Shutterstock Reviews 

So far, not very impressed. I have enquired about what my rights are regarding images, bought for the purpose of Artist reference photos, so as not to run into copyrights issues, but the responses from shutterstock, seem almost, deliberately obtuse, encouraging me to purchase enhanced licenses, but they will not clarify what my rights of usage are. I am consequently, already feeling dubious as to whether I would trust them or not. I have sought clarification and will update this review, if my experience improves.

Very good experience. Purchased 50 images for month to month, no contract price of £75 (plus VAT). Many coupon codes floating around can bring the price down. Much better value than similar iStock plan (£109) or Adobe Stock (£60 for 40 images, so same price per download but you have to pay more for premium images). Was able to cancel contract afterwards in my account dashboard no problem, and licenses are for forever. Excellent variety of high quality photos. Excellent search and reverse search (i.e. upload a photo to see if they have it or similar ones) features. Lots of additional features to edit images and AI that I didn't need. User experience very simple, elegant and easy to use.

I wanted one picture and now I am stuck with one year subscription, this is nonsense. Avoid in all causes!!!

Dishonest company took renewals for 7 years on an account that was unused never once emailed to say they are renewing, now they ignore emails and never repond

Shocking company! Used only one image and signed us in for a year! Went to cancel and charged us £85 for the privilege ! Avoid this company at all costs !!!!!

I signed up to this to develop training but once you're signed up it's really hard to cancel unless you wait to the end of the yearly contract. You are actually signing up for a full year whether you need it or not so you have to pay for that even if you cancel half way through! Very expensive for what you get!

Watch out with this company. Their AI image generator creates the same pictures as they have in their collections. The issue is that AI generated images are ok to use everywhere, you own the rights, but not for the pictures in their collection. This means that if you use the AI images that you are at serious risk of a lawsuit one day. Do not purchase anything of shutterstock. They do not even reply to emails regarding this. And they also didn't respond to a paypal claim where I filed a dispute for the AI membership.

⚠️ Important Warning: Shutterstock Engages in Deceptive Subscription Practices and Unauthorized Charges

I feel it’s my responsibility to warn others about my extremely disappointing and frankly unsettling experience with Shutterstock. What began as what I believed to be a simple, one-time purchase quickly spiraled into something far worse — a frustrating and deeply unethical ordeal that I would never have expected from such a well-known company.

Initially, I visited Shutterstock’s platform with a clear purpose: to make a single purchase. There was no intention on my part to enter into any sort of long-term commitment or recurring subscription. However, to my shock and dismay, what I thought was a straightforward transaction turned out to be a hidden trap. Without clear disclosure, Shutterstock enrolled me in a year-long subscription plan, complete with automatic monthly charges. This critical information was buried in fine print or obscured through intentionally misleading website design, making it easy for unsuspecting users like myself to fall into their trap.

But the situation worsened. Without my explicit consent, Shutterstock saved my credit card information and kept it on file. At no point during the checkout process was I asked whether I agreed to have my financial data stored for future use. This unauthorized retention of sensitive payment information raises serious ethical questions and may even skirt dangerously close to violations of consumer protection laws.
Please be extremely cautious if you are considering using Shutterstock. Read every tiny piece of fine print, take screenshots of every step you take, and be prepared for potential headaches if you decide to proceed. In my honest opinion, it is best to avoid Shutterstock entirely to protect yourself from the same predatory practices that caught me and so many others off guard.

Warning: Shutterstock silently lures users into subscription traps and charges them to leave

I signed up for Shutterstock for a one-time purchase. What followed was a deeply disappointing experience that felt intentionally deceptive.

I came to the platform for a single service. As it turned out, that “one-time” purchase was actually a year-long subscription with monthly payments — something that was never clearly disclosed to me.

Even worse, the site automatically saved my credit card without my consent. I never authorized my financial data to be stored — and yet it was. This raises serious ethical and legal concerns.

Then came the most disturbing part: I was not allowed to delete my payment method unless I paid 50% of the $145 annual subscription fee to cancel the plan. They were essentially holding my card data hostage until I paid to leave.
Is this even legal?

Customer support told me that, in order to delete my personal financial information from the site (which I never consented to be stored in the first place), I had to pay 50% of the subscription.
But “as an exception,” they would reduce the cancellation charge to $21.40, calling it a “partial usage fee for an exception.”

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just bad UX — this is a predatory billing system designed to exploit user confusion and pressure people into paying through manipulation.

So many users have reported similar cases.
How is it possible that no official authority can put a stop to this?
Does the law not apply to them?
What are affected users supposed to do? And how can we protect others from falling into the same manipulative, hidden trap?

I urge Shutterstock to reconsider its billing practices and restore transparency, user consent, and ethical design to its platform.
And I strongly urge potential customers to read the fine print and think twice before trusting this service.

If you've experienced something similar, I encourage you to speak up and share your story. The more we raise our voices, the more likely real change will come.

AVOID!!!

Don't know how it happened but I unknowingly signed up for a subscription, then they tried taking money out of my PayPal account without my permission. Opened up a chat with an agent and during a long discussion he just cut me off.

DO NOT SIGN UP FOR ANYTHING WITH THIS COMPANY!!!

I wish I had seen these reviews before using this company. I feel ripped off. I signed up 3 days ago on 4/19/25. I signed up for the service to get a picture for the website I'm creating. I paid $30.74. I canceled the service on 4/21/2025 and was charged this morning $159.50. I called to ask them why, and all I can say is I paid $190.24 for six pictures. I got nothing else for that price. I asked to reverse the closing to get the money back, and they said no. I would never recomend anyone use this crap company.

Tried to cancel my subscription but decided not to after seeing the price that I would have to pay in full for the 11 months that I still have on my subscription that's such a rip off it's really bad business and I hope they get reported to the Better Business Bureau daily because I tried to cancel but didn't now I'm not able to see any of the pictures that I would have been able to see all I can see now is royalty free stock with Shutterstock written all over the picture this company sucks

SCAM SCAM SCAM. Don't do it!

NEVER EVER USE THIS COMPANY! Wish i wouldve looked for reviews before using this company... canceling my subscription and they charge a 50% cancellation fee.

There’s an obvious reason why this company has such a low rating on Trustpilot — because they are terrible!

They charge you random taxes. For example, if your bank card is issued on the moon, they’ll charge you a “moon tax” — even if you’re not a resident and have never even visited the moon. I hope the IRS steps in and punishes them for this kind of tax fraud.

They will disable your account without any explanation, and then ignore your questions if you try to contact them via live chat. The support agents are just third-party contractors who don’t have access to any real information, and they’ll simply ignore you.

Update: Customer support finally reach me telling that they didn't receive an message and when i explained them again they start ignoring for a third time! Ridiculous company, ridiculous customer support the only reason they are working is big database otherwise its worst company ever.

Terrible company

What a horrendous customer experience. They are not being forthcoming with charges and keep changing the subject, its been months and they are not being accountable. I do not recommend this company to anyone.

I purchased 2 photos, paid but was billed twice. It is because they have this hidden Auto Refill so as soon as you download the 2 photos it automatically gives you another 2 (which of course you have to pay for). No word of this when making the original purchase. Be warned. I complained and they nicely reimbursed one of the payments.

I've been charged on multiple occassions without a good reason, the last being that if you use the final image in your agreement, then automatically charge you for a new year, even though you have selected 'do not auto-renew'. I don't know how they can get away with this. Their business model seems to rely on people not realising.

The AI photos arent great. You're better off using grok or Chat gpt. Photos in general there aren't great. the subscription model is a joke. I hope this business goes bankrupt.