What it does
iStock sells photos, illustrations, vectors and footage from Basic and Premium collections. Paid subscriptions and credit packs cover the wider catalogue, while registered users can download three selected Premium photos free each week. The licence included with a download has limits on resale products and shared access.
Which iStock subscription fits?
The displayed prices below are US dollars per month on annual plans, each with ten monthly downloads.
| Plan | Price | Included collection |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | US$29/month | Basic images |
| Premium | US$70/month | Basic and Premium images |
| Premium + Video | US$99/month introductory offer | Images, video and music |
Credit packs offer another purchase route. An image uses one credit from Basic or three from Premium; video uses six or eighteen respectively. Credits remain valid if you sign in at least once a year.
Free photos and usage limits
Sign in to Free Stock Photos for the three weekly selections. These receive the same standard licence as paid downloads. Watermarked previews have a separate, 30-day layout-only permission and cannot be published.
Standard licences are for one user. Products where the image supplies the main resale value, distributed electronic templates and print runs above 500,000 need the relevant extended rights.
Strengths
- Weekly free Premium photos are available with an account
- Subscriptions and credit packs offer different download arrangements
Watch out for
- Basic subscriptions exclude Premium imagery
- Standard licences restrict shared access and certain resale uses
Best for
- Campaign designers comparing everyday and exclusive stock imagery
Sources
- iStock subscriptions and credit packs (Oct 27, 2026)
- iStock content licence agreement (Oct 27, 2026)
- iStock free weekly photos (Oct 27, 2026)