Do you love Stocksy? If so, it means you are after photos that are artsy, unique, creative, unexpected, and exclusive. That is after all that you can find in Stocksy's stock photo library. But are you also looking for some options when it comes to finding this kind of imagery? You wonder where else can you buy stock photos that are more artistic, higher valued and unique? You've come to the right place, as we are bringing you the best Stocksy Alternatives to buy exclusive stock photos!
Stocksy is a niche stock photo agency, known for its somehow reduced collection of artistic and modern styled imagery, sourced from a selected pool of exclusive photographer contributors. Given the nature of their offer, their prices are higher than those of the bigger and more traditional stock photo agencies.
While Stocksy's offer and business model makes them distinct from the rest, you may be surprised to know there are in fact several other suppliers offering a comparable service, including some of the most popular image banks of our days. Ready to discover them?
Stocksy and Stocksy Alternatives in Stock Photos
Stocksy United is a stock photo agency that is a bit different than most of the others in the space. That difference is what makes most of their customers choose them, and likely it's why you like them too. To know what are the best alternatives to buy photos like Stocksy's, let's first clear out some questions about what Stocksy is and what they do. Shall we?
What is Stocksy – Stocksy United is a stock photo agency selling Royalty-Free images that are exclusive to their collection, coming from photographers who sell their work only through Stocksy.
Who owns Stocksy – None others than the folks who founded iStock over a decade ago (back then named iStockphoto).
What does Stocksy offer – A small, highly curated and very exclusive collection of images with an artsier and out of the ordinary aesthetic, and superb quality.
What are Stocksy prices – Images range from $15 to $125 each, depending on size. There are no subscription options nor volume discounts.
What is Stocksy business model – Stocksy works as a cooperative business, where every photographer contributing their images to the collection is also a shareholder in the company, receiving both a royalty for every time one of their own images sell, but also a percentage in total profits at the end of every year. And they have a certain incidence in decision making when it comes to the directions and actions the company shall take.
This is what makes Stocksy so different, unique and exclusive. For more info, read our Stocksy review.
The Top Stocksy Alternatives to Buy Artistic Stock Photos
So, are there any other agencies where to get photos like the ones Stocksy have? In fact, there are. And some are a bit more flexible and offer some additional perks. Here you have them:
Photocase
This is a stock photo agency based in Germany, which is very similar to Stocksy in its image style and principles and is in fact much older than the latter. Photocase was founded as an image sharing platform back in 2001 and became a stock photo agency not long after that. With so many years in business, they are certainly a reliable alternative.
Photocase has always specialized in artistic, non-standard imagery. Basically, photos that don't look like your typical “stock photo”. Plus, they do a very tight selection of content and keep their library intentionally small. They curate photos into themed collections that you can browse on their homepage, and they have a search tool as well. Here are more details:
- Image prices range from €14 to €42 per photo, depending on image size
- No subscription options
- Credit packs for bulk purchase discounts between 20% and 45%. Credits never expire
- Advanced search to find images based on keywords, photographer names, file ID, etc.
Find more details about this agency in our dedicated Photocase Review.
And you know what's best? At StockPhotoSecrets we have an exclusive Photocase Coupon Code that gives you 10% Off + 5 Free Credits! How's that for a Stocksy Alternative?!
iStock Signature
If you know Stocksy, then you likely must have heard of iStock. Beside being the first photo agency Stocksy's founders created 16 years ago, iStock is one of the most popular stock photo companies of our times, and have been leading the industry since years.
But did you know they have images that are par to Stocksy's? They do. Although they have a much, much larger library and cater more to the masses, iStock puts a lot of value in their image curation, and they have a highly valued Signature collection with millions of unique, more artistic and professionally shot photos that are exclusive to their agency. Here's more on this offer:
- Images are priced individually, in credits: 3 credits per image
- You can buy on-demand credit packs that take image price from $33 and down to $24 each. iStock credits never expire
- Subscriptions are available, with plans from 10 and up to 750 images per month, taking image price down to as little as $0.42 per download (certainly a huge price gap with Stocksy!)
- Subscription plans covering Signature collection give access to the whole non-exclusive library as well
To learn more about iStock, read our full iStock review. And you can find more info on their collections here as well.
Ready to explore iStock Signature? Sign up for free at iStock here! And if you really want to save in your exclusive photos, don't miss our exclusive iStock Promo Code with up to 15% Off on your purchase!
Get 15% Discount in all iStock Credit Packs and iStock Subscriptions
Stocksy Collection in Adobe Stock
Yes, you read it right. This alternative to Stocksy is actually… Stocksy. No, we haven't lost our mind. You'll see, Stocsky partners with Adobe Stock, an awesome stock photo service offered by Adobe that integrates a huge library of stock imagery right into Creative Cloud platform and all its applications.
Via this partnership, a selection of Stocksy photos is made available within Adobe Stock Premium collection, a gallery of high quality, artistic and prestigious imagery that has a higher price point than the rest of the catalog and is only available on demand. What's the difference between this and just buying from Stocksy directly? Well, a huge one: Stocksy Collection in Adobe Stock is available right into your favorite design apps. While the purchase method and the pricing may not be so different, Adobe Stock adds other huge benefits:
- Image prices between $199,99 and $249,99 according to size
- No subscription options, but all images come with Extended License by default, granting extra usage rights
- Collection fully integrated into Creative Cloud applications, allowing you to search, test edit, license and apply images in your designs without ever leaving your favorite design tool
- Adobe Stock includes many other high profile suppliers in their Premium collection, plus a regular library with over 60 million high-resolution images
For more info on this service, check out our Adobe Stock review. And here you can learn more on Adobe Stock Premium collection too.
To get Stocksy photos with this alternative, sign up for Adobe Stock right here! And if you want to test the service first, don't miss the Adobe Stock Free Trial for 10 free images! (Note: The free trial only includes downloads from the regular collection)
Buy Compelling, High-End Photos with Stocksy Alternatives
If you are in love with the Stocksy style, their peculiar business model and their dedicated aesthetics, you're certainly right to stay with them.
But if you are looking for options to get the same kind of content, cheaper or with greater options and benefits, our list of Stocksy Alternatives is exactly what you need. At any of these stock photo agencies, you will find the photos you love so much, and extra flexibility in content, pricing or functionality.
Enjoy your artistic stock photos!
