Shutterstock is the gold standard when it comes to royalty-free images. But it’s also an all-around solid stock media marketplace—so much so that it’s on our list of the best stock photo sites and best stock footage providers at the same time.
You can use Shutterstock to download almost anything: images, videos, music, SFX—it even has an AI image generator.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Shutterstock’s the exact right tool for everyone. There are other great providers that offer a lot of what Shutterstock does but with a different emphasis or a few extra features. Here are six of the best Shutterstock alternatives so you can decide which one is right for you.
6 Shutterstock alternatives
- Depositphotos for a cheaper alternative to Shutterstock
- Adobe Stock for stock footage
- Envato Elements for unlimited downloads
- iStock for affordable premium images
- Artlist for 8K videos
- Unsplash for a free Shutterstock alternative
Shutterstock alternatives at a glance
| Best for | Standout feature | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depositphotos | Bloggers and SMBs | Very similar to Shutterstock but cheaper | $9.99 per month |
| Adobe Stock | Video creators and Adobe apps users | Native integration into Adobe apps | $29.99 per month |
| Envato Elements | Freelancers and creators | Unlimited downloads of a wide variety of assets | $16.50 per month |
| iStock | Marketers and designers | Affordable premium photos | $70 per month |
| Artlist | Video editors | 8K footage available with unlimited downloads | $29.99 per month |
| Unsplash | Anyone on a budget | Free stock photos | Free; $7 per month |
Why you may need a Shutterstock alternative
I’ve been using Shutterstock regularly for over five years, and during this time, I’ve seen Shutterstock’s team remove several pain points that I and other customers pointed out.
For me, Shutterstock has two main flaws left.
It’s too expensive (for stock footage)
With the increase in monthly downloads from 10 to 25 under its entry plan, without a price change, and the addition of unlimited music subscriptions this year, the only argument for Shutterstock pricing being expensive is its stock footage.
The most affordable way to buy stock footage is with video subscriptions, which cost $99 per month or $949 per year for 5 videos per month, including 4K resolution. You can get 20 videos per month for as little as $8.32 per video.
Buying footage on-demand is much more expensive, starting at $49 per SD video and around $100 per 4K video clip.
In recent years, unlimited video subscriptions have gained popularity due to their affordability. However, their content selection and licensing terms have slightly declined.
Standard videos come with a 500K view restriction
Shutterstock’s standard license—the one you get with subscriptions and standard packs—is an excellent royalty-free license, but like most standard licenses, it limits the number of views, copies, and prints of a file to 500K. You can exceed this limit by purchasing the expensive Enhanced license. This is standard practice for all major stock media providers, with a few exceptions.
The Adobe Stock video license doesn’t have this limit: the videos you create from footage can get unlimited views (this is why I named Adobe Stock the best stock footage site instead of Shutterstock). Envato Elements and Unsplash have no limit on copies and views for all file types.
What makes the best Shutterstock alternative?
Shutterstock, being the best stock photo site, is quite hard to match. Any potential Shutterstock competitor should at least have the following:
- Cost: Prices vary widely between Shutterstock alternatives, as well as within each alternative based on your purchase method and volume. Shutterstock costs $0.22 to $11 per image and $8+ per video.
- Quality and variety: Shutterstock has the largest collection of royalty-free photos (472 million) and videos (34.6 million). The larger the collection, the more variety.
- License: Shutterstock has an excellent royalty-free license. Look for a stock media provider with similar or better licensing terms.
- Tools & integrations: Tools and integrations can make your workflow easier or more enjoyable. Look for design tools and integrations with the platforms and software you use.
Best affordable Shutterstock alternative
Depositphotos ($9.99 per month)
Depositphotos pros:
- Identical pricing structure but cheaper than Shutterstock
- Smaller, lower-quality content library
Depositphotos cons:
- Smaller indemnity of only $5,000 compared to $10,000/$250,000
If you’re seeking a more affordable alternative to Shutterstock without sacrificing quality, Depositphotos is an excellent option. It offers a similar service with a vast library of royalty-free images, videos, and audio files at significantly lower prices, making it ideal for bloggers, small businesses, and budget-conscious creatives.
Like Shutterstock, Depositphotos offers image subscriptions starting at $29 per month (billed annually). For that price, you receive 30 downloads, compared to only 10 with Shutterstock. A custom plan for 10 downloads is also available for $9.90.
Depositphotos also provides cheaper image packs, with prices per image ranging from $1.75 to $5.80, while Shutterstock’s prices start at over $9. Additionally, Depositphotos is more affordable for video and audio plans. Plus, any unused subscription downloads can roll over for up to one year with Depositphotos, unlike Shutterstock, which does not allow rollover.
