Alamy is one of the oldest and largest stock photo agencies in the world, founded in 1999 and now hosting over 300 million images. What makes it particularly attractive to photographers is the royalty rate. Non-exclusive contributors earn 40% per sale, exclusive contributors earn 50%, which are some of the highest rates in the entire stock photography industry. Alamy also handles editorial photos with a rights-managed licensing model, which commands higher prices. The platform has reportedly paid contributors around $200 million since launch. It’s especially strong in editorial, journalism, and news photography, where most microstock agencies don’t compete well.
Pay
40% royalty for non-exclusive contributors, 50% for exclusive contributors. Rights-managed and editorial images often sell for significantly more per license than standard royalty-free downloads
How You Make Money
You upload photos, pass a quality review with 3 sample images, and earn a royalty each time your image is licensed by a buyer
Withdrawal Speed
Monthly once minimum threshold is reached
Skill Level
Intermediate (quality review required, technical standards enforced)
Pros
Among the highest royalty rates in stock photography at 40 to 50% per sale
Strong editorial and rights-managed market which commands much higher license fees
Over 300 million images with massive international buyer reach
Stockimo mobile app lets you upload iPhone photos directly for mobile stock sales
No exclusivity required to earn the 40% non-exclusive rate
Cons
$50 minimum payout is higher than most stock platforms
Sales frequency is lower than Shutterstock for standard commercial images
Three-image quality review required before full access to upload
Earnings can be inconsistent and harder to predict than subscription-based platforms
Best For
Photographers, especially those shooting editorial, news, and documentary content, who want premium royalty rates and access to a global licensing marketplace
