iStock Review 2024: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Features

iStock is a leading stock photo agency and the pioneer of the microstock model that sells royalty free photos online at low prices with a minimum payment requirement. They’re famous for their catalog’s high curation level and extension, including a vast collection of exclusive images. Their parent company is the prestigious Getty Images. With the iStock free trial, you can download up to 10 free images. You can buy stock photos at iStock on demand using credits, paying between $8 and $33 per image, depending on collection and credit pack size. Our special iStock credit promo code gives you a 25% discount on credit packs from 18 credits and up. The lowest prices come with subscriptions: you can choose between plans with monthly or yearly duration for access to the whole library or to budget images only, and they let you get awesome high-quality photos for as little as $0,22 to $0,49 each. Our exclusive iStock promo code unlocks a 15% discount on all subscription plans and all credit packs. iStock is one agency definitely worth knowing and using if you like quality, variety, and affordability. Find the best iStock images right here; type in your keywords in the search bar below, and hit the search button to see results!

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iStockphoto.comiStock Logo (now iStock by Getty Images – read all about the name and ownership change here) is one of the top stock photography agencies and nothing less than the pioneer in the Microstock image industry and one of the top 5 in our Best Stock Photo Sites List.

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.

Besides its impeccable reputation, iStock has an impressively large selection of stock photos, videos, illustrations, vectors, and audio files that are highly curated with the highest quality standards, and they add value with a collection of exclusive content. With the amount of experience and the largest stock photo library of exclusive images, this stock agency is certainly worth considering if you are looking for royalty-free images that are both affordable and high quality.

New! iStock Free Trial! – Get 10 free image downloads from iStock's Essentials or Signature collection (depending on the region you live in) for one month, completely free! For more info, check our iStock free trial guide, and click below to unlock your free trial from iStock!
Unlock your iStock Free Trial with 10 image downloads from Essentials and/or (NEW) Signature collection for 30 days! Access to collections varies ...
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iStock Promo Code 2024

EXCLUSIVE! 25% OFF ON LARGE CREDIT PACKS

We bring you an exclusive Stock Photo Secrets + iStock promo code that gives you a 25% discount on any credit pack from 18 credits and up. This offer is exclusive for our readers and lets you save in flexible packs you can use to download images and videos at iStock!

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 % Discount on all iStock Credit Packs and iStock Subscriptions

Don't waste time, and buy your choice of stock videos and stock images at iStock: 15% discount on everything: subscriptions and image packs.
That's right: all new and existing customers can buy their choice of credit packs and subscription plans at iStock with a % discount! Buy an annual subscription and maximize your savings all year round! Buy an iStock credit pack and buy photos on demand – remember iStock Credits never expire, so you can invest now in credits at a cut price, and reap the savings in the long run! This is a limited-time offer, valid only until March 30, 2024. So make sure to use it now!
JUST IN: 10 FREE CREDITS AT ISTOCK - 2022.04.25We're excited to bring you this new and exclusive offer: 10 free credits with your new iStock monthly subscription! For a limited time, you can buy a new monthly subscription of your choice at iStock, and enjoy a bonus pack of 10 iStock credits, completely free of charge! Use our coupon code and unlock your 10 free credits from iStock right now!
Get an iStock monthly subscription and enjoy an extra 10 credits for FREE!

istock-review-facts

New! Generative AI by iStock

In 2024, iStock launched its own AI image generator, Generative AI by iStock, that uses a custom generative AI model by NVIDIA Picasso to convert written descriptions into images. This AI image generator distinct itself from the rest because it's trained with iStock and Getty Images content only, and it comes with standard legal protection against copyright claims, making it a lot safer to use for marketing and advertising! Discover Generative AI by iStock here. 

image 1 > iStock Review [wpsm_custom_meta type=date field=year]: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Features

iStockphoto Review – Facts

  • Millions of high-value, exclusive images you won’t find anywhere else – including photos, illustrations, vectors, audio, and video.
  • Millions of high-quality, affordable images for everyday design needs
  • Millions of high-resolution stock videos, both exclusive and non-exclusive/affordable
  • Exclusive imagery is always trendy and current, as iStock actively briefs its exclusive contributors with the most sought-after topics and styles
  • Very flexible Royalty license with broad coverage for commercial use.
  • Subscription plans with monthly and annual options – enabling rollover of unused downloads. 
  • Single image purchase on-demand, plus credit packs for saving in bulk purchases – credits never expire
  • Advanced image search: keywords and search by image, with advanced filter options like file type, contributor, collection, size, shape, complexity, details, additional filters, color, file number, and lightbox.
  • Accepts PayPal and all major credit cards: Visa, American Express, and MasterCard. They also accept US money orders or checks from US or Canadian banks.
  • Free weekly photos, illustrations, video clips, and audio clips.
  • Signature artist of the month – follows a different contributing artist each month and gives the story of their art and what it means to them.
  • Supports many languages including English, German, Korean, French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian and Spanish
  • Their FAQ is thorough for everyone, including buyers, sellers, individual purchasers, and corporate accounts.
  • iStockphoto.com was founded in April 2000, with the initial attempt at launching into stock photos around 1999.
  • iStock is owned by the biggest stock photography agency in the world, Getty Images.
  • iStockphoto has its corporate headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
istockphoto review search ball

