Shutterstock vs. iStock: Which stock photo site is better? [2025]

Whether you want a stock photo site to get images for your marketing campaign or make your website look prettier, both Shutterstock and iStock are good options.

These stock image websites have similar pricing options and licenses, but they differ in the variety and quality of images.

Shutterstock 10 images/month

$21.78/mo$49.99/mo

Save 56% with 'PHOTUTORIAL15'

Get discount

iStock 10 images/month

$23.20/mo$40/mo

Save 42% with 'PHOTUTORIAL20'

Get discount

Table of contents:

• Shutterstock vs. iStock at a glance
• Shutterstock has 2-times more content, but iStock is more curated
• Shutterstock and iStock cost almost the same
• Licensing terms are virtually identical; iStock is better for videos
• Shutterstock has amazing live chat customer support
• Like all AI image generators, theirs too need improvement
• Both have an impressive number of integrations and tools
• Shutterstock vs. iStock: Which should you choose?

Shutterstock vs. iStock at a glance

Although both Shutterstock and iStock are popular for royalty-free images, they vary in terms of library size and quality. Shutterstock has a larger library of stock images, videos, and audio, but iStock’s collection is more curated. Both cost about the same, with prices for images ranging from $0.22 to $14.

If you’re looking for a quick rundown, here’s the summary:

• Shutterstock is best for marketers, designers, and content creators who require a wide selection of photos and videos at an affordable cost. Shutterstock has the largest image collection (503 million), graphic design tools, and numerous integrations with platforms like Adobe CC and WordPress, while API and team features will make businesses happy.
• iStock is best for creatives and businesses that prioritize quality and curated content. iStock’s premium “Signature” image plans are worth it for users looking for less generic stock photos at an affordable price point.

Shutterstock has 2-times more content, but iStock is more curated

When it comes to sheer numbers, Shutterstock’s collection is more than twice the size of iStock’s. The large number of media files translates into a wider variety and thus more selection. But does that mean that Shutterstock simply has lower curation standards than iStock and the number of “useful” files is the same?

There could be an argument made that iStock has a large quality overall, but I’ve always felt like it’s easier to find a good or the “right” image on Shutterstock.

What bothers me with iStock, especially the Signature (premium) collection, is the repetitiveness of certain motives. Sometimes you get 20 almost identical images that were taken during the same photoshoot (screenshot below), which limits your choice.

Shutterstock has its own audio plus PremiumBeat, while iStock partnered with Epidemic Sound for audio. Shutterstock also offers 20K templates.

Finally, Shutterstock has a collection of 50 million editorial photos and videos covering newsworthy events. These photos are much more expensive ($100+ per download) because they are taken by professionals and journalists. iStock doesn’t have its own collection of news photos, but you can get them at the parent company, Getty Images.

Winner: Shutterstock

Shutterstock and iStock cost almost the same

While the pricing structures of Shutterstock and iStock differ slightly, their overall costs are quite comparable. Here’s a breakdown:

At Shutterstock, $29/month ($299/year, which equals $25/month) gets you 10 photos and access to their image editing tools. The equivalent plan at iStock also costs $29/month but doesn’t offer a discount for upfront payment. (You can increase the download limit of all plans to 750 monthly downloads for up to $250/month). iStock’s premium “Signature” photos plans start at $70/month for 10 downloads, and the Premium+Video plan includes access to all iStock content plus audio from Epidemic Sound for $99/month. In contrast, Shutterstock’s video plan costs $189/month for 5 downloads, and $49/month for unlimited audio downloads.

If you run out of downloads in any given month, you prefer more flexibility, or need an extended license, both also offer on-demand purchases. I prefer iStock’s system of credits that you can spend on anything. Shutterstock has a different pack for each license and media type, as well as for different video resolutions.

Winner: Shutterstock

Licensing terms are virtually identical; iStock is better for videos

Shutterstock and iStock licenses are royalty-free. This means you get a perpetual, worldwide license that you can use in as many projects as you wish. (Except for Shutterstock’s editorial collection, which is licensed with rights-managed).

For photos, vectors, and illustrations, the licenses are identical. The Standard license—the one you get with subscriptions—permits commercial use, unlimited web distribution, 500K prints, and provides $10K indemnification. But it doesn’t allow merchandise. To get merchandising rights or unlimited print rights, you need to get the extended rights (called “Enhanced” at Shutterstock), which also provide $250K indemnification at both providers. The main difference here is that Shutterstock’s Enhanced license is a lot cheaper than iStock’s ($17 vs. $144).

For footage, most licensing terms are the same as for images, but there’s a small addendum in Shutterstock’s Standard license: it is limited to a $10,000 video budget and if your video gets over 500K views (such as on YouTube), you need to get the Enhanced license. And this is why I probably wouldn’t use Shutterstock for YouTube if I was getting over 500K views.

