Stock Photos: Are They Worth Paying For?

Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 01:10 pm

No matter what line of work you’re in there will come a time where you will need a photo. Be it for a class project, a video your creating or even for a blog post. Stock photos come in handy. If your not familiar with the term you can learn more about it here. 

Stock photos are great because you can use them for a variety of projects. Granted you can probably just use Google to find a picture but that can be a bit tricky if you’re looking for a photo that is a set size. Some also have watermarks that you can’t remove as well.  That being said it’s helpful to use royalty free stock photos. Personally, I like to always list a photo source and a link back if I can. This post will share free and paid sites. Now that I have that out of the way let’s get to the sites

Free Stock Photos

I prefer using free stock photo sites. I do this because I don’t use stock photos often so I don’t see a point in paying a subscription if i’m only going to use it once every few weeks.  But once again that’s my opinion. 

Pexels

I like the layout of Pexels because it’s very straightforward.  it has a simple user interface. You just type in the photo you are looking for and if it’s available a list will pop up. They also have photos linked to paid sites as well but those appear at the bottom of the page. Or the end of the photo set.
Here’s an example of what I mean. Pexels lists it as Sponsored Photos. When you click on a photo it takes you to the site that provides it. 

I like Pexels because it’s easy to use and has a variety of content. It also offers you other suggestions to widen your image search. I’ve used a few photos from this site for my blog post featured image. I also like that they offer a link back to the photo post or the ability to share the photographer who shared the image.  You can also donate to a photographer as well.

Pixabay

I like Pixabay because they offer more than just stock photos you can find other types of images as well such as 

• Illustrations
• Vector graphics
• Videos
  

I will admit I didn’t realize they offered these features until now. I’ve only used this site once or twice. Like Pexels it has a simple user interface. 
They also have sponsored photos (paid) that show up but these appear above the free photo set. 

Pixabay allows you to donated like Pexels does. it also allows you to pick a variety of photo sizes ot download. You can also share it via many social sites too. 

Unsplash

Unsplash has a similar user interface as the two previously mentioned sites. It offers a lot of the same features the other sites do. It also gives you a more in-depth list when searching for photos.
Here’s an example

I’m still familiarizing myself with this site but I like that it offers the meta tags. It also gives you easy click downloading. Each photo has a download arrow icon.

Paid Stock Photo Sites

There are many paid stock photo sites out there. Some offer more options besides photos as well. These sites offer various pricing plans. Some may also only allow you to download so many photos a month. 

iStock

iStock is widely used by many people. You’ve probably come across many iStock photos when browsing sites online. I know many major companies use them as well as individuals too. 

As you can see iStock has a simple user interface. The only difference is that you will have to pay for a photo download. 

Here’s an example. I’ve never purchased a photo so I don’t know if the watermarks will be removed following the download. I assume they will be.

iStock has a pricing plan you can view that information here.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock has an interesting user interface. Like iStock Shutterstock also has music and video as well. 
They also have a payment plan for photos too.

Once again I haven’t downloaded a photo from this site but they do have a large option to choose from. To learn more about their pricing plan click here.

Are stock photos worth paying for? 

Well, I will leave that up to you. I think if you need to have a large catalog of photos at hand for a variety of reason. Then paying a  subscription to a site like iStock (or other’s like it)  might fit your needs. If you’re like me you’re on a budget or you only need one photo every few weeks. I would suggest sticking with the free sites I mentioned. Overall purchasing a stock photo plan is up to you in terms of usage and what you need it for.
There are a variety of free stock photo sites out there I happened to like thee three. 

While we’re on the topic of photos why don’t you check out this post on photo compressors.

Don’t forget to share your thoughts. I’d love to hear which stock photo sites you like to use.