iStockphoto Review search ball

Get % Discount on all iStock Credit Packs and iStock Subscriptions

Don't waste time, and buy your choice of stock videos and stock images at iStock: 15% discount on everything: subscriptions and image packs.
Impressed already? If you want to discover iStock's amazing library, sign up for free at iStock right here! And to save more in your photos, don't forget to redeem our exclusive iStock Promo Code! 

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.

A Highly Curated Library with Millions of Stock Photos for Every Buyer Need

iStock was the first “microstock” agency, inaugurating the business model where companies offered stock photos on an online searchable library, under a Royalty-Free license, and with a micropayment (a minimum payment) requirement. They were soon followed by several other companies, and today they have many competitors selling stock media online. But iStock found a way to remain distinctive: adding value to their offer via their unique image curation.

Today, this agency offers a massive catalog with millions and millions of photos, vectors, and illustrations (and other stock content types such as video, too), divided into two main collections: Essentials – Hosts a huge selection of high-quality images for everyday design needs, covering the most popular themes and topics, and at a very affordable price Signature – Includes a large volume of images with higher production value and artistic worth, that are exclusive to iStock, which also makes them more unique and less widely used. Signature images come at a higher price point but are still very reasonable Istock Photos > iStock Review [wpsm_custom_meta type=date field=year]: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Features Like this, iStock has an image for every buyer's need. If you want budget photos that can be used in professional designs, Essentials is for you. And if you want more artistic, first-class imagery and are willing to spend a little more to get them, you will find what you're looking for in the Signature collection. Learn more about iStock's collections here.  Note: Stock also offers a very rich stock footage library, also curated into Signature and Essentials segments, which you can buy per file, on-demand with credits, or with their new Premium subscription for both image and video downloads (more on this, below!)

Note: All iStock images are watermarked on the website, but here is a guide on the best ways to download iStock images without watermarks!

Flexible Buying Options and Affordable Prices

For a detailed look into plans and prices, read our iStock pricing breakdown
iStock Credits July 2017 > iStock Review [wpsm_custom_meta type=date field=year]: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Features Originally iStock only sold images via a minimum purchase requirement, and then in bulks. But later on, they added a very popular buying option: stock photo subscriptions. Right now they combine a credit system for on-demand buying and subscription plans that offer you the lowest prices. Their credit system is very simple. They price all their files in credits, and they sell you credit packs that you pay upfront, and later use to download the images you want. The bigger the credit pack, the less each credit cost and therefore the cheaper each photo will be. They have packs from 3 and up to 300 credits, making each credit cost $12 and as low as $8 each. One of the best things about iStock is they don't price their photos according to resolution or size, but rather according to a collection. Essential images are just 1 credit each ($8 – $12) Signature images are 3 credits each ($24 – $33) Want to buy iStock photos with credits? You can now get them at a cut price with our special iStock Promo Code with % Off in all Credit purchases!   Another great, more recently added feature is the quick checkout: if you only want to buy one image, you can simply hit the download button on that image page and you're taken directly to the payment page, skipping the step of buying the necessary credit pack. The price is the same, but you do it much quicker!

As for subscriptions, iStock offers a lot of variety for all kinds of budgets. All plans come with monthly download limits, but you can hire them monthly or annually. Plus, they have two alternatives: Basic subscriptions for Essentials downloads only, which are cheaper, or Premium plans that give you access to both Signature and Essentials images. Monthly plans have four different volume options, starting at just 10 and up to 750 images a month, with prices ranging between $40 and $199 for Basic plans, and from $99 to $399 for Premium. Annual plans give you an even better price: Basic falls between $29 and $166, and Premium is from $70 to $333. This means up to hundreds of photos every month, costing as little as $0.22 each! See iStock full Plans and Pricing here.  iStock image subscriptions 2021 > iStock Review [wpsm_custom_meta type=date field=year]: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Features     It's worth noting that iStock's Essentials collection is on par with many other stock photo agencies ‘ catalogs, and their subscription plans are much cheaper. While at most other image banks a 750 download plan costs around $250 per month, the iStock Basic plan is only $199!

