Catch+Release

Catch+Release helps brands, agencies, and production teams discover online and creator-made photos and video, collaborate on selections, and secure usage rights. It suits teams that need licensing and clearance alongside content discovery; its free workspace is useful, but license costs can vary substantially.

Overview

The product brings search, curation, collaboration, and licensing into one web platform. Teams can pull content into shared Projects from multiple sources, review and approve selections, then begin clearance. That joined-up workflow is its clearest advantage for campaign and production teams that need permission to use what they find, rather than just a way to collect posts.

Catch+Release supports creator sourcing as well as content from elsewhere, and creators can upload material or connect social accounts. The Creator Community supports Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube imports; Instagram connections require a Professional account. Uploaded creator content is reviewed by a moderation team before appearing on a profile. Catch+Release says most Creator Community assets can be licensed within 24 hours, though timing depends on the rights and people involved.

Key features

Discovery and collaboration

AI-powered search accepts natural-language descriptions and lets users narrow results with filters. Projects provide a shared place to gather content from different sources, collaborate, and start clearance. This is a practical fit for teams managing selections together, though the product's distinctive value lies in carrying those selections toward licensing, not simply in discovery.

Brief analysis and storyboards

Content Genie turns a text brief into up to 50 licensable shots per topic, usually in about an hour. It does not yet analyze images or links in briefs, so teams whose starting point is a visual reference or a URL will need to describe the material in text instead. Storyboards organize visuals into scenes, support production notes, and can be downloaded as a rip reel; the feature is included at no cost. That gives teams a useful way to shape a selection before production without adding a storyboard fee.

Licensing and support

Licensing options account for usage, duration, geography, and exclusivity, with costs calculated automatically. The flexibility is valuable when rights need to match a specific campaign, but variable terms mean teams should establish costs for selected assets before budgeting a project. Optional content curation and Managed Services can support work from sourcing through licensing. Catch+Release says it uses administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, including firewalls, password protection, and SSL, to help protect personal information. Its privacy policy says Google API data use and transfer follows Google's API Services User Data Policy, including Limited Use requirements.

Pricing

Catch+Release is freemium, with no free trial. Platform access costs nothing: users can search, create projects, and collaborate at no cost, with no subscription fee; content licensing is paid separately. This is a low-commitment way for teams to organize work, but it does not make the underlying content free.

The Partner library royalty-free license starts at $975, paid once. License fees vary by content source, so the starting price is not a universal project cost. Shot clearance has a price not listed, with charges of $0–$250 per shot: Creator Marketplace content is $0, while content from elsewhere is $250 per shot; one shot can be up to 30 seconds. A Content license also has a price not listed, because the price varies with usage and terms, the rightsholder, and the creator's valuation. These distinctions make the free workspace most compelling for teams prepared to assess licensing costs asset by asset, rather than those seeking a predictable all-in subscription.

Platforms

Catch+Release is available on web. Its supported content formats are photo and video, and it includes review and approvals and usage rights management.

Who it's for

Brands, agencies, creative teams, and production partners that need to source authentic content and clear rights are the strongest fit. It is especially relevant when several people must curate and approve material, then manage permitted usage. Teams that only need inexpensive, fixed-cost content, or that rely on image- and link-based brief analysis, should consider other workflows.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Free search, Projects, and collaboration let a team organize work without a subscription fee.
• Pro: Projects, approvals, and usage rights management connect selection to clearance, useful when campaign permissions matter as much as discovery.
• Pro: Free Storyboards include scene organization, production notes, and downloadable rip reels.
• Con: License charges vary by source, usage, terms, and valuation, making total project costs less predictable than the free workspace suggests.
• Con: Content Genie handles text briefs but not images or links, limiting its fit for teams that brief from visual references.
• Con: Instagram imports require a Professional account, a constraint for creators using personal accounts.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of options, browse UGC Platforms. Consider JoinBrands instead if you want a freemium service available on Android, iOS, and web, with a free pay-as-you-go plan carrying a 15% platform fee and $0 Roll Over Cash.

Billo may suit teams looking for a freemium video-ad option: its free plan includes 8 AI scripts and 3 AI mashup credits per month, and its Video ads plan starts at $99 per video. Choose EmbedSocial if you need a web and API option with a free plan capped at 1 source and 500 views per month, or a Pro plan at €29 a month.

Taggbox is another freemium web and API option, with a free plan including 1 feed, 500 views per month, 10+ platforms, and manual moderation. Yotpo Reviews is worth considering for review collection: its free plan supports 50 orders per month and 500 outgoing emails.

EnTribe offers free services on web and as an extension, with terms reserving the right to charge for some or all services in the future. If you want creator-set video packages, UGC.CO.UK has a Basic video starting price of £59, paid once, excluding VAT, with package options varying by creator. Bazaarvoice Ratings & Reviews is an alternative for ratings and reviews.

Verdict

Choose Catch+Release if your brand, agency, or production team needs one workflow for finding content, collaborating on selections, and clearing usage rights. Free workspace access and included Storyboards make it easy to start organizing a project; the reason to look elsewhere is the variable cost of licensing, especially when a predictable total budget matters more than rights-centered workflow.