The Best Stock Photo Websites in 2026
We researched stock photo websites from official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. Rankings reflect each service’s core job, value for money and verified features across licensing, asset coverage and download limits.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
Shutterstock#1 of 809.3/10A broad stock-media library with API access, AI tools, and team controls.
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Runner-up
Adobe Stock#2 of 809.2/10A broad stock library with strong Creative Cloud and API workflows.
7-day trial
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Top-ranked free plan
Pixabay#3 of 809.1/10A broad free media library with vector assets, mobile apps and an image-and-video API.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 80 tools, best first · page 1 of 2
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Best forTeams needing broad stock media and API access
A broad stock-media library with API access, AI tools, and team controls.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Shutterstock -
Best forCreative Cloud users needing stock assets
A broad stock library with strong Creative Cloud and API workflows.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Adobe Stock -
Best forFree stock media with vectors and an API
A broad free media library with vector assets, mobile apps and an image-and-video API.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
9.1/10★★★★★Visit Pixabay -
Best forFree photos and video with strong integrations
A free stock media library with useful integrations, mobile apps, and API access.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Pexels -
Best forFree photo browsing with a capable developer API
A broad free visual library with collections, mobile tools, Figma support, and a capable API.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
Free plan · 90-day trial Our Unsplash verdict → Visit UnsplashFor vendors Sponsor this spot · #5 · $59/mo →8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Unsplash -
Best forBroad stock content with a free starting point
A broad stock library with a free starting point and API access.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Depositphotos -
Best forFree users needing broad stock and office integrations
A broad stock media library with free collections, integrations, APIs and AI-assisted tools.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Dreamstime -
Best forCreators who want structured stock subscriptions
A stock library with tiered downloads, image tools and an API for creative workflows.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit iStock -
Best forLow-cost unlimited downloads across asset types
A low-cost stock library with unlimited Pro downloads across several asset types.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Vecteezy -
Best forBroad stock media plus built-in AI tools
A broad stock media library with AI creation and editing tools for creative teams.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit 123RF -
Best forShopify users needing free commercial photos
A free stock photo library with useful Shopify access and a narrower scope.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Burst -
Best forFree stock photos with API access
A free stock media community with broad asset types, licensing options and API search.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Stockvault -
Best forEditorial-heavy teams needing API licensing
A broad stock library with editorial depth and API access, priced from $139 per month.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Alamy -
Best forBuyers needing Asian-market stock breadth
A broad stock marketplace with Asian-market depth, AI search, subscriptions and API access.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit PIXTA -
Best forVector specialists needing low-cost licensing
A focused vector library with free downloads, flexible licensing, and unlimited plans.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit VectorStock -
Best forCurated visual teams needing similarity search
A curated stock media library with similarity search, team licensing, and API access.
- API access
- Illustration assets
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Stocksy -
Best forBuyers wanting predictable monthly image allowances
A paid stock library with predictable image allowances and API access.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Bigstock -
Best forNewsrooms needing live editorial media
A rights-managed media library for news and production teams that need live editorial content.
- API access
7.5/10★★★★☆Try Reuters Connect -
Best forFree commercial-use photos, video and templates
A broad web library for free commercial-use visual assets without required attribution.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Pikwizard -
Best forLow-cost unlimited creative asset access
A low-cost option for unlimited stock assets, credits, editorial content, and AI visuals.
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Yay Images -
Best forPremium editorial and creative stock buyers
A broad paid library for premium creative, editorial, vector, video, and workflow needs.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit Getty Images -
Best forInclusive image discovery and custom requests
A flexible visual marketplace for inclusive discovery, custom requests and artist hiring.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Scopio -
Best forCredit-based buyers needing rights-managed imagery
A broad, credit-based stock library for buyers needing royalty-free or rights-managed imagery.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit PhotoSearch -
Best forEditorial and sports media licensing
A specialist library for editorial, sports, archive and commercial visual licensing.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit IMAGO -
Best forBudget users needing varied creative assets
A broad stock library with free access and paid plans starting at $8 per month.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Rawpixel -
Best forTeams needing people-focused stock images and video
A people-focused stock library with free assets, credits, subscriptions and flexible licenses.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit PeopleImages -
Best forEditorial collections and unlimited membership downloads
A focused stock media membership for editorial-style assets and unlimited downloads.
- Editorial assets
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forArctic photography and footage buyers
A focused Arctic stock library with flexible licences and one-time image fees.
- Vector assets
- Editorial assets
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Arctic Stock -
Best forFree stock assets with an online design editor
A focused source for free stock media with built-in browser editing.
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit FOCA Stock -
Best forFree curated photos for everyday projects
A focused source of free, searchable stock photos with useful collection tools.
- Editorial assets
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit Kaboompics -
Best forBusinesses needing curated rights and exclusivity
A curated stock library with flexible licensing for business, media, and public-sector teams.
- Editorial assets
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Westend61 -
Best forScientific and medical image licensing
A focused licensing library for science, medicine, education, and editorial teams.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit Science Photo -
Best forCustom scientific and medical visual projects
A specialized source for scientific and medical stock assets, licensing, and custom visual production.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit Science Source -
Best forTravel, nature and environmental imagery
A focused library for licensing travel, nature, wildlife and environmental imagery.
- Editorial assets
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit Robert Harding -
Best forRights-managed and multilingual image research
A web-based stock image service for multilingual search, licensing and research support.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Photononstop -
Best forCustom licensing for commercial and editorial imagery
A broad stock media service for teams needing tailored commercial or editorial rights.
