iStockphoto is the best known stock photography site among designers and bloggers.  However several steep prices rises in recent years have prompted many customers to begin looking for an alternative website.  Add to that the sad news that iStockphoto lowered the commission on many of its artists to between 15% and 19%, and one starts to wonder how the stock agency fits into the artist community.

Warmpicture Royalty Free Stock Photos is one of the lowest priced providers of stock photos, and one of the highest quality producers. Warmpicture is also the only affordable stock photos website which allows buyers to purchase images direct from the contributors.

Let us compare the prices for Warmpicture prices to those of the most famous stock photo site, iStockphoto:

Warmpicture   Sizes   iStockphoto ®
$1.49           XS         $1.50
$4.49              S         $4.50
$6.49             M         $10.50
$9.99             L          $15.00
$15.99        MAX       $30.00
$99.00        EXTL     $150.00

(EXTL refers to an Extended License purchase)

The difference in price becomes even greater when comparing to iStockphoto’s Photo+ collection:

Warmpicture   Sizes   iStockphoto ® Photo+
$1.49           XS            $3.00
$4.49              S            $7.50
$6.49             M            $15.00
$9.99             L             $22.50
$15.99        MAX          $45.00

* All prices Based on a $75 purchase of 50 credits at iStockphoto ®

And prices for iStockphoto’s Exclusive+, Vetta, and Agency Collection images are considerably higher still.  So it becomes apparent that buying direct from the artists at Warmpicture can save designers a great deal of money.

While iStockphoto has 5 collections with vastly different pricing in the same search, Warmpicture keeps things simple for designers.

Who makes the Money?

Did you know that iStockphoto only pays non-exclusive artists a sales commission of 15% to 19%?  The agency keeps 81% to 85% of the money, even though the artist produced the image. Warmpicture features many of the same artists and stock images available at iStockphoto, but at much more affordable prices.  And the artists earn 50% of the sales commision.

Purchasing your stock images from Warmpicture not only saves you a great deal of money. You also directly support the artist community.

iStockphoto ® is a trademark of iStockphoto LP.

- Dan Padavona, Warmpicture