iStock

Leading microstock photography platform within the Getty Images portfolio, positioned as an affordable alternative to premium stock content

iStock is a stock photography, illustration, and video footage marketplace that operates as part of Getty Images. Founded in 2000, it pioneered the microstock photography model, offering affordable royalty-free creative content to businesses, marketers, designers, and content creators. The platform provides access to millions of high-quality images, vectors, illustrations, and video clips at accessible price points, democratizing access to professional visual content that was previously cost-prohibitive for small businesses and individual creators. Within the advertising technology and creative content ecosystem, iStock serves as a critical content supply platform, enabling advertisers, agencies, and marketers to source visual assets for campaigns, websites, social media, and other marketing materials. The platform operates on a credit-based system and subscription model, allowing customers to purchase content individually or through cost-effective subscription plans. As part of Getty Images (acquired in 2006), iStock benefits from the parent company's extensive contributor network, technology infrastructure, and market presence while maintaining its distinct brand identity focused on affordability and accessibility.