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit SuperStock -
Best forSpecialized imagery with visual search
A specialized image library with visual search and flexible licensing options.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
5.7/10★★★☆☆Try Mauritius Images -
Best forEnterprise visual licensing and dataset projects
A specialist source for rights-cleared visuals, commissioned production and custom AI datasets.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
5.6/10★★★☆☆Try Cultura Creative -
Best forHistoric and editorial imagery for media projects
A focused archive for historic, editorial and cultural visual content.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
5.5/10★★★☆☆Try Bridgeman Images -
Best forFree high-resolution photos and video
A focused free library for downloadable high-resolution photos and video clips.
5.4/10★★★☆☆Visit ISO Republic -
Best forPhotographers building online portfolios
A portfolio-focused photo community with publishing, galleries, metadata, and licensing tools.
5.3/10★★★☆☆Visit 500px -
Best forPhotographers selling licensed images directly
A focused storefront for photographers who want direct control over image sales.
- Editorial assets
5.2/10★★★☆☆Visit Picfair -
Best forEditorial buyers needing image research support
A focused stock library with research support and flexible licensing for publishing teams.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
5.1/10★★★☆☆Try Arcangel Images -
Best forNature-focused editorial and commercial imagery
A focused source for licensed nature imagery, footage, illustrations and research support.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
4.9/10★★☆☆☆Visit site -
Best forPublic-domain images and AI editing
A broad web library for free standard images, original-resolution downloads and AI editing.
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
4.8/10★★☆☆☆Visit site -
Best forFree users needing mixed stock assets
A broad free asset library for creators who can work with attribution requirements.
- API access
- Vector assets
- Illustration assets
4.8/10★★☆☆☆Visit Freestock -
Best forBuyers preferring credit-based stock licensing
A credit-based stock library for buyers who want flexible, royalty-free licensing.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
4.7/10★★☆☆☆Visit Stocklib -
Best forEditorial buyers needing research-assisted licensing
A focused editorial image library with research tools and quote-based licensing.
- Editorial assets
4.6/10★★☆☆☆Try Minden Pictures -
Best forSpecialized astronomy and military imagery
A focused web catalog for astronomy, military, medical and editorial imagery.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
4.4/10★★☆☆☆Try Stocktrek Images -
Best forCurated photography for publishing and advertising
A curated image library for advertising, publishing, design, and editorial work.
- Illustration assets
- Editorial assets
4.3/10★★☆☆☆Visit Plainpicture
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Vector assets | Illustration assets | Editorial assets | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shutterstock | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.3 | |
| 2 | Adobe Stock | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 | |
| 3 | Pixabay | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.1 |
| 4 | Pexels | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 5 | Unsplash | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.9 | |
| 6 | Depositphotos | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 7 | Dreamstime | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | |
| 8 | iStock | $29/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 9 | Vecteezy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 | |
| 10 | 123RF | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 11 | Burst | Yes | Free | 8.1 | |||
| 12 | Stockvault | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | 8.0 | |
| 13 | Alamy | No | $139/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
| 14 | PIXTA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 15 | VectorStock | Yes | $9.99/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
| 16 | Stocksy | No | No | Yes | No | 7.8 | |
| 17 | Bigstock | No | $79/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.7 |
| 18 | Reuters Connect | No | 7.5 | ||||
| 19 | Pikwizard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.4 | |
| 20 | Yay Images | Yes | 7.3 | ||||
| 21 | Getty Images | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.2 | ||
| 22 | Scopio | No | $29/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.1 |
| 23 | PhotoSearch (Fotosearch) | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.0 | ||
| 24 | IMAGO | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.9 | |
| 25 | Rawpixel | Yes | $8/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.8 |
| 26 | PeopleImages | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.8 | ||
| 27 | Editorial Stock Images | No | Yes | 6.7 | |||
| 28 | Arctic Stock | No | Yes | Yes | 6.6 | ||
| 29 | FOCA Stock | Yes | 6.5 | ||||
| 30 | Kaboompics | Yes | Yes | 6.4 | |||
| 31 | Westend61 | No | Yes | 6.3 | |||
| 32 | Science Photo Library | No | Yes | Yes | 6.2 | ||
| 33 | Science Source | Yes | Yes | 6.1 | |||
| 34 | Robert Harding World Imagery | Yes | 6.0 | ||||
| 35 | Photononstop | Yes | Yes | 5.9 | |||
| 36 | SuperStock | 5.8 | |||||
| 37 | Mauritius Images | Yes | Yes | 5.7 | |||
| 38 | Cultura Creative | Yes | Yes | 5.6 | |||
| 39 | Bridgeman Images | No | Yes | Yes | 5.5 | ||
| 40 | ISO Republic | Yes | Free | 5.4 | |||
| 41 | 500px | Yes | 5.3 | ||||
| 42 | Picfair | Yes | Yes | 5.2 | |||
| 43 | Arcangel Images | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.1 | ||
| 44 | Nature Picture Library | No | Yes | Yes | 4.9 | ||
| 45 | Public Domain Pictures | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4.8 | ||
| 46 | Freestock | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4.8 |
| 47 | Stocklib | No | Yes | Yes | 4.7 | ||
| 48 | Minden Pictures | Yes | 4.6 | ||||
| 49 | Stocktrek Images | Yes | Yes | 4.4 | |||
| 50 | Plainpicture | Yes | Yes | 4.3 |
Head-to-head All 24 comparisons →
- Shutterstock vs Adobe Stock
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How we rank stock photo websites
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update