Selling photographs is one example of a hobby, or a passion turned into a business. It’s an easy way to monetize your hobby and make some extra money on the side.
In the past, when there was no internet, the main way to sell your photos was through print publications in magazines or newspapers. You could also look into art galleries or craft fairs in your area or even open up a store of your own to sell your photos.
Today, in the presence of the internet, there are several great websites and platforms to choose from to sell your photos. You can choose which ones to use depending on the type of photos you have and the level of control you want to have over the selling process.
Some popular options include stock photo sites like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock. You can also sell photos online using photo-selling apps like 500px and Etsy. Each of these offers different features, so it’s important to read up on each one to find the best fit for you.
In this article, we’ll discuss the 15 best photo-selling apps and websites for making money in the US. We’ll look at their features, how easy they are to use, and how much money you can make from each one.
Best Apps to Sell Photos in 2023
Using apps is a convenient way to sell photos online. It is easy to use and quick to process. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to sell your photos online using photo-selling apps.
Several photography-selling apps are available for you to choose from. You can try apps to sell photos of yourself, a model, or scenery.
Below are the best photo-selling apps to sell your photos.
1. FOAP
Foap is one of the best photo-selling apps you can use for free. It is available for download using Apple IOS or Android OS.
To use Foap to sell your photos, you need to become one of their creators, or a “foaper” as they call it. As a foaper, you can create your very own branding or tell your story through photography. You can upload your photos directly from your smartphone or your digital camera.
Once your account is ready, you can start selling your photos to Foap Market. To do this, you need to complete and win Foap Missions set by top brands and companies.
Foap missions are short descriptions, instructions, or assignments about the specific type of photos. Clients create these foap missions for foapers to accomplish. Winning a mission means that the client gets to buy your photos.
Foap also distributes your content through partners, such as Getty Images, to help you sell even more of your photos.
In Foap, you can earn 50% of the commission when you sell a photo. For example, when a buyer paid $10 for a photo, you get $5. Additionally, Foap missions reward the winners with a minimum of $50 prize.
You can cash out your earnings through your Paypal account.
2. Etsy
Etsy is a popular online marketplace for selling crafts and artworks, including photos. You can sell either printed or developed photos, as well as digital photos. Using Etsy, you need to create your shop, where you will post all your items for sale.
One of the key advantages of using Etsy to sell photos online is that you have full control of your shop. You can control the prices of your photos, the payment methods, and the delivery options to use.
For every item you list for sale, Etsy charges a $0.20 fee. Additionally, Etsy takes a 5% fee for every sold item, as well as a payment processing fee.
Related: Alternative sites like Etsy to sell stuff online.
3. 500px
Another great app to sell your photos is 500px. It is an online platform for the photography community where you can connect with your fellow photography enthusiasts and become listed in their photographer directory. It is open to all kinds of photographers, professionals, or amateurs alike.
However, not all your photos can be sold using 500px. First, you need to contribute your photos to the 500px licensing. You need to accomplish a series of necessary forms and permissions for licensing before you can submit your photo.
Once the platform approves your photo and gets it licensed, your photo will be listed for sale on Getty Images and other partners.
On exclusive photos, you can earn a maximum of 60% royalties. For non-exclusive ones, you will get a 30% commission. You also get to join photo contests and win prizes.
You can track your sales through the Earnings tab on the app. You can withdraw your earnings through Paypal, bank transfers, and wire transfers.
4. Dreamstime
Dreamstime is a photography stock community and one of the best photo-selling apps where you can earn money from your photography.
Dreamstime allows you to upload your photo directly from your smartphone or the cloud, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Photos, Fotor, and many more. Your photos should have a minimum of 2.5 MP quality.
Before you can sell photos on Dreamstime, you need to have a portfolio on the platform, with 70% of the content being at least six months old.
You can earn a 25%-50% commission as a non-exclusive contributor. On the other hand, you can get a 27.5%-55% commission for your exclusive photos.
