What is a stock photo subscription?

Stock Photo Subscriptions vs. Credits

There are only two purchasing options for buying stock images – a stock photo subscription and image credits (packs). Some agencies only offer one or the other, but some give you the option to buy either image packs or a subscription for downloading a nominal amount.

So why would someone want to buy a photo subscription, you might ask? To save money per image, and to buy more images for a better price. Read more about Stock Photo Subscription vs. Credit Based Stock Agencies here. So, What are credits? Read more here.

The best stock subscription is the one that allows you to download the most for less, and the image credit pack that saves you money is also the best route to buy. Subscriptions can be purchased by the day, week, month, or most commonly annually, and are defined by the number of photos a customer can buy. Some photo subscription sites further define their subscriptions by photo size or resolution. Subscriptions are best for designers or companies that buy multiple images per day or week while image packs are more suited for buyers who only have a small demand for royalty free stock photos.

A subscription example would be Stockphotos.com's annual Club Easy subscription, which gives you 200 XXL images for $99 (only $0.49 an image), or their Club Plus subscription, which gives you 500 XXL image for $199 (only $0.39 an image).

99club by sps > What is a stock photo subscription?
SPS Low Volume Landing Page > What is a stock photo subscription?

FEATURES:

FEATURES:

All stock photos, vectors and fonts from our 6.000.000 images included
All stock photos, vectors and fonts from our 6.000.000 images included
High-Res Photos, Vectors & Fonts
High-Res Photos, Vectors & Fonts
Royalty Free License
Royalty Free License
Use the images FOREVER
Use the images FOREVER
Auto-renew: secure the low price deal for as long as the offer exists
Auto-renew: secure the low price deal for as long as the offer exists
NO additional fees!
NO additional fees!

No Monthly Download Limits

Monthly Download get Removed

200 XXL Images Downloads

600 XXL Images Downloads

($0.49 per image)

($0.33 per image)

LEARN MORE
LEARN MORE

Basically, if you’re a small-business owner or designer that needs hundreds of images per year for your business, then photo subscriptions make the most sense. Find out The Top 7 cheapest stock photo subscriptions here.

Reasons Why You Might Need a Stock Subscription

  • If you need hundreds of images per yer
  • Need stock images to finish up a client's work
  • You're a web designer that needs images on an ongoing basis
  • Need tons of images for social media

Subscription vs. Credits Comparison

So maybe you need plenty of stock images but you’re unsure whether or not a stock subscription or credits will be the best decision for your budget. At a small business, budgeting correctly is one of the most important factors when making a business decision like buying stock photography. One major thing you must know is that often an image credit limits the size of the photo you can download. For instance, an image from Fotolia (read our Fotolia Review here) has a different credit cost with an x-small image costing on average 1 credits, and image prices can vary depending on the photographer. Some professional photographers cost more per image than amateurs on Fotolia.

But for most stock photo subscriptions like Stockphotos.com's Club Easy and Club Plus plans, you can download any image in any size in the XXL size, which lets you confidently print at A3 size at 300dpi or 6’ x 6‘ at 72dpi.

Club Easy

stockphotos.com club easy > What is a stock photo subscription?

Stockphotos.com's Club Easy is a low-cost subscription that gives you access to 200 XXL image downloads per year for $99. It comes with lots of perks, too:

  • 200 XXL downloads each year (Only $0.49 per image!)
  • Royalty Free License
  • Use the images FOREVER
  • Subscription only $99 with NO additional fees!
  • BONUS 100 images in your first year (total 300 images)
  • BONUS 10 video downloads + 10 image upscales
  • Auto-renew – secure the low price for as long as the offer exists
  • NEW! Stockphotos.com coupon with 10 extra downloads for free

Club Plus

stockphotos.com subscription prices > What is a stock photo subscription?

The Club Plus subscription is one of the most affordable stock subscriptions for small- to mid-sized businesses with needs for hundreds of stock image download per year, which is 500 XXL images for $199.

  • Only $0.39 per image! with NO additional fees!
  • 500 XXL downloads each year
  • Royalty Free License
  • Use your images FOREVER
  • Subscription is only $199 with NO additional fees!
  • BONUS 250 downloads on first year (total 750 downloads)
  • BONUS 20 video downloads + 10 image upscales + 2 vehicle templates
  • Auto-renew – secure the low price deal for as long as the offer exists
  • NEW! Stockphotos.com coupon for 10 extra downloads for free

4 Thing to Consider When Choosing a Subscription

While we have helped you better understand the different between image credits and photo subscriptions in plain English, there are also some things you must consider finding the right photo subscription for your small business.

