Alamy review

Alamy pays the largest headline share of the general agencies we compared: up to 50% commission, with the top rate tied to images that are exclusive to Alamy. Students get 100% commission on direct image licenses for two years through a program running since 2011. The agency is non-exclusive by default, so you can keep selling the same files on other non-exclusive sites. Alamy states that it does not accept AI-generated images, which suits photographers who shoot in the real world and want to avoid competing with synthetic content. It takes a broad range of work, from stock and vectors to reportage and archival images, and runs a Live News team that sells news, sports and entertainment photos taken in the last 24 hours. Files go on sale within 24 hours of adding captions and tags. The collection lists 296,669,475 stock photos, panoramas, vectors and videos, so keywording carefully matters.

Who it is for

Documentary, travel and editorial photographers who want a high commission share and no AI competition.

Price

Free to join; up to 50% commission, 100% for students on direct image licenses.

earn up to 50% commission on every sale (and 100% if you're a student)
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Up to 50% commission on exclusive images
• 100% commission for students on direct licenses for two years
• Does not accept AI-generated images
• Images go on sale within 24 hours of adding captions and tags
• Live News feed for press photographers

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Highest headline commission among the general agencies here
• Strength: Accepts mainstream and niche, creative and editorial images
• Strength: Non-exclusive, so photos can also be sold elsewhere
• Weakness: The 50% rate applies to exclusive images
• Weakness: Commercial sales need model and property releases
• Weakness: Full commission models sit on a separate page from the main contributor page

Key facts

• Top commission: Up to 50% on exclusive images
• Student commission: 100% for two years
• AI-generated images: Not accepted
• Collection: 296,669,475 images and videos

Where it ranks

Alamy is No. 2 in our Best Sites to Sell Stock Photos verdict and No. 8 in Best Stock Photo Sites.