Sources checked Oct 2–4, 2026 · reviewed every quarter
Best microstock sites to sell your photos, vectors and AI images
Microstock sites are online libraries where contributors upload images that customers license. Which one is best depends on what you sell: Adobe Stock, Freepik/Magnific and 123RF accept AI images, while Shutterstock, Alamy and iStock do not. Here is each site's AI policy, minimum size and formats, with sources.
Pick your sites, then prepare, keyword and upload from one app
- 1Create the image
- 2Own upscaler, up to 4x
- 3Title + keywords
- 4Upload to Adobe
- Title, keywords and CSV are free
- Upscale to 2x, 3x or up to 4x
- 2 images + 2 upscales to try
- No card to start
Plans from €49 a month, excluding VAT. Stock Creatives is our own product and uploads to Adobe Stock. We don't rank sites by earnings, because we have no verified data.
Last reviewed 2026-10-04
Title58/70
Remote worker typing on a laptop at a bright kitchen table
Example
Keywords49/49
- 7
- stock sites compared here, from their own contributor help pages
- 3 + 1
- accept AI images: Adobe Stock, Freepik/Magnific and 123RF, plus Dreamstime under conditions (2023, not reconfirmed)
- 3
- do not accept AI: Shutterstock, Alamy and iStock / Getty Images
- 2000 px to 6 MP
- range of minimum sizes: Freepik 2000 px per side, Dreamstime 3 MP, Adobe Stock and Shutterstock 4 MP, 123RF 6 MP
What is a microstock site?
A microstock site is an online stock library where many contributors upload photos, vectors, illustrations or video, and customers license them. The contributor uploads files with a title, keywords and a category, the site's reviewers accept or refuse each file, and accepted files go on sale.
Each site sets its own rules: what it accepts, how big files must be, which formats and how you label them. New to the model? Read what microstock is and how to start, then how to become a microstock contributor.
Which are the best microstock sites to sell on?
These are the sites contributors compare most. “Accepts AI?” and the technical columns come from each site's help pages; where a column says “not verified”, we could not confirm it.
| Site | Accepts AI? | Minimum size | Formats | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Stock | Yes, with the “Created using generative AI tools” checkbox | 4 MP (maximum 100 MP, 45 MB) | JPEG sRGB; PNG only with transparency | Adobe help pages, Oct 2, 2026 |
| Shutterstock | No: “does not accept AI-generated content from our contributors” | 4 MP (maximum 50 MB for photos in the browser) | JPEG (recommended), TIFF without layers, EPS | Shutterstock help pages, Oct 4, 2026 |
| Freepik (Magnific Contributor) | Yes, tagged with the AI button or “_ai_generated” in the CSV | 2000 px per side (maximum 10000 px, 80 MB) | JPG for photos, EPS for vectors | Magnific help pages, Oct 4, 2026 |
| 123RF | Yes, in the “AI Generated Images” category only | 6 MP (about 2000 × 3000 px) | Not stated in the AI guidelines | 123RF guidelines (Dec 21, 2023), read Oct 4, 2026 |
| Dreamstime | Yes, with conditions: rights, AI stated in the description, AI category, faces rule | 3 MP (maximum 70 MP), per its 2023 announcement | JPG, RGB/sRGB | Dreamstime guidelines page (excerpt) and 2023 announcement, Oct 2–4, 2026 |
| Alamy | No: “We don't accept images generated by Artificial intelligence (AI) programs” | Over 17 MB uncompressed (about 6 MP) | JPEG RGB, high quality | Alamy help pages, Oct 2, 2026 |
| iStock / Getty Images | No: “iStock does not accept AI-generated visuals in our library” | Not verified | Not verified | iStock AI-Free Imagery Policy, Oct 2, 2026 |
Official help pages of each site. Minimum sizes are for photos. We do not list commissions or earnings because we have no verified, dated source for them.
Which microstock websites accept AI images?
Three accept them with a clear label, and one has conditions. Adobe Stock wants the “Created using generative AI tools” box ticked and no more than three iterations of similar assets: see its AI requirements. Freepik/Magnific wants every file tagged as AI: see selling AI images on Freepik. 123RF wants AI in its own category: see selling AI images on 123RF. Dreamstime has conditions: see selling AI images on Dreamstime.
Shutterstock does not accept AI from contributors: see selling AI images on Shutterstock. Alamy and iStock do not either. The side-by-side list is in stock sites that accept AI images.
How do I choose where to sell stock photography?
Start from what you make, not from the site.
You sell AI images
Your options are Adobe Stock, Freepik/Magnific, 123RF and, with conditions, Dreamstime. Adobe Stock is the usual first site: it takes photos, illustrations and vectors with one label.
You shoot real photos
All seven sites are open to you. Mind the upscaling rules: Shutterstock says not to upscale a JPEG beyond its original size, while Adobe Stock and 123RF allow it without quality loss.
You make vectors
Adobe Stock accepts AI vectors, and Freepik/Magnific takes vectors as EPS with a preview image. Vectors have no resolution, so they don't need upscaling.
Your images show people
Releases matter on every site. Read photography of people for stock before uploading, and Dreamstime's faces rule if the people are AI-generated.
How many microstock sites should I use?
There is no official number. Most contributors start with one site, learn its review criteria and add a second once uploads run smoothly. Each extra site adds its own label, size and keyword rules.
