Buy Stock Photos and Images online

Top 5 Best sites to Buy Stock Photos

What are the best sites to buy stock images online?

There are plenty of stock photo agencies where you can buy stock photos online without breaking the bank, but knowing the best and most affordable might require a little help. That’s why we’ve decided to put together the Top 5 Best Sites to Buy Stock Photos so that you know exactly where to get the best royalty free stock photos for the best price. If you want more, do check our big fat list of the 20 Best Stock Photo Sites or our Best Free Stock Photo Sites here.

There are plenty of different stock photo subscriptions and image credit packs available from different stock photo agencies to buy images with. But some photo stock agencies will cost you a little more than others, but there are a few that offer the best value possible with premium quality stock images. For example, Stockphotos.com has its own subscription plan called Club Easy that gives you lots of images for as low as $0.49 an image!

Top 5 best agencies to buy stock photos online

We’ve compiled a list of the top 5 best stock photo agencies to buy stock images in the trendiest and most sought-after themes, such as business stock images for example so that you knew exactly where to go to find the best images at the best price. While some may be more expensive than another, each of these top 5 agencies is the best place on the internet to search and discover premium stock images for your project, and they all include other valuable resources such as editable templates for social media graphics or for print materials, among others.

If your hope is to save time and money, you are in the right place. So without further ado, here are the top 5 agencies to buy stock images cheap.

BONUS! Club Easy by Stockphotos.com

stockphotos.com club easy > Buy Stock Photos and Images online

Where else can you get 200 XXL (XXL means you can print confidently at A3 size with 300dpi up to 6’ x 6‘ with 72dpi.) royalty-free stock photos, premium vectors, and fonts for just $99 (only $0.49 per image!). Stockphotos.com's Club Easy is perfect for small businesses or freelance graphic designers who need hundreds of images per year on a tight budget. You get to choose from over 8,000,000 stock images in their collection, with up to 100,000 new stock images being added every month. The Club gives you exclusive access to the growing collection of premium content and one of the lowest prices you will find anywhere.

Read the Stockphotos.com review to see if it is the perfect fit for you. If you are ready to sign up, buy a Club Easy stock photo subscription now.

Limited Offer: 200 XXL Image Downloads + 10 FREEExclusive Stockphotos.com Coupon Code

Subscribe to Stockphotos.com's Club membership today and enjoy a bonus of 10 free image downloads!

If you need more or less than 200 images per year, make sure to check Stockphotos.com's full pricing options: they include larger annual plans, on-demand image packs, and even single image purchases at super affordable rates!

Shutterstock

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shutterstock logo new small > Buy Stock Photos and Images online

Shutterstock offers both image credits and subscription options for stock photo buyers. Shutterstock image collection is one of the largest, with over 84 million royalty-free images, but it is on the higher end of pricing. Whether you are running a team or need hundreds and hundreds of stock images per month, their flexible subscription plans, and image credits will suit your needs.

Read our Shutterstock to get more aquatinted with what they offer here. Check out their membership and sign up for free, or check if we have a Shutterstock coupon code, click here. Our latest Shutterstock On Demand Discount gives you 25% off on 25-image packs, so don't miss it!

Try Shutterstock Free now!

Buy any image product (image packs or subscription) and get a 15% discount on Shutterstock with our Coupon Code.
Exclusive 15% discount on your choice of Shutterstock Video Subscriptions, Clips, and Video Packages    
Need stock videos? Shutterstock has over 18 million of them, and now they have the new stock video subscriptions that let you get them in HD and 4K quality for as little as under $9 per clip! Get a stock video subscription at a cut-price with our exclusive offer!

Get a 15% discount on your choice of Shutterstock Video Subscriptions, which start at $159 a month for 10 video downloads. Subscriptions let you get ...

