CriticalPast vs ProductionCrate
CriticalPast
criticalpast.com
ProductionCrate
productioncrate.comSide by side
| Figure | CriticalPast | ProductionCrate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $9/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 6 |
| Spec score · Stock Video Websites | 8.9 (#4) | 8.8 (#6) |
| Founded | 2007 | LinkedIn lists the company as founded in 2009. |
| Product | CriticalPast is a searchable online collection of historic footage and still images spanning the 20th century. | ProductionCrate describes itself as a library and toolset for VFX artists, creators, filmmakers and motion designers, with visual effects footage, 3D models, royalty-free music and plugins. |
| Support | The FAQ lists staff availability for cancellation requests as 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. | The FAQ directs users to contact [email protected] for questions and account activation help. |
Plans
CriticalPast
- Video screenerFree
- Still image — Personal use only$5, paid once
- Still image — Standard License$20, paid once
- Still image — Premium License$30, paid once
- Broadcast-ready video clip master$95, paid once
ProductionCrate
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Skills$9 a month
- Pro - Yearly$25 a month
- PRO$49 a month
- TeamsPriced on request
In their own words
CriticalPast
CriticalPast is a web archive for searching and licensing historic video clips and still images about worldwide events, people, and B-roll from the 20th century. The site describes a collection of more than 59,000 clips and 7 million stills. Search tools include filters for decade, location, color, and sound, plus advanced operators; registered users can save and share selections in multiple lightboxes. Video is licensed by the clip. Broadcast-ready, unmarked HD masters are available in ProRes or XDCAM with multiple frame rates; the listed master plan is $95, while the stated price range is $95-$295 depending on duration and format. Full-resolution screeners are available at no charge to registered users, with timecode and the CriticalPast logo burned in. JPEG stills cost $5 for personal use, 20.00 USD for a Standard License, or 30.00 USD for a Premium License. The site says licensed material can be used worldwide, in perpetuity, across media, subject to the selected license terms. Orders are typically ready within one hour and remain available for two weeks.
ProductionCrate
ProductionCrate is a library and toolset for VFX artists, creators, filmmakers, and motion designers. Its resources include visual effects footage, 3D models, royalty-free music, and plugins; the service says it hosts over 10,000 custom-made HD production resources. Free accounts can use basic libraries and download up to five items per day. PRO provides access to all libraries, higher-quality downloads, three times as much exclusive content, and faster CDN downloads. The PRO plan costs $49 a month and allows up to 50 downloads per day. FootageCrate materials are available in ProRes, MP4, and PNG sequences for import into Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Nuke, and After Effects; the homepage describes video encoding up to 4K. ProductionCrate Portal installs, manages, and updates plugins, and includes an asset manager for downloaded media. FootageCrate Blender connects assets to Blender through a web link. Downloaded materials may be used in commercial or non-commercial projects, but the asset files themselves cannot be redistributed.