NEW! iStock Premium + Video Subscription

iStock premiumvideo subscriptions > iStock Review [wpsm_custom_meta type=date field=year]: Pros, Cons, Pricing & FeaturesIn 2024, iStock has introduced a new offer: a subscription plan with sitewide access, meaning you can download both images and videos, from Essentials and Signature collections, all with the same subscription!   There are three different volume options for this plan, for 10, 25, and 50 downloads per month. Hired month to month, prices are $170, $270, and $410, respectively. If you go for an annual subscription you can save a bit more, as the cost lowers to $115, $192, and $308. These plans are exceptionally awesome if you tend to use stock footage in your work. Because you can get high-quality, exclusive video content for as little as $6.16 per clip! Keeping in mind an HD stock video usually goes for between $10 and $150, it's a real bargain.

Here you can learn more about the benefits of iStock's stock footage offer.

Exclusive iStock Promo Code

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 % Discount on all iStock Credit Packs and iStock Subscriptions

Don't waste time, and buy your choice of stock videos and stock images at iStock: 15% discount on everything: subscriptions and image packs.
Ready to get an iStock subscription? Then use our great iStock Promo Code with % Off in all Subscription Plans!

Perks in iStock Offer: Easy Search

iStock adds useful functionality to make their offer a very convenient one for buyers. Mainly, they take care of making all their photos easy to find.

For this, they have a fantastic built-in, keyword-driven search tool. Using their own controlled vocabulary, they deliver results very fast based on keywords you can enter in a dedicated search field on their site. This field is complete with an auto-suggest feature that throws popular searches matching what you're typing. You can further filter results using advanced functions. From sorting them according to various criteria (most relevant, popularity, most recent), to narrowing matches according to the collection, license type, people (or the absence of), composition, and even color.

But by far their best feature is the “search by image”, which lets you use any image of your choice as a search parameter, using image recognition technology to find similar content in their library. All you have to do is upload the photo you want to find similar for, and the system takes care of the rest. Keywords and advanced filters will apply to these results too, for extra precision.

iStock Advanced Search > iStock Review [wpsm_custom_meta type=date field=year]: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Features

Flexible Royalty-Free Licensing

All images in iStock are available under a Standard Royalty-Free license which grants perpetual use in multiple projects, without any geographic limitations, and for commercial, editorial, or personal purposes. It's very flexible and affordable: you pay once and you get to use the photo forever, always within the accepted terms. All images come with a Standard License by default, and prices expressed on their website correspond to this option. There are very few restrictions on an image used with this license. Mainly, the print run is limited to 500,000 copies, and you're not allowed to use the photo in products for resale, be they physical or digital. They have Extended Licenses available, at a higher price point of 18 credits (added to regular image price), which eliminates some of the main restrictions in Standard RF license, but each extended right is sold as a separate license, letting you add as many as you wish: unlimited print run, use in physical products for resale, multi-seat (allowing more than one person to work with the photos), use in digital templates for resale, and greater legal guarantee coverage.

To help you understand which license you need, they have this very useful guideline:

iStock Extended License > iStock Review [wpsm_custom_meta type=date field=year]: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Features

The Summary of Our iStock Review

iStock LogoiStock (former iStockphoto) is not only a pioneer company but also one of the leaders in the stock photo industry since the beginning, and there are good reasons for this.

For one, they have been around for 17 years now, and this history adds to their reputation for giving you the tranquillity of knowing you're dealing with experienced professionals and acquiring a serious and reliable service. Equally important, they offer many things that other image banks do not have. Their exclusive collection is the main one, followed by their high standards of curation. With iStock you are certain to get the best imagery in the industry, as they offer only high-quality, carefully reviewed content. And you can buy exclusive photos that are more unique and will increase the value of your designs. Plus, their prices are very affordable, their buying options are convenient, and their licensing terms are flexible.

iStock has a lot of positives for customers, which makes many buyers choose them when they want to get stock photos for their projects. They have a loyal base of clients and of contributor photographers. And after reading this, you may be one of them too!

Do you want to get iStock photos right now? Then sign up for free at iStock! And to buy images at the best, lowest price possible, don't miss our exclusive iStock Promo Codes for up to % on your purchase!

iStock FAQ

Here are the most frequently asked questions about iStock and its service, and we answered them all:

Is iStock Free?

No. While you can sign up for free at the iStock website, surf the libraries, and even download the free stock photos, illustrations, and videos they release on their homepage once a week, if you want to download your choice of images at iStock, you need to pay for them. You can opt between credit packs and an annual or monthly subscription, according to your budget and needs.

Does iStock Have a Free Trial?

