Need High-Quality Images? Discover the Best Places to Buy Stock Photos!

Photos are essential in promoting your brand and delivering your company’s message. 

It’s best to use images on top of plain text when creating content because they better attract the audience’s attention. 

So if you want to know the best place to buy stock photos, this post will provide you with the best sources.

While each has pros and cons, they are undoubtedly the best stock photo sites in quality and price.

The Best Place To Buy Stock Photos Using a Computer And Smartphone.

Shutterstock 

One site you are probably familiar with is Shutterstock, one of the pioneers in stock photo subscriptions. 

They have one of the largest collections of stock images, with more than 300 million pictures that can be downloaded. 

To get access to their image packs, you can choose a membership plan based on your budget. 

If you need photographs with extended licenses, they also have on-demand products. 

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Freepik

If you need a site for your creative projects as a designer or content creator, Freepik provides a wide range of images. 

They offer paid and free high-quality illustrations, icons, presentation templates, and stock photos. 

Their site is also easy to navigate, as you can easily search for images using categorized filters.

Freepik has a wide range of free stock photos and premium plans for better quality.

Adobe Stock 

Adobe Stock is another trusted stock photo provider which you can easily integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud.

As a benefit of buying their stock photos, you can license, access, and work with them on your layout. 

They have different subscription plans depending on the monthly downloads you need. 

You also can buy their Extended License whenever you need it while the app is free to use. 

Alamy

Alamy is one of the largest stock photo sites, with over 100 million pictures, vectors, and video collections. 

With over 60,000 contributors to the platform, you can expect new uploads of over 100,000 per day.

They ensure you can only buy high-quality photos because they are strict about accepting amateur photos.

You will find perfectly edited photos with good exposure, perfect retouching, and enough sharpness. 

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Unsplash

Unsplash is another platform with an extensive archive of royalty-free stock photos for commercial use. 

It is one of the finest stock sites that provides high-quality free photos, but they also have paid photos. 

Their regularly updated collection lets you download anything from people, landscapes, and food. 

While their photos are free, the photographers keep their copyright for their images because it is not in the public domain.

Deposit Photos

DepositPhotos has been in the industry for over a decade and continues to expand its stock photo collection. 

They have millions of royalty-free and high-quality images which come from different contributors around the world. 

Their site is the best for content creators who need illustrations, vector art, and backdrops to enhance their content.

You can also pay to be a part of their budget-friendly programs with access to videos and other benefits. 

Dreamstime 

Over two decades of industry experience, Dreamstime collected over 100 million professional stock photos. 

They have the latest art styles, photo collections, and high-quality videos to use in your free trial and paid version.

Aside from photos, you can also use their audio clips and music background for less than a dollar.

A Site Displaying Stock Photos On A Smartphone.

iStock

iStock is a famous reputable stock photo brand that has been operating for more than two decades.

They also work with Getty Images, so you have guarantee that they have exceptional photo collections.

You can choose anywhere from their budget photos and high-quality images, depending on your needs. 

You can also buy photos based on credit packs, subscriptions, and on-demand sales for extended licenses. 

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FAQs

Why Do I Have to Buy Stock Photos?

While several sites offer free images like Unsplash, why do you need paid stock photos?

It is because these sites still have license issues that you will not encounter when you pay for stock images.

For sites that offer paid photos and royalty-free images, they have a license under Creative Commons. 

Most free websites do not review the photos, so they might have privacy invasion and copyright restrictions.

Can I Use Stock Photos for Commercial Purposes?

The license use depends on your agreement with the specific photo or the stock photo website. 

Some photos offer a commercial license that lets you use them for advertising and other commercial uses. 

But to be safe, read the license agreement if you can use it for personal or commercial use. 

What is an Extended License?

An extended License is a license issued on royalty-free images, which means you have more rights to them.

You can use photos in a resale good, and the License provides unlimited copies of the image.

The standard royalty-free License does not allow it, so you need the Extended License to exceed the legal reproduction limit. 

If you need a copy of a photo in a higher resolution to resell for profit, it also requires this License. 

However, since you have more usage rights, you can expect it to be more costly than other licenses.

But considering that you will use it for different purposes, even profitable ones, you can outweigh this factor.

Why Use Stock Photos From Sites?

It is also best to support individuals who are passionate about their jobs, including stock photographers.
 
While it is good to buy photos from them, you may need more photographs to be available. 

The best place to buy stock photos are sites that compile images from different topics, art styles, and price ranges to fit your needs.

When photos from contributors undergo stock photo sites, you can expect better quality and License.

Each site reviews photos to ensure they have the proper commercial licenses and avoid legal issues. 

How Much Do Stock Photos Cost?

The cost of stock photos depends on where you buy them and the license agreement it holds. 

There are tons of free stock photos, but some images that you need may cost a dollar or more.

You can purchase them on-demand, through packs, and even by subscribing to receive download credits.

Can I Edit a Stock Photo?

Some licenses allow you to edit stock photos, but some require you to use them as you see them.

But to ensure that you are not violating any license agreement, you can check the terms of each photo. 

It may be a hassle, but it is better to be safe than to encounter copyright issues and lawsuits that can be expensive. 

Can I Use a Stock Photo More Than Once?

It depends on the license agreement, as each stock photo has different allowable uses.

But if you want to use a stock photo multiple times, you can expect the cost to be higher because of the License. 

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Wrapping Up The Best Place To Buy Stock Photos

The best way to promote your brand is to choose the right images with your marketing material. 

This is only possible if you have the right place to buy high-quality stock photos.

You probably also want them to be budget-friendly too.

If you are a business that needs regular content for your products, consider subscribing to these sites. 

You can get legal rights, high-quality images, eye-catching visuals, and affordable downloads. 

Start using stock photos to save yourself time, effort, and money when producing top-notch marketing content. 

Disclosure:  this article might contain links to the resources discussed.
Some of the links are affiliate links, meaning that I will make a small commission if you purchase a product or service by using the link. You get the same price whether you use our special link or not, and sometimes I’m able to get you an even better deal through my relationships!  More info in my privacy policy.

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Brooks Conkle

Brooks is an Entrepreneur, Sponge, Father, Husband, & Follower of the Golden Rule. He has over 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur after graduating with a BSBA in Finance from Auburn University. He’s addicted to growing new business ideas and any food that includes chocolate and peanut butter. Brooks is a firm believer in creating multiple streams of income and creates content here on BrooksConkle.com to help other hustlers in the areas of marketing, online business, personal finance, and real estate.