Start building with the Shutterstock API today

An API subscription allows you to access and use the Shutterstock API to build, test, and deploy applications and make Shutterstock assets available for your application’s end users.

With a paid API subscription, your end users can license and use Shutterstock assets directly within your application under a Platform License.

• Use Shutterstock assets for commercial purposes in digital content created and distributed using your application. Digital content includes but is not limited to: websites, landing pages, online ads, social media posts, mobile apps, ebooks, blog posts, and emails.

• Deliver Shutterstock assets for preview and use in your application

• Resell Shutterstock assets

• The download of or access to raw Shutterstock asset files. Shutterstock assets delivered in your application must be restricted to use in projects created within your application.

If your end users would like to download a Shutterstock asset separately from the content they created within your application, they need their own Standard or Enhanced Shutterstock license to download the asset from Shutterstock’s main website.

Yes. Per the API Platform License Terms and Conditions, you must impose certain usage restrictions on your users, to whom you are granting a limited license to use the content on your Platform. These restrictions can be included in your End User License Agreement (EULA) or imposed separately. If you fail to impose these restrictions on your users, you may be liable for your users' breach of those restrictions.

The Free Test Account plan offers a selection of 3 million high-quality, royalty-free images across Shutterstock’s existing image search categories. To provide the most relevant assets for your needs, we selected authentic imagery that can be used for commercial purposes and excluded restricted content using Safe Search.

The Free Account is designed for personal projects and early-stage applications. Image downloads are restricted to 500 assets per month, and API calls are limited to 100 requests per hour.

If you’d like to access a larger library of images, videos, and music tracks, please purchase an Unlimited or Pay Per Use plan.

The Unlimited Choice collection offers rich multimedia content, including 100 million royalty-free images, 4 million videos, and 100,000 music tracks. By providing end users with more flexibility in image choices, platforms can increase engagement and conversion rates.

We recommend the Unlimited Choice collection for platforms that are in the process of scaling their user base. For smaller projects, Unlimited Starter is also available, with more than 3 million assets.

No download caps or overage fees means you won’t need to predict your content needs upfront, and can license as much as you need annually.

Get dedicated partner management support, including account reviews, email, and technical support.

The Pay Per Use model includes several content collection options — from Starter, a collection with more than 3 million assets suited for small business, to the Full Shutterstock Collection, with over 375 million assets. Our expert partner managers can help you choose the collection that suits your business goals best.

The Full Shutterstock Collection, ideal for high-volume platforms, includes over 370 million royalty-free images, 4 million videos, and 106,000 music tracks. This equips platforms to meet nearly any user need and ensure maximum engagement and conversions.

No download caps or overage fees in a Pay Per Use plan means you won’t need to predict your content needs upfront, and can license as much as you need annually.

Get white-glove integration and partner management support, including regular account reviews and fast answers to all your technical questions.