Shutterstock vs Yay Images
Shutterstock
shutterstock.comYay Images
yayimages.comSide by side
| Figure | Shutterstock | Yay Images |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 10 |
| Spec score · Stock Photo Websites | 8.4 (#13) | 9.0 (#6) |
| Spec score · Stock Illustration Websites | 7.7 (#20) | 8.3 (#11) |
| Founded | 2003 | Company profiles place the launch or founding in January 2008. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Product | Shutterstock provides licensed photos, vectors, illustrations, video, 3D models, music, and sound effects through a searchable creative platform. | Yay Images offers royalty-free stock images, videos and vectors for creative projects. |
| Support | Shutterstock offers a 24/7 multilingual AI support agent that can connect customers to a live agent during live support hours. | The contact page says support inquiries are typically handled within 2–3 business days. |
Plans
Shutterstock
- Image downloadsPriced on request
- Image downloadsPrice not published
- Image packsPrice not published
- Image packsPriced on request
- Image pack$29, paid once
- Image downloads (10 per month)$300 a year
- Unlimited Images$348 a year
- Unlimited Plus$828 a year
- Teams and EnterprisePriced on request
Yay Images
- Unlimited Single SeatPrice not published
- 50 Credits$50 a month
- Free account downloadsFree
- Unlimited Plan$8.25 a month
- 50 Credits$25, paid once
- 50 Credits$25, paid once
- Mighty Plan$49 a month
- Max Plan$99 a month
- Lifetime Membership$149, paid once
- Lifetime Membership$149, paid once
In their own words
Shutterstock
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.
Yay Images
Yay Images is a web service for royalty-free stock images, videos, and vectors, with search tools and image-generation utilities. Its homepage lists more than 29.69 million images, 307.15 thousand HD videos, and 4.41 million vectors. The AI image generator makes images from text prompts and offers photographic, digital art, and cinematic styles. Its upscaler provides 2x, 3x, and 4x options. Search can be narrowed by color hues, number of people, text space, or orientation, and includes image search. Listed formats are JPEG for images, EPS or SVG for vectors, and MP4 or MOV for video. Standard and extended royalty-free licenses are available, but account licenses are limited to the account owner and their employees. A free account provides 10 downloads per day after account creation. The Unlimited Plan is listed at $8.25 a month, with a yearly option at 99.00 USD every 12 months; a 50-credit option is $50 a month as a one-time payment. Automated scripted downloads are prohibited, and some unlimited-plan users may be capped at 30 downloads per day.