Yes, it does. The iStock free trial –which gives you the first month of an annual plan for free, including 10 free stock image downloads– is available in many countries around the world; depending on the country, you may get access to an Essentials plan or a premium Signature + Essentials subscription, or be given the choice of which plan to try. There are some countries where the offer is not available, but the agency has updated and extended the global reach of the free trial several times already, so there is a chance they will continue and add more regions in the future.

Is iStock Safe?

Yes. iStock is a pioneer company in the web, with 20+ years of history and backed up by a very prestigious parent company, Getty Images. iStock is very safe and trustworthy.

Is iStock Royalty-Free?

Yes. iStock's license agreements are all royalty-free. Both the standard and the extended licenses are available. Once you pay and download an image from iStock, you are never required to pay another penny to use it.

Is iStock Free for Commercial Use?

No, while iStock's images are royalty-free and thus suitable for commercial use, you need to pay for the photos if you want to use them. Plus, the license agreement is very flexible but still comes with a few limitations regarding how you can use the content.

How to Download iStock Images Without Watermark?

The only way to download iStock images without a watermark is to use the download button on their image page(s) –which means, to do an official and authorized download. You have three options for this: 1. Download the weekly free files from their homepage (for free). 2. Use the 10 free image downloads from the iStock free trial (for free and only if you reside in a country where the offer is valid). 3. Download images using credits or a subscription (paid, yet very affordable).

Exclusive iStock Promo Code

Get % Discount on all iStock Credit Packs and iStock Subscriptions

Don't waste time, and buy your choice of stock videos and stock images at iStock: 15% discount on everything: subscriptions and image packs.
That's right: all new and existing customers can buy their choice of credit packs and subscriptions at iStock with a % discount! Buy an annual subscription for maximum saving power! Buy an iStock credit pack and buy photos on demand – remember iStock Credits never expire, so you can invest now in credits at a cut-price, and reap the savings in the long run! This is a limited-time offer, valid only until March 30, 2024. So make sure to use it now!

3 reviews for iStock Review 2024: Pros, Cons, Pricing & Features

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  1. Avatar of Mark

    Mark

    September 2014 istockphoto changed the credit system. Before the 5:1 conversion my creditsBalance was 17. After the 5:1 conversion i’ve got 4 credits.

    I’m only used 2 credit images in the old system, so for 17 credits i can download 8 pictures.

    In the new system i can only download 4 images for those 4 credits.

    Conclusion: istockphoto ripped me of for 50% !!!

    Helpful(1) Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
    • Avatar of Amos Struck

      Amos Struck

      Sorry to hear about that Mark. They certainly try to do it right for their customers. I would advice to contact them directly and ask for a refund or so. Best, Amos

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  2. Avatar of JohnSCS

    JohnSCS

    Buyer beware! While I have always loved the selection of quality Stock Photography, iStock has gotten SO much worse every year Getty Images has owned it. I was contacted by an iStock rep who “sold me” on going with the monthly membership plan. He explained that with the number of images we were downloading, we could save money by going with this plan and even be able download 3 times as many images each month as we already were. He asked me how many Users I would need, and I said “just one” since we really only had 1 main designer. All went well for several months until we get a call out of the blue stating that we were in violation of the legal terms of our agreement. It appears that if you sign up for only one user account, only one person, on one computer from one location can download any images. (They track your downloads by IP address.) If someone else within your company tries to help them out and download any images for them, it violates the terms and they have the right to sue you for well over $100 per image… for every image you have ever downloaded under the agreement… totaling well over $20,000.00. No warning… just here’s what you are liable for by violating the terms. (note…there IS a small paragraph deep within their terms and conditions documentation on their website that states one user means “one seat”) This was never explained to me by the rep. I wonder how many people they rope in this way?

    This isn’t the first issue we have had with iStock. My recommendation… do your research and find another stock imagery company. I know we will be!

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    • Avatar of Erik Porter

      Erik Porter

      Running into this same nightmare. Got talked up into this incredibly ludicrous plan. If you’re at an agency paying for a certain number of downloads, what does it matter who actually downloads it?

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  3. Avatar of Paul

    Paul

    I’m in Australia, and by Australian law pricing must not be misleading or deceptive, it must show all included taxes and charges.

    iStock advertised that a particular subscription would cost $230 AUD. I spent 3 weeks choosing images. When I went to buy the subscription they charged an additional $23 in tax, and then I also found on… my credit card over $5 in foreign exchange conversion fees. Unfortunately I needed to continue with the purchase as I had already committed time to finding the images I needed.

    I have written to iStock twice to get them to refund the additional money, I have also spoken to them several times and they are not interested.

    The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission agree that iStock is in breach of Australian law and I am currently taking up the matter with the Office of Fair Trading.

    I suggest you don’t deal with iStock as there are plenty of honest businesses out there you can work with.

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