| Website | adobe.com |
| Photos | 260 million |
| Videos | 27 million |
| Audio | 29,456 |
| Templates | 17,525 |
| Price | $29.99/month |
| Licensing | Royalty-free |
| Free Trial | Yes |
| Alternatives | iStock & Pond5 |
| Pros | ✔ The largest collection of stock images ✔ Flexible pricing options ✔ Great search features ✔ High-quality content ✔ Free trial |
| Cons | ✘ You can’t buy images or videos separately ✘ More expensive than other sites |
Get 15% off at Shutterstock. Find the perfect royalty-free stock image, footage, or music to enhance your next project. 🙌
What is Shutterstock?
Simply put, when you need stock media, Shutterstock should be one of your go-to resources. Founded way back in 2003, it has grown into one of the largest and most popular stock agencies in the world.
As such, it now offers 400 million images, videos, templates, and music tracks at affordable prices. As a bonus, you can also browse the library for free before you sign up. So you can decide if it’s the right platform for you before you shell out any cash.
Who is Shutterstock for?
We’ve already seen that Shutterstock has a massive library of images, videos, and music tracks. Basically, it offers everything any creator could ever need. It’s perfect for any of the following:
- Filmmakers
- Content creators
- Video Editors
- Photographers
- Graphic Designers
- Marketing Companies
How Does it Work?
Let’s face it: there’s a lot of content on Shutterstock. Luckily, the platform has made finding the content you’re looking for easy. For example, you can browse the content on the platform by category, media type, or collection. This is perfect for those cases where you’re searching for something but not exactly sure what it is.
By far, the easiest way to find stock media is by using Shutterstock’s search feature. Here, it’s as simple as choosing the type of media you’re looking for, entering your keywords, and hitting the search button. You can even search the library on the go with one of Shutterstock’s mobile apps.
Features
Once you go to the Shutterstock homepage, you’ll see that the interface is intuitive and easy to use. As such, it’s simple to find what you’re looking for using either the menu bar or the search feature.
Menu Bar
If you want to explore the latest media on Shutterstock, the navigation menu comes in handy. It’s also helpful if you’re unsure what you’re looking for.
With it, every media type, from images to footage and music, has a dropdown menu. Using these dropdown menus, you can go to the homepage for the media type or browse by category.
Depending on the option you select, you’ll go to a results page or a subpage. On the subpage, you’ll be able to choose more categories.
Search Bar
You’ll likely find what you’re looking for using the menu bar, but the search bar makes it a lot easier. And let’s face it, easier means you save a lot of time and effort.
With that in mind, let’s look at how it works. On the left side of the search bar, there’s a dropdown menu where you can pick the media type you’re looking for. Here, you can pick anything from images to videos, photos, editorial content, and more.
Once you’ve made your choice, you can enter the keywords for what you’re looking for and hit the search button. You also have the option to search by image. This means you can easily upload a reference image and search for similar images and videos.
Tools
In the navigation bar, you’ll also find several other tools you can use to edit media on the platform.
| Shutterstock Editor | Image Resizer | File Converter | Collage Maker | Color Schemes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This design tool lets you create and edit social media posts, ads, presentations, and more. You can also use templates to create these and edit your own uploaded images. | This tool lets you resize your images into various sizes. It’s as easy as uploading your file, choosing a size, and letting the tool work its magic. | Like the Image Resizer, this tool lets you upload your images and converts them to JPEG, PNG, or TIFF. | Here, you can use templates to create photo collages. You can also add filters, effects and position your images any way you like. | This tool helps you pick a color palette for any project you’re working on. |
Pricing
Luckily, Shutterstock keeps pricing nice and flexible. It gives you several pricing options you can use to buy the media you need. These pricing options are:
Keep in mind, though, the different pricing options depend on the specific type of media. Let’s now look at on-demand pricing a bit closer.
On-Demand Pricing
With on-demand pricing, you get access to the media you need without subscribing.
| Single | 5-Pack | 10-Pack | 25-Pack | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | ✘ | $49 | ✘ | $229 |
| Footage | ✘ | From $299 | From $549 | From $1,299 |
| Music | $49 for a Standard License and $419 for an Enhanced License | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Editorial | $199 | ✘ | ✘ | $2,479 |
When it comes to subscriptions, you also have quite a few options.
Subscriptions
With a subscription, you’ll pay a monthly or yearly amount to download a specific number of assets every month.
Images
| 10 Images | 50 Images | 350 Images | 750 Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| $29/month | $99/month | $169/month | $199/month |
Footage
| 5 Clips | 10 Clips | 20 Clips |
|---|---|---|
| $99/month | $159/month | $199/month |
Music
| Unlimited | Flex 25 Mixed Subscription |
|---|---|
| $16.60/month | $49/month for 25 credits |
Licensing
Another thing we should look at when it comes to pricing is the licenses Shutterstock offers. Here, you can choose between the Standard license and the Enhanced license.
But what is the difference between the two? Here is a quick breakdown.
| Standard License | Enhanced License | |
|---|---|---|
| License Duration | Perpetual | Perpetual |
| Regions of Use | Worldwide | Worldwide |
| Digital Use (websites, mobile apps, software, ebooks, etc.) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Print Runs (in books/magazines, on posters, etc.) | Up to 500,000 | Unlimited |
| Legal Coverage | Up to $10,000 per image | Up to $250,000 per image |
| TV, Online Video, and Film | Unlimited viewers (production budgets up to $10,000 USD) | Unlimited |
| Web Templates or Print Templates | ✘ | ✔ |
| Merchandise | ✘ | ✔ |
| Use in a Commercial Space | ✘ | ✔ |
| Use in a Commercial Space | Up to 500,000 gross impressions (views, not viewers) | Unlimited |
| Personal, non-commercial use | ✔ | Unlimited |
Is Shutterstock Worth it or Not?
In short, Yes! There’s a good reason why Shutterstock is so popular. Basically, its massive library of content gives creators everything they need to do any project. The sheer amount of content aside, it has various other standout features. Some of these are its editorial content, templates, and the range of tools it offers.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for stock media, Shutterstock should be at the top of your list.
FAQ
Yes, it’s completely safe. All communication, data, and payments are encrypted.
Yes, you can use images in various different commercial projects, like websites, apps, books, posters, television, online video, and film. The amount usage amount depends on whether you have a Standard or Enhanced license.
Yes, all images, videos, and music available on Shutterstock are royalty-free as long as they are within the terms of the usage license.
Yes, Shutterstock currently offers a 30-day free trial.
No, unfortunately, Shutterstock is not free. To download content requires a subscription or credit.
