Getty Images
Professional stock media platform offering royalty-free images, vectors, illustrations, editorial photos, videos, and music.
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What is Getty Images?
Getty Images is a professional stock media platform offering an unrivaled collection of royalty-free images, vectors, illustrations, editorial photos, videos, and music for commercial and creative projects. The platform provides over 84 million embeddable images and extensive archival content, serving businesses, marketers, designers, editors, and content creators who need high-quality, legally-safe visual assets.
Getty Images pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Getty Images offers multiple pricing options: Single Asset Licensing for individual downloads (small images start around $175, high-resolution images can cost $429); Ultra Packs providing bulk image packages with up to 30% discount (10 high-resolution images or 4K videos can cost $4,250); Subscription plans starting at $49.99/month for 10 images/month or $125/month for 25 images/month with no daily/monthly download limits on Premium Access; Premium Access enterprise plans customized based on content type and quantity requiring direct sales contact; API has a free entry tier for evaluation and prototyping but real limits require paid plans. Royalty-free licenses are the standard for most content, while rights-managed editorial images use specific use-based licensing.
Getty Images pros
- Vast library of over 84 million embeddable images
- High-quality premium and exclusive content not available elsewhere
- Strong editorial and archival content depth
- Royalty-free licenses allow unlimited use in multiple projects
- Advanced search filters for creative, editorial, orientation, and more
- Search by image feature to find visually similar content
- Market Freeze option for temporary content exclusivity
- Rights & Clearance services to secure usage rights for any visual
- VisualGPS Insight tool for trend analysis by region and industry
- API access with RESTful JSON API and SDKs for developers
- Embeddable images for websites without hosting
- Industry-leading legal protections and copyright clearance
- Team collaboration features with user seats on Premium Access
- Custom Solutions for original on-brief imagery and commissions
- Triple Scoop Music tracks safelisted for social media use
Getty Images cons
- No free tier for actual image downloads
- High pricing compared to competitors like Shutterstock
- Single high-resolution images can cost $175-$429
- Subscription plans start at $49.99/month and are customized
- Not suitable for casual bloggers or YouTubers on tight budgets
- Paid licenses from packs/subscriptions are not transferable
- Complex layered licensing structure can be confusing
- Editorial images generally priced higher than creative content
- No rights-managed licenses for creative images anymore
- Requires direct contact with sales for most enterprise pricing
Frequently asked questions about Getty Images
What is a royalty-free license from Getty Images?
A royalty-free license is Getty Images' standard license for most photos, illustrations, videos, and audio files. It lets you use content in advertising, websites, blogs, presentations, video productions, podcasts, and more. You only pay for the initial download and don't pay royalties each time you use it. The license allows unlimited use wherever and for as long as you want within the terms of the content license agreement.
What is the difference between creative and editorial images?
Creative media encompasses photographs taken by photographers on various subjects, similar to images commonly found online. Editorial content is more specialized, featuring images from live events, typically licensed for newspapers, magazines, websites, and blogs. Editorial images are generally priced higher than creative content.
Are Getty Images licenses transferable to clients?
You can transfer license ownership to a third-party individual or company (such as a client) by entering their name in the Licensee field in the Reference notes section of checkout. However, licenses purchased with prepaid packs or subscriptions are not transferable.
What happened to rights-managed creative images?
Getty Images moved to an entirely royalty-free creative image collection that includes the best of their former creative rights-managed images, making licensing easier and more affordable. They no longer license any creative RM images, though any creative image with an active rights-managed license remains available under those terms until the license term expires.
Can I use Getty Images audio content for social media?
Yes, all Triple Scoop Music tracks are Safelisted for use on social media. You can post videos hassle-free to sites like YouTube and TikTok without needing to provide proof of clearance.
What is Market Freeze?
Market Freeze allows you to temporarily remove one or more visuals from Getty Images' content library, preventing others from licensing the same assets from any of their sites. This makes your project uniquely yours by ensuring exclusivity for as long as you continue paying for it.
Does Getty Images offer a free trial or free downloads?
Getty Images is clearly business-oriented and not suitable for those seeking free stock photo sites. There is no free tier for actual image downloads. The API has a free entry tier for evaluation, prototyping, and low-volume integrations, but real limits and pricing require paid plans.
What is VisualGPS Insight?
VisualGPS Insight is a tool that allows you to investigate popular search terms and refine results by region, industry, and timeframe. It can compare two keywords and shows selected thumbnails corresponding to your query, helpful for understanding visual trends.
What legal protections does Getty Images provide?
Getty Images provides industry-leading legal protections including usage rights, a world-class Rights & Clearance team, and secure copyright protection. Every downloaded file comes with a license allowing use per the content license agreement, and using content without licensing constitutes copyright infringement with potential liability.
How do I get enterprise or custom pricing?
Premium Access plans are tailor-made and require direct communication with Getty Images sales. You need to discuss your content type and quantity requirements to get a customized quote. Sales representatives can also help find the perfect licensing solution by filling out the editorial licensing contact form.