its official page read on 11 October 2026, with no ranking.

By RushPilotUpdated Rules checked against official sources on

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The criteria

Most keywording tools started with photos. A clip adds two problems: the action happens over time, and the agencies take video metadata through a web form or a CSV file rather than from a photo’s embedded fields. We compared each tool on five points that follow from that:

  1. Video input: does the tool’s own page say it processes video, and from one frame or several?
  2. Unit of price: how a clip is counted against your credits or plan.
  3. Output: a CSV per agency, embedded metadata, or text typed into the agency’s form.
  4. Upload: whether the tool sends files to the agencies.
  5. Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, browser or browser extension.

Nothing here was scored or ranked. Where a page did not say something, the table says so.

Seven tools compared

Keywording and metadata tools, from their official pages, as of October 2026
ToolRuns onWhat it doesVideo, per its own pagesPublished price
XpiksmacOS, Windows, LinuxMetadata editor, AI keywording plugin (Pro+), CSV export, upload by FTP, FTPS, SFTPVideos listed on the home page; no video tutorial€0 (15 files per session), €49 one-time, €99 a year
StockSubmitterWindows 10 or newer, 64-bitMetadata, QuickMeta tagging, submission to 40 agenciesVideo agencies listed; no video workflow describedFree (33 submissions a month per agency) to €62.50 a month
Microstock PlusBrowserUpload, metadata and auto submit to 33 agencies; QuickmetaVideo listed among file typesFree if you earned under $50 and never bought a plan; subscriptions not priced on the page
ImStocker (IMS AI Studio, IMS Vision)Studio: Windows and Mac; Vision: browserStudio writes metadata to files and submits; Vision writes AI titles, descriptions, keywordsVision “works with photo, illustrations, vector and video files”Vision from $42 a year for 500 recognitions a month (US price); Studio not priced
AutoKeyWorderChrome extensionFills title, keywords and category on upload forms: Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Freepik and 5 other sitesPage describes images only (“one credit is one image”)50 free credits; $7.99 for 1,000; $31.99 for 5,000; monthly plans
StocktagBrowserAI titles, descriptions, keywords; 15 marketplace CSV formats, XMP, embedded, ZIPSampled-frame analysis; 1 credit per 5 seconds10 free credits; 500 credits for $5; monthly plans
PhotoKeyworder.aiBrowser, Lightroom Classic pluginAI titles, descriptions, keywords; embedded metadata and CSVMulti-frame analysis; CSV for Standard, Adobe Stock, Shutterstock; not embedded in video filesFrom €8.99 per 30 days; credits from €9.99 for 300
Prices as shown on each official page on 11 October 2026. Some tools adjust prices by country at checkout.

Two of these have their own pages here: Xpiks alternatives and StockSubmitter alternatives.

What one clip costs

Credit prices only mean something once you know how a clip is counted. Here is the arithmetic from each published price, for a 20-second and a 60-second clip.

Cost per clip from published prices, as of October 2026
Tool and offerHow a clip is counted20-second clip60-second clip
PhotoKeyworder.ai, 300 credits for €9.993 credits per videoabout €0.10about €0.10
PhotoKeyworder.ai, €8.99 per 30 days133 videos a monthabout €0.07 if you use them allabout €0.07
Stocktag, 500 credits for $51 credit per 5 seconds, rounded up4 credits, $0.0412 credits, $0.12
IMS Vision, V-500 at $42 a yearPer recognition; video count not statedNot statedNot stated
Our arithmetic from the published prices; taxes and country pricing not included.

Stocktag’s cost grows with the length of the clip; PhotoKeyworder.ai’s does not. In both cases the text for one clip costs a few cents.

Testing a tool on three of your clips

Most tools here have a free tier, a trial or a small credit pack. Run three real clips through it: a static shot, a shot with movement, and a vertical clip. Then hold the output against the limits each agency publishes.

What the output has to fit, per agency
AgencyTitle or descriptionKeywords
ShutterstockOne sentence of at least five words, under 150 characters7 to 50, in English, no repeats
Adobe StockTitle ideally under 70 characters; 70 is the CSV maximumUp to 49, the first 10 weigh most in search
Pond5Title of 40 to 80 characters, in EnglishUp to 50; 10 to 20 recommended

Four questions settle most tests:

  • Does the text describe the action, or only the first frame?
  • Are the keywords in order of importance, which Adobe Stock needs?
  • Did the tool invent a place, a brand or a person’s name it cannot know from the image?
  • Does the export open in each agency’s CSV upload without edits?

