As a webdesigner I need quite often some photo or illustration for my graphic designs, or as a part of the website content. At the beginning of my career I used some free stock photo sites, but after some time I realized, that the searching of the right photo took me quite a long time and the result is poor. So I started to use microstock – you can get there photo from few cents and the microstock agencies have really big portfolios (some of them have more than 6 millions items!) and the quality is excellent.
Microstock agencies sell photos, vector and bitmap illustrations, flash, footage, audio – all with Royalty Free Licence (you can use it several times, but without exclusivity), with Enhanced Licence you can use those items also for printings on mugs, t-shirts,…
On most of the microstock sites you have two possibilities:
Subscription
You will pay some money and after that you can download every day couple of images in various resolutions and formats (same price for big images, small images, vector format…). Subscription is quite expensive, but if you need some fresh images every day, it is a excellent solution for you (and also cheapest, because the price for one image can be then less than $1).
Credits
You will pay just for images that you buy. The more credits you will buy at once, the smaller price per one image you will get. You will pay more for bigger images and for additional formats (EPS, SVG, AI, RAW, TIF).
Let’s look at the best microstock sites, where you can buy graphics (sorted by portfolio size):
Link: Shutterstock
Portfolio size: more than 6,5 mil. photos and illustrations, 105 000 video clips
Selling: Photos, Illustrations (EPS), footage
Subscriptions
25-A-Day Subscriptions – you can download 25 images every day, including access to all JPEG and Vector sizes
| Duration | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 month | $249 |
| 3 months | $709 |
| 6 months | $1349 |
| 12 months | $2559 |
Footage Subscriptions
| Resolution | 5 Downloads | 10 Down. | 25 Down. | 50 Down. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Resolution | $49 | $89 | $199 | $379 |
| Standard Definition (SD) | $149 | $269 | $639 | $1199 |
| all formats, including High Definition (HD) | $249 | $449 | $1059 | $1999 |
Credits
Shutterstock is not based on credits, but have some special subscription which is similar to buying a credit package – it’s name is On Demand Subscriotions and it enable you to download images any time for up to one year:
| Size | Downloads | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Small & Medium Jpegs | 12 Downloads | $49 |
| Small & Medium Jpegs | 60 Downloads | $229 |
| All sizes, vectors | 5 Downloads | $49 |
| All sizes, vectors | 25 Downloads | $229 |
Small & Medium images – the longer side of the photo is 500 (small) or 1000 (medium) pixels.
Available payment options:
- By credit card
Notes
- Biggest portfolio (adding more than 80 000 images every week)
Link: Dreamstime
Portfolio size: 5.4 mil
Selling: Photos, Illustrations
Subscriptions
Dreamstime offers various subscription programs:
| Duration | 10 images/day | 25 images/day | 50 images/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $129 | $240 | $420 |
| 3 months | $370 | $660 | $1,130 |
| 6 month | $680 | $1,250 | $2,160 |
| 12 month | $1,300 | $2,400 | $3,740 |
The advantage of subscription is, that the price of the smallest image is same as the price of vector or RAW format – it is still one image.
Credits
Images on Dreamstime come in several sizes:
| Size | Price [credits] |
|---|---|
| Extra Small size (480 pixels) | 1 |
| Small size (800 pixels ) | 2 |
| Medium size (3MP – up to 5MP) | 3 |
| Large size (5MP – up to 8MP) | 4 |
| Extra Large size (8MP – up to 12MP) | 5 |
| Highest size (over 12MP) | 6 |
| Additional format (RAW, EPS, AI) | 6 |
The price depends also on the image downloads – the more popular image is, the higher is the price – they have several levels for it. The price increase is following:
| Downloads | Level | Price increase [credits] |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | level 1 – yellow | 0 |
| 5–19 | level 2 – red | 2 |
| 20–49 | level 3 – pink | 4 |
| 50–99 | level 4 – blue | 6 |
| over 100 | level 5 – green | 8 |
Available credit packages:
| Credits | Price |
|---|---|
| 7 | $7 |
| 22 | $20 |
| 56 | $50 |
| 120 | $99 |
They also have a set of extended licenses for uses not covered by the standard license – the price doesn’t depend on the resolution and level.
| Name | Price [credits] |
|---|---|
| Unlimited Seats | 25 |
| Increase Maximum Copies | 50 |
| Web Usage | 50 |
| Print Usage | 50 |
| Sell the rights | image based |
Available payment options:
- by credit card
- via Paypal
Interesting notes:
- offers Sell the Rights licence – represents a full ownership of the downloaded image and the buyer use such image exclusively.
