Getty Images Review

Tuesday, June 28th

2022 Stock Photo Service Reviews

Getty Images

• Cost: From $50 to $499 per download

It almost feels wrong to say that Getty Images deals in stock images when their photography is considered anything but "stock" in quality, composition, and subject matter. Getty Images is quite expensive when you put their pricing plans side-by-side with other stock photo services. But, the quality of their images compared to other providers is second to none.

Excellent Search Filters

Getty Images has excellent photos (including editorial), illustrations, and vectors as well as video. Within each of those types you can find both creative and editorial content. They also have an excellent archival section for vintage images that are difficult to find elsewhere. With our test search of "black and white puppy dog", we found over 750 archival images alone and over 2,000 of the other types.

Robust Search Filters

The search filters are robust and user-friendly. You can sort by just about every attribute imaginable, from best match, newest, and most popular on down to the more granular facets such as location, photographer, collections, color, and style.

Spectacular Images, Expensive Pricing

Getty recognizes their fantastic images with the tagline "Spectacular images. Flexible pricing." on the pricing page. Prices for single images and videos range from $175 to $499 per download. That means that if you purchase and download an image once, and then re-download it, you'll pay that same price a second time. You'll want to be sure of how many downloads you require before making your purchase. This pricing and download rule will put most non-professional uses of Getty images out of budgetary reach for most people.

Lower The Cost

You can, of course, purchase 5 packs and 10 packs of images to lower the cost by between $10 and $75, respectively, per download and according to sizes downloaded. There are no monthly or daily download limits and no seat licenses (which only allow one person to download images) are required.

Custom Images For Special Needs

Something Getty offers above and beyond other stock image sites is custom content and even special commissions. If there's a really specific image you need with one-of-a-kind requirements that their catalog just doesn't have, you can work with a Getty photographer to produce it. Also, if your design requires that you use a high-resolution "comp" image rather than the usual low-resolution image, Getty's integrated workflow allows for the high-resolution option before you have to pay. No more trying to imagine what the final result will look like!

Exclusive Use Option

Furthermore, if there is an image that you need exclusive use of - meaning you don't want anyone else to ever download and use it in their projects - there is extended licensing for that scenario. After you download it, Getty Images will then remove the asset from their search and from their browsable catalog so no one else can find it.

Project ShowUs

If inclusiveness is a priority for your creative projects, Getty sponsors a library called Project #ShowUs. It is a library of over 5,000 photos by 116 photographers in 39 countries that shifts focus away from old beauty stereotypes and spotlights other identities and the unique characteristics of more individuals. To find the images, all you need to do is search for "show us" on the site.

Great Choice, If You Can Afford It

Big targets get equally large criticism and accolades. Getty Images is one such target. The reviews of Getty Images ranged from dissatisfied customers to very happy users who highly recommend everything about them. From what we've seen, the good outweighs the bad on almost every level. Getty Images earns a very high rating.