iStock vs VectorStock

iStock licenses royalty-free photos, illustrations, vectors and video clips for advertising, websites, blogs, presentations, video productions, podcasts and other uses. Its Essentials collection covers everyday content; Signature is a collection of handpicked material exclusive to iStock. The service also offers AI image editing to 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 content, not visuals or data scraped from the web, and that generated images receive automatic legal protection of $10,000 per image. Licensed files include a $10,000 USD legal guarantee, with an Extended Legal Guarantee available up to $250,000 USD. Basic costs $29 a month and Premium costs $70 a month, each billed annually with 10 downloads monthly. Premium + Video is listed at $125 a month, with a new-customer offer noted; Unlimited AI costs $14.99 a month. iStock also offers one free Signature photo each week and free illustrations and video clips each month. API access is available, and a plugin links Dropbox for accessing, sharing and collaborating on content across devices.

VectorStock is a web marketplace for finding and licensing royalty-free vector graphics. Its library advertises more than 50 million premium vectors and more than 1 million free vectors. AI search accepts natural-language descriptions of a subject, style, or composition. Files are available in AI, EPS, PDF, and SVG formats, and a customization service can adjust colors, text, layout, or other small details. The Pro License covers worldwide, perpetual commercial use for client, digital, print, merchandise, and print-on-demand projects, with unlimited impressions and print runs. Subscriptions permit up to 50 vector-image downloads per subscriber per day under the Fair Use Policy. Images licensed during an active subscription remain covered after it ends. The free license is limited to evaluation and personal use. Subscription plans are $14.99 per month or $9.99 per month billed annually as a single $119.88 upfront payment. VectorStock was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand.