The best Getty Images alternatives are no longer a downgrade in image quality. They’re becoming as sophisticated as Getty Images itself, some offering comparable images and licensing at a fraction of the price.
Best pick explained: According to our tests and experience, the overall best Getty Images alternative is Shutterstock. It has two times more stock photos available at a fraction of the price Getty Images charges royalty-free. At the same time, Shutterstock’s customer support is excellent, and the licensing terms are some of the best in the industry.
Budget pick explained: If you’re constrained by your budget, Envato Elements is the way to go. For a fixed monthly fee of $16.50, you get unlimited downloads of an even wider variety of stock media assets, from images and videos to fonts, templates, and audio. This makes it the go-to option for entrepreneurs and freelancers.
In the guide below, we’ve picked the best Getty Images alternatives mainly based on our hands-on reviews. We’ve evaluated them for quality and variety of images, cost, licensing terms, customer support, and bonus features. See our how we test stock media sites for more info.
Contents
- The best Getty Images alternatives now
- Best Getty Images alternative overall
- Shutterstock
- Best budget Getty Images alternative
- Envato Elements
- Best for Adobe users & creatives
- Adobe Stock
- Best selection of stock footage
- Pond5
- Best for premium images
- Offset (by Shutterstock)
- Summary: Best Getty Images alternatives
- When to choose a competitor over Getty Images
The best Getty Images alternatives now
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Best Getty Images alternative overall
Shutterstock
Why is Shutterstock the best Getty Images alternative: Shutterstock offers even more photos than Getty Images and the Enhanced License, which is more comprehensive than Getty’s license, at a fraction of the cost (from $0.22/image). Like at Getty, you can also get editorial images and videos at Shutterstock.
Pros
- 2× larger collection of stock photos (434 million)
- 30-day free trial with 10 images worth $49
- Subscriptions for images, video, and audio
- Big discounts with the annual prepaid plans.
- Cheaper editorial images ($99.50–$199)
Cons
- Fewer editorial images
- No rights-managed license
Best budget Getty Images alternative
Envato Elements
Why is Envato Elements the best budget alternative: Envato Elements is much cheaper than Getty Images and offers a broader array of stock media assets, while Getty is limited to images. While Getty Images costs $125 per image, Envato Elements offers unlimited downloads for as low as $11.70 per month.
Pros
- Unlimited downloads with no daily limits.
- 12 free files per month
- Assets can be used commercially
- Simple licensing
- Plans for individuals, teams, and enterprises
Cons
- One of the lowest indemnities in the industry.
- You can’t use creative assets for new projects after unsubscribing.
- A small collection of photos and videos compared to other stock agencies.
- No refunds.
Best for Adobe users & creatives
Adobe Stock
Why is Adobe Stock best for Adobe users: The entire Adobe Stock library is integrated into the Adobe Creative Cloud natively, making the search for images and other assets from all Creative Cloud apps (like Photoshop) very easy.
Pros
- Superb image and video quality.
- Offers templates, 3D objects, and fonts.
- More than 1 million free images.
- Creative Cloud integration.
- Works with Photoshop, Illustrator, & others.
Cons
- More costly than some alternatives.
- No promo codes or coupons.
- Expensive premium content.
Best selection of stock footage
Pond5
Why is Pond5 the best for stock videos: Pond5 has the largest collection of stock videos (1.5 million) and offers a resolution of up to 8K, while Getty Images caps at 4K resolution and worse licensing terms for video.
Pros
- Up to 8K footage
- Large collection of stock videos
- Excellent video licensing terms
Cons
- Very expensive single purchases
- Subscriptions let you download only 10% of the videos
Offset (by Shutterstock)
Why is Offset best for premium images: Premium images from the Offset collection don’t look stocky, which is incredibly important when using photographs for commercial campaigns. These images are handpicked by experts who know what kind of images convert best.
Pros
- The highest photo quality
- Best for high-end campaigns
Cons
- A small collection of 1.3 million photographs
- Expensive
Summary: Best Getty Images alternatives
Site | Cost | Number of images |
---|---|---|
Shutterstock Best overall |
$0.22–$14.50/image | 434 million |
Envato Elements Best budget |
$11.50–$39.00/mo | 9.8 million |
Adobe Stock Best for Adobe users |
$0.26–$9.99/image | 326 million |
Pond5 Best for videos |
$7.99–$25+/video | (videos) |
Shutterstock Offset Best for premium images |
$249; $349/image | 1.3 million |
When to choose a competitor over Getty Images
There are a few situations where it might make sense to choose a competitor over Getty Images as a stock photo site. Some potential reasons to consider a different platform include:
- Lower prices: Getty Images is notoriously expensive, costing up to $500 per royalty-free image, and $10,000+ for rights-managed. This makes it accessible only to very few companies with high budgets, while entrepreneurs, small and medium businesses, bloggers, and freelancers should consider cheaper Getty Images alternatives like Envato Elements.
- Better customer support: Getty Images has the worst customer support in the industry. We contacted them at least a dozen times over the last two years, and we have never received a response. You’ll find the best customer support at Shutterstock and Depositphotos.
- You need assets beyond images and videos: Getty Images offers only stock images and a few million videos. If you need other assets, such as audio, video templates, fonts, and more, you should check our guide to the best stock video sites.