Free keyword suggestions at the agencies

Before paying, look at what the agencies give you. Pond5 runs image recognition on your uploads and suggests keywords; its tagging page asks you to review them and remove any that do not apply, and you can turn them off. Adobe Stock says it can suggest keywords at upload too.

Choosing the best microstock keywording tool for you

  • You shoot video only: start with a tool whose page describes video analysis (PhotoKeyworder.ai, Stocktag, IMS Vision), then add an uploader or upload by FTP yourself.
  • You want one app for editing and upload: Xpiks (Mac, Windows, Linux) or StockSubmitter (Windows only). Test video on their free tiers first.
  • You work in a browser on any system: Microstock Plus for submission, Stocktag or PhotoKeyworder.ai for text.
  • You mostly upload photos to Adobe Stock and Shutterstock forms: AutoKeyWorder fills those forms in Chrome.
  • You already have keywords: you may only need the CSV. Its columns are in the Shutterstock CSV guide. The per-agency limits are on the keyword limits page.

What this page leaves out

Many smaller AI keyworders exist, often as browser extensions. We list only tools whose official pages we read on 11 October 2026, and we will add others as we check them. RushPilot is not in the table either: it is a desktop app for video contributors in private beta, not downloadable yet. When it opens, it will cover video only, for Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5.

Sources

Official agency pages. Rules change: when in doubt, the agency's own page wins. Spotted an outdated figure? Tell us from the about page.

  1. [1]Xpiks: home pagePage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  2. [2]Xpiks: pricingPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  3. [3]Xpiks: downloadsPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  4. [4]StockSubmitter: home page and pricingPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  5. [5]Microstock Plus: home pagePage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  6. [6]ImStocker: home page (IMS AI Studio, IMS Keyworder)Page without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  7. [7]IMS Vision: home pagePage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  8. [8]IMS Vision: pricesPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  9. [9]AutoKeyWorder: home page and pricingPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  10. [10]Stocktag: home pagePage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  11. [11]Stocktag: pricingPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  12. [12]PhotoKeyworder.ai: home pagePage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  13. [13]PhotoKeyworder.ai: pricingPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  14. [14]Pond5: Tagging and pricing your filesPage without a date, read on 11 October 2026.
  15. [15]Adobe Stock: Tips for effective titles and keywords · page updated 18 Aug 2026
  16. [16]Adobe Stock: CSV requirements · page updated 11 Jun 2026
  17. [17]Shutterstock: Description and keyword best practices · page updated 12 Jul 2025
  18. [18]Shutterstock: Portfolio: preparing your uploaded content for submission · page updated 9 Feb 2026
  19. [19]Shutterstock: How are keyword and title spamming defined? · page updated 18 Jul 2025

Questions

What is the best microstock keywording tool for video?

No single tool wins on every criterion. As of October 2026, PhotoKeyworder.ai and Stocktag describe multi-frame or sampled-frame analysis of clips; Xpiks, StockSubmitter and Microstock Plus add uploading; pick by the criteria on this page.

Which keywording tools handle video?

Among the tools read for this page, PhotoKeyworder.ai, Stocktag and IMS Vision say on their own pages that they process video. Xpiks, StockSubmitter and Microstock Plus list video files or video agencies without describing a video workflow. AutoKeyWorder’s page describes images only.

How much does AI keywording cost per clip?

From published prices in October 2026: PhotoKeyworder.ai counts a video as 3 credits, about €0.10 with its €9.99 pack of 300 credits. Stocktag charges 1 credit per 5 seconds, so 12 credits or about $0.12 for a 60-second clip with its $5 pack of 500.

Is there a free keywording tool for stock footage?

Pond5 suggests keywords with image recognition when you upload, and Adobe Stock can suggest keywords too. Among third-party tools, Xpiks Basic is free for 15 files per session, and Microstock Plus is free for users who earned under $50 and never bought a plan.

Which keywording tools run on Mac?

Xpiks has a macOS download and IMS AI Studio supports Windows and Mac. Microstock Plus, PhotoKeyworder.ai, Stocktag and IMS Vision run in a browser. StockSubmitter is Windows only, and AutoKeyWorder is a Chrome extension.

Do AI keywords get clips rejected?

They can if they describe things the clip does not show. Shutterstock counts keywords that do not describe the content as spam, and Pond5 asks you to remove auto-generated keywords that do not apply.

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