The iStock prices have remained largely unchanged over the last couple of years, yet it remains a competitively-priced stock image site (and stock video). All our readers can get a 20% discount on iStock using our promo code PHOTUTORIAL20, provided you haven’t used it before.
In 2022, iStock also introduced a free trial that allows you to download 10 basic or premium stock images, depending on your geographic location. The free trial lasts for 30 days (one subscription cycle) and can be canceled to avoid billing.
Below, I’ve provided a full iStock pricing breakdown for every plan and license, including subscriptions, credits, and single purchases.
Table of contents:
- How much does iStock cost?
- Basic subscriptions
- Premium subscriptions
- Premium + Video subscriptions
- Credit packs (pay as you go)
- Extended license price
- Unlimited AI
- How does iStock pricing compare
- iStock pricing: FAQs
How much does iStock cost?
iStock has three different types of subscriptions: Basic, Premium, and Premium + Video. Each type of subscription is available in several sizes (number of monthly downloads) and with month-to-month or annual commitment (20% cheaper).
If you run out of subscription downloads or you prefer not being tied down, credit packs provide more flexiblity but at a higher cost.
| Basic | Premium | Premium + Video | Credit packs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $29 to $199 a month | $70 to $399 a month | $99 to $349 a month | $12 to 2,400 |
| Downoads | 10 to 750 a month | 10 to 750 a month | 10 to 50 a month | 1 to 300 credits |
| Cost per download | $0.22 to $4.00 | $0.33 to $7.00 | $5.30 to $14.90 | $8 to $33 |
| Essential | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Signature | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Video | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Epidemic Sound | ✅ | |||
| Standard license | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Extended license | ✅ |
Basic subscriptions
The Basic subscription allows you to download images from the Essentials collection only. These are your standard stock photos, vectors, and illustrations. Most of us use these for regular blog posts, social media posts, or presentations, but they wouldn’t find a way on my large commercial projects.
The entry tier that gives you 10 downloads per month costs $40 a month with the monthly plan and $29 a month with the annual plan. Higher tiers come with more monthly downloads and higher monthly fees but with a much lower cost per download.
Here’s a breakdown of all Basic subscriptions.
| Number of images | Month-to-month plan | Annual plan |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $40 per month ($4.00/download) | $29 per month ($2.90/download) |
| 25 | $65 per month ($2.60/download) | $49 per month ($1.96/download) |
| 50 | $99 per month ($1.98/download) | $90 per month ($1.80/download) |
| 750 | $199 per month ($0.27/download) | $167 per month ($0.22/download) |
Premium subscriptions
Premium subscriptions grant you access to both image collections, Essential and Signature. iStock’s Signature collection is a premium tier of stock images, videos, and illustrations that look more natural and less posed. I would use these for large-scale campaigns and hero images.
The downside of Premium subscriptions is that whether you download an Essential or Signature image, it will cost you one download, meaning you will overpay for the standard stock photos. To avoid wasting your Premium credits, you could get both subscription plans.
Here’s a summary of all Premium subscriptions.
| Number of images | Monthly | Annual (billed monthly) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $99 per month ($9.90/download) | $70 per month ($7.00/download) + a 30-day free trial |
| 25 | $149 per month ($5.69/download) | $120 per month ($4.80/download) |
| 50 | $229 per month ($4.58/download) | $199 per month ($3.98/download) |
| 750 | $399 per month ($0.53/download) | $334 per month ($0.44/download) |
Premium + Video subscriptions
If you need images, videos, and music tracks at the same time, then a Premium + Video subscription is the best choice for you. These are also the only iStock subscriptions that allow you to download footage and audio. Alternatively, you could get those with credit, but that’s more expensive per download.
You could consider the ‘Premium + Video’ subscription an all-in-one type of plan. Its main downside is the same as for Premium plans—each download will cost you 1 allotted credit, regardless of whether you download an Essential or Signature image or even a 4K video.
Here’s a summary.
| Downloads per month | Month-to-month | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $149/mo ($14.90/download) | $99/mo ($9.90/download) |
| 25 | $229/mo ($9.16/download) | $165/mo ($6.60/download) |
| 50 | $349/mo ($6.98/download) | $265/mo ($5.30/download) |
Credit packs (pay as you go)
Credits are the more expensive way of buying iStock assets, but they offer more flexibility than subscriptions. Just like with subscriptions, the more you buy upfront, the more you save in cost per download.
In 2024, iStock also increased the cost of its 1 Credit pack from $12 to $15, while all other packs remained unchanged.