5. Depositphotos
Depositphotos is one of the biggest stock photo libraries. It contains over 234 million high-quality images and video files available to its users.
You can sell your photos at Depositphotos for a commission ranging from 34% up to 42%, depending on the quality, license, and your status as a contributor. It is equivalent to $0.3-$5.88.
Depositphotos photos and videos are used by top brands and partners, such as Subaru, TripAdvisor, Warner Bros., and more.
6. Shutterstock
When it comes to stock photos, Shutterstock is the leading website. It currently contains more than 300 million images and 17 million videos.
Most Shutterstock photos are non-exclusive and cheaper compared to other photo-selling apps. These photos are often used as visual metaphors.
If you sell your photos online using Shutterstock, you can get a commission of 20%-30%. You can also earn through its affiliate program by referring new contributors or clients.
Related: Ways to make money on social media.
7. EyeEm
EyeEm is the place to connect with its more than 8 million photographers or contributors worldwide. It is also an avenue to enhance your photography skills through its tips and tutorials. Finally, EyeEm is one of the best places to sell photos online.
If you have an eye for advertising photography, EyeEm is the photo-selling app for you to try. You can connect and sell your photos to media agencies and leading brands worldwide, such as Apple Music, Converse, Spotify, and Canon.
You get up to a 50% commission for every photo you sell online using the EyeEm app.
8. Agora
Agora Images is another great photo-selling app to use to sell photos online. It is a platform that connects photographers globally. It also connects contributors to potential customers.
In the Agora photo-selling app, you can sell your photos without middlemen or commissions and get 100% of the money. You can be the legal author of the photos, and you can sell them multiple times.
Aside from selling photos, you can earn money in Agora by joining and winning sponsored photo contests.
Related: Make money on Instagram.
9. Stockimo
Stockimo is a photo-selling app exclusive to Apple users. It is currently not available yet for Android OS.
Stockimo is the perfect app for people who love to use their iPhones to capture photos. These ‘phonetographies’ are sold through its partner photo website, Alamy.
You get a 20% commission on every sale you make using Stockimo. Additionally, if you are a registered Alamy contributor before Stockimo was launched, you can get a special commission.
In Stockimo, you can sell news photos taken in the last 24 hours. You can also sell creative, filtered, and edited photos.
Best Photo Selling Websites
Aside from photo-selling apps, another convenient and easy way to sell photos online is through photo-selling websites or online stock photo libraries.
Below are the best websites to use for selling your photos online.
10. Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock is one of the best photo-selling websites you can use for free to sell your photos. If you upload your photos on Adobe Stock, they automatically become available on another photo site, Fotolia. Therefore, hitting two birds with one stone.
If you use Adobe suite as your photo-editing app for your photos, you can directly add them to Adobe Stock.
You can get a 33% ($0.33-$3.30) commission for every photo you sell through Adobe Stock.
11. Stocksy
Stocksy is among the popular photo-selling apps. It is the go-to online photo marketplace for publishers and media creatives.
Stocksy is also an artist-owned cooperative. It means that all artist contributors are part owners of the business. As a contributor, you get to take part in the decision-making on the company’s direction.
You will also receive profits based on your contribution to the cooperative. The amount is also determined by the earnings you make by selling your photos using Stocksy.
When you sell photos online using Stocksy, all your photos become exclusive, and Stocksy licensed. You can get as high as 50% ($7.40-$200) commission for a photo with a standard license and 75% ($75-$8,100) for those with extended licenses.
12. Snapwire
Snapwire is a photo-selling website for commissioned photos. It means that you don’t get to sell just any photos. Instead, you need to respond and join creative challenges.
The Snapwire creative challenges are briefs about a specific photo that participants need to follow. When you participate in Snapwire creative challenges, you get the chance to win, your photo chosen, and you get paid.
Buyers can also nominate your photos for you to level up and compete on Buyer Requests. In Snapwire, you can earn a 70% commission for every challenge and request you succeed.