Despite sharing many similarities, Depositphotos’ content library is about half the size of Shutterstock’s. I found it more difficult to find good images on Depositphotos, as their curation standards are lower. However, it is generally adequate for most blogging and social media needs, though I wouldn’t recommend it for large commercial projects.
The standard license agreement is similar to Shutterstock’s but offers only $5,000 in indemnification, compared to Shutterstock’s $10,000, which can increase to $250,000 with the Enhanced License.
Content: Spec not found images, Spec not found videos, Spec not found audio files.
Cost: $9.90 per month for 10 images; $15.80 per month for 5 videos; $12.99 per month for unlimited audio downloads
Free trial: 7 days, download 10 images
Coupon: 15% off with ‘PHOTUTORIAL15’
Best Shutterstock alternative for stock footage
Adobe Stock ($29.99 per month)
Best for: Better footage license and buying options
Seamlessly integrated with Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Stock is the best choice for video creators and Adobe power users. Its flexible subscription plans allow you to download a mix of images, video, audio, and more, while its superior video license with no view limitations sets it apart from the competition.
Adobe Stock is the closest overall alternative to Shutterstock. It has pretty much the same size library and is very similar but at slightly higher prices. While Shutterstock is your go-to if you need photos, Adobe Stock takes the cake if you’re after video (or a mix of video and photos). Shutterstock has a more detailed pricing structure where each file type has its own plans, but Adobe Stock keeps it simple—you can download everything with just one plan, which is more convenient even though the prices are in the same ballpark. With Adobe Stock, you can get between 10 and 750 image and audio downloads per month, or between 1 and 25 video downloads per month, or mix and match, all for between $29.99 and $199 per month.
In addition to more flexible plans, Adobe Stock has a better video license than Shutterstock. Shutterstock caps views at 500,000, and if your video goes over that, you’ll have to buy an expensive extended license, but not at Adobe Stock. This makes Adobe Stock cheaper and more convenient for video editors.
Speaking of which, Adobe Stock is built into all Adobe applications, so you can browse and import directly. Shutterstock has something similar, but it’s not native and only available in a handful of applications.
While subscription prices are about the same, Adobe Stock is more expensive than Shutterstock when buying videos on demand. Shutterstock also has a 15% coupon code, while Adobe Stock doesn’t.
Content: 366 million images, 37 million videos, 85,000 music files, 3D, templates, fonts.
Cost: $29.99 per month for 10 images, 3D, templates, or 1 HD or 4K video.
Free trial: 30 days, download 10 or 25 images (1 or 3 videos)
Coupon: No
Best Shutterstock alternative for unlimited downloads
Envato Elements ($16.50 per month)
Best for: Best for freelancers
If you’re a freelancer or creator looking for the ultimate in creative freedom, Envato Elements is the best choice. You can download as much as you want from a massive library of images, video, audio, fonts, templates, and more for one affordable monthly price. This all-you-can-eat buffet of assets means you’ll have everything you need for your projects without breaking the bank.
Recently acquired by Shutterstock, Envato Elements has a new look and feel. Envato Elements has a much broader collection than Shutterstock, including images, video, audio, SFX, fonts, templates, themes, plugins, and add-ons. For just $16.50 per month, you get unlimited access to the entire library. That’s less than the price of 10 photos from Shutterstock.
This makes Envato Elements a great low-cost Shutterstock alternative and a great fit for freelancers and creatives. With Envato, you can make as many copies, prints, and views of your files as you want, whereas Shutterstock limits you to 500,000 unless you purchase the Enhanced license.
Envato Elements has a much smaller collection than Shutterstock (20 million vs. 500 million files). With Shutterstock, you can download any file you want and keep it forever. With Envato Elements, you license each file for one project, which is covered forever, but you can’t use it in another project unless you relicense. The license from Envato also comes with very little indemnification—just $234—while Shutterstock provides $10K with the Standard and $250K with the Enhanced license.
Content: Agency review post not found images, Agency review post not found videos, Agency review post not found audio files, SFX, fonts, graphic and video templates, themes, plugins.
Cost: $16.50 per month (billed annually) or $39 per month (billed monthly) for unlimited downloads
Free trial: 12 free files every month
Coupon: 70% off the first month
Best Shutterstock alternative for premium photos
iStock ($70 per month)
Best for: Best for premium photos
iStock is known for its carefully selected collection of top-quality images that are available at great prices and have a unique style. If you’re a marketer or designer looking for affordable, high-end visuals, iStock’s subscription plans are a great deal. You’ll get access to a huge library of premium images at a much lower cost than Shutterstock. While their collection is only about one-third the size of Shutterstock’s, the overall quality is higher. Their collection is divided into Essential (standard stock photos) and Signature (premium stock photos).
