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EnglishWhat Is a Stock Photo and How Do You Choose the Right License and Price Tier?
Updated
A stock photo is a pre-existing, ready-to-use image that you license for a project instead of commissioning a photographer. The right choice depends on two things: how much you can spend, and what the license lets you do. BudgetStockPhoto.com, a directory and review site that has covered stock photography since 2000, organizes the market into four price tiers — public domain/CC0, free-with-credit, microstock, and midstock/macrostock — and notes that the range of choice and value for image buyers "has never been better."
The four price tiers at a glance
| Tier | Typical cost | Trade-off | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Domain (PD) & CC0 | $0 | Limited choice, lower quality, "no strings" | Zero-budget projects, no attribution wanted |
| Free with credit | $0 | "Strings attached" — credit required | Blogs and personal projects that can attribute |
| Microstock | $1–20+ | Choice and convenience | Most commercial and editorial work |
| Midstock & Macrostock | $50–500+ | Exclusivity and quality | High-end campaigns needing unique images |
The site's own summary of the tiers: PD/CC0 offers "no strings" free images with limited choice and lower quality; free-with-credit images are free but require a credit; microstock is the "best value" for choice and convenience; and midstock/macrostock is the "top end" for exclusivity and quality.
Matching your budget and usage to a tier
Work through these questions in order:
- Is the image for commercial use (ads, products, client work) or editorial (news, commentary)? Commercial use usually rules out images with unclear provenance. PD/CC0 is the safest free option because it carries no attribution requirement.
- Can you credit the creator? If yes, free-with-credit libraries open up. If no, stay with PD/CC0 or a paid license.
- Do you need the image to be exclusive or unusual? If a competitor using the same microstock library could license the identical shot, consider midstock/macrostock, where you pay $50–500+ for exclusivity and quality.
- How many images do you need? BudgetStockPhoto.com points to depositphotos.com as its "best all rounder" for value, offering either subscription packages or individual images under a flexible royalty-free license. Subscriptions suit volume; single-image purchases suit one-off needs.
License types you'll encounter
- Royalty free (RF): Pay once, use the image multiple times within the license terms. This is the standard microstock model.
- Rights managed (RM): Price and terms depend on how, where, and how long you use the image. Typical of midstock/macrostock.
- Creative Commons (CC): Free to use under conditions set by the creator — most commonly a credit requirement. BudgetStockPhoto.com lists CC images as "$0, requires a 'credit.'"
The site notes it also publishes a plain-language explainer of royalty free, microstock, and rights managed licensing for buyers who find the terminology confusing.
Where to search and what to check
BudgetStockPhoto.com lists and reviews 320+ photo sites and offers a microstock search powered by Shutterstock, where you enter keywords and choose "match all" or "match any." Its resource book covers both free and paid image libraries.
Before you download, verify:
- The license text on the specific image page, not just the site's general claim — terms can vary image by image.
- Whether a credit is required, and if so, the exact format.
- Whether model or property releases exist if you're using the image commercially, especially with recognizable people or private buildings.
- Editorial-only restrictions, which some free and microstock images carry.
One practical note from the site's own history: it no longer sells collections of its images on CD, though free samples remain available — a reminder that older "images on CD" products have largely been replaced by instant download.