Stockxpert.com closes - Where should I buy microstock images now?
3 February 2010
The demise of stockxpert.com as a going website has been rumored ever since the Getty images takeover of Jupiter Images.
The following notice has been placed on the SXP site: As of February 11, searching and downloading at StockXpert will cease. All SXP members can transfer their remaining credits to iStockphoto. SXP credits will be honored 1 for 1 at iStock.
Obviously Getty wants all microstock buyers to rush over to iStock for their purchases, and they're making it easy with the credit transfer. Unfortunately even with the 1:1 transfer, your credits are worth less at iStock. An large image that would have cost 10 credits at SXP will now cost 15 at IS (or 20 credits for exclusive images). Many buyers just can't afford to spend twice as much on images.
The question I'm getting from several photo buyers is where should I buy images now?
See the full post for a price and content comparison of the main microstock sites.
Although price is a big factor, it isn't the only one. There are other factors that need to be considered such as size, depth and quality of the collection of images available.
With these factors in mind, I've done a quick comparison of each of the top 4 microstock agencies:
- Shutterstock
- Istockphoto (owned by Getty Images)
- Dreamstime
- Fotolia
Price Comparison:
Getting exact and comparable figures on how much an image costs isn't easy. There are a multitude of different sizes and pricing models to consider. As if that's not bad enough, images and contributors are ranked.
With that in mind, I've put together a comparison table. Note that the sizes don't match up to the pricing structures of the websites but are based on use. Ie. Small = big enough for a blog photo, Medium = big enough for a mid-size print (upto the size of a regular magazine page at 300dpi) and large is for a Large size Print (ie. 12 megapixels +).
These comparisons are all based on purchasing a package of 50 images.
1. iStock -v- Shutterstock on demand -v- Dreamstime Level 1 -v- Fotolia non-exclusive base
| iStockphoto | iStockphoto Exclusive | Shutterstock | Dreamstime | Fotolia | |
| Small (ie Blog ax.0.75MP) | $1.46 | $2.92 | $3.80 | $0.96 | $1.09 |
| Small Print (ie. Ax 2MP) | $8.76 | $9.50 | $9.16 | $3.84 | $5.45 |
| Medium (ie. Medium Print - ax. 5MP) | $14.60 | $21.90 | $9.16 | $4.80 | $7.30 |
| Large (ie. Large Print - 12MP +) | $21.90 | $29.20 | $9.16 | $6.72 | $10.90 |
The above comparison represents the prices of the majority of each collection.
The following table presents an alternative view, given that each agency also has alternative pricing structures - in the case of Istock, the "Vetta collection" which is made up of hand picked files that feature prominently on the first page of each search. Dreamstime for popular images, and in the case of Fotolia for successfull photographers:
2. Istock exclusive - v- Vetta -v- Dreamstime Level 3 -v- Fotolia non-exclusive "emerald"
exclusive | iStockphoto Vetta | Shutterstock | Dreamstime | Fotolia | |
| Small (ie Blog ax.0.75MP) | $2.92 | - | (n/a $3.80) | $4.80 | $2.18 |
| Small Print (ie. Ax 2MP) | $9.50 | $29.20 | (n/a $9.16) | $9.60 | $10.90 |
| Medium (ie. Medium Print - ax. 5MP) | $21.90 | $58.49 | (n/a $9.16) | $10.56 | $15.26 |
| Large (ie. Large Print - 12MP +) | $29.20 | $73.00 | (n/a $9.16) | $12.48 | $17.44 |
Content of the Collection:
Its difficult to judge the content of a collection by simply looking at overall numbers. From a practical perspective, there are more important considerations: How relevant is the collection to my needs, what is the quality of the images etc.
The following table gives an idea of the extent of the collection relating to travel images.
| Keyword: | iStockphoto | Shutterstock | Dreamstime | Fotolia |
| Travel | 297,295 | 593,281 | 517,666 | 385,407 |
| Europe | 145,903 | 211,856 | 185,818 | 169,059 |
| India | 17,624 | 36,462 | 31,077 | 24,161 |
| Sudan | 248 | 430 | 361 | 536* |
Brisbane | 826 | 729 | 852 | 399 |
| Seattle | 4,281 | 2,678 | 1,029 | 968 |
| Salta (ie. in Argentina) | 78 | 202 | 152 | 102* |
| Editorial? | no | Yes | Yes | No |
*on these searches, an unusual number of irrelevant results were observed on Fotolia: Sudan - eg. Argentine flag, tacos, penguins (from Chile); Salta - eg. Jack Russel dogs & monkeys.
The results show that for images from the US, iStock is clearly ahead (this is consistent with other US city searches), but for other subjects, Shutterstock seems to have the biggest collection.
Other Options:
Subscriptions: Each of these sites also offer subscription packages, that for volume buyers represent exceptional value. This comparison is really about the price of images for casual or low-volume photo buyers.
Direct: Purchasing images directly from photographers is rapidly becoming a viable option. For example this site has downloads enabled though the gallery - all you need to do is click on the buy tab on a photo, navigate to the "downloads" and you'll see options for purchasing images for commercial license (S = $1, M= $7.50, L=$15) for either editorial or standard use.
Other Microstock sites: There are a host of smaller agencies in the microstock industry.
- Bigstock (owned by Shutterstock)
- CanStock
- 123 Royalty Free
- Veer (owned by Corbis)
So Which Should I Choose?
Ultimately that question probably depends on your image needs. In cases where I need photos (yes it does happen sometimes - though all the images you see on this website are mine!) I head to Dreamstime.
Please note - each microstock agency offers a referral program - for details see my Disclosure and Advertising age
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