Getty Images is arguably the largest and most well-known stock photography agency in the world. This company has a huge collection of premium conceptual media and exclusively licensed, high-res art that’s perfect for traditional media on a multinational scale.
But does Getty Images live up to its prestigious reputation? And is it the best, most value-oriented option for your stock photography needs? Let’s find out.
Article Overview
Getty Images
Pros
- The largest library by far and the premium library for finding high-resolution, highly conceptual, artistic print media images
- Exclusive media purchase is available if you need a visual that no one else will be able to use. This is important for more traditional media for large companies and brand, especially for print, television and radio advertising
- Images, videos, audio and illustrations
- Easy to navigate website
- Websites for a number of different countries
- User submissions are accepted
- Offers 35+ million pictures for free use
Cons
- Media can be expensive - probably cost prohibitive for digital use unless you require exclusive imagery
6 Key Features
- Long-standing reputation for nearly 25 years
- A wide array of royalty-free media with over eighty million different high-design, conceptual pieces, including photos, vectors, illustrations and video and audio formats
- Holds exclusive licenses with photographers so you’ll find one-of-a-kind images
- Easy-to-use search features let you first filter by purpose (creative or editorial), license type (royalty-free or rights-managed) and media type and then filter down with many advanced search options
- A vast collection of historical images
- Multinational presence with sites in many different languages that can help you navigate usage laws across country borders
Pricing
Royalty-Free Licenses
Getty Images offers several pre-paid package options. Packs include any combination of royalty-free creative photos, videos, illustrations, vectors and most editorial images, but exclude all rights-managed images. Packs don’t expire as long as you sign in at least once a year.
| Small Images Web videos |
Medium Images SD Videos |
Large Images 4K & HD Videos |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $175 | $375 | $499 |
| 5 Pack | $800 ($160 each) |
$1,625 ($325 each) |
$2,250 ($450 each) |
| 10 Pack | $1,500 ($150 each) |
$3,000 ($300 each) |
$4,250 ($425 each) |
Rights-Managed & Rights-Ready Licenses
Price is based on how you intend to use it (factors include media, size, duration, placement, geographic distribution and exclusivity) and can be calculated on the file’s detailed information page or from the cart.
Enterprise Options
Getty Images offers flexible pricing for agencies and several subscription options for teams. Subscriptions include no daily or monthly download limits, no seat licenses required, custom content and special commissions.
They also offer Premium Access agreements that are annual, capped download agreements that let entire teams download files, with no daily or monthly download limits. Check out this video to learn more about Premium Access.
Customer Reviews
Wondering what others have to say about Getty Images? Here’s a sample of positive and negative comments we found from Getty customers.
Positive Reviews
This site IS the benchmark. Intended for the professional only, it has every tool you need in order to search, license and manage your acquisitions. A library unequalled on the planet, it contains every genre, from every age back to the first photography, and even further back to paintings and illustrations, in order to cover nearly every topic on the planet. – Christian K., SiteJabber 1/18/2018
Negative Reviews
Be warned. Do not buy credits as they will make it the subscription withdrawal amount from your bank account and it is impossible to cancel or change they subscription, they have full control of your credit card, not you. – Serena M., SiteJabber 3/24/2018
How Does Getty Compare?
Getty Images undoubtedly has one of the highest quality collections of top-class stock photography for any topic you can imagine. The website is incredibly easy to search and navigate. If you need exclusive media for commercial or editorial purposes, Getty is a great choice. But is it the best?
If your projects don’t have high creative standards and you instead need general-use stock photography and other media (especially for digital use), Getty Images is extremely expensive — you may want to look elsewhere. Fortunately, you have tons of options. Be sure to read our reviews of the best stock photo sites to find the best fit for your needs.
Leaning towards Getty for your image needs, or an alternative provider? Let us know in the comments!
Tagged With: Reviews, Stock Photos