Related: Legit jobs you can do while traveling.
13. Society6
Society6 is a photo app for items for sale. If you are a Society6 contributor, you put your photos on several items for sale.
For example, you can put your photos on shirts, tumblers, mugs, and others. You get to choose which items you want your photos in.
These items are then manufactured and sold.
When you upload your photos on Society6, you get a 10% commission.
14. iStock
iStock is a micro-stock extension of Getty Images. Unlike Getty Images, when you use iStock to sell photos, your photos are not exclusive. Therefore, you can sell your photos again to other agencies.
iStock pays you a 25% default commission for each photo you sell. The commission increases based on the download target reached by your photos:
- 30% for 800 downloads
- 35% for 8,500 downloads
- 40% for 34,500 downloads
- 45% for 515,000 downloads
15. 123RF
123RF is the home for royalty-free stock photos, images, vectors, videos, and music files. Their items are grouped by categories. They also put items on the list of the current trending words for people to easily search for up-to-date photos.
If you contribute to 123RF, your photos will be available to more than 5 million potential buyers. They will also market your content across 44 countries and 17 local languages. In addition, you will get the chance to be the site’s featured contributor. This will help you get more buyers and clients.
In 123RF, you will receive a commission of 30%-60% for each licensed item you sold.
How To Sell Photos Online
To sell photos online, the first thing you have to do is to enjoy and love photography. There is nothing more fulfilling than living what you do for money.
You also need the right tools and equipment to use. You can use a smartphone that is reliable for taking decent photos. You can also invest in a high-end professional camera, such as Nikon D3500 or Canon EOS Rebel T7i.
Raw photos are beautiful. However, photo editing software can even enhance your photos to the next level. Learning to use photo-editing software is a plus point for you in selling your photos online.
The most popular software for this is Adobe Photoshop. You can also use a cheaper but equally reliable alternative like Pixlr.
The next thing to do is to find your niche. It is similar to a theme or branding. You can be a news photographer, nature photographer, people, building, and flower, among others.
Based on your niche, you need to find a photo-selling platform that best suits your photos and proceed to sell them.
What are the Best Types of Photos to Sell?
Each photo-selling platform prefers different types of photos to sell. However, among most of the leading photo-selling websites and apps, there is one type that remains to be one of the best-selling photos: the photos of people.
Photography of people is one of the best types of photos to sell online. Specifically, candid shots at events sell the most.
Also, among the best types of photos to sell online are nature, animals, seasons, and vector images.
How much can you earn selling photos online?
You can earn different amounts using different platforms to sell your photos online.
On average, you can earn $0.02 for each stock photo you sell in a month. If you are a professional photographer, your average earnings on selling your photos online can reach $0.05-$0.25 for each image for a month.
FAQs
What is the best photo-selling app?
Etsy is the best photo-selling app to use. It lets you connect directly with your buyers. You can also sell whatever types of photos you want, and you get to keep 100% of the sale.
What are the best photo editing apps for selling clothes?
For selling clothes online, you will need to use the best photo-editing apps to enhance the quality of your photos. You can use Adobe Photoshop, Pixlr, Prisma, LightX Photo Editor, and Google Photos.
Where can I sell pictures of my body for money?
You can sell photos of your body for money online using several photo-selling websites, such as Foap, Stylinity, 500px, and SmugMug.
What are the best apps for selling foot photos?
Foot photos are among the photos you can sell for money online using websites like OnlyFans, Kik, and Whisper app. You need to be of legal age before you can sell foot photos online.
Conclusion
Photography is a hobby that you can use to make extra money. You can sell photos online through several photo-selling apps and websites. These websites and apps are avenues for you to connect with other photographers, as well as potential clients.
You can earn commissions for every sale you make. You can also take challenges and win cash prizes.
With the proper equipment, niche, and passion, you can make a living out of selling photos online.
Related: Check out the best websites to make money.