Before you upload the same file to several sites, read each contributor agreement for exclusivity terms. We have not verified those terms, so we don't state them here. Also remember that one file may need two versions: for example an upscaled JPEG for Adobe Stock and the original for Shutterstock if it is a real photo.
Where do I start as a contributor?
- 1Decide what you will sellPhotos, vectors, illustrations or AI images. This decides the shortlist. What sells on Adobe Stock helps you pick subjects.
- 2Open one contributor accountAdobe Stock is the usual start for AI content. Follow its steps in how to upload to Adobe Stock.
- 3Meet the minimum size with margin4 MP is Adobe's minimum. Our AI image upscaler enlarges to 2x, 3x or up to 4x, and Adobe Stock minimum resolution explains why we leave margin.
- 4Write titles and keywordsUse stock photo metadata as your guide, and draft with the stock keyword generator.
- 5Upload a small batch and learn from the reviewsRead each refusal reason before the next batch. Adobe Stock rejection reasons lists the usual ones.
How Stock Creatives helps once you've chosen
Stock Creatives is our own app for contributors who sell AI images. It generates the image, upscales it with our own upscaler, writes a title of up to 70 characters and up to 49 keywords, and uploads your finished images, with title and keywords inside, to your Adobe Stock contributor account. You then submit them for review in Adobe's portal. For other sites, you download the finished files and upload them there yourself.
Adobe Stock is the only site it uploads to. Plans are on the pricing page.
- Automatic check for hands, text and logos
- Title, keywords and CSV don't use credits
- Real SVG vectors that never need upscaling
Title58/70
Remote worker typing on a laptop at a bright kitchen table
Example
Keywords49/49
Our own upscaler, up to 4x, built in-house for stock
Stock Creatives has its own upscaling technology, built for stock images: it adds real detail instead of just stretching pixels, and its Faithful mode keeps hands, faces and text in shape.
Choose 2x, 3x or up to 4x. For example, a 1500 × 1000 px photo (1.5 MP, under Adobe's 4 MP minimum) comes out at 4500 × 3000 px (13.5 MP) at 3x, or 6000 × 4000 px (24 MP) at 4x. Upscaling uses credits by scale (a 4x costs twice as much as a 2x), for the images you make in the app and for your own files.
- Our own technology, not a third-party upscaler
- Faithful mode: real detail, with hands and faces intact
- 2x, 3x or 4x: you choose, one upscale each
1.5 MP · under Adobe's 4 MP minimum
13.5 MP · 9x the pixels, well above 4 MP
Or at 4x: 6000 × 4000 px · 24 MP
Frequently asked questions
What are the best microstock sites?+
It depends on what you sell. For AI images, Adobe Stock, Freepik/Magnific and 123RF accept them with a label. For real photos, all seven sites in the table are open, including Shutterstock. We don't rank them by earnings because we have no verified data.
What is a microstock site?+
An online stock library where contributors upload images that customers license. Each file is reviewed by the site, and accepted files go on sale. Rules on content, size and labels vary by site.
Where can I sell stock photography?+
On microstock sites such as Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Freepik/Magnific, 123RF and Dreamstime, and on agencies such as Alamy and iStock. Check each site's contributor help pages for current requirements.
Which microstock sites accept AI-generated images?+
Adobe Stock, Freepik (Magnific Contributor) and 123RF accept them with a label. Dreamstime accepts them under conditions, per its 2023 announcement and current guidelines page. Shutterstock, Alamy and iStock do not.
What is the minimum resolution to sell on microstock sites?+
It varies: 2000 px per side at Freepik, 3 MP at Dreamstime (2023), 4 MP at Adobe Stock and Shutterstock, and 6 MP at 123RF. Alamy asks for files over 17 MB uncompressed.
Can I sell the same image on several microstock sites?+
Often, but read each contributor agreement first. We have not verified exclusivity terms, so check them before uploading the same file to more than one site.
Which microstock photography site is best for beginners?+
Adobe Stock is the usual first site for AI contributors, with clear published rules. For a step-by-step start, read how to become a microstock contributor.
Can I try Stock Creatives before paying?+
Yes. Sign up and confirm your email to get 2 images and 2 upscales to try. No card is needed.
Sources
- Adobe Stock: Technical and legal requirements for photo submission · 2026-10-02
- Adobe Stock: Generative AI content guidelines · 2026-10-02
- Shutterstock: Content policy updates, AI-generated content (updated July 16, 2025) · 2026-10-04
- Shutterstock: Technical requirements for images (updated Feb 18, 2026) · 2026-10-04
- Magnific Contributor: AI generated resources, general guidelines · 2026-10-04 Archived copy of May 14, 2026.
- Magnific Contributor: Automatic rejections · 2026-10-04 Archived copy of August 23, 2026.
- 123RF: Guidelines for AI generated content (updated Dec 21, 2023) · 2026-10-04
- Dreamstime: AI-Generated Images on Dreamstime, Guidelines and Conditions · 2026-10-04 Read as a search excerpt; the page blocks automated access.
- Dreamstime: Now accepting AI-generated content under specific terms (2023, archived) · 2026-10-02
- Alamy: Contributor uploading · 2026-10-02
- iStock: AI-Free Imagery Policy · 2026-10-02
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Pick your sites, then get review-ready
Generate, upscale and get your title, keywords and CSV in one place. 2 images and 2 upscales to try when you confirm your email. No card needed. Acceptance is up to each site's reviewers.
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