- you can search for Dreamstime exclusive photos
- possibility of additional formats (RAW, AI, EPS)
- very good search options
Link: Fotolia
Portfolio size: more than 5,4 mil. photos and illustrations
Selling: Photos, Illustrations (AI, EPS, SVG), preparing footage
Subscription
With subscription you can download 25 – 250 images every day, with the price per image from $0.27 to $0.14
| Daily downloads | 1 month | 3 months | 6 months | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $199 | $499 | $899 | $1,649 |
| 50 | $378 | $948 | $1,708 | $3,133 |
| 100 | $716 | $1,796 | $3,236 | $5,936 |
| 150 | $1,015 | $2,545 | $4,585 | $8,410 |
| 200 | $1,274 | $3,194 | $5,754 | $10,554 |
| 250 | $1,493 | $3,743 | $6,743 | $12,368 |
Credits
1 credit = $1.00, the minimum credit purchase is 10 credits, the maximum is 2000 credits. Fotolia offers the following promotions for online purchases:
| Credits | Promotion |
|---|---|
| 100 | +5% |
| 200 | +10% |
| 500 | +15% |
| 1000 | +20% |
| 2000 | +25% |
Prices for images
| Image size | Price |
|---|---|
| XS (0.12 MPx) | 1 credit |
| S (0.5 MPx) | 2 credits |
| M (2 MPx) | 4 credits |
| L (4 MPx) | 5 credits |
| XL (8 MPx) | 6 credits |
| XXL (16 MPx) | 7 credits |
| XXXL (+30 MPx) | 8 credits |
| V (vector) | 4 credits |
| X (Raw) | 10 credits |
Available payment options:
- By credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Visa Electron, Delta)
- By Paypal
- By Webmoney
- By Wire Transfer
Notes:
- They didn’t start selling video files yet, but will start soon
- Most of the vector illustrations are in SVG format
Link: iStockphoto
Portfolio size: 4,6 mil files
Selling: Photos, Illustrations, Footage, Audio, Flash
Subscriptions
iStockphoto offers various subscription models – you can choose the duration and the number of credits you want to spend every day (price of one credit is $0.24 – $0.4)
| Daily credits | 3 months | 6 months | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | – | $699 | $1,299 |
| 30 | $979 | $1,862 | $3,542 |
| 60 | $1,862 | $3,542 | $6,730 |
| 120 | $3,542 | $6,730 | $12,783 |
| 240 | $6,730 | $12,783 | $24,288 |
| 480 | $12,783 | $24,288 | $46,146 |
Credits
You can buy credits in various packages, so the price of one credit is $1.50 – $0.95:
| Credits | Price |
|---|---|
| 12 | $18 |
| 26 | $38 |
| 50 | $70 |
| 120 | $165 |
| 300 | $370 |
| 600 | $680 |
| 1000 | $1,050 |
| 1500 | $1,500 |
| 2000 | $1,900 |
The prices of files (photos, vector illustrations, flash, video, audio) on iStockphoto depends on the resolution (for images, video) and on the complexity (vector illustrations, audio, flash):
| Size | Price [credits] |
|---|---|
| XSmall (400×300) | 1 credit |
| Small (800×600) | 3 credits |
| Medium (1600×1200) | 6 credits |
| Large (2560×1920) | 12 credits |
| XLarge (4200×2800) | 18 credits |
| XXLarge (4900×3300) | 22 credits |
| XXXLarge | 28 credits |
| Vectors (EPS format) | 1, 5, 10, 15, 25 credits according to complexity |
| Video | 15, 25, 40, 75, 90 credits according to resolution |
| Aidio | 2, 5, 15, 25 credits according to complexity |
| Flash | 1, 5, 10, 15, 25 kcredits according to complexity |
Available payment options:
Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Paypal. Accept also payment in US funds only by either International Money Order or check drawn ONLY on a US or Canadian bank account.
