If you’re a web developer, then you know all about the importance of stock photos. You can’t design a webpage that’s attractive and engaging without them. Not every photo that you’re going to use will be original, so you need a source for stock images.
Adobe Stock and Shutterstock are the two most popular stock photo services today.
It can be challenging to determine which is best for you if you haven’t used either. That’s why we’re here to pit the two against each other in a heads-up comparison. If you’re a Shopify store designer, then you’ll definitely want to read on. We’ll let you know which stock photo service gives you the most bang for your buck. Who will win in Adobe Stock Vs. Shutterstock? Let’s find out.
What’s Adobe Stock?
If you use the Adobe Creative Cloud, then you’re familiar with Adobe Stock, as it’s included in the program. It’s a royalty-free platform that provides stock images and videos.
It’s a subscription-based service with a monthly fee.
Adobe Stock is essential for content creators because of how it streamlines workflows. If you’re an existing Adobe user, Adobe Stock will integrate seamlessly with:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Premiere Pro
You’ll be able to download images straight into these programs. In fact, you won’t even have to close out of your project to do so. You can import Adobe Stock images into these platforms in real-time.
All the content on Adobe Stock is 100% royalty-free. That’s a dream come true for web developers since you can customize the content as you see fit. Feel free to amend and reform content so that it works for your project.
So, what types of photos and videos can you find? Anything and everything.
Adobe Stock contains an impressive library of 200 million images. They’re all categorized for your convenience. Simply search for the type of content that you want, and relevant results will show up.
Let’s say that you’re designing a Shopify storefront that sells handmade jewelry.
You’ll have the photos of your products and possibly of yourself for the About Us page, and that’s it. To get rid of unused space, you can add stock images that relate to your store’s theme.
A quick search on Adobe Stock will yield millions of results in seconds.
You can find engaging stock photos of jewelers and other related content. That will fill in the gaps and make your Shopify store more visually attractive.
Lots of independent photographers and content creators make income on Adobe Stock. After all, the platform has to obtain royalty-free images somewhere. Photographers that are eager to get their name out there and earn money love Adobe Stock.
Adobe Stock Features and Benefits
Adobe Stock has many beneficial features for its users. The platform goes to great efforts to ensure only premium content gets through. They have a team of experts that review each image and piece of content.
There’s also a lot more than photos and videos on Adobe Stock. Other content includes:
- 3D models
- Templates
- Vector graphics
As you can see, Adobe Stock is an all-inclusive library of all sorts of media. It’s a lifesaver for content creators who need stock images, templates, videos, and more. You can always rely on Adobe Stock to provide you with premium quality content for your web pages.
A considerable benefit of Adobe Stock is the ability to preview an image into your design before you buy it.
You’ll be able to select an image that you think will work and then apply it to your website. That way, you can know for sure if it’s the photo that you need. You can preview as many images as you’d like before buying the one that fits the best.
That saves you from purchasing images that don’t work well with your existing design. That’s a feature that’s exclusive to Adobe Stock.
Another benefit is the intelligent search engine that Adobe Stock uses. The platform makes use of state-of-the-art technology to curate the image results. Through a combination of keywords and machine learning, it can provide you with the most relevant images from the library.
Of course, existing Adobe users will benefit the most from using the platform. That’s because of how seamlessly it integrates with other Adobe programs. Yet, it’s still a fantastic platform that will work well with any software.
Adobe Stock Pricing
Here’s a breakdown of Adobe Stock’s subscription pricing plan:
- 3 to 10 images: $29.99 per month
- 40 images: $99.99 per month
- 350 images: $199.99 per month
- 750 images: $249.99 per month
The most basic plan runs at $29.99 per month, making it a very affordable option. If you’re a developer that needs an occasional stock image, this is the plan to go for overall.
If your design work incorporates much more stock content, you should go with one of the higher plans. Now that we’ve taken a look at Adobe Stock let’s look at Shutterstock next.
What’s Shutterstock?
Okay, now it’s time to talk about Shutterstock, another stock photo platform. Shutterstock provides images, videos, music, plugins, and more. As an older website, Shutterstock has been online for two decades now. It’s built quite a reputation for itself during that time and has partnered with many major companies.
They’ve also built a gigantic library of stock content. There are 360 million images on Shutterstock, making it larger than Adobe Stock.
There’s a lot more than just images, too. Shutterstock has vector graphics, music, illustrations, and more. There are over 200 million types of content available on the platform.
Shutterstock also has a bustling community of creators and contributors. It’s free to sign up as a content creator, which is appealing.
So far, Shutterstock has paid out a whopping $250 million to its contributors. It’s definitely a lucrative place to provide content if you take photos or videos.
Shutterstock also practices quality control for its content. Just because it has a lot of content creators doesn’t mean that there are no standards for quality. A team of reviewers scours every new entry with a fine-tooth comb to make sure it meets company standards.
Shutterstock Features and Benefits
Shutterstock has the most extensive library of content on the web. They have more images than Adobe Stock, with 360 million available. There’s also a wide variety of content, including music, videos, vectors, and more.
Since Shutterstock has been around for over 20 years, they’ve built a massive library and community. Shutterstock content creators are among the most dedicated out there today.
Lots of talented photographers, videographers, and designers use Shutterstock to showcase their work.
As a result, the platform has a ton of high-quality content. Shutterstock will more than get the job done if you’re in search of stock content to use on your website.
Shutterstock Labs is another bonus of using the platform. It contains a library of products and functions for app developers. If you’re looking for magnitude, Shutterstock certainly has it.
Shutterstock Pricing Plans
Here’s where the big drawback to Shutterstock comes through, the pricing. Not only that, but the company has had lots of complaints in the past from customers claiming foul play. Shutterstock is also definitely more expensive than Adobe Stock.
The minimum pricing plan for Shutterstock comes in at $49 per month for only ten assets. That’s a whole $20 difference from the basic Adobe Stock plan.
Shutterstock’s maximum subscription is $249 per month for 750 assets. As you can see, it’s an expensive platform to use. While it has a robust library of content, you may find that you get more value out of going with Adobe Stock.
Adobe Stock Vs. Shutterstock: Head to Head
Now that you know more about both platforms, let’s make a direct comparison. We’ll start by comparing the libraries of both. Adobe Stock contains 200 million royalty-free images and content. Since Shutterstock has 360 million images, they have a more extensive library.
Yet, when you factor in the higher cost for a subscription, things start to even out. As we stated, the subscription rate for Shutterstock is a full $20 more expensive than Adobe Stock.
Another comparison is the ability to preview an image before buying it. Adobe Stock has this feature, but Shutterstock does not.
Then there’s the issue of the complaints customers have had with Shutterstock in the past. Despite being around for so long, they still struggle with their reputation.
The same isn’t true for Adobe, which has a rock-solid reputation among users. That, and Adobe Stock integrates seamlessly with Adobe programs.
Adobe Stock Vs Shutterstock ( quick video )
Our Recommendation
Here’s our pick for the winner in Adobe Stock Vs. Shutterstock:
- Adobe Stock gets the win
While Shutterstock may have more content, the added expense isn’t worth it. Adobe Stock has millions of high-quality images and is very affordable. You can also preview as many images as you’d like, which is a huge plus.
If you’re a website designer or website owner in search of stock content, we recommend going with Adobe Stock. You’ll get great value for your money, and the platform has an excellent reputation. That’s especially true if you’re already an Adobe user. To check out Adobe Stock visit this link here.
