Software & apps

Unleash Your Creativity: Top 10 Adobe Stock Alternatives for 2023

As a creative professional, you know that stock images can be a powerful tool for elevating your designs and adding an extra layer of visual interest.  Adobe Stock has been a go-to source for such images for a long time, but did you know that there are many other great Adobe stock alternatives out there?

There are several compelling reasons why individuals and businesses may choose an alternative to Adobe Stock. Some key factors include – Cost-effectiveness, need for diverse content libraries, exclusive or unique content & integration with other tools.

Look no further! In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best Adobe Stock alternatives of 2023, so you can make an informed choice that meets your specific needs.

Best Adobe Stock Alternatives for Royalty Free Images

We have carefully curated this list of similar software like Adobe Stock that offer a vast selection of high-quality, royalty-free images to fuel your creative projects.

Criteria for Evaluating the Best Adobe Stock Alternatives

Our team of experts have evaluated these platforms based on factors like content diversity, image quality, licensing options, user experience, and customer feedback. Each alternative on this handpicked list offers a wide array of stunning visuals, ensuring that you have the perfect image to bring your creative projects to life. Explore these carefully selected Adobe Stock alternatives and unlock your full creative potential with ease.

1. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is one of the most well-known stock image providers, offering a vast library of over 400 million images, videos, and music tracks. It has a wide range of high-quality, diverse content at reasonable prices, making it an excellent alternative to Adobe Stock. It also has a simple and intuitive search engine, which allows you to easily filter by type, category, color, and more. Additionally, Shutterstock offers flexible pricing plans, including subscriptions and packs, so you can purchase the images you need without breaking the bank.

Price: Starts at $49/month

Try it out from here

Read Also: Shutterstock VS iStock: Which Is The Best Image Downloader Site?

2. Getty Images

Getty Images is another popular stock image provider, known for its extensive collection of high-quality, editorial-style images. While it may be more expensive than some other options, its exceptional quality and unique content make it a great choice for high-profile projects. Getty Images offers flexible pricing plans and licenses, including rights-managed, royalty-free, and editorial licenses, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

Price: Getty Images provides on-demand UltraPacks for buying images and videos. The packs come in single, five, and ten downloads, categorized by resolution and size, with prices ranging from $150 to $499.

Try it out from here

3. iStock

iStock is a stock image provider that offers a diverse range of content, including images, videos, and illustrations. It is also one of the most affordable Adobe Stock alternatives, making it an excellent choice for those on a budget. iStock offers a range of pricing plans, including subscriptions and credits, allowing you to choose the plan that works best for your needs. It also has a user-friendly website with a simple search engine that allows you to find the images you need quickly and easily.

Price: iStock offers credits and subscriptions for licensing photos, videos, and audio files. Images range from $0.22 to $14.90, videos from $5.30 to $72, and audio tracks from $5.30 to $14.90. Credits are needed for extended licenses, and they cost between $144 and $252.

Try it out from here

Read Also: 10+ Best Book Design Software Of For Authors, Designers & Publishers

4. Depositphotos

Depositphotos is a stock image provider that offers a wide variety of high-quality images, videos, and illustrations at affordable prices. It has a vast library of over 200 million files, and its intuitive search engine allows you to find the perfect image quickly and easily. In addition to their stock content, Depositphotos also offers a variety of tools and features to help customers improve their workflow and creative process. Depositphotos also offers flexible pricing plans, including subscriptions and credits, making it a great choice for both occasional and frequent users.

Price:  Starts at $8.99/month

Try it out from here

5. Canva Pro

Canva Pro is a design platform that offers a wide range of design tools, including a large library of high-quality stock images, graphics, and templates. With Canva Pro, you can easily create professional-looking designs for your business or personal projects, without the need for extensive design skills. One of the key features of Canva Pro is its vast library of over 75 million stock images and graphics. You can also access over 3 million stock videos and animations to bring your designs to life. Another great feature of Canva Pro is its collaboration tools, which allow you to work with team members or clients on designs in real-time.

Price:  Starts at $12.99/month or $119.99/year

Try Canva Pro from here

Read Also: Canva Photo Editing Tips For Beginners

6. Unsplash

Unsplash is a unique stock image provider that offers a library of over 2 million high-quality, free images, videos, and illustrations. While it may not have as extensive of a library as some other options, it offers a wide range of unique and visually stunning content that is free to use, even for commercial projects. Its website is user-friendly, and its search engine allows you to filter by keyword, color, and more. With a license that permits both commercial and non-commercial use, images can be utilized without the need for permissions or attributions.

Price: Free Web Service

Try Unsplash from here

7. Pixabay

Pixabay is a website that provides a vast collection of high-quality, royalty-free stock images, videos, and illustrations. The platform allows users to download and use the content for free, without the need for attribution, making it a valuable resource for creatives, designers, and businesses. One of the unique features of Pixabay is its community-driven approach to content creation. The platform allows users to upload their own images and videos, which are then reviewed by moderators before being added to the library.

Price: Completely Free to use

Try Pixabay from here

8. Dreamstime

With a history spanning over two decades, Dreamstime has become a leading provider of stock images, videos, and audio tracks. The platform boasts a vast library of files contributed by over 725,000 creators, serving the needs of over 48 million customers across the globe. Dreamstime provides customers with access to an extensive library of over 209 million high-quality, royalty-free stock images at competitive prices. Whether you need just one image or a bundle of files, Dreamstime offers flexible purchasing options to meet your needs.

Price: For on-demand purchases, customers can buy credits for as little as $0.88 per image, with prices varying based on the file size and credit package selected.

Try Dreamstime from here

Read Also: 10 Best Photoshop Plugins For Photographers In 2023

9. Pexels

Pexels is a dynamic platform that provides creatives with access to a vast collection of free photos and videos, empowering them to tell compelling stories and bring their ideas to life. With a community of talented photographers from all over the world, Pexels offers authentic and diverse imagery that caters to the needs of a wide range of professionals, from small businesses to nonprofits, marketers to designers. Whether you’re looking for stunning visuals to use in your next project or simply seeking inspiration, Pexels is a valuable resource that has become a go-to platform for millions of people worldwide.

Price: Completely Free to use

Try Pexels from here

10. Freepik

With a history dating back to 2010, Freepik has grown to become a leading platform of choice for content creators and creative designers serving over 75 million users per month across 200 markets worldwide. The platform provides access to a vast library of carefully curated images, vectors, icons and fonts, editable illustrations, all designed to help speed up your workflow and elevate your creativity. With more than 40 million assets available, refreshed daily, Freepik is an invaluable resource for creative people  looking to streamline their design process and take their projects to the next level.

Price: Free version and Premium version starts at $16.52/month or $118.9/year.

Try Freepik from here

Read Also: How To Adjust Image Orientation And Scale-Up Images Using The Image Resizer Tool

Enjoy your Adobe Stock Alternatives

Adobe Stock is a well-known and popular source for high-quality stock images, it may not always be the best choice for your needs. Whether you’re looking for a more affordable option, more unique and diverse content, or a free alternative, there are plenty of excellent Adobe Stock alternatives out there to choose from. So go through this list, compare the options, and find the one that best fits your creative needs and budget.

My Personal Recommendation 
My experience with Shutterstock has been exceptional. The platform offers a vast library of high-quality images, illustrations, and vectors that cater to diverse project requirements. I found the search functionality to be intuitive and efficient, allowing me to quickly find the perfect image for my needs. The image quality is superb, and the licensing options provide flexibility for various usage scenarios.

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