Adobe Stock

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adobe stock logo 1 > Buy Stock Photos and Images online

Adobe Stock is one of the newest players in the stock photo agency game and is great for Creative Cloud users because of its integration with the software. You can buy images with monthly plans starting at 3 images for $9.99, and there are options for annual subscriptions too. While it might be more on the expensive end, the ease of use for Adobe Stock when you’re working in Photoshop or Illustrator is second to none, and the size of their image collection is massive after acquiring Fotolia and Dollar Photo Club this year. What is really helpful is that you can search for images right in the software, which also allows designers and editors to design and comp the images before buying a license. Read our Adobe Stock Review here.

Click here sign up for Adobe Stock, and to make sure you get 10 free images to use within the next month risk-free, get your free trial here.

Get 10 free images to use within the next month. Cancel risk-free within the first month

Get 10 Adobe Stock standard assets with your free trial. Cancel risk-free within the first month.
Get Free Trial!
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Photocase

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Photocase

Photocase is a well-established stock photo agency based in Berlin, with a strong focus on artistic stock photos. For over 15 years they specialize in artistic, chic, and very unique imagery. This is high-end stock photography that exceeds the norm for the typical stock photos. If you are looking for images that are different and visually impactful, then Photocase is the right agency for you!

Their library has a wide variety of photos covering popular themes and topics, always focusing on authentic aesthetics and representing a modern perspective. These premium stock images come at very reasonable prices, according to size. You can buy them with credit packs and save more when buying more, and you can also buy them individually.

Find out more about this distinct and reputable stock agency in our Photocase review. If you are ready to buy premium stock images, make sure to use our special Photocase Coupon Code to get 5 Free Credits + 10% Off!

Get 5 FREE Credits and 10% OFF on your first purchase with Photocase.

iStockphoto

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istockphoto logo new > Buy Stock Photos and Images online

iStockphoto (now iStock) by Getty Images is one of the oldest and largest stock photo agencies around (started in 2000). They sell images by credits and subscription plans and offer some of the highest-end stock images to choose from, especially if you decide that you occasionally need a really unique image. You can buy photos on demand for between $8 and $33 each, or get them with subscriptions starting at just $40 for 10 downloads monthly.

Their regular images are great and the inventory is in the millions. Read our iStock review for more info. iStock also offers free downloads every week, so read here to know where to find iStock photos for free.

iStock membership is free so sign up here now, and click here to see iStock plans and prices detailed.

Enjoy a 25% Discount on Large Credit Packs at iStock (EXCLUSIVE OFFER)

We have an exclusive iStock discount that gives you a 25% off on packs from 18 credits and up! This is an offer not to miss if you want to unlock the lowest prices ever in high-end images on demand!

Get an exclusive 25% discount on your purchase of large credit packs at iStock! This discount applies to packs from 18 credits and up, only.

Get a 15% Discount on all iStock Credit Packs and iStock Subscriptions 

Guess what? We also have a great exclusive deal for you: our iStock Promo Code that gives you a 15% off on all products! Buy anything you want at a cut price! This is a limited-time offer, valid only for a short period of time. So make sure to use it now.

Don't waste time, and buy your choice of stock videos and stock images at iStock: 15% discount on everything: subscriptions and image packs.

Free Photos Vs. Buying Stock Photography

As you probably already know, there are plenty of places you can get free photographs to download on Creative Commons (CC), and websites where you can get free photos. It sounds like an amazing thing, and for the most part, it sometimes can be, except… there is always a catch.

When using wiki commons (copyright-free photographs public domain) or other free photographs there are restrictions on how you can use the image, whether it’s attribution, adding links to the content creator, not being able to alter anything or something else you must do.

For example, some images have restrictions on you using them commercially beyond editorial usage. Let’s say you want to use just a single element from a free CC image. Can you do so? The answer is usually no because each content creator/photographer can tell you exactly how you can and cannot use their file, and more often than not, they will not let you alter anything.

Why Stock is Better For Creative Projects

There is a limit to how you can use CC or free stock images. You cannot alter them in any way, and you have to make sure that you are attributing the file exactly as specified.

