Today we will review another stock photo site known as Alamy. The platform has gained popularity among its competitors.
In this Alamy review, we will demonstrate all its features, prices, pros, and cons and compare it to its competitors! Without wasting any time, let’s jump into our article!
Review Summary
Alamy is a stock photo and video service with over 311 million images and videos. Still, the quality is modest, and prices are high compared to other platforms and the complexity of its licensing terms because the usage of the content determines the price. Alamy only sells on-demand images, or you can buy image packs to save money. Despite these flaws, Alamy remains a popular platform for buyers looking for a large collection of stock images and videos.
Pros
- Alamy boasts a vast and diverse collection of images and videos.
- Contributors receive competitive royalties for their sold images,
- Alamy’s user-friendly website and contributor portal make the uploading and managing process convenient.
Cons
- Alamy boasts a vast and diverse collection of images and videos.
- Contributors receive competitive royalties for their sold images,
- Alamy’s user-friendly website and contributor portal make the uploading and managing process convenient.
- Complicated license option with high prices
- Low quality compared to other sites
- A strict Review process can be challenging for some contributors.
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Overview
Alamy is a stock photo and video platform that was founded in 1999. It has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most diverse stock photo libraries. The platform boasts an extensive collection of over 300 million images, including photographs, vectors, and illustrations, catering to the needs of various industries and creative professionals. And over 100,000 new images are added daily to its catalog, sourced from photographers and photo agencies around the globe. Alamy has a massive collection of around 12 million 4K and HD videos.
However, Alamy has been criticized for its low image quality, high prices, and complicated licensing terms compared to other sites. Besides these drawbacks, many customers prefer Alamy due to its large collection of stock images and videos. People on tight budgets that need to download a wide variety of content can get subscriptions to cheap platforms such as Storyblocks, Envato Elements, Motion Array, Depositphotos, etc
User Interface and Navigation
Alamy allows you to navigate their site with easy and advanced search tools. The site is user-friendly, and everyone can understand it for the first time. You can find content easily by image search, upload the related picture, and it will find you the desired results. Or you can filter your search results by People’s age, gender, ethnicity, location, and Viewpoint, and also sort the option from the new collection to the most popular, etc. And you can also store images you find and like when you’re searching, saving them for later should you decide to purchase them.
Alamy Licensing Options
Alamy offers images under various licensing options, allowing buyers to choose the most suitable license for their specific needs. While Alamy only sells on-demand prints or image packs, meaning you buy each image individually. However, it is more expensive than other stock photography sites offering subscriptions. Alamy licenses its content in these ways:
Usage Based License
This option allows you to buy each license separately, which is an expensive option for using images.
Royalty-Free Image Licenses
This licensed option allows you to use images across multiple projects without extra charges flexibly.
Custom License
Alamy offers custom usage rights according to your needs. Whether you’re a smaller business owner or a well-established company, contact Alamy through support and get access to your custom rights.
Alamy Pricing
Alamy offers only on-demand purchase options, and the prices start as low as $6.96 per download, or the fee depends on the license type and image usage. Customers can purchase single images, or the other option is image packs. These image packs start from 5 photos per pack to 25 images per pack. The larger pack you buy, the lower the price per image. Thus, you should always purchase the option that fits your needs.
Alamy Library
Alamy has a massive library of over 342 million stock media content contributed by professional artists from all around the globe, and over 100,000 new assets are added daily. From stock photos and videos to vector illustrations and live news editorial images, you can find everything on Alamy except Music and SFX. In the library, you can easily find everything you want in your social media posts, News blogs, or video post-production. Let’s take a detailed look at what Alamy got for its users.
Alamy Stock Photo
The Alamy image library offers high-resolution images. You can find desired photos through multiple categories such as nature, business, technology, etc. You can filter the search result by ethnicity, orientation, viewpoint, style, file size, etc. Before downloading the image, select the license you want to use.
Vector & Illustration
You can find thousands of vectors, illustrations, and clip art on Alamy from the best designers and artists. You can download these vectors and illustrations in different dimensions. You can also download the watermarked image to preview it more closely.