Whether iStock’s Signature photos are better than Shutterstock’s premium collection called “Offset” is debatable, but they are definitely cheaper. You can get 10 downloads for as little as $70 per month ($249 per premium image at Shutterstock). For the best prices, choose the largest plan with 750 monthly downloads for $334 per month ($0.44/download), which is incredibly cheap for premium photos. And if you want standard stock photos, they cost the same as Shutterstock. You can get an extra 20% off by using the coupon code ‘PHOTUTORIAL20‘ at checkout.
If you want iStock’s premium collection, there are very few downsides. I have noticed that despite their high curation standards, many photos are very similar because they are from the same shoot. This means that the variety is less than what the sheer numbers promise. Also, if you want an Extended license, you will pay 2 to 3 times more for the same rights compared to Shutterstock.
Content: 173 million images, 17.5 million videos.
Cost: from $70 per month for 10 premium image downloads.
Free trial: 30-day free trial
Coupon: 20% off with ‘PHOTUTORIAL20’
Best Shutterstock alternative for 8K footage
Artlist ($29.99 per month)
Artlist pros:
- Royalty-free license
- Help with copyright claims
- Unlimited downloads of 8K footage
Artlist cons:
- No indemnity
- Small collection
- Expensive if you need videos and audio
Artlist gives video editors and creators everything they need: stock footage, music, and sound effects in one place. Unlike most stock video platforms, it offers unlimited downloads of 8K footage – a crucial feature for professionals working with ultra-high-definition content.
The platform’s subscription model simplifies pricing and access. A single monthly fee unlocks not just footage and audio libraries but also includes over 50 video editing plugins and professional software like HitFilm and Imerge. This combination eliminates the need to juggle multiple subscriptions and keeps your workflow smooth.
The content library prioritizes quality over quantity. Though smaller than competitors like Envato Elements, each asset meets high production standards. Finding the right clip or track is quick thanks to AI-powered search that understands concepts and emotions – you can search for terms like “joyful” or “suspenseful” and get relevant results.
The licensing terms are clear and practical. Everything comes with a royalty-free license for commercial use and monetization. If copyright claims arise, the Clearlist feature helps resolve them quickly, essential for content creators publishing across multiple platforms.
The pricing structure makes sense: $9.99 monthly for music and sound effects, $29.99 for footage and templates. The all-inclusive Artlist Max plan costs $39.99 monthly and adds editing tools plus AI voiceover features. For professionals who need these resources daily, the value is clear – especially considering the unlimited downloads of high-resolution content.
Artlist pricing: From $9.99/month for Music & SFX Social plan; $29.99/month for Footage & Templates plan; $39.99/month for Artlist Max plan with full access to all features.
Best Shutterstock alternative for free photos
Unsplash (Free; $7 per month)
Best for: Best for free photos
Why it’s better: Unsplash has the best collection of free stock images. Period. Every photo you download comes with a royalty-free license that allows commercial and non-commercial use without attribution. The photos can also be used for merchandise. The premium photos available with Unsplash+ for $7 per month come with the same license, which also includes a $10,000 indemnity, the same amount you get with Shutterstock’s paid license.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Unsplash has gone from being a completely free stock photo site with one of the best free collections to a freemium site. Their parent company, Getty Images, launched Unsplash+ shortly after the acquisition. Their free collection, while the largest, is almost a hundred times smaller than Shutterstock’s paid collection, which means a much smaller selection of photos for you. The paid collection is even smaller, with only a few tens of thousands of photos and illustrations.
Content: 6 million free photos, 10,000’s of paid photos.
Cost: Free; $7 per month (billed annually) or $20 per month (billed monthly)
Free trial: No
Coupon: No
Other good sites like Shutterstock
Getty Images, IMAGO, and Alamy are all competitors to Shutterstock when it comes to editorial imagery and video. With similar licensing terms and editorial collection sizes among all four (Shutterstock included), let’s focus on pricing. Shutterstock’s editorial images cost $99 when purchased in bulk and $199 for individual files. Getty Images costs $140 to $500 per file for a royalty-free license and $70 to $2,000+ for rights-managed. IMAGO and Alamy start at $29 and $10 per image, respectively.
If you’re looking for budget options and Envato Elements or Depositphotos aren’t for you, there’s Vecteezy ($9/mo) and Freepik ($12/mo), both of which offer unlimited photo and vector downloads. However, Vecteezy’s selection of images is not that great, while Freepik has flooded its collection with AI photos that are almost impossible to filter out.
