How much Shutterstock Paid to Contributors
The Shutterstock Contributor Program stands as the foremost platform where photographers and illustrators can market their images and earn income each time customers purchase a license for their creations on Shutterstock. As the most extensive contributor program available, it constitutes a significant portion, up to 50%, of the total revenue for certain photographers.
How Much Does Shutterstock Pay for Contributors?
When your images or videos are downloaded on Shutterstock, you earn commissions ranging from 15% to 40%. For images, this translates to earnings of $0.10 to $5.80 per download, $10.20 to $39.80 for extended licenses, and $1.25 to $47.92 for each video download.
Your commission rate is determined by your current image and video levels, which fluctuate depending on the number of photos or videos you sell within a calendar year. The higher your level, the higher your commission, starting at 15% for level 1 and reaching 40% at level 6.
Each time a customer downloads your photo, you receive one download credit. To increase your earnings as a Shutterstock Contributor, you should aim to upload more content that garners frequent downloads.
Image earnings
| Image levels | Photos sold | You earn |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Up to 100 | 15% |
| Level 2 | 101 to 250 | 20% |
| Level 3 | 251 to 500 | 25% |
| Level 4 | 501 to 2,500 | 30% |
| Level 5 | 2,501 to 25,000 | 35% |
| Level 6 | 25,000+ | 40% |
Video earnings
| Videos levels | Videos sold | You earn |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Up to 10 | 15% |
| Level 2 | 11 to 50 | 20% |
| Level 3 | 51 to 250 | 25% |
| Level 4 | 251 to 5,000 | 30% |
| Level 5 | 5,001 to 25,000 | 35% |
| Level 6 | 25,000+ | 40% |
Can You Make a Living Off Shutterstock?
Many people dream of making money from stock photos, like on Shutterstock. It’s possible with hard work, but relying only on Shutterstock can be tough. You need to use different websites and have lots of good photos that match what people want.
