Compare stock licensing revenue with tools for selling photos directly. Check creator shares, seller costs, exclusivity and payout terms for each model.
15 platforms
US / USD unless labelled
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Stock photos and video
You keep 33% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Standard licenses | |
| 67% | Photos and vectorsYou keep 33% |
| 65% | VideoYou keep 35% |
Large subscriptions pay a flat $0.33 to $0.38 per image instead.
Stock photos and video
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Six levels | |
| 85% | Level 1You keep 15% |
| 60% | Level 6You keep 40% |
Your level rises with downloads and resets on 1 January. Its pages give different payout minimums.
Stock photos and video
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Royalty | |
| 55–85% | By agreementYou keep 15–45% |
Exclusive contributors earn higher rates.
Stock photos and video
You keep 15% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| By yearly license fees | |
| 85% | Bronze, under $250You keep 15% |
| 80% | Silver, $250 to $3,000You keep 20% |
| 60% | Gold, $3,000 to $25,000You keep 40% |
| 50% | Platinum, exclusiveYou keep 50%, from $25,000 |
| Students | |
| 0% | Direct sales for 2 yearsYou keep 100% |
Your tier depends on the license fees you earned over the year.
Stock photos and video
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Royalty | |
| 50–75% | Non-exclusive filesYou keep 25–50% |
| 45–72.5% | Exclusive filesYou keep 27.5–55% |
| 40% | Exclusive contributorsYou keep 60% |
The first 100 accepted files each earn a 20¢ upload bonus.
Stock photos and video
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Packs, by level | |
| 70% | Green levelYou keep 30% |
| 62% | Platinum levelYou keep 38% |
| Other | |
| $0.25–0.33 | Per subscription image |
| 60% | Music subscription poolArtists share 40% |
Video pays 30–38% and audio 34–42%, by level.
Stock photos and video
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Credit downloads, by level | |
| 70% | Level 1You keep 30% |
| 40% | Level 8You keep 60% |
| Subscriptions | |
| $0.22–0.43 | Per download |
Your level is based on downloads over the past 12 months.
Artist-owned stock co-op
You keep 50% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Stocksy | |
| 50% | Standard licensesYou keep 50% |
| 25% | Extended licensesYou keep 75% |
Stocksy is a co-op. Members can also get a share of any yearly surplus.
Photography store
You keep 100% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Picfair Plus | |
| 0% | Plus planYou keep your full price |
Public sales need the paid Plus plan.
Photography website
You keep 90% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Print and product orders | |
| 10% | Basic, print orders |
| 9% | Standard |
| 8% | Pro, print orders |
Processor fees are extra. License sale fees could not be confirmed.
Photography storefront
You keep 85% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| SmugMug | |
| 15% | Of your markupYou keep 85% above base costs |
SmugMug takes 15% of your profit above its print costs, not of the full order.
Photography galleries
You keep 93% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Zenfolio | |
| 7% | Order subtotalBefore tax and shipping |
The Professional plan is $11.50 a month for the first year when billed yearly.
Photography galleries
You keep 85% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Client Delivery Suite | |
| 15% | Free and Beginner |
| 8% | Professional |
| 6% | Advanced |
| Art Store | |
| 15% | Professional |
| 8% | Advanced |
| Your own payments | |
| 0% | Eligible paid plans |
Commission is on order profit. Collecting payments yourself avoids it on most paid plans.
Photography galleries
You keep 85% before other fees
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Pixieset | |
| 15% | Free plan |
| 0% | Paid plans |
Lab, shipping, tax, and card costs apply on every plan.
Image licensing
| Rate | When |
|---|---|
| Pixels.com | |
| 30% | Added to your priceYou get 100% of your asking price |
Buyers pay 30% more than your price, so you get about 77% of what they pay.