Editorial Photos
Alamy also offers a massive collection of editorial images for News Bloggers, Youtubers, and other creators. You can find editorial photos of many celebrities from today to the last 20 years. These images can be very helpful for magazine bloggers, news channels, or YouTubers to help represent an event or tell a story that requires illustrations of people or circumstances for informative purposes. But you can not use these photos for advertising and promotion purposes.
Live News Photos
Alamy offers a live news collection for the latest news, sport, and entertainment images. These live news feed images would likely include photographs of recent events, news stories, and developments worldwide. Media organizations often rely on such services to access high-quality images quickly for their news articles, reports, and broadcasts.
360° images
Alamy’s collection of 360° images likely includes a diverse range of subjects, from landscapes and travel destinations to interiors, architecture, and more. These images can be a valuable resource for businesses, designers, and content creators looking to enhance their projects with dynamic and interactive visuals.
Alamy Stock Videos
Alamy video library offers a vast selection of high-quality stock footage, including 4K and HD video clips. Has a huge collection of 12 million+ clips, which covers various topics and categories. Filter the search results by Resolution, duration, and FPS to find relevant footage quickly. These high-resolution clips are suitable for professional use and provide multiple editing versatility. You can download the files in MP4 format with various resolutions. You can download and preview the watermarked video before purchasing it.
Alamy Contributor Program
Alamy has the largest community of contributors in around 170+ countries. The Alamy contributor program is one of the highest-paying photography sites, producing over 45% of commissions on your content. But before uploading your content, you should go through a Strict Review Process that can be challenging for some contributors, leading to potential rejections.
Alamy Review Process
Image Quality and Requirements: Alamy has a rigorous review process for all submitted images to maintain high standards. This ensures that only high-quality and relevant content is available on the platform. Contributors must pay close attention to technical details and ensure their images meet the required criteria.
Copyright and Legal Issues: Alamy also strongly emphasizes copyright and legal matters. Contributors are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary rights and permissions for the images they submit. This helps protect both the contributors and the buyers from potential legal issues.
Alamy Customer Support
Alamy offers customer support for both buyers and contributors. Users can reach out to their support team via email or phone for assistance. Apart from direct customer support, Alamy also provides helpful resources, such as FAQs, contributor guides, and forums.
Alamy vs. Other Stock Photo Agencies
Alamy vs. Shutterstock
While both Alamy and Shutterstock offer extensive libraries, Alamy is known for its diverse content, while Shutterstock is popular for its subscription plans and simple licensing options. On the other hand, the license terms of Alamy could be clearer. Overall, Shutterstock meets the needs of many users and businesses better than Alamy.
Alamy vs. Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock is favored by users who already work within the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem, while Alamy’s advantage lies in its competitive pricing. When comparing the quality of images, users felt that Adobe Stock was the better option and preferred Adobe Stock over Alamy.
Alamy vs. iStock
iStockphotos is a popular platform; Getty Images operates while Alamy is one of the oldest sites but may vary in the lack of quality compared to iStock. Contributors also complained about the low process of selling their photos. There is a lot of huge difference between the prices of the sites. Many designers prefer iStock because of its Adobe CC integration and other features.
Who Should Use Alamy?
Alamy’s license terms are another level of complexity for new users and businesses. And Alamy doesn’t offer any stock images with subscription plans, so it’s much more expensive than its alternatives, such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or iStock. So far, Alamy is not a good choice for customers with a low budget, but if you have a flexible budget, Alamy is better than many other premium sites available on the online.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Alamy is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the stock photo industry. Its extensive library, fair royalties, and customer support make it an attractive choice for buyers and contributors. However, photographers should be prepared to meet the platform’s rigorous image requirements. Alamy is worth considering if you’re looking for a vast selection of high-quality images.
The photos and videos on the site are costly, and the platform is expensive for many individuals on tight budgets. We recommend some free resources like Pixabay, Pexels, Unsplash, Mixkit, and Canva or subscribe to affordable platforms like Bigstock, Picjumbo, Artlist, Pond5, etc.
If you like this Alamy Review, let us know in the comment box below, and we will be back with more informative and creative content soon.
