Dreamstime vs Shutterstock

Dreamstime is an image asset service offering vector, illustration, and editorial assets. It provides API access and lists a free plan with five downloads per month. Image bundles are available in quantities of 5, 10, 15, 25, 200, and 750 images. Each quantity has a listed plan and an annual plan, while the provided facts do not state prices for any of them. The service is listed for the API platform. Dreamstime was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, United States. Buyers can choose among the stated asset types, use the API in supported workflows, and compare bundle sizes from five through 750 images. The free allowance supplies a defined monthly download limit, whereas the paid bundle entries identify image counts and billing periods but no amounts. Annual options cover the same six quantities as the other bundle entries. Dreamstime is also identified as the maker, with no additional platform information listed.

Shutterstock is a paid creative platform for finding and licensing photos, vectors, illustrations, video, 3D models, music, and sound effects. It is available on the web and through an API, which can bring library search and licensing into third-party applications. The company says its library contains more than 450 million images and grows by 200,000 images a day. Image tools include Expand Image, Variations, Magic Brush, and Background Remover; the remover works only on images up to 7000×5000 pixels and does not remove vector background layers. Its AI image generator returns four results per prompt, downloadable under a Standard or Enhanced license. Both licenses allow perpetual use of downloaded content; Enhanced adds permissions for merchandise, templates, and unlimited physical print runs. Unlimited plans include models from Runway, Google, OpenAI, and others, but cap downloads at 100 assets daily. Monthly subscription downloads do not roll over. The API license bars raw asset-file access or downloads and requires assets delivered in an app to be limited to projects created there. The listed 10-image subscription is $25 a year, billed yearly at $300; a one-time image pack is 29.00 USD.