So is using Creative Commons good for freelance graphic designers or small businesses that need to use images to support their design projects? No, because of the limitations. Using stock images you have purchased will give you the ability to retouch or edit photos to your liking, especially if you need only an element in a particular stock photo. Want to learn more about editing stock photos, read Can I retouch stock photo I have bought? here to find out what you can and cannot do.

What About Using a CC Image in T-Shirt Design To Sell?

CC image usage is very limited and very rarely are you even allowed to change or retouch any part of the image, not to mention all the attribution hurdles you have to climb. So if you want to use a stock photo in a design or creative project, buying a royalty-free stock photo is important to cover all your bases, especially when reselling is involved.

At all stock photo agencies, if you need to make a project to resell something, you can get an extended license for your images very easily by paying more (each extended license will vary in how you can use it). So when purchasing a stock image to use in a commercial project like a T-shirt design or a postcard, you purchase an extended license for more commercial licensing. At Stock Photo Secrets it will cost you less, especially with our 99club subscription plan, where you can buy an extended license for only $30 ($60 for non-subscription plan members).

So is the hassle worth it? It might be for some, but for small business owners that have stock image needs without much restriction, nothing equals royalty-free stock photos.

Buying Stock Photo Tips

Where does everyone get these great photos you might be asking? And how can I jump in and buy stock images online and not break the bank?

This is easy to answer as there are tons of websites where you can buy stock photos online and never have to leave your desk.

That’s right, you don't even have to leave your desk to find all the photos you’ll need for your designs, blogs, and websites. From the comfort of your office, you can find millions of stock images that need any photo coordination, no model or property releases, and that are instantly available with the press of the purchase button.

Why Buy Stock When I Can Get Them Free?

Stock is already licensed, cheap, and premium! There are photographers who only make stock photos for a living, who take photos and submit them to stock photo agencies for residual income.

With most stock images having royalty-free licenses, the stock agency can sell it as many times as they want, so the photography continues to get paid instead of the photographer only having to find a one time buyer. This is what makes stock images work! Stock photo buyers are provided with the right to use the photo, not an exclusive right mind you so that it can be licensed again and again.

Licensing is the key to stock. Creative Commons require users of free photos to link, request permission, credit the photographer and in some cases more. For stock agencies, you sign up to a site, pick your photo, pay, and download. There is no obligation to credit, searches are faster and you get your photos quicker.

The Stock Photo Agency Advantage

The benefits of buying the right stock image credit or subscription plan for your business needs are important because with the right knowledge you will save you time, and most importantly money. Creative Commons images and free stock photos have their limitations.

If you have a need for photos that you can retouch, manipulate, edit, then a CC or free stock photo might limit you too much. With stock photos, you don’t have the limitations. For the most part, each stock image comes with a standard license that lets you edit and retouch photos without much resistance. A stock photo image credit or subscription will save you time, money, and give you premium images to use for your creative projects.

Club Easy is one of the best values around today; you get 200 humongous images from a large image collection for cheap. You can buy stock photos for commercial use and buy stock images with PayPal to make it easier if you are an international photo buyer. Click here to read Which Top 5 Stock Photo Agencies accept Paypal.

We hope our buying stock photo tips have been helpful and lead you in the right direction that will best suit you. Check out our cheap photo buying options so you have more websites to choose from when you are ready to buy stock photos online.

You're not sure you don't want something more specific? Maybe custom stock photography is something for you.

Pictures © ashumskiy – Fotolia.com / © adam121 – Fotolia.com

Ivanna Attié
Ivanna Attié

I am Content Manager, Researcher, and Author in StockPhotoSecrets.com and Stock Photo Press and its many stock media-oriented publications. I am a passionate communicator with a love for visual imagery and an inexhaustible thirst for knowledge. Lucky enough to enter the wonderful world of stock photography working side-by-side with experienced experts, I am happy to share my research, insights, and advice about image licensing, stock photography offers, and the stock media industry with everyone in the creative community. My background is in Communication and Journalism, and I also love literature and performing arts.

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