Shutterstock Stock Media

Shutterstock — The World's Leading Subscription-Based Creative Asset Platform

Shutterstock is a global visual content platform headquartered in New York City, founded in 2003 by entrepreneur and programmer Jon Oringer, who initially uploaded 30,000 of his own photos to launch the service on a subscription model — pioneering the micro-payment stock media industry. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012 (ticker: SSTK). In January 2025, Shutterstock announced a merger with Getty Images, which would form the world's largest visual content group upon completion.

Core Content Resources

• Massive Image Library: Over 700 million assets including high-resolution photos, vectors, illustrations, and GIFs, with approximately 100,000 new assets added every week, spanning hundreds of themes from business and lifestyle to nature and technology.
• Professional Video Footage: Millions of high-quality video clips in resolutions up to 4K, covering advertising, documentary, and social media content production needs.
• Music and Sound Effects: Curated royalty-free music and professional sound effects via PremiumBeat, tailored for video creators and filmmakers.
• 3D Assets: Professional-grade 3D models and scene assets suited for architectural visualization, game development, and industrial design.
• Editorial Photography: Real-time and archival news, sports, and entertainment images, with clearly delineated commercial and editorial licensing terms.
• Generative AI Tool: A built-in AI image generator trained on licensed Shutterstock content, producing commercially safe and copyright-protected outputs — ideal for enterprise clients with compliance requirements.
• Shutterstock Studios: A custom content production service enabling enterprise clients to commission end-to-end creative projects, from concept to delivery.
• Data Licensing: Rights-cleared training datasets for AI companies and technology firms, fulfilling the demand for compliant machine learning data.

Licensing and Pricing

• Subscription Plans: Monthly or annual subscriptions with a set number of downloads per month (e.g., 10 per month); the most cost-effective option for designers and media teams with regular usage needs.
• On-Demand Packs: Flexible credit packs for users with lower or irregular usage, purchased and redeemed as needed.
• Enterprise Solutions: Custom licensing agreements, team account management, and API integration for large organizations and media companies.

Creator Ecosystem

Shutterstock has built a thriving global creator community of over 2 million photographers, illustrators, and videographers. All submitted content undergoes rigorous human review, and contributors earn royalty payouts each time their work is downloaded — with the platform having paid out over $1 billion in earnings to creators to date.

Who It's For

Shutterstock serves advertising agencies, graphic designers, video production teams, corporate marketing departments, social media managers, publishers, and AI developers. It is one of the core platforms in the global paid stock media market, and operates in China through its exclusive distribution partner Zcool (站酷海洛).