Depositphotos Review

Depositphotos is a cheap, new and growing stock photo agency that seems to be rapidly gaining market share. This American stock photo agency has not stopped at anything to make them a growing stock photo agency in a very competitive market. With an international focus for their membership, Depositphotos is giving away stock photos to gain new members, attract contributors and increase their inventory daily.

Their approach is not very different from other stock photo agencies. Their highlight is their prices and buyer bonuses.  Subscriptions and credits are inexpensive, Depositphotos offers a free 7 day subscription to new members and they are actively working with their stock photo agency community to make the site better.

Depositphotos Basics (Update Dez. 2012)

• Over 11 million images (and counting)
• Images added weekly
• Depositphotos has been online since November 2009,  a little over 18 months
• File types sold on Depositphotos are stock photos, vector files and videos
• Accepts payment by PayPal, Moneybookers and Webpay
• Royalty free and Extended licenses only

Depositphotos Particulars

• Searchable by: Categories (too many to mention) keywords, photographer, color, size, orientation, and two filters; adult content and licensing. Simple search engine that gets results.
• Free subscription option for new members
• Languages including: English, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese,  Polish
• FAQ is extensive and easy to search
• Depositphotos has their corporate headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Credit-and Subscription Based Buying Options

Depositphotos has made sure that their pricing sets them apart from other stock photo agencies. The free subscription offer for new members provides 35 free images over a one week period (5 downloads per day).  Credit and subscription options have a low buy in and make the price per image cheap, 50¢ to 63¢ for an xsmall image.

Credit buying option:

• Credits can be purchased in predetermined packages only.
• Credits are $1.oo USD for 1 credit with no discounts
• Minimum of 10 credits to start in their pre-bundled credit program for $10.00 USD

Credit Pros

• Cheap prices and the lowest credit package is $10.00 for 10 credits
• X-small images cost .5 credits= 50¢
• Extended licenses are purchased with credits only
• Many credit packages available (10 options)
• Transparent and easy to understand

Credit Cons

• No custom packages available
• There are no financial discounts for credit purchases.  Buyers are rewarded with bonus image options.

Subscription Services

Depositphotos offers low initial investment subscription buying options. Buyers can start at a $19.00 USD for a 3 day subscription that awards 30 images.  The best deal is the monthly subscription for $59.00 USD and awards 150 images.

Subscription Pros

• Flexibility in subscription options
• Subscription services are cheap and require little investment
• Buyers can gain Depositphotos bonuses through their subscription purchases

Subscription Cons

• Extended licenses have to be purchased with credits
• Per day download limits

Image Searching Tools

Depositphotos has developed an average search engine for their stock photo database that is easy to use. The search process is based on categories first and keywords second with a simplified advanced search option.

Some things to keep in mind

• Categories are their first search preference with an extensive list of categories and subcategories
• There are exclusion filters in the advanced search option

Licensing Options

Depositphotos has royalty free licensing options including extended licenses.  Extended licenses are individually priced for use.  Their extended license categories are: Multiseat, unlimited reproduction, items for resale, electronic items for resale.  Prices range from $20.oo USD to $60.00 USD and depend on the end use of the image.

Licenses can only be purchased with credits so there are not no discounts on bulk purchases but the prices are fair.

Add-ons and Special Features

Free subscription Trial- This free trial is for new subscribers only and will award 35 free images to each member.  It is a great incentive program to gain new members and does require a paypal or credit card sign up for your account.

SMS Purchases-Members can buy images buy texting Depositphotos as per their instructions.  Buyers using this method will receive great discounts and can buy up to 15 images per day through this method.  This is the only stock photo agency that provides this option for stock photo buyers on the go.

(UPDATE Dez. 2012) The SMS Purchasing Option is no longer available.

The Depositphotos Summary

Depositphotos is cheap. Cheap, cheap, cheap. They are trying to appeal to the mass market by selling images for little and gaining through bulk purchases and high membership enrollment rates.  As a stock photo agency they are good, provide comprehensive information and work with their buyers and contributors to enhance their site. As a new stock agency they are gaining recognition fast.

There is nothing flashy or difficult about this website.  It is all about pricing and buying options so that buyers will try them out.