Pexels vs. Shutterstock

Pexels

Shutterstock

Overview
Product	Rating	Most Used By	Product Summary	Starting Price
Pexels	Score10 out of 10	N/A	Pexels, headquartered in Berlin, offers stock photos and video under the Creative Commons Zero license, from a global network of creators.	N/A
Shutterstock	Score9 out of 10	N/A	Shutterstock is a global technology company headquartered in New York, offering a creative platform boasting high-quality assets, tools and services. With it, users can license images, video, music, and editorial assets -- as well as custom content tailored to a brand’s needs. Shutterstock offers a variety of plans for individuals, teams, and enterprise customers as well as creative editing and collaboration capabilities.	$379 per month (2 users)

Pricing

Pexels

Shutterstock

No answers on this topic

Single User - 10 Images: $29 ($49)
monthly, annual contract (no contract)
On-Demand Packs - Standard License: $29, $49, $299
number of images (2, 5, 25)
Single User - 50 Images: $99 ($125)
monthly, annual contract (no contract)
Single User - 350 Images: $169 ($199)
monthly, annual contract (no contract)
Single User - 750 Images: $199 ($249)
monthly, annual contract (no contract)
On-Demand Packs - Enhanced License: $199, $449, $1,699
number of images (2, 5, 25)
Teams (750 images per month): $379
per month (2 users)
Teams (750 images per month): $479
per month (3-10 users)
Teams (750 images per month): Contact Sales
per month, 11+ users

Pricing Offerings
Pexels	Shutterstock
Free Trial
No	No
Free/Freemium Version
No	No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No	No

No setup fee

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Community Pulse
Key User Insights
	Pexels	Shutterstock
Considered Both Products	Pexels Ashley Schwartau Operations Specialist, Learning and Development in Human Resources at OpenReel (Computer Software, 11-50 employees) Chose Pexels I would put Pexels library up against Unsplash. iStock and Shutterstock are both SUPER pricey, and I haven't used either of them in YEARS simply due to the fact that they remain to be cost-prohibitive. Pixabay is fine, but the quality seems far less curated or just like more … Incentivized Helpful? Amy Highland Brand and UX+UI Designer at Wiro (Design, 11-50 employees) Chose Pexels Pexels has a great search function behind it and is very compatible with the other leading brands. One of the main benefits in comparison is that it is free to use and promotes creativity with its photographers. It has fewer 'stock looking' images as opposed to Adobe or Shutters… Incentivized Helpful? Olaf Schaum Founder in Marketing at LiveSociety (Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees) Chose Pexels Pexels offers an extensive catalogue of royalty-free, high-quality images and high-resolution videos that can be downloaded without the need for monthly subscriptions or license fees. Most of the time, our stock requirements are easily met. For occasions when we do need more … Incentivized Helpful? John E. Miller, MBA Managing Partner in Corporate at Provident Capital Group LP (Financial Services, 1-10 employees) Chose Pexels I think Shutterstock does not have the same quality photos available for free. In addition, I am not sure if they spend as much time trying to uplift the artist taking the photos as they are uplifting Shutterstock as a go-to resource for these photos and videos. I tend to favor … Incentivized Helpful? Luiz Alexandre Viana Magno Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Research & Development at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Higher Education, 1001-5000 employees) Chose Pexels Pexels is more simple. The alternative options give no good search/selection experience. For example, you are limited to searching just one characteristic or the results are not always accurate. For example, your search for A and get B. Finally, I also note that the user does … Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose Pexels Pexels is very affordable, and has a decent range of free-to-use options. Images have a wide arrange of people and places represented. Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose Pexels Whether paid or free stock photography, we go to where the solutions are. Pexels is on our top 5 go-to list. When we can't find what we are looking for on paid stock sites, we look at Pexels. Each platform has its pros and cons. I like that Pexels has a good lifestyle variety, … Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose Pexels In my opinion, they are all very similar. Sometimes when I am searching for something more specific, one or other might well be suited. But, in general, I tend to open at least 3 or 4 different image banks at the same time and use the same search terms on all of them. Since … Incentivized Helpful? Patricia Calleja Creative Copywriter in Marketing at Making Science (Marketing & Advertising, 501-1000 employees) Chose Pexels Pexel images are more inspiring, aspiring, creative, and artistic than the usual stock images. We work with Pexels because it is free and we really admire the fact that some photographers or creatives around the world are happy to share their work in such a kind and generous … Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose Pexels Pexels is one of my favorite stock image tools. The quality is top-notch and the search capabilities/filters really help you find what you want. Incentivized Helpful? Mark Wong Head of Web Development in Marketing at Impact Merchandising (Apparel & Fashion, 11-50 employees) Chose Pexels I've used both Adobe Stock and Shutterstocks's services for my projects and for the most part find Pexels more useful - but this is only due to Pexels being free in most cases. However, if you're looking for more specific and larger libraries, I would still recommend the other … Incentivized Helpful?	Shutterstock No answer on this topic
	Would buy again
	No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic
	Delivers good value for the price
	No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic
	Happy with the feature set
	No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic
	Lived up to sales and marketing promises
	No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic
	Implementation went as expected
No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic

User Ratings
	Pexels	Shutterstock
Likelihood to Recommend	9.2 (34 ratings)	9.8 (3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew	8.0 (1 ratings)	- (0 ratings)
Usability	7.0 (1 ratings)	- (0 ratings)

Pexels vs. Shutterstock

Pexels

Shutterstock

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