The list of stock photos free trials is getting shorter every year. In recent years, Shutterstock and Envato Elements removed their free trials, while iStock introduced its own month-long trial.
In this list of free trials for stock images, I collected trials of some of the best stock photo sites around, while I didn’t list trials that are not worth your time or where your payment information may be at risk.
Stock photo free trials at a glance
| Stock photo site | Free images | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Stock | 10 or 25 | 30 days |
| iStock | 10 | 30 days |
| Depositphotos | 10 | 7 days |
| Envato Elements | 12 media files | Every 30 days |
| Shutterstock | 3 | One time |
I’ve researched several stock photo sites and found they offer different amounts of media per month, with durations ranging from 7 to 30 days.
1. Adobe Stock
The Adobe Stock free trial is the best trial for free images you can get right now. It’s available with the two bottom-tier plans: 10 Assets and 25 Assets, which otherwise cost $29.99 and $49.99 per month, respectively.
During the 30-day trial period, you can download 10 or 25 standard assets, including royalty-free images, illustrations, music tracks, motion graphics, and design templates. You can also use the download credits to download 1 or 3 HD and 4K videos.
You can cancel the free trial before it ends and keep everything you’ve downloaded. If you don’t download anything, you can cancel and get a full refund up to 14 days after the first payment.
Everything you download comes with the Adobe Stock Standard License, which allows up to 500,000 copies in print, digital, and product packaging; unlimited online use (websites, social media) and up to 500,000 views in broadcasts/digital programs; allowed within other products if the asset isn’t the primary value and reproduction limits aren’t exceeded.
The videos you download come with Adobe’s Enhanced License, which has all the same rights, except there’s no limit on views.
2. iStock
iStock’s free trial program, launched in early 2022, offers different options depending on your location. For US customers, the trial includes one free month of the Premium annual subscription, which normally costs $70 per month and provides 10 downloads monthly. EU customers, meanwhile, can try the Basic annual plan, priced at $29 per month with the same 10 monthly downloads, for their first month at no cost.
Once you activate the trial, the easiest way to search for files is by typing keywords into the search bar and selecting “Signature” if you’re from the US and “Essentials” if you’re from the EU.
The images you download during your free trial come with the same standard license as any other iStock file. You can use the file in a wide variety of commercial projects, including advertising, blogs, websites, presentations, video productions, and podcasts, in as many projects as you want for as long as you want.
3. Depositphotos
Unlike other stock images free trials in this list, Depositphotos’ trial period is only 7 days, which can make it easy to forget and get billed by mistake. Despite the shorter trial, Depositphotos lets you download 10 royalty-free images.
After the trial ends, it converts into Depositphotos’ entry 30-download per month subscription that costs $29 per month. You can change that to a different plan if you stop renewal and pick a different plan once your trial runs out. However, you won’t pay a dime if you cancel in time, even if you download all ten images.
4. Envato Elements
Envato Elements takes a different approach to free access. Instead of a typical time-limited trial, they offer free files every month that you can download and use simply by having a free account. This constantly refreshed selection includes a variety of assets like stock photos, videos, graphic templates, fonts, and more.
With a free Envato Elements account, you get access to 12 free downloads each month. These aren’t just low-quality samples either – they are professional-grade assets from their extensive library. The free files change regularly, giving you a chance to explore different content types and find resources for your creative projects.
The files you download are covered by Envato Elements’ regular license, which allows for commercial use in your projects. You can use them for websites, social media, marketing materials, and more. And the best part is, there’s no risk involved. You don’t need to worry about automatic renewals or hidden charges. It’s genuinely free to access and download these monthly files.
This makes Envato Elements’ free offering a fantastic way to get your hands on high-quality stock photos and other creative assets without any financial commitment.
5. Shutterstock
While Shutterstock no longer offers its traditional free trial, you can still get 3 free stock photos from them, completely risk-free. It’s not as generous as their old 30-day trial, but it’s a legitimate way to sample their image quality without paying anything.
To get your free images, simply head to Shutterstock’s free stock photos page and create a free account. You’ll be able to download the three images featured on that page. Keep in mind that you don’t get to choose the images – Shutterstock selects them for you.
The good news is that these free images come with Shutterstock’s Standard License, giving you broad usage rights for both commercial and personal projects. You can use them on websites, blogs, social media, and in marketing materials.
Since this is not a time-limited trial but a permanent free offering, there’s no need to cancel anything. Just create your free account, download your images, and you’re done.
FAQs
What exactly is a stock photos free trial?
A stock photo free trial allows you to download a limited number of royalty-free stock images for free during a trial period, usually 7-30 days. It’s a way to test a stock photo service before committing to a paid subscription. The images can typically be used in commercial projects even after the trial ends.
What is the best stock photos free trial?
The Adobe Stock free trial is currently the best, providing 10 or 25 free images over 30 days. iStock also has a good 30-day trial with 10 free images. Depositphotos offers 10 free images but only for 7 days. Envato Elements provides 12 free hand-picked images every month with a free account.
How to get stock photos for free?
You can get free stock photos by signing up for free trials from Adobe Stock (10-25 images), iStock (10 images), or Depositphotos (10 images). Shutterstock offers 3 free pre-selected photos. Envato Elements gives 12 free curated images monthly with a free account. Public domain and Creative Commons sites also have free images.
How to get stock photos without watermark?
Signing up for free trials from Adobe Stock, iStock, Depositphotos or getting the monthly free files from Envato Elements will allow you to download stock photos without watermarks. Shutterstock also provides 3 watermark-free images. Stick to reputable free photo sites to avoid illegal removal of watermarks.
