A Selection Of Top 10 Best Stock Image Providers

If you’re looking for the best provider of royalty-free images, the options are plenty. Understandably, you’d like to be sure that the deal you make supplies you with awesome images to use in your work for the best price. I’ve drawn out a list of the most commendable stock image agencies of the moment, in the hope that it may prove useful to you.

Fotolia

4 million customers buy images from the world-leading agency Fotolia. Since inception in 2004, Fotolia has reached an impressive quota, namely 24 million stock files. Pleasant surprises await visitors, because the agency sometimes releases free image downloads, or free comps for planning projects to use in your designs. Moreover, October is a great month, because it heralds the launch of Fotolia Instant, an awesome mobile application that allows contributors to capture inspiring moments on their Smartphones and then upload the high-resolution photographs in an Instant Collection, where they are made available for the price of 3 credits each.

Users can buy from Fotolia via the credit system, or by applying for a subscription. The On-Demand credit packages are very flexible and convenient, one credit translating into $0.74. Buying with Fotolia credits makes it possible to acquire Extended Royalty-Free Licenses for the images you’re after, and this form of payment also enables the premium images from the Infinite Collection. And if you have to work with a small budget, the Low Cost Collection offers 12 million images for 1-6 credits.

Subscriptions can be started for an Individual or a Multiple Membership. A Daily subscription attaches the cost of $0.19 to each file, and sets a limit somewhere between 25 and 250 downloads per day. Monthly subscriptions set the download limit for one month at somewhere between 5 and 5000, and any unused downloads Rollover to the next month. Finally, if you click on the link in subheading ‘Fotolia’, it will send you directly to the BOGO offer, which gift-wraps the second month of any monthly subscription of 5 images and $25.

iStock

iStock is a delightful stock image agency. The seasoned collector has been launched 13 years ago, which makes them legendary. iStock is, after all, the original merchant of royalty-free stock images. Ever since 2000, around 6 million exclusive photos, vector illustrations, audio, video and Flash media files have been amassed for the use of all creative professionals. While you browse through the gorgeous images that iStock has to offer, be sure to visit the selection of recommended Editor’s Picks, and also to check the Lightbox section, because it gives away free images on a weekly basis. Apart from that, I really need to highlight iStock’s search box, as the search options are very detailed, with many sets of filters.

At the present time, iStock has a tempting offer which professes that a part of the exclusive files are available at half of the initial price. Therefore, if you sign with iStock in this period, you can buy some images from their exclusive vaults with a baffling 50% discount. Finally, here’s what it is known about iStock in terms of pricing. Users can either choose a credit system, or sign up for a subscription plan. So far as credits are concerned, as much as 15 to 30.000 can be prepaid in a single shot, and with attached discounts of up to 25%. What is more, if you would insert the code ISTOCK14 at checkout, a discount of 14% for all credit-based transactions sets into action. Click on the link from subheading ‘iStock’ for a direct path to claim the offer.

123RF

123RF is a top-notch stock image merchant. Its customers can choose stock images from a collection which totals the lofty sum of over 22 million audio, video, photo and vector stock files. With the passing of each new day, 123RF evaluates and adds around 35.000 new images, so odds are that any image you could possibly be looking for can be found right here. Some of the new uploads pass through the channel 123RF On-The-Go, which is the agency’s mobile application for contributors who wish to submit authentic in-the-moment photographs. 123RF is one of the only two agencies in this top 10 who put this concept into practice, and needless to say, only top-notch quality images are accepted on site.

I really need to steer your attention towards 123RF’s freebies. A really good reason to register for 123RF is the fact that users are allowed to download any file from a section composed of 30.000 free stock images. This is a pretty hefty collection of graphics, digital arts, and audio files, and it’s placed entirely at clients’ service. Apart from this great feature, I also need to point out the fact that 123RF has a 100% money-back guarantee, insomuch as when a client is not happy with what she/he’s just purchased, the acquisition can always be returned, given that the call is made during the first 72 hours after placing the order.