Here are the 4 considerations you must take into account before choosing a subscription:

1. Is the price right?

Some subscriptions will cost you quite a bit in the end. The best way to figure out how much you will save is to figure out the amount each image will cost in your plan. For example, the Club Easy subscription will cost you $0.49 per image, and the Club Plus subscription will cost you $0.39 per image.

The higher the number of images you get with your subscription, the lower the cost of the image.

Did you know? You can test a stock photo agency's service for free, before hiring a subscription, by unlocking any of these amazing stock photo free trials!

2. Payment Processing

How stock agencies process their payments for their subscriptions should be another concern when choosing the right subscription plan. Most companies offer up credit card payments from Visa, Mastercard, and other traditional credit companies. But if you’re international in a country where these credit cards aren’t necessarily common, PayPal will be what you’re looking for. Wonder Which Top 5 Stock Photo Agencies accept Paypal?, well click here to find out.

Many companies today, and even Stockphotos.com, prefer PayPal for payment of their plans.

3. Make sure their collection is growing constantly

A good stock photo agency updates their image collection every month with thousands of new stock images for their clients. At Stockphotos.com, they add up to 100,000 new stock images to their collection every month and make them immediately available to download for subscription holders so they can use them right away. With new stock images, you get the latest and greatest from their contributors.

4. They offer more affordable extended licensing options

A standard image license is quite common for all stock photo agencies, and most, if not all, offer extended license options that are specifically for small businesses who need to use their images commercially. For example, an extended license would be needed for someone selling t-shirts with a stock photo on it. They could only do so with an extended license.

With all Stockphotos.com subscription plans, you can add an extended license to each image starting at $35 per image.

What is a multi-seat license?

Multi-seat licenses are purchased separately and enable multiple users on one subscription. When you purchase a subscription the subscription can be used by one person in a company. Multi-seat licenses extend the subscription to additional users.

Stockphotos.com Stock Image Subscription Plans

Here we put together the most pertinent information you’ll need to get started with Stockphotos.com's plans.

Here’s what’s included with the Club Easy subscription:

stockphotos.com club easy > What is a stock photo subscription?
  • Access to over 8,000,000 premium stock images
  • Includes High Res Photos, Vectors & Fonts (no Videos)
  • 200 XXL downloads each year
  • Royalty Free License
  • Use your images FOREVER
  • Subscription is only $99 with NO additional fees!
  • BONUS 100 downloads on first year
  • BONUS video downloads + image upscales
  • Auto-renew: secure the low price deal for as long as the offer exists
  • NEW: 10 free extra downloads with our Stockphotos.com coupon

Here’s what’s included with the Club Plus subscription

stockphotos.com subscription prices > What is a stock photo subscription?
  • Access to over 8,000,000 premium stock images
  • Includes High Res Photos, Vectors & Fonts (no Videos)
  • 500 XXL downloads each year
  • Royalty Free License
  • Use your images FOREVER
  • Subscription is only $199 with NO additional fees!
  • BONUS 250 downloads on first year
  • BONUS video downloads + image upscales + vehicle templates
  • Auto-renew: secure the low price deal for as long as the offer exists
  • NEW: 10 free extra downloads with our Stockphotos.com coupon

All subscriptions are not all created equal

The best photo subscription is the one that saves you money, gives you access to premium stock images, and has the best support for their customers. While an image credit pack may be great for some businesses who barely need any stock images, a stock photography subscription is the best option for small businesses who have a real need for hundreds of stock images per year.

At Stockphotos.com, they know that stock image needs differ for different businesses, and this is exactly why they offer the Club Easy and Club Plus subscription plans to customers. They know that 200 images per year might fit small businesses and graphic designers better and that 500 images will fit small- to mid-sized businesses that need hundreds of more images per year.

The point is, a stock photo subscription is the best option for small businesses as compared to image credits, not only because they save you money, but they give you more stock images for less. By understanding the costs and limitations associated with image credits vs. subscriptions, you can use the information we’ve given above to make the best choice for you and your business needs.

Click here to join Club Easy now, or Sign up today for the Club Plus subscription and get 500 XXL images for $199, without any restrictions!

Amos Struck
Amos Struck

Amos Struck, a renowned expert with over two decades in the stock photography industry, is known for his profound expertise in both stock imagery and artificial intelligence (AI). He is the founder of StockPhotoSecrets.com and a driving force behind the innovative AI-driven platform, Stockphotos.com. His pioneering work in visual AI is marked by co-founding Ximilar AI. Amos also established the Microstock Expo Conference, a key event in the stock photography sector. As a regular speaker at major industry conferences like DMLA and a prominent member of CEPIC, he consistently contributes to the industry's growth and evolution through a blend of technological innovation and market insight.

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