Microstock Library Links
Don’t read too much into the order. These are basic links so that you
can fi nd and visit a wide range of microstock sites for yourself. I make
no promise that this list is exhaustive. Good hunting!
- iStockphoto. The original microstock, credit purchase (single sale), now
owned by Getty. Prices are $1–$15, dependent on resolution; base commission
20%. http://www.istockphoto.com - Shutterstock. The largest specialized subscription microstock. Pays $0.25
until $500 earned, and then $0.30 per download. http://www.shutterstock.com;
photographer submissions via http://www.submit.shutterstock.com - Dreamstime. Mixed subscription and credit purchase site. Minimum 50%
commission paid. http://www.dreamstime.com - Fotolia. Strong European customer base, fast growth. Credit purchase site;
commission 33% for nonexclusive image and 50% of the sales price for exclusive
image. http://www.fotolia.com (click on national fl ags at bottom of page to fi nd
local sites/languages) - Stockxpert. Owned by JupiterMedia, with recent heavy investment, should
be the one to watch. $1 starting price, 50% commission on sales to photo g-
raphers. http://www.stockxpert.com - SnapVillage. Corbis’s late entry in to the microstock market means that both
the largest traditional players are gambling on microstock success. Single sale
and subscription; photographer fi xes selling price for credit sales. http://www
.snapvillage.com - 123RF. Mixed monthly subscription and single-sale (credit-purchase) site.
Rebranded from 123 Royalty Free. Wholly owned subsidiary of Inmagine Corp
LLC. Recent site revamp and skills of Inmagine should boost popularity. Pays
$0.36 per subscription download and 50% of credit sales. http://www.123RF
.com - Big Stock Photo. Credit-purchase site. $0.50–$1 commission per down-
load. http://www.bigstockphoto.com - StockPhotoMedia. Swedish-based credit-purchase site. Commission 35%
small, 45% medium, and 55% large images; 50% for illustrations. http://www
.stockphotomedia.com