Introduction
Finding digital assets for your projects can soon add up, so it’s worthwhile spending a little time to see how you can save some money. This article explores 8 of the best ways to save money on stock photos. While a couple of these might be obvious, the last is a wildcard that can save you potentially thousands. These top 8 ways to save money can apply to any stock asset.
Use Free Resources
There are many sites that allow you to download content for free, including Unsplash and Pexels. The quality of content that can be found for free might surprise you. If you have ruled them out in the past, check out our recommendations. It can take a little longer to find the right stock content as the quality varies more and there isn’t the same breadth of images. Licensing may mean that you need to attribute the images which might not be suitable for all projects.
Find the Best Deals During Sales
While not all sites offer discounts there are a handful that do which can save you as much as 50% off subscriptions or credit packs. Good times to get the beat deals are around Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day. We saved $1500 a year when we synced our annual subscriptions Dreamstime plans with their Black Friday deals.
Shop Around for the Best Price
Stock assets are typically hosted by several different companies. For example many on the images on YayImages are also on Dreamstime. Relying on the smaller sites along isn’t always possible as there just isn’t the same breadth of content available. So if your prepared to look around you could check out the smaller, cheaper sites and only if you can’t find what you need look at the more expensive sites.
Pick a Low Cost Stock Company
Stock photos can range in cost from free to several thousand dollars for a single image. The largest companies typically have similar pricing. The smaller companies need to compete in different ways so there are several sites that offer far cheaper rates. One factor for cost is how many images you are needing to use. If you only need a handful of images then it is more difficult to get the best rates. But even some of the cheapest stock sites around can work out cost efficient if you only need a few images. Two sites which we regularly use include YayImages and Envato Elements.
Free trials
There are several companies, including Adobe Stock that offer free trials so if you only need to get a few images in a short time period these might suit your needs. Check out this page to view which companies that have been known to offer free trails. Most will ask for card details so make sure you cancel in time so you don’t pay if you are not wanting to use it beyond the free trial.
Newcomer Discounts
First time customers can save up to 50% of the purchase price with some companies so check out these to see if there are any current deals. You might want to time this so you can make the most of the discount as you will only get one chance.
Student Discounts
If you are a student, you may benefit from an education discount to save a little extra at these companies. While not a common way to save money, it can offer an extra incentive.
Save Money With AppSumo
AppSumo has an interesting business model. They offer a platform for companies to sell their products at discounted rates for limited time deals. They help smaller companies (typically startups) find customers which helps promote their company and get customers to help them get early feedback to improve their products. We have seen several micro-stock companies use Appsumo.com and have bought several deals ourselves. Even some of the larger sites like DepositPhotos have had offers on AppSumo. The stock industry is very competitive, so not all companies can survive. If you buy a deal via AppSumo consider the risk that they could stop operating. For those new to AppSumo, read our guide to what you should know about AppSumo.