Practically, 123RF has three payment options. If you want to buy from 123RF, you need to choose from a Basic, Premium, or On Demand plan. The Basic and Premium subscriptions make available more downloads per day and allow for bigger discounts as longer subscription periods are undertaken, and the On Demand credits don’t involve daily download limits.

Dreamstime

Dreamstime started out 13 years ago, and has so far compiled an impressive collection of 18 million stock images, and thousands of new files are added everyday. The good news is that Dreamstime now offers a discount of 60% for all orders for 24 hours, if you register during these first 24 hours from the first visit on the website. Aside from that, Dreamstime graces its designer customers with the opportunity to download thousands of images free of charge, after they’ve signed up. As regards pricings, buying photos and vector illustrations from Dreamstime can be done with credits (minimum 11 can be prepaid at once, and there is no upper limit of course), or through a monthly subscription (where the smallest plan enables 750 downloads for 30 days).

Stockphotos

Stockphotos.com has been in business since 1995. It’is a great site to purchase high quality photos at very affordable prices. Their team of professionals ensure each and every image is verified and licensed. So if you are looking for high quality legally safe photos, it’s a good place to check out.
You can search from over six million images, fonts and vector illustrations. They also have some good high quality articles resources where you can learn more about stock images and their licenses.

Thinkstock

My mind can fathom loads of good reasons to supply your huger for top-grade images from Thinkstock. A brand of Getty Images, Thinkstock partnered up with over 40 established stock photo agencies, including the likes of iStock and Jupiterimages, to form a colossal source of vectors, illustrations, and photos. To begin with, it’s really awesome that whichever file you’re set to buy, its price is independent of the download size, and the image will cost just the same. Right now, Thinkstock offers a discount of 20% off a Pro annual subscription by using the code R4HPC46N, and another cut of 60% from the total price of a monthly subscription with code GTDPC46N.

Depositphotos

Out of Depositphotos’ 17 million stock vector images, photos and videos, the 2 million vector illustrations make for a gorgeous sight. In this section, one free giveaway is assigned each week. There is every reason to adore Depositphotos around this time of year, and around any other traditionally festive period. I’m referring, of course, to the Sales Lightboxes, which encase a large set of discounted images which are connected to the season that we’re passing through. For example, the present Harvest Time collection supplies 134 royalty-free photos and many vectors at a 20% lower price. In order to buy from Depositphotos, users can either Pay-As-They-Go by credit, or enroll in a customized monthly/daily subscription for $0.15 per image.

Pikwizard

Pikwizard is another excellent resource. The main selling point is you can take each image and edit on graphic design software, Design Wizard. And the images of people are also great! As it stands, there are over 100,000 high-quality images and videos on the website. And these are updated weekly! There is also no attribution required, which means you can use each image and not worry about copyright. A selection of Adobe sponsored images are featured as a way of generating revenue. However Pikwizard is a mostly free stock photo website.

Stockfresh

It was love at first sight: Stockfresh greets its users with the most attractive user interface. In addition, Stockfresh is the fittest tool for when you need to find a certain image on short notice to use in your projects. The agency’s search filters are sharp and to the point, so you never ever waste time rummaging through an ocean of irrelevant stock files in order to make out the closest thing to what you had in mind. As regards Stockfresh content, 300.000 out of the total 2.7 million stock files are absolutely delightful vectors. If you’re considering getting in league with Stockfresh, then there are two routes to go by: prepaid credit packages with $4.99/credit, or a monthly subscription beginning from $99.

Bigstock

I am ending my list of top 10 fabulous microstock agencies with a boom. Bigstock altogether harbors 15 million illustrations, vectors and photos, and anyone can see that those images are beautiful beyond words by first-hand experience: take up Bigstock’s 7-day Free Trial. This awesome trial week enables you to download any 5 images in each day (regardless of size), so you get 35 downloads in just the first week. Re-downloads also don’t require any sort of payment, and rest assured that the free treats spree can be cancelled at any time, and entirely bereft of unforeseen complications. In order to take an image from Bigstock, one must go the classic path of credits or subscription: whilst a credit bundle could save you up to 27%, a yearly subscription with 5 downloads/day is $0.35 for a file.