Here’s a summary of all the packs you can get.
| Pack size | Price | You can get up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15 ($15/credit) | 1 (Essentials) image |
| 3 | $33 ($11/credit) | 3 images or 1 Signature image |
| 6 | $60 ($10/credit) | 6 images or 1 video |
| 12 | $115 ($9.58/credit) | 12 images or 2 videos |
| 18 | $170 ($9.44/credit) | 18 images or 3 videos |
| 24 | $220 ($9.17/credit) | 24 images or 4 videos |
| 36 | $325 ($9.03/credit) | 36 images or 6 videos |
| 60 | $520 ($8.67/credit) | 60 images or 10 videos |
| 150 | $1,250 ($8.33/credit) | 150 images or 25 videos |
| 300 | $2,400 ($8.00/credit) | 300 images or 50 videos |
Credits can be used to buy any type of content at iStock, including Extended licenses, which are not included in subscriptions. The number of credits required varies among media types. For instance, Signature content costs three times as many credits as Essential content.
| Media | Price in credits |
|---|---|
| Essential image | 1 credit |
| Signature image | 3 credits |
| Essential video | 6 credits |
| Signature video | 18 credits |
| Extended license (image) | 18 credits |
| Extended license (video) | 21 credits |
Extended license price
I briefly hinted at how much the Extended license costs at iStock in the table above. However, for the longest time, I also misunderstood the pricing for this license—I thought it was way cheaper than it was, even though I already knew it was expensive.
An Extended license is a version of a royalty-free license with broader usage terms than the Standard license. Typically, it allows unlimited reproduction and prints, products for resale, and provides a higher legal guarantee. At Shutterstock, for instance, you get all of this already for $54.
At iStock, on the other hand, you first need to buy the Standard license, which costs between 1 and 18 credits, depending on Essentials vs. Signature and images vs. videos. Then, each aspect of the Extended license costs you an additional 18 or 21 credits, up to a maximum of 102 credits ($816!!).
| Licenses | Image | Video |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Seat (unlimited) | 18 credits | 21 credits |
| Unlimited reproduction/prints | 18 credits | 21 credits |
| $250,000 legal guarantee | 18 credits | 21 credits |
| Products for resale | 18 credits | 21 credits |
In summary, an Extended license that would cost you between $54 and $90 at Shutterstock would cost you between $440 and $550.
Unlimited AI
In 2024, iStock released an AI image generator based on NVIDIA’s Picasso model trained on their own images. Like most other AI generators I’ve tried, it wasn’t worth the hype. You can create photos of cute animals or flat vectors, but the images are often flawed and not ready for commercial use.
At release, the tool costs $14.99 for 100 generations, with each generation producing 4 images for 1 credit. iStock now increased the cost to an incredibly high cost of $24.99 a month for unlimited generations (with an undisclosed daily limit).
How does iStock pricing compare
| iStock | Shutterstock | Adobe Stock | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per image | $0.22–$15 | $0.22–$14.50 | $0.27–$10 |
| Per video | $5.30–$72 | $8.32–$120 | $8–$200 |
| Per audio | $5.30–$15 | $42 per month* | $0.27–$10 |
| AI generator | $15 per month | Included in all subscriptions | Included in CC plans |
| Extended license (images) | $144–$216 | $17–$23 | $64 or $80 |
| Extended license (videos) | $168–$252 | Custom | Not needed |
| Coupons | ✅ 20% – PHOTUTORIAL20 | ✅ 15% – PHOTUTORIAL15 | ❌ |
| Free trial | ✅ 30 days | ❌ Canceled | ✅ 30 days |
iStock pricing: FAQs
How much is an iStock subscription?
iStock subscriptions start at $29 per month and $23.20 per month if you use the PHOTUTORIAL20 promo code. Basic subscriptions cost from $29 to $199 per month, Premium subscriptions from $70 to $399 per month, and Premium + Video subscriptions from $99 to $349 per month. AI generator subscription costs $24.99 per month.
Is there an iStock free trial?
Yes, there are two versions of the iStock free trial, depending on your geographic location. US customers get 1 free month of Premium subscription (10 downloads), while EU and UK customers get 1 free month of the Basic (10 downloads) subscription.
What’s the cheapest way to buy iStock?
It depends on what you mean by that. The cheapest subscription fee is the Basic (10 images) annual plan, which costs $29 per month but is reduced to $23.20 with PHOTUTORIAL20. On the other hand, the cheapest cost per image download comes with the largest 750 images plan for $167 per month ($0.22/download).
Why is iStock so expensive?
While iStock is more expensive than Envato Elements or Vecteezy, it’s overall reasonably priced. It costs about the same as its main competitors, including Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Depositphotos.
However, iStock’s Extended licenses are very expensive. They cost from $144 and up to $800+, depending on your required terms. In contrast, similar licenses would cost you up to $120 at competing services.
How do I cancel my iStock subscription?
Whether you have an active paying subscription or your iStock free trial is coming to an end, follow these steps to cancel your iStock subscription.
- Go to the iStock page
- Click ‘Your account’
- Choose ‘Subscriptions’
- Toggle auto-renew to turn off
That’s it; your subscription won’t renew on your upcoming billing date.
Can I buy a single image at iStock?
You can buy a single Essentials image at iStock by purchasing the 1 credit pack for $15. For a single Signature image, you will need 3 credits, which cost $33.
At iStock, you can also buy a single video clip without purchasing credits first and just paying with cash. This will cost you $60 per Essentials clip and $170 per Signature clip, regardless of quality (HD Web, HD, 4K).