Notes
- Highest quality of the content (but less photos from one photo sequence)
- Only this one agency offers flash and audio
Link: BigStockPhoto
Portfolio size: more than 3,1 mil. photos and illustrations
Selling: Photos, Illustrations (EPS)
Subscription
none
Credits
| Credits | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 | $2.50 |
| 10 | $20 |
| 20 | $35 |
| 30 | $45 |
| 100 | $140 |
| 300 | $300 |
This is the only one agency, where you can buy only one credit.
| Image size | Price [credits] |
|---|---|
| S (900 px) | 1 credit |
| M (1600 px) | 2 credits |
| L (2400 px) | 4 credits |
| XL, EPS (3800 px and more) | 6 credits |
Available payment options:
- By credit card
- By Paypal
- By Google Checkout
Link: Stockxpert
Portfolio size: more than 3,1 mil (adding 50 000 images / week)
Selling: Photos, Illustrations, footage
Subscriptions
With subscription you can download 25 images every day
| Duration | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 month | $220 |
| 3 months | $500 |
| 12 months | $1000 |
Credits
Images on Stockxpert come in several sizes:
| Size | Price [credits] | |
|---|---|---|
| XS | web resolution ~ 0.5 MB, 400×300 | 1 |
| S | web resolution ~ 1.5 MB, 800×600 | 2 |
| M | postcard size ~ 6 MB, 1600×1200 | 3 |
| L | A/5 size ~ 12 MB, 2400×1800 | 5 |
| XL | A/4 size ~ 24 MB, 3500×2400 | 10 |
| XXL | A/3 size ~ 46 MB, 4900×3300 | 15 |
| V | vector file EPS format | 1–20*** |
Available credit packages:
| Credits | Price |
|---|---|
| 5 | $5 |
| 10 | $10 |
| 20 | $20 |
| 50 | $40 |
| 100 | $80 |
| 200 | $160 |
| 500 | $400 |
They also have a set of extended licenses for uses not covered by the standard license:
| Name | Type | Price [credits] |
|---|---|---|
| E1 Multi seat license #1 | Up to 5 persons | 25 |
| E2 Multi seat license #2 | Unlimited persons | 50 |
| E3 Physical retail items | Up to 10,000 prints | 50 |
| E4 Electronic resale items | Unlimited run | 75 |
| E5 Extended print license | Unlimited run | 100 |
Available payment options:
| Type | Method | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Worldpay | VISA / MC | Instant |
| Paypal | VISA / MC / AMEX | Bank transfer / Etc. Instant (except for e-check) |
| Bank transfer | Bank transfer | Takes several days |
Link: Crestock
Portfolio size: not published
Selling: Photos, Illustrations, Flash
Subscriptions
With subscription you can download 20 images every day
| Duration | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 month | $179 |
| 3 months | $500 |
| 6 months | $960 |
| 12 months | $1,800 |
Credits
Images on Crestock come in several sizes:
| Size | Price [credits] | |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 2400 × 1600 | 5 |
|---|---|---|
| M | 3000 × 2000 | 10 |
| XL | 4200 × 2800 | 15 |
| V | Vector in EPS format | 10 |
Available credit packages:
| Credits | Price |
|---|---|
| 100 | $90 |
| 500 | $1,425 |
| 1000 | $750 |
| 3000 | $1,800 |
Available payment options:
- Paypal
- Credit card
Notes
- 50% Off on your first purchase
- Crestock doesn’t offer extended licences – images should not be used on items for re-sale such as web templates, e-cards, screensavers, postcards, posters, t-shirts, mugs, mousemats and similar.
Microstock comparison
In the following table you can compare the agencies according to their portfolio size, selling formats and payments methods:
| Agency | Portfolio | Selling formats | Payment options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shutterstock | 6.5 mil | photos, illustrations, footage | Credit card |
| Dreamstime | 5.4 mil | photos, illustrations | Credit card, PayPal |
| Fotolia | 5.4 mil | photos, illustrations, footage (soon) | Credit card, PayPal, Bank transfer |
| iStockphoto | 4.6 mil | photos, illustrations, footage, flash, audio | Credit card, PayPal |
| BigStockPhoto | 3.1 mil | photos, illustrations | Credit card, PayPal, Google Checkout |
| Stockxpert | 3.1 mil | photos, illustrations, footage | Credit card, Paypal, Bank transfer |
| Crestock | — | photos, illustrations, flash | Credit card, Paypal |
Price comparsion
Here is another comparsion which will show you which agencies are cheap and which are expensive. In the first column, I wanted to point on the minimal purchase (just for case when you need one small image for your website), second column is the price for 25 small photos and the third column for 200 bigger photos (with the width at least 800 pixels). The Small project column represent the price of images, that you will need for some small project:
- 1 small image (600 px width)
- 4 bigger images (1000 px)
- 1 photo for A4 print (3 500 px)
- 2 vectors (middle complexity)
Price comparsion
Here is another comparsion which will show you which agencies are cheap and which are expensive. In the first column, I wanted to point on the minimal purchase (just for case when you need one small image for your website), second column is the price for 25 small photos and the third column for 200 bigger photos (with the width at least 800 pixels). The Small project column represent the price of images, that you will need for some small project:
- 1 small image (600 px width)
- 4 bigger images (1000 px)
- 1 photo for A4 print (3 500 px)
- 2 vectors (middle complexity)
The last two columns are for subscriptions comparing – price for standard one year subscription with 25 downloads / day and the smallest-cheapest subscription.
