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Shutterstock Reviews & Product Details

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Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

5 months

Return on Investment

13 months

Shutterstock Media

Shutterstock Demo - Access the Best Images, Videos, Music and More
License the latest, greatest creative for your next project.
Shutterstock Demo - Shutterstock Create
Make images like a pro with Create, our powerful design, and photo editing tools. It's everything you need to create with confidence.
Shutterstock Demo - Create something amazing. Easy.
Get moving faster with our pro design templates.
Shutterstock Demo - AI Powered Search
Drive success, whatever your goals. Shutterstock's Predict uses AI to recommend creative assets that are predicted to perform. Get instant intel on the right images, the right templates, and the right colors to build the perfect design - instantly.
Shutterstock Demo - AI Image Generator
Ready to unleash your creativity with the power of AI? Just type a description of something to get started. Create stunning visuals instantly.
Shutterstock Demo - TurboSquid by Shutterstock
Access over a million 3D stock assets for any project.
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Shutterstock Reviews (655)

View 3 Video Reviews
Reviews

Shutterstock Reviews (655)

View 3 Video Reviews
4.4
655 reviews

Review Summary

Generated using AI from real user reviews
Users consistently praise the platform for its vast library of high-quality images and videos, which makes it a reliable resource for creative projects. The intuitive search filters help users quickly find the visuals they need, enhancing their workflow. However, many reviews note that the subscription costs can be high, particularly for infrequent users.

Pros & Cons

Generated from real user reviews
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Diego P.
DP
CEO
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Difficult Cancellation Process Makes Subscription Frustrating"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

The selection of stock images available here is impressive and distinct from what you typically see on other sites, which was the main reason I chose this service. With the membership, you can download 10 high-quality assets each month, which I find sufficient for the needs of a small company. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

I don't consider myself a difficult customer—quite the opposite, in fact. However, my experience with Shutterstock has been by far the worst I've had with any stock service or subscription.

When I first started using Shutterstock, I noticed that it was overpriced, but that's their choice. To get a more reasonable rate, you have to commit to a yearly subscription paid monthly, which is their policy and I accepted it.

The real issue arose when I tried to cancel my subscription. If you attempt to cancel before the end of the year-long commitment, you are required to pay all the remaining monthly payments upfront, and you lose access to the service for the rest of the period!

There is no option to simply "Cancel Auto-renewal." If you want to continue using the credits you've paid for, you have to stay subscribed and remember to cancel exactly on the renewal date. If you miss that window, they will charge you for another full year, and if you then try to cancel, you'll have to pay for the entire next year without being able to use your credits.

I contacted their support three times, and each time they apologized and told me those were the terms I had agreed to. But I never agreed to be locked into a service that's nearly impossible to cancel!

Again, I don't have an issue with their pricing or subscription terms themselves, but making it so difficult to cancel auto-renewal feels abusive and unsettling. It leaves you feeling completely powerless.

In the end, I managed to cancel my subscription, but only after paying the cancellation fee because I had no other choice. It's a disappointing experience.

Please, don't make the same mistake I did. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

MR
Marketing Team
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Extensive Stock Library with Top-Quality Visuals"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

Shutterstock is a website that has range of stock photos, videos, GIFs graphics, vector designs etc available for free and paid downloading. This website has almost each and every kind of relatable picture that we look for our business and use for editing purposes to promote on our social media pages. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

One and only thing that I dislike about shutterstock is that most of the premium photographs and videos in available in this platform are paid when they are in high definition and the free photos are mostly in lower quality so if you want to get access of high end content then you will have to buy it's costly premium plan Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

♠ Äñkµr G.
♠G
3D modeling and texturing Artist
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Massive High-Quality Library with Fast Downloads and Precise Search"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

Shutterstock offers a massive, high-quality library of images, videos, and graphics that saves me a lot of time during projects. The search filters are very accurate, making it easy to find exactly what I need. The platform is user-friendly, downloads are fast, and licensing is clear and straightforward. It’s reliable for both creative and commercial work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

Some premium assets can feel slightly expensive, especially for frequent downloads. Occasionally, similar-looking results appear in search, which makes browsing a bit time-consuming. A more flexible pricing structure or additional subscription options would make it even better. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Konjengbam  M.
KM
BDR
Financial Services
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"All-in-One Media Platform for Effortless Promotions"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