The largest difference in licensing terms between Shutterstock and iStock is for music files. Firstly, because you download audio with an unlimited download subscription, the file can be used for a single project only (that’s standard for this type of plan). To use it in another project, you need to re-download it. Shutterstock also limits your advertising budget to $5,000 per audio file, but there’s no limit on views, like with the videos (even if you use the audio file in a video).

Winner: iStock

Shutterstock has amazing live chat customer support

Good customer support is not just about asking for refunds, but also to learn more about licensing, the best deals you can get right now, and technical issues. Shutterstock and iStock have excellent FAQs and documentation sections that can answer most of your questions, but you can also get in touch with a real person.

Both provide email customer support as well as via a phone call. But my favorite is Shutterstock’s live chat feature through which you can get a response within two minutes, on average.

Here’s a real example of how good their customer support teams are from earlier today when I was writing about licensing. Even though I’ve been using stock media sites for years now, I wasn’t entirely sure about the video reproduction rights on both. I contacted Shutterstock through live chat, where I was connected with an agent within a minute. After a few back-and-forths, I had my answers in just five minutes. I contacted iStock through email and they responded in one hour (this was not a one-off; I’ve tried it multiple times before). This illustrates that while both customer support teams are good, Shutterstock’s is better.

Winner: Shutterstock

Like all AI image generators, theirs too need improvement

I might be biased here—as a scientist I am amazed by the tech, but as a photographer, it also feels a bitter taste in your mouth.

Shutterstock’s AI generator uses OpenAI’s DALL·E 3 while iStock uses Nvidia’s Picasso model. Both are allegedly trained on their respective image databases, which should, in theory, fairly compensate them.

You get credits for Shutterstock’s AI image generator with an active subscription, while at iStock you need to get a plan just for AI that costs $15 for 100 generations. Besides the underlying models used, the key difference is that Shutterstock’s generator supports creating images only, while iStock’s can also modify and refine photos.

However, both models produce noticeably unreal images. For now, they can’t replace real photographs.

Winner: iStock

Both have an impressive number of integrations and tools

Are integrations necessary for stock photo and video sites? No, if you need files pmčy, but they can make your workflow faster and more pleasant.

Let’s start with Shutterstock. With an active subscription, you get access to their image editor, Creative Flow, with similar capabilities to Canva but less powerful. A new suite of AI tools called Creative AI has been slowly replacing Creative Flow. These include a magic brush (add or remove stuff from images), an expanding image, a design assistant, and a background remover.

Shutterstock also has iOS and Android apps from which you can browse their collection. If you’re an Adobe user, you can also integrate Shutterstock’s library into Final Cut Pro, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. You can also integrate Shutterstock with Sketch, PowerPoint, and WordPress.

Like Shutterstock, iStock also has a plugin for Adobe Creative Cloud, but it supports Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign only. If you use Dropbox as your cloud storage, you can also connect iStock to it. iStock and Getty Images share a tool called VisualGPS Insights that displays current and upcoming trends for visual content. For example, yesterday was Memorial Day, and you can see “happy memorial day” trending. This is quite a useful tool for designers, so they can get ready for upcoming events. iStock also has its own image editor, but it’s limited to cropping, resizing, and adding texts and logos, so it’s not a replacement for Canva or Photoshop, in my opinion.

Winner: Shutterstock

Shutterstock vs. iStock: Which should you choose?

Whether Shutterstock or iStock works better for you depends, of course, on what you need. If you’re on the fence, here are some guidelines to help you decide.

Choose Shutterstock if you need photos, vectors, and illustrations, you’re a marketer, a blogger, or a freelancer, or you need lots of audio downloads.

Choose iStock if you want to use videos (combined with photos) or if you like the quality of their Signature collection. Also, pick iStock if you want to try it for 30 days because Shutterstock doesn’t have a free trial anymore.

Shutterstock 10 images/month

$21.78/mo$49.99/mo

Save 56% with 'PHOTUTORIAL15'

Get discount

iStock 10 images/month

$23.20/mo$40/mo

Save 42% with 'PHOTUTORIAL20'

Get discount

Related reading:

• The best Shutterstock alternatives
• Shutterstock vs. Adobe Stock: Which is better?
• The best stock photo sites
• How to buy images from Shutterstock

This article was originally published in April 2022. The most recent update was in April 2025.

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Matic Broz

Matic Broz is a stock media licensing expert with over 10 years of experience using and testing creative platforms for his own creative work. He has personally licensed over 5,000 stock assets and helped 20,000+ creators choose the right subscription services through his work at Photutorial.

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• Images
• Video & audio