| Agency | 1 photo | 25 photos | 200 photos 800px |
Small project | Year subs. 25 img/d. |
Smallest subs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shutterstock | $49 | $98 | $249 | $98 | $2559 | $249 |
| Dreamstime | $10 | $30 | $200 | $30 1+8+12+8 =29 credits |
$1900 | $129 |
| Fotolia | $10 | $25 | $50 | $31 1+16+6+8 =31 credits |
$1,649 | $199 |
| iStockphoto | $18 | $38 | $680 | $165 3+20+15+24 =75 credits |
$3542 | $699 |
| BigStockPhoto | $2.5 | $48 | $280 | $45 1+8+6+12 =27 credits |
— | — |
| Stockxpert | $5 | $40 | $320 | $40 2+12+10+20 =44 credits |
$1000 | $220 |
| Crestock | $90 | $90 | $750 | $90 5+20+15+20 =60 credits |
$1799 | $1799 |
In the table you can find some interesting facts:
- when you need only one image, then BigStockPhoto is the cheapest
- Dreamstime and Fotolia have nice low prices
- iStockphoto is the most expensive agency
But remember the price is not everything. You should also look at the portfolio size and quality, the search options, that each agency offer (exclusive images, vector format, minimal size, similar images,…), the licenses they offer (I will post another comparison article about extended licences soon) and on the other aspects…
Some others agencies
Here is list of some other (smaller, younger) agencies. I will add detailed information about them in the future:
- Pixmac – one of the youngest, but with lot of nice features and more than 7 mil. pictures
- Can Stock Photo – nearly 2 mil. images
What is your favorite microstock agency?
Do you use microstock as a source of cheap images and footage? If yes, what agencies do you prefer?
You might like to add: http://www.photostogo.com its soooo much cheaper than all the above and has got really good content
Hi Orson,
well done! I „twitted“ your post.
Cheers,
roberto
mystockphoto – thanks for twitting!
This is a great survey. I’ll echo Roberto’s comment: well done
You can usually find the best deals on personal sites.
For example, this site just launched and they’re offering half off on some nice packs. If you wanna check it out– http://cloud3200store.com
Another good one is Can Stock Photo: http://www.canstockphoto.com. It doesn’t have quite the portfolio size of the others but it is cheaper.
Also wanted to mention http://www.photocase.com, they are on par pricewise and have some different stuff than the others. Portfolio size is small though
Good post, but it seems that information already quite old and not correct on some microstocks.
VectorLib is royalty-free vector illustrations online shop, allowing professionals to buy vector illustrations directly from the artists.
Well, if i was looking for a microstock site to buy good quality vectors for a good price, i think i would skip shutterstock, istock, fotolia and other agencies and choose vectorstock.com. This site has a big vector library, and the price is much smaller that in other microstock agencies – only 1 dollar for vector. I’m a designer and i am thinking of uploading my portfolio there and becoming contributor.
I have checked out quite a few of these (not ALL of them – that would take months) and I went for one called ingimage.com. Relatively small collection of million or so really decent images and you get 50 XL images per day for £44/month – definitely worth considering if you use high-res.
Thanks for the tip’s.
I will be happy to share new site that i see that sale only Vector files.
They have amazing vector and the interface of the site look amazing.
the the site http://www.vectorain.com
Hope this will help to other designers like it was help me.
Nick
Also check out http://www.stickstock.com – they have a few free stock images
There is a small collection of several thousand vector illustration of the interesting price: http://vector­.stylove.com/
Very high-quality photos
http://www.channelphoto.com/
I like your site and valuable information you provide about selling images!
I am giving away free photos at http://freeimagescollection­.com which has 1000+ images.
And what about Graphicriver ?
I know about this site, but I heard, that they are too selective, the percentage is too small and also the sales are low. So I didn’t upload there.
You can buy cool photos direct from photographers on SymbioStock Network.
I like there – http://www.dphotography.biz
You can see all photographers on
http://cascoly­.com/…-network.asp