iStock

What is iStock?

iStock is a stock content site where you license royalty-free photos, illustrations, vectors and video clips, including HD and 4K footage; music tracks and sound effects are offered as well. The catalogue is organised by media type and by subject category, and can be searched with keywords or by uploading an image or video as a reference. Part of the collection is exclusive to iStock, coming from contributors who work only with the site, and every asset sits in either a Basic or a Premium collection. The company states that it does not accept AI-generated material into its library. Separately, it offers AI tools that create new images or modify existing iStock pictures, which are now part of Premium subscriptions. Content is paid for through a subscription or with credit packs. Free files rotate as well: one photo each week, plus an illustration and a video clip each month.

Key Features

Use Cases

Advertising Visuals

License images and clips that are cleared for use in promotional work.

Editorial and Blog Illustration

Find photos by theme, such as business, education, food or travel.

Video Projects

Source HD and 4K clips, including slow motion and animated motion graphics.

Design Assets

Download editable vectors, icons, templates, backgrounds and infographic elements.

Modifying a Stock Image

Adjust an existing library picture with the AI tools instead of searching for a closer match.

Things to know

No AI-generated submissions

iStock states that it does not accept AI-generated content from its contributors into the library.

AI tools come with Premium subscriptions

The pricing page says Premium subscriptions include the AI tools, which iStock describes as trained only on licensed creative content.

Subscriptions or credit packs

Content is bought with a monthly or annual subscription or with credit packs. Credits stay valid as long as you sign in to the account at least once a year.

The standard license has limits

Each download carries a single-user standard license. An extended license is needed for print runs above 500,000, for products made for resale or for sharing files among several users.

FAQs

Who it's for

• Designers
• Marketers
• Content creators
• Agencies
• Small businesses

Tagsstock photosvectors4K videoroyalty-freeAI generator

Used in these workflows

• Building a brand identity with AI, from the name to the first videoStage 4: Brand imagery
• Where AI tools fit in making a documentary, from research to subtitlesStage 5: Illustrative footage and b-roll
• Writing a blog for search: AI tools from keyword research to rank trackingStage 5: Images and diagrams

Each guide lists the stages of one job and the tools that help at each stage. All guides

Alternatives to iStock

Tool	Free plan	Starting price	API
DepositPhotosStock library of royalty-free photos, vectors, videos and music with built-in AI image generation.	—	$29/mo	Yes
StockCakeLibrary of free AI-generated stock images with a browser AI editor for resizing, effects and upscaling.	Yes	—	—
A2EAI video and image toolset covering image to video, face and head swap, lip sync, voice cloning and avatars.	Yes	—	Yes
AI Tattoo InkAI tattoo generator that creates custom design concepts from a description in eight tattoo styles.	—	$5	—
AI TwoLibrary of community-built AI tools for images, video, voice and home design, with a builder for creating your own.	Yes	—	—

Listed in the same categories as iStock. A starting price appears only where we checked it on the maker’s pricing page; a dash means not checked or not published. All Stock Media tools