iStock

Name: iStock
Price: 14.99 USD

Free plan APIWeb

What iStock is

iStock licenses royalty-free photos, illustrations, vectors, and video clips for projects such as advertising, websites, blogs, presentations, podcasts, and video productions. Its Essentials collection is for everyday content, while Signature contains handpicked material exclusive to iStock. AI editing tools can add or remove objects, extend images, change backgrounds, edit by prompt, and upscale generated images to 4K. iStock says its AI is trained exclusively on licensed material, not web-scraped visuals or data, and generated images receive automatic legal protection of $10,000 per image. Every licensed file has a $10,000 USD legal guarantee, with an extended option up to $250,000 USD. Basic and Premium annual plans each list 10 downloads per month, at $29/user/mo and $70/user/mo respectively. Free content includes one Signature photo each week and free illustrations and video clips each month. The service lists API access and a Dropbox linking plugin. A free plan is listed, alongside paid plans.

Who it suits

iStock may suit people sourcing licensed visual assets for marketing, publishing, presentations, or video projects. Its AI tools may also suit users who want to modify images or upscale generated images to 4K.

What it does well

Library includes photos, illustrations, vectors, and video.
AI tools can extend images and change backgrounds.
Generated images include $10,000 legal protection per image.
One free Signature photo is offered each week.
API access is listed.

What to know first

Basic and Premium list 10 downloads per month.
Basic costs $29/user/mo on an annual plan.
Premium costs $70/user/mo on an annual plan.

Limits

Basic and Premium each include 10 downloads per month. Essentials photos, vectors, and illustrations cost 1 credit; Signature versions cost 3 credits. Essentials video clips cost 6 credits and Signature video clips cost 18 credits.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Unlimited AI	monthly · Unlimited AI generations and downloads · unlimited iStock image modifications · 4K upscaling	$14.99 a month
Basic	monthly · 10 downloads/month shown · options 10, 25, 50 or 750 · Essentials photos, vectors and illustrations · up to 250 unused downloads rollover	$29 a month
Premium	monthly · 10 downloads/month shown · options 10, 25, 50 or 750 · Essentials and Signature images · up to 250 unused downloads rollover	$70 a month
Premium + Video	monthly · 10 downloads/month shown · options 10, 25, 50 or more · all images, videos, music tracks and sound effects	$99 a month

As istockphoto.com lists them, read 1 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the iStock website.
Choose a plan: Basic or Premium billed annually, Premium + Video, or Unlimited AI billed monthly.
Use the web service or API to access iStock.
Link Dropbox through the iStock Plugins page if you want to access, share, and collaborate on content across devices.
Browse the library or use the AI tools to modify images.

Verdict

iStock combines a royalty-free visual library with AI editing tools, API access, and free content offerings. The listed annual Basic and Premium plans each cap downloads at 10 per month.

Questions

How much does iStock cost?

Basic costs $29 a month on an annual plan, and Premium costs $70 a month on an annual plan. Premium + Video is listed at $125 a month; Unlimited AI costs $14.99 a month.

Is there free content?

Yes. iStock offers one free Signature photo each week, plus free illustrations and video clips each month.

How many downloads do Basic and Premium include?

Both plans include 10 downloads per month. Credit costs vary by collection and asset type.

Which platforms and access options are listed?

The listed platforms are web and API. A plugin can link Dropbox for accessing, sharing, and collaborating on content across devices.

What does the library include?

iStock licenses royalty-free photos, illustrations, vectors, and video clips. Essentials is for everyday content, while Signature contains premium handpicked content exclusive to iStock.

What legal protection is included?

Each licensed file includes a $10,000 USD legal guarantee, with an Extended Legal Guarantee available up to $250,000 USD. AI-generated images include automatic legal protection of $10,000 per image.

Facts from iStock's own pages

AI editing: The iStock AI tools can add or remove objects, extend images, replace or remove backgrounds, edit by prompt and upscale generated images to 4K. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
AI legal protection: AI-generated images include automatic legal protection of $10,000 per image. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
AI training: iStock says its AI is trained exclusively on licensed content, including its creative library, without web-scraped visuals or data. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
API access: Yes · istockphoto.com, 24 Sept 2026
Collections: The library has Essentials for affordable everyday content and Signature for premium handpicked content exclusive to iStock. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
Content library: iStock licenses royalty-free photos, illustrations, vectors and video clips for advertising, websites, blogs, presentations, video productions, podcasts and more. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
Contributor AI policy: iStock does not accept AI-generated content from contributors, and AI-generated or modified images remain separate from its visual library. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
Credit limits: Essentials photos, vectors and illustrations cost 1 credit, Signature photos, vectors and illustrations cost 3 credits, Essentials video clips cost 6 credits and Signature video clips cost 18 credits. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
Editorial assets: Yes · istockphoto.com, 24 Sept 2026
Free content: iStock offers one free Signature photo each week and free illustrations and video clips each month. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
Illustration assets: Yes · istockphoto.com, 24 Sept 2026
Integrations: The iStock Plugins page supports linking Dropbox so users can access, share and collaborate with content across devices. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
License protection: Every licensed file includes a $10,000 USD legal guarantee, with an Extended Legal Guarantee available up to $250,000 USD. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
Monthly downloads: 10 · istockphoto.com, 24 Sept 2026
Privacy and compliance: iStockphoto LP is a Getty Images subsidiary and says its privacy policy addresses data security, privacy rights and responsibilities under applicable data-protection laws. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
Support: iStock says it aims to respond to web-form support requests within 24 business hours. · istockphoto.com, 1 Oct 2026
Included team seats: 1 · istockphoto.com, 24 Sept 2026
Vector assets: Yes · istockphoto.com, 24 Sept 2026