Stock Media · pricing · Updated September 2026
iStock pricing (2026)
iStock starts at $40/mo (Basic - 10 downloads / month) as checked on 2026-09-05, read from iStock's own pricing page; 3 plans. Best for Budget-conscious buyers needing Getty-quality content at lower price points than Getty Images direct. Every figure below links to its source and the date we captured it.
At a glance
- Entry price: $40/mo (Basic - 10 downloads / month) · 28% off with annual billing
- Free tier: Yes
- Compliance: HIPAA — · SOC 2 — · GDPR —
- Best for: Budget-conscious buyers needing Getty-quality content at lower price points than Getty Images direct; Bloggers and small businesses needing a mix of images and videos under one subscription; Users who need Epidemic Sound music included (Premium + Video tier); Buyers wanting rollover downloads across annual plans
As of · every figure below links to its source STALE · 2026-09-05
iStock plans & pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Billing | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic - 10 downloads / month STALE · 2026-09-05 | $40 | −28% | Flat monthly | 10 downloads/month from the Essentials collection (images/vectors). $29/mo annual; $40/mo month-to-month. Higher Basic tiers: 25 dl $49/mo annual, 50 dl $90/mo, 750 dl $167/mo. Unused downloads roll over up to 250 files (annual subscriptions). | istockphoto.com |
| Premium - 10 downloads / month STALE · 2026-09-05 | $99 | −29% | Flat monthly | 10 downloads/month with access to both Essentials and Signature collections. $70/mo annual; $99/mo month-to-month. Higher tiers: 25 dl $120/mo annual, 50 dl $199/mo, 750 dl $334/mo. | istockphoto.com |
| Premium + Video - 10 downloads / month STALE · 2026-09-05 | $149 | −34% | Flat monthly | 10 downloads/month including images, video, and music tracks. $99/mo annual; $149/mo month-to-month. Higher tiers: 25 dl $165/mo annual, 50 dl $265/mo. | istockphoto.com |
Last verified 2026-09-05. STALE marks a plan we have not re-checked at its source in over 30 days. Every plan above is marked — we flag rather than silently retain. Official istockphoto.com plans page geolocated to Germany under an automated read (showing EUR), so US 2026 USD rates were taken from the Photutorial 2026 iStock pricing guide. The monthly price recorded here is the annual-billed-monthly rate; month-to-month rates are noted. iStock (a Getty brand) offers Basic, Premium, and Premium+Video subscription families.
Price changes
Price on record
$40/moRe-based on record 2026-10-16
A new dated entry is stamped here each time the price moves — the record builds itself.
From 2026-10-16 our record reflects a correction we published, not a vendor price move, so earlier figures are not compared with it.
Tracked since June 2026. No change record has cleared two sources yet, so nothing is published on the wire.
Corrections to this record
Changes we made to our own record of iStock, newest first: a figure read again on the vendor's page, a plan it no longer lists, a note. None of them is a price change by iStock. Every correction on the site is in the corrections log.
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Basic - 10 downloads / month. Basis corrected, no new figure. The recorded monthly price was the annual-billed rate while the plan's own note named the month-to-month one; the schema reserves this field for the month-to-month price and carries the saving in the annual discount, so the two recorded figures swapped places. Both were already in the record and neither was re-read.
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Premium - 10 downloads / month. Basis corrected, no new figure. The recorded monthly price was the annual-billed rate while the plan's own note named the month-to-month one; the schema reserves this field for the month-to-month price and carries the saving in the annual discount, so the two recorded figures swapped places. Both were already in the record and neither was re-read.
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Premium + Video - 10 downloads / month. Basis corrected, no new figure. The recorded monthly price was the annual-billed rate while the plan's own note named the month-to-month one; the schema reserves this field for the month-to-month price and carries the saving in the annual discount, so the two recorded figures swapped places. Both were already in the record and neither was re-read.
Capabilities
Integrations: Dropbox, Sketch.
Key features: Two content tiers: Essentials (1 credit/image) and Signature (3 credits/image, more natural/editorial style); AI Image Generator powered by NVIDIA Edify model (included with Premium plans); Unused downloads roll over up to 250 files on annual subscriptions; Standard license: $10,000 legal protection per image; Extended license: up to $250,000; Free account: 3 Signature-collection videos per month at no cost; 160,000+ contributors worldwide.
Plan limits: Free trial ended June 2, 2025 — no longer available to new customers; Free account: 3 pre-selected Signature collection videos/month only; Basic plan: Essentials collection only (Signature requires Premium or higher); Standard license: up to 500,000 physical print reproductions; AI-generated content not licensed for AI training use; Extended licenses required for resale, merchandise, or multi-user commercial use.
Frequently asked questions
How much does iStock cost?
iStock starts at $40/mo (Basic - 10 downloads / month); it has 3 published plans. Verified 2026-09-05.
Is iStock cheaper billed annually?
Yes. iStock publishes a 34% discount for paying annually (on the Premium + Video - 10 downloads / month plan). Verified 2026-09-05.
What are cheaper alternatives to iStock?
Cheaper stock media than iStock (entry $40/mo) include Shutterstock at $7/mo, Depositphotos at $12.99/mo, Storyblocks at $21/mo. Verified 2026-09-05.
Does iStock support HIPAA?
iStock's public pages do not say whether it supports HIPAA.
Does iStock have a free plan?
Yes — iStock publishes a free tier.
iStock vs alternatives
Cheaper stock media alternatives
- Envato Elements from $39/mo
- Pond5 from $25/mo
- Storyblocks from $21/mo
- Depositphotos from $12.99/mo
- Shutterstock from $7/mo
More stock media tools
Related categories
This standing as a plaque
iStock currently holds a bronze deskmark here — Rank 8 of 8 · Stock Media. Anyone may show it. There is nothing to apply for, nothing to pay, and displaying it changes no score: the standing comes from the published algorithm, which never reads commission data. We never ask anyone to show it, and its link carries rel="nofollow".
The image is drawn from our live data, so it follows the standing rather than freezing it: if iStock moves up or down a tier, the plaque on your own site says so at our next publish. Nothing is tracked beyond the ordinary web-server log that records any image request.