This platform provides all media needs that we can use for promotions and advertisement. It have tons of option from where we could select media that will fit our needs. I love this platform for its user friendly interface and ability to provide the best requirement with its powerful search engine. Its AI is of great assistance and the best part is its its capability to assist in the design. It AI is also available for a reasonable price which makes this platform more attractive. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

I wish if we could know where the pictures are used. That would allow us to differentiate from the competitors or we could avoid using the same media content being used by our immediate competitor. I also wish that the price of the media content was a little bit high sometimes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

RT
Marketing Team
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"High-Quality Content, But Lacks Built-In Editing Tools"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

I like accessing best quality of audio and video files through shutterstock and it also provides us high definition images of different varieties in the free version. But we are not able to download any video files that's why we have subscribed its premium plan for premium contents. So, we generally use shutter stock to get the best online digital contents mainly in the form of images and use them on different type of design work and Instagram posts. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

There is no proper editing tool in the shutter stock software as they have a large range of stock photos and video library on their website but whenever we want to edit some photos on shutterstock. We are not able to do it then for editing we download these photos and use a third party software to get the work done. This increases the total time consumption in creating best designs for our business. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

NM
Technical Team Lead
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Great Source of High Definition Photos And Videos"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

I like shutterstock because this platform help us in accessing lots of different varieties of photos and videos which are in high definition and 4K. Also this platform provides a rage of digital contents that too free of cost and their data is also copyright free that's why I use it everyday to download some of best images that could help our designers to create beautiful designs Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

The videos that this platform provides are totally paid you cannot download a single video in the free version of this tool and one feature that shutterstock lacks is AI image generation because nowadays only getting access to stock copy right free images is not enough for developing best designs you also need some AI generated images to get the work done. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ashu L.
AL
Senior Analyst
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Shutterstock is great for variety of visuals"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

So ideally use Shutterstock and I like the high-quality images, illustrations and videos that I can get some shutter stock and the search filters and licensing options of Shutterstock are very easy and timesaving that helps me so usual dashboard and images easily. As part of my data work, I have to create more engaging, professional and easy to understand stories that require shutter stocks, images, so it’s very useful for me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

Even when shutterstock offers high quality content but its licensing cost is very high for frequent and large scale use. Also one more thing i dislike about it is that few of the niches or if I being very specific for the visuals then it takes more time to refine the search. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Aritro B.
AB
Product Specialist
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Most convenient way to get the professional content and upload our own creative content."
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

Shutterstock has got a massive base of very high quality content. Millions of content makes it one of the best updated base out there. Additionally, the browsing and accessing these content is super easy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

The subscription plan is little bit expensive and the originality actually suffers a little bit as so many persons ae accessing this content. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Dharan P.
DP
ETL Developer
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Review on Shutterstock"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

it has got vast collection of libraries for images for images , vectors and videos. Easy to use for basic level and good collection of tools search optins and user interface is so good. Friendly for regular searches and provides licensing which is a great option. Frequency of use is like if you are a member you need to check on the contents. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

Major issue found in customer service and they are not so responsive. Complicated subscription and hidden charges. The AI option is not so effective. Licensing terms is difficult to understand as more clarity is required. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

AT
Software Engineer
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Shutterstock Review"
What do you like best about Shutterstock?

I love Shutterstock for its vast collection of high-quality images and videos. It’s super easy to search for exactly what I need with detailed filters. Plus, the licensing is clear, and the subscription plans offer flexibility. It’s a go-to for any creative project. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shutterstock?

It has been very simple to use and implement and I have been using it frequently for the past 2 years. I love its latest features and integrations. I really don't have any dislikes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Questions about Shutterstock? Ask real users or explore answers from the community

Get practical answers, real workflows, and honest pros and cons from the G2 community or share your insights.

HafizMuhammad A.
HA
HafizMuhammad Arslan
Last activity about 4 years ago

Can I download the videos from Shutterstock which are greater than 3minutes

Shofin  N.
SN
Shofin Nuray

Have your photos been successfully sold via Shutterstock?

Pricing Insights

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

5 months

Return on Investment

13 months

Average Discount

9%

Perceived Cost

$$$$$

How much does Shutterstock cost?

Data powered by BetterCloud.

Estimated Price

$$k - $$k

Per Year

Based on data from 12 purchases.

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Shutterstock Features
Free Footage
Pay Per Image
Subscription
Animation
4K High Definition
Sounds Effects
Cross-system Integration
Cross-system Integration
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Shutterstock