Shutterstock vs Adobe Stock vs Alamy — Our Pick: Shutterstock
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Updated for 2025 Stock photos • Video • Music For marketers, designers & editors

Shutterstock vs Adobe Stock vs Alamy

We compared library size, content quality, licensing flexibility, tools, and pricing. Our pick: Shutterstock for the best overall balance of volume, variety, and easy licensing for everyday creative work.

Best overall stock library

Why we prefer Shutterstock

  • Massive library of photos, vectors, footage, and music across almost every category.
  • Simple royalty-free licensing with clear usage rights and global coverage.
  • Flexible plans: subscriptions for heavy users plus on-demand packs when you just need a few assets.
  • Strong search and filters, plus integrations and basic design tools to speed up workflows.
Heads-up: Deeply embedded in the Adobe ecosystem? Adobe Stock is ideal inside Creative Cloud. Need distinctive, editorial, or niche creative images from agencies and photographers? Alamy often has more unusual, less “stocky” content.

At a glance

Shutterstock

Best overall

Top pick for teams that need a huge, reliable stock library with straightforward licensing and strong search tools.

  • Huge volume of photos, vectors, video, and music
  • Simple royalty-free plans, subscriptions & packs
  • Great for always-on content production
Get Shutterstock

Adobe Stock

Best for Creative Cloud

Seamlessly integrated stock content for designers who live in Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and other Adobe apps.

  • Direct integration into Creative Cloud apps
  • High quality curated imagery and templates
  • Best value if you’re already in Adobe’s ecosystem
Explore Adobe Stock

Alamy

Best for unique imagery

A favorite for distinctive, editorial, and niche images from individual photographers and specialist agencies.

  • Strong editorial and real-world photography
  • Good for niche, less “stocky” visuals
  • Licensing options can be more complex than basic RF
See Alamy
What to compare Shutterstock Adobe Stock Alamy
Primary strength Best overall: library size + ease of use + flexible plans Best if you work inside Adobe Creative Cloud Best for distinctive, editorial & niche content
Library size & scope Huge, broad collection of photos, vectors, video, and music for nearly any topic Large, highly curated library tailored to design and video workflows Very wide-ranging stills, especially real-world and editorial images
Content types Photos, vectors, illustrations, footage, music, and templates Photos, vectors, footage, motion graphics, templates, and 3D assets Primarily photos & illustration; strong editorial and reportage content
Licensing model Mostly royalty-free with clear commercial usage options Royalty-free with simple licensing tied to Adobe account Mix of royalty-free and rights-managed / editorial licenses
Tools & integrations API, plugins, design tools, and in-platform editors for quick social & ad creatives Deep integration with Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and more Web-based tools and integrations for publishers & agencies
Search & discovery Fast search with strong filters, categories, and recommendations Integrated search directly inside Adobe apps + web search Detailed filters; great when you know what specific style or subject you need
Pricing & plans Subscriptions for heavy users plus on-demand packs for occasional needs Subscriptions and asset packs; good value if bundled with other Adobe services Per-image pricing and licenses; can be higher per asset but strong for specialized use
Best for teams that... Produce lots of ongoing content for marketing, social, ads, and websites Live in Creative Cloud and want frictionless stock inside their tools Need unique editorial, news, or non-generic creative imagery
Learning curve Very approachable UI, easy to onboard wider teams Simple for existing Adobe users; tied into familiar interfaces More to learn around licensing and searching niche collections
Overall value Excellent value for most businesses balancing price, volume, and choice Great value if you’re already paying for Adobe tools Best value when you specifically need the unique content only it offers
Editorial stance: Need a single go-to stock library for most projects? Choose Shutterstock. Spend your days in Photoshop, Illustrator, or Premiere Pro? Adobe Stock will feel the most seamless. Hunting for distinctive editorial or niche imagery? Alamy is a strong complement — but as an all-rounder, we still prefer Shutterstock.

Pick by use-case

Best overall stock library

Shutterstock is ideal if you need a dependable source of images, video, and music for ongoing marketing and creative work.

Get Shutterstock

Best for Creative Cloud users

Adobe Stock makes the most sense when you already use Adobe apps daily and want stock built right into your tools.

See Adobe Stock

Best for unique imagery

Alamy suits publishers and brands who care more about distinctive, real-world images than ultra-generic stock.

See Alamy

FAQ

What is stock content?
Stock content is ready-made creative material — photos, illustrations, video, music, and more — that you license for use in your own projects. Sites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Alamy let you search millions of assets and pay for the right to use them instead of commissioning every image from scratch.
Is Shutterstock royalty-free?
Shutterstock primarily offers royalty-free licenses. That means you pay once for an asset and can use it multiple times within the terms of that license (for example, up to certain print runs, views, or projects), without paying a new royalty each time it’s used. Always check the specific license details for your plan and each asset.
Can I use stock images for commercial projects?
Yes, all three platforms offer licenses suitable for commercial use — ads, websites, packaging, social media, and more — as long as the image and license type allow it. Watch out for editorial-use-only images (common on Alamy and some news content) and make sure your chosen license covers how and where you plan to use the asset.
Which stock site should I choose?
Pick Shutterstock if you want the best overall mix of size, usability, and flexible plans. Choose Adobe Stock if you live inside Creative Cloud and want tight integration. Go for Alamy when you need distinctive editorial or niche imagery that feels less like traditional stock — often as a complement to a Shutterstock or Adobe Stock subscription.

© Latest Update — Clear, honest stock site comparisons.

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