Top Shutterstock Alternatives for Royalty-Free Images and Videos
Shutterstock is a widely recognized platform for its vast library of high-resolution royalty-free images, stock photos, stock videos, vector art, and stock photography. While it’s a powerful tool for creatives and businesses, the need for a Shutterstock alternative often arises due to varying pricing models, specific content needs, or a desire for different licensing options. This article explores some of the best alternatives to Shutterstock, helping you find the perfect resource for your visual content.
Top Shutterstock Alternatives
Whether you're a professional designer, a blogger, or a small business owner, finding the right stock photo and video platform can significantly impact your workflow and budget. Dive into these top contenders that offer compelling alternatives to Shutterstock, each with unique strengths.
500px
500px is an excellent Shutterstock alternative for photographers and creatives looking to showcase stunning professional photo portfolios. Co-founded by Oleg Gutsol, it's a social network for photographers, allowing users to connect, express themselves, and find likeminded individuals. It operates on a Freemium model, with paid tiers for advanced features, and is available across Windows, Web, Android, iPhone, Windows S, Android Tablet, iPad, and as Software as a Service (SaaS). Key features include IFTTT integration and robust social networking capabilities.
Pixabay
Pixabay stands out as a fantastic free Shutterstock alternative, offering over 1.6 million royalty-free stock photos and videos shared by its generous community. It's a completely Free platform accessible via Web, Android, iPhone, Android Tablet, and iPad. Its primary feature is extensive Image Sharing, making it ideal for those on a tight budget seeking high-quality visuals without licensing concerns.
CC Search
CC Search is a valuable Free and Open Source Shutterstock alternative that allows users to search content free of rights or in the public domain from selected websites, including Google and YouTube. Available as a Web application and Chrome, Opera, and Firefox extensions, it features a Built-in search engine, Search by license, and general Search engine functionalities, simplifying the process of finding legally usable media.
Pexels
Pexels is another excellent Free Shutterstock alternative, renowned for its completely free-to-use pictures for any legal purpose, including personal and commercial use. Users can modify, copy, and distribute photos without restrictions. It's accessible via the Web, making it a straightforward option for those needing high-quality, flexible images.
VideoBlocks
For those primarily seeking video content, VideoBlocks (now part of Storyblocks) is a strong Commercial Shutterstock alternative. It provides filmmakers with members-only access to two footage libraries designed to save time and money on projects. The Unlimited Library offers a vast array of stock video, available via the Web.
motosha
Motosha - Free Stock Photos is a great Free Shutterstock alternative, serving as a valuable resource for bloggers, webmasters, and designers seeking high-quality free photos. It boasts High Availability, provides High-resolution images, and includes an Integrated Search feature. Motosha is widely accessible across Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Windows Mobile, iPhone, Chrome OS, iPad, and PlayBook.
Twenty20
Twenty20 offers a Commercial Shutterstock alternative with over 45 million authentic, real-world stock photos crowdsourced from photographers worldwide. It's available on Mac, Windows, Web, and iPad, providing a unique collection of diverse and natural-looking imagery.
Negative Space
Negative Space is a fantastic Free Shutterstock alternative, providing high-resolution free stock photos along with their RAW files. All photos are released under CC0, meaning there are no copyright restrictions, offering ultimate flexibility. It's available via the Web for easy access.
Zoommy
Zoommy is a Commercial Shutterstock alternative that helps users find awesome free stock photos for creative products or inspiration. It's a desktop application available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, streamlining the process of discovering and downloading free imagery.
Visual Hunt
Visual Hunt is a Free Shutterstock alternative dedicated to hunting high-quality free stock photos. It features a robust Photo selection capability and is accessible via the Web, making it easy to discover the perfect visual for your project.
With a plethora of excellent Shutterstock alternatives available, you're not limited in finding the perfect stock imagery or video for your projects. From free resources like Pixabay and Pexels to commercial platforms with unique collections, explore these options to find the best fit for your specific needs, budget, and creative workflow.