Where to sell photos online?
Sell your photos online has become an increasingly popular way for photographers to earn money while pursuing their passion. With the rise of digital content, the demand for high-quality photos and videos has never been higher. Fortunately, there are now limitless opportunities for photographers to sell their work online. In this article, we’ll explore the 16 best websites to sell photos online so you can find the ideal platform for your needs.
And yes! You can sell and license the same photo on all the different websites. As long as you own the photos.
Here we go!
Alamy
Alamy is a trusted and reliable website for photographers to sell their photos. They have over 200 million stock photos, vectors and videos in their collection, ensuring they meet the needs of a wide variety of clients. They offer a straightforward and competitive royalty structure, giving photographers a commission of 50% on all sales.
Alamy Contributor
500px
500px is a global community of photographers and also a platform for photographers to sell photos online. They provide photographers with a personalized portfolio page to showcase their work and connect with clients. With over 15 million users, 500px offers an excellent potential customer base for photographers. While the initial commission rate is 30%, it can increase up to 60% as photographers sell more images.
SmugMug Pro
SmugMug Pro is a popular website for photographers to sell their photos. They provide professional-grade solutions for photographers with customizable galleries and photo management tools. SmugMug Pro is ideal for photographers who want to sell physical prints; they handle all the printing, packaging, and shipping. SmugMug Pro also offers unlimited photo backups and secure storage for photographers’ archives.
Shutterstock
Shutterstock is one of the most popular websites for photographers to sell their photos; they have over 225 million images and over 12 million videos in their library. Shutterstock offers a pay-per-download model, which is a great option for buyers, while photographers earn between $0.25 and $120 per image download, depending on license type.
Become a contributor on Shutterstock
iStock Photo
iStock is also a popular website for photographers to sell their images. They offer a wide range of stock photos, vectors, illustrations, and videos. iStock uses a credit-based system to compensate photographers, but compensation rates increase with volume sales. Photographers can earn up to 45% commission or up to $15 per photo.
The good thing is, iStock is part of Getty image, so you’ll just have to submit once and you can sell or license your photos on both networks.
Sell photos on iStock & Getty image
Etsy
Etsy is an e-commerce marketplace that specializes in handmade, vintage, and unique items made by artists of all kinds. Photographers can sell prints, digital images, and even printable downloads of their photos on Etsy. With millions of active buyers, Etsy is an excellent platform for photographers to reach new customers and create their own pricing and shipping models.
You can sell physical prints (print on demand), digital prints, Photography Resources and Textures, Photography books (physical and digital print) or even sell Lightroom presets.
Getty Images
Getty images is a well-known website for selling editorial and commercial photography. They offer a platform for talented photographers to sell and license their work to businesses and individuals worldwide. They manage all the legal aspects of licensing, pricing, and distribution, and photographers earn a commission of between 15% and 45% on all sales.
Sell photos on iStock & Getty image
Stocksy
Have you got that unique sense of artistic photos to sell online? Stocksy is a high-quality stock photo library for Artists; they accept only the best photography, video, and illustrations from photographers worldwide. They provide photographers with a competitive payout rate of 50%, meaning photographers earn more than they would on other platforms.
We believe artists should be paid fairly for their work, so we put 50% from regular purchases ($15-400) and 75% from extended licenses ($100-10,800) directly into your pockets.
Stocksy.com
Can Stock Photo
CanStockPhoto is a website that offers photographers commission rates of up to 50% on all sales. They have more than 85,000 active contributors from around the world, selling over 2 million stock images and 14,000 video clips. Some of the features that Can Stock Photo offers photographers include low payout thresholds and instant approval of submitted images.
Make money selling photos to Businesses on CanStockPhoto
Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock is a platform offering millions of high-quality images, video clips, and templates for creatives. Contributing photographers benefit from the platform’s integration with Adobe’s Creative Cloud software, which allows for quick and straightforward access to stock images during the creation process. photographers earn a 33% commission on all content and 35% for exclusive images.
Envato Elements
Envato Elements offers a huge repository of photos, videos, and templates catering to a variety of industries and niches. This platform particularly caters to web designers, developers, and marketers. Photographers earn 50 % of the revenue generated from sales of their content. However, it’s vital to note that Envato does not offer a copyright sale.
Become an Author on Envato Elements
Depositphotos
Depositphotos is another popular platform that allows photographers to upload and sell their content. They offer daily and weekly subscriptions along with pay-per-download packages, including providing images under standard and extended license options. Photographers earn up to 44% commission on all sales.
Dreamstime
Dreamstime is one of the well known and reliable websites for photographers to sell their work online. They offer a higher commission rate – up to 60% of the sale price. Dreamstime offers various methods for selling images, making it an excellent choice for photographers who want to experiment with diverse models.
EyeEm
EyeEm is a platform that connects photographers with artists, designers, and reputable brands. They provide unique tools for photographers to improve their skills and market their work more effectively. EyeEm is a social platform, and photographers can earn up to 50% commission, depending on the licensing rights.
Foap
Foap is another platform that lets photographers sell their photos and videos through the Foap mission-based system. Clients set challenges that photographers with the relevant images can enter, and winners receive a payoff of $5- $100 per photo. Foap is a good choice for photographers looking to connect with companies on specific themes or collaborate with editors on specific projects.
Conclusion
There’s no single ideal platform for selling photos online, as different photographers have different needs, audiences, and goals. Choosing the best site to sell your work will depend on your expertise, preferred method of pay, and the level of support and distribution options offered. The platforms highlighted in this article all offer photographers an option to sell photos online. Consider these 16 top websites to sell your photos online to find your ideal platform!