Best stock photo sites to sell on: Adobe, Shutterstock, iStock, Getty & 123RF compared

"Where should I sell my stock photos?" is the first question every new contributor asks — and the honest answer is: usually more than one place. The agencies differ less in what they sell than in their reach, their cut, whether they lock you in, and — the part people underestimate — how they want your work keyworded. Here is a clear, contributor-first comparison of the agencies that actually matter.

First decision: exclusive or non-exclusive?

Before comparing sites, settle this, because it changes everything else. Exclusive means you commit your royalty-free work to one agency for a higher per-sale rate. Non-exclusive means you upload the same files to as many agencies as you like for a lower rate each, betting that combined reach beats a single higher cut. Most contributors start non-exclusive, list across several sites, and only consider exclusivity once they see where their portfolio actually earns. If you go non-exclusive, the rest of this comparison is a menu, not a single choice.

Adobe Stock

The default starting point for most newcomers. Adobe Stock pays a flat, predictable commission, is non-exclusive, has a fast-growing buyer base plugged straight into Creative Cloud, and reviews are relatively quick. Keywords are free-text, with the first ~10 weighted most and a practical cap around 49 — order matters a lot. It is the easiest agency to start with and a sensible anchor for a non-exclusive portfolio. The usual pitfalls are keyword-stuffing and putting the weakest words first; we cover those in Adobe Stock metadata mistakes.

Shutterstock

Huge buyer base and download volume, also non-exclusive and free-text keyworded. Earnings run on a tiered level system that scales with your lifetime downloads (and resets each year), so per-download payouts can feel low early on and improve as you grow. Worth listing on for the sheer reach, especially alongside Adobe — just don't judge it on your first few months.

iStock & Getty Images

Two storefronts of one company: iStock is the affordable royalty-free brand, Getty Images the premium and editorial side, and you submit to both through one portal. The standout difference from everyone else is the controlled vocabulary— Getty and iStock only accept keywords that map to official approved terms, and anything that doesn't map is silently dropped. Per-sale prices are higher (especially on the Getty side), review is stricter, and you choose exclusive (higher rate, one home) or non-exclusive. It is its own decision worth reading in full: Getty Images vs iStock for contributors.

123RF and the rest

Beyond the big three, several agencies are useful additions for a non-exclusive portfolio rather than primary homes:

• 123RF:smaller, lower per-download, non-exclusive, free-text keywords — a low-effort extra outlet if you're already uploading everywhere.
• Dreamstime: long-standing mid-market agency, levels and some exclusivity bonuses; another reasonable add-on.
• Pond5 & Adobe (for video): if you shoot footage, video pays far more per clip and faces less competition than photos — but it is harder to keyword. See stock photo vs video and the stock video keyword generator.
• Alamy: editorial-leaning, higher commission share but lower volume — a niche complement, not a volume play.

The hidden difference: every agency keywords differently

Here is what trips up contributors who spread across sites: the same image needs two different keyword sets. Getty and iStock demand controlled-vocabulary terms; Adobe Stock, Shutterstock and 123RF take free-text, where relevance and order rule but there is no whitelist. Keyword a file for Adobe and paste the same list into Getty ESP and half of it may be thrown out as invalid — which means the file barely surfaces. Get this wrong and your work is uploaded but undiscoverable. (How many keywords each wants is its own topic: how many keywords should you use on stock photos.)

So which should you pick?

• Brand new? Start with Adobe Stock — flat rate, easy review, non-exclusive — and add Shutterstock for reach.
• Want the highest per-sale and willing to commit? Exclusive iStock is built for that.
• Want maximum reach? Stay non-exclusive and list across Adobe, Shutterstock, iStock (non-exclusive), 123RF and Dreamstime.
• Shooting video? Prioritise Adobe and Pond5 — the earnings gap over photos is real.

PixTagger builds both from one upload — controlled-vocabulary keywords plus the Getty ESP CSV for iStock and Getty, and free-text keywords and the Adobe CSV for everyone else. Start free with 15 files.