Shutterstock
Royalty-free stock photos, video and music with subscriptions and image packs
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Pricing
From $25/mo
Platforms
What is Shutterstock?
Shutterstock is a stock content marketplace that licenses royalty-free images, vectors, video clips and music for creative and commercial projects. Buyers search the library, then download assets under a standard license that covers creative and digital use.
Access comes through monthly or annual subscriptions with a set number of image downloads, unlimited-download plans for a qualifying library, or no-commitment image packs for one-off projects. Separate pricing covers music licensing and an AI image generator with generation credits.
It suits marketers, designers, publishers and agencies who need licensed visuals regularly, as well as small teams that only need a few images for a single campaign.
Key features
- Royalty-free stock photos, vectors and illustrations
- Stock video clips
- Royalty-free music licensing
- AI image generator with monthly credits
- Unlimited download subscriptions
- No-commitment image packs
- Standard license for creative and digital use
Use cases
Who it's for
Ongoing marketing content
Teams producing regular blog, social and ad content can use a monthly download subscription for licensed visuals.
One-off projects
Image packs of 2 to 25 downloads cover a single campaign without a subscription.
Video and music for productions
Editors can license stock footage and music tracks for videos.
Custom AI visuals
When no stock image fits, the AI image generator creates new images using credits.
Shutterstock pricing
From the vendor's site, checked Nov 13, 2026. Prices change — confirm on their pricing page.
| Plan | Image downloads subscription | Unlimited Images | Unlimited Plus | Image packs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid monthly | yearly only$300 billed yearly | yearly only$348 billed yearly | yearly only$828 billed yearly | From $29 one-time |
| Paid yearly | $25/mo | $29/mo | $69/mo | — |
| Downloads | 10–750 a month | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2–25 downloads |
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Get an email when Shutterstock changes its prices
One mail per change, a stop link in each. Nothing else.
How Shutterstock compares
- At $25/mo, Shutterstock starts cheaper than 1 of 3 similar tools with published prices (median $20.75).
- Shutterstock has no free plan, and neither do the 4 alternatives below.
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | Free trial | API | Open source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SShutterstock | $25/mo | — | — | — | — | |
A Adobe Stock | $29.99/mo | — | — | — | Shutterstock vs Adobe Stock | |
G Getty Images | — | — | — | — | — | Shutterstock vs Getty Images |
E Envato | $16.5/mo | — | — | — | — | Shutterstock vs Envato |
F Freepik | $14.5/mo | — | — | — | Shutterstock vs Freepik |
The closest alternatives in our directory by category. “Starts at” is the cheapest paid plan per month, as each vendor lists it.
Who's behind Shutterstock
- Company
- Shutterstock
- Based in
- New York City, United States
- Founded
- 2003
- Founders
- Jon Oringer
From Shutterstock's own about, terms and privacy pages and Wikidata, checked Nov 13, 2026.
Pros and cons
Strengths
- Image packs available with no commitment
- Unlimited plans cover a library of 100+ million assets
- Annual billing lowers the monthly price
- Covers images, video, music and AI generation
Limitations
- Unlimited Images plan applies only to a qualifying part of the library
- Base subscription is limited to one seat
- Lowest unlimited prices require annual billing
Shutterstock FAQ
How much does Shutterstock cost?
Image download subscriptions start at $25/month ($300 billed yearly). Unlimited Images is $29/month billed yearly, and Unlimited Plus is $69/month billed yearly.
Can I buy images without a subscription?
Yes. Image packs of 2 to 25 downloads start at $29 with no commitment.
What license comes with downloads?
Subscriptions include a standard license for creative and digital use.
Does Shutterstock offer AI image generation?
Yes. Unlimited Images includes 50 AI generation credits per month, and there is separate AI image generator pricing.
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Shutterstock
From $25/mo
