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Feb 6, 2025
2 min read

Access First, Pay for What You Use: The Catch+Release Model

Bryan Wargo
Table of contents

At Catch+Release, we believe in making content licensing as seamless as possible. That’s why our platform is free to access—giving brands, agencies, and creative teams the tools they need to discover, curate, and organize content without upfront costs.

Unlike traditional stock platforms or SaaS licensing models, we don’t charge for access to the software—you can search, build collections, collaborate with your team, and explore creative possibilities without a subscription fee.

How We Make Money

We only generate revenue when you choose to license content. This means:

✅ No paywalls to browse content

✅ No subscription fees for using the platform

✅ No charges for curating or organizing assets

Instead, we’ve built a transactional model that aligns with how creative teams actually work—pay only when you find content you love and want to license it.

Powerful Features, Completely Free

We’ve designed Catch+Release to be a creative-first platform, with robust free features that help Producers, Creatives, and Strategists streamline their workflow:

  • Search & Discovery – Find high-quality UGC from across the internet, curated for commercial use.
  • Collection Building – Save and organize content into shareable collections for internal collaboration.
  • Team Collaboration – Invite teammates to review, comment, and approve content selections.
  • Content Validation – Instantly check if content is eligible for licensing before making a commitment.
  • Usage Estimation – Get estimated licensing costs upfront, helping teams budget effectively.

This Model Works—Just Look at These CompaniesCatch+Release isn’t the only company that has found success by offering free access and charging for transactions. Some of the most disruptive and scalable platforms follow a similar approach:

  • Figma: Free for users to design and collaborate, but monetizes through premium features for teams and enterprises.
  • Adobe Stock: Allows users to browse and curate content for free but charges when an asset is licensed.
  • Canva: A free platform with essential tools, generating revenue when users choose premium templates, images, or features.

Why This Matters for Creative TeamsOur approach allows us to remove friction from the licensing process while giving brands the freedom to experiment, collaborate, and scale their content strategies without unnecessary overhead. Great content should be accessible first, and Catch+Release is designed to give creative teams flexibility while ensuring creators get fairly compensated for their work.

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