Best Places to Sell Photography Online

Finding the right platform to sell your photography online can feel overwhelming. With dozens of options available—from stock photo sites to full business solutions—it’s challenging to know which will actually help your photography business succeed and which will waste your time and money.

Having tested and reviewed photography platforms for years, we’ve learned what really matters for different types of photographers. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll help you navigate the best places to sell photos online, comparing everything from commission rates and features to real-world performance.

We’ll explore both complete business solutions for professional photographers and specialized marketplaces for stock and fine art sales to help you find the best places to sell photography online for your needs.

Best Places to Sell Photos Online

  • Platforms for Selling Photography Directly: If you want full control over how your photography is showcased and sold, direct-selling platforms are the way to go. These tools are ideal for photographers who want to build their brand, manage their portfolios, and offer personalized services such as print sales or client proofing.
  • Photo Selling Websites for Stock Photography: For photographers looking to reach a broad audience with minimal effort, stock photo websites are a great solution. These platforms allow you to upload your images to a vast marketplace where businesses, marketers, and designers can purchase usage licenses for use.

The Best Platforms for Selling Photography Directly

Each platform provides unique features to help you create a professional storefront. Whether you’re focused on fine art, client work, or commercial prints, these platforms give you the flexibility to connect directly with buyers and maximize your profits.

1. WordPress + Imagely

Imagely Home

We might be a bit biased, but running your own WordPress website with Imagely really is the best way to sell photography online, providing photographers with the most control and the highest profit potential.

With over 32 million downloads and trusted by professional photographers worldwide, Imagely is the best WordPress plugin to sell photos and prints online. It transforms your WordPress site into a complete photography business platform.

Why Photographers Love Imagely

  • Complete ownership of your platform and photos
  • Professional gallery and album layouts that truly showcase your work
  • Built-in eCommerce with automated print fulfillment through professional print labs and ZERO commission fees
  • Seamless Adobe Lightroom integration for efficient workflows
  • Streamlined client proofing for you and your customers
  • Powerful image protection features, including watermarking and right-click protection
  • Premium, photography-tailored theme with templates to help you quickly build a new website (if needed).
  • Advanced features for image optimization, SEO, social sharing, and more!

Photographers often think they need multiple separate tools to run their online business, but it simply isn’t true. Imagely gracefully integrates with your primary site, handling everything from portfolio display to initial client proofing and final print delivery.

In our experience, photographers who switch to Imagely from hosted platforms grow their business faster, increase profits by eliminating commission fees, and boost client satisfaction by providing a cohesive experience.

Get Imagely Today

Pricing: Imagely Pro, which includes all features and eCommerce functionality, starts at $139.50 / year with no commission fees on sales or prints.

While the initial setup might take a little longer if you don’t already have a WordPress website, the long-term benefits of owning your platform and keeping 100% of profits make it well worth the investment. Check out our step-by-step guide to Create Your Photography Website with Imagely.

2. SmugMug

SmugMug

SmugMug is designed for photographers to build online portfolios and sell their work. It’s a well-known solution that effectively combines secure photo storage with eCommerce capabilities for photographers to sell prints, digital downloads, and other products. It’s a go-to solution for many photographers who want a polished, hosted platform.

What We Like:

  • Unlimited photo storage with RAW file support
  • Beautiful, responsive portfolio designs
  • Print fulfillment through professional labs
  • Versatility for printing products on non-traditional materials, like metal, glass, or keepsakes
  • User-friendly tools for client proofing

While SmugMug offers a streamlined experience, we’ve found the monthly fees and 15% commission can impact profitability compared to self-hosted solutions. However, its robust storage and simple setup make it an attractive choice for photographers who prefer an all-in-one hosted platform.

Pricing: Plans with selling features start at $28 / month with a 15% commission fee on sales.

3. Zenfolio

Zenfolio

Having worked with many portrait and event photographers, we’ve seen Zenfolio excel at client gallery management and print sales. Their platform offers robust features specifically designed for client-focused photography businesses. With added features like SEO tools and marketing options, Zenfolio is a practical choice for photographers who want an all-in-one solution to showcase and sell their work.

What We Like:

  • Intuitive client gallery management
  • Built-in booking system
  • Smart pricing lets you generate suggested price lists based on your local market
  • Ability to offer custom packages to clients
  • Allows you to sell video content as well
  • Flexibility to choosing your own print labs
  • Solid marketing tools, such as email templates and on-site campaigns

The platform works particularly well for high-volume photographers like school or corporate photographers. However, we’ve noticed that template customization options are somewhat limited compared to other solutions.

Pricing: PortfolioPlus plans (required for selling) start at $11.50 / month with a 7% commerce fee on sales.

4. PhotoShelter

PhotoShelter

PhotoShelter is a platform aimed at brands and professional photographers who want advanced tools for managing, selling, and licensing their work. It excels at digital asset management while providing solid selling capabilities for photographers. PhotoShelter also includes options for client proofing and metadata management, making it a good option for photographers with commercial or editorial portfolios.

What We Like:

  • Powerful image organization system
  • Highly customizable website templates
  • Built-in SEO tools
  • Customizable price-lists
  • Mobile app to upload, price, and view your photos
  • Reliable cloud storage

While PhotoShelter’s interface can feel complex at times, we appreciate its robust feature set for managing large image collections. The platform is particularly well suited to commercial photographers who need advanced organization and image licensing tools.

Pricing: Basic plans start at $10 / month with 8-10% transaction fees.

5. ShootProof

ShootProof

ShootProof is another sharing and selling platform for photographers who specialize in client-based work. It’s earned a strong reputation among wedding photographers as it excels at streamlining the proofing, invoicing, purchasing, and delivery process with clients.

What We Like:

  • Clean, intuitive client galleries
  • Built-in scheduling system, along with contracts and invoicing
  • User-friendly mobile app to deliver photos to clients
  • Professional lab integration
  • Flexible branding options and email campaigns

The platform really shines for event photographers who need to deliver client galleries quickly. However, it lacks some of the advanced customization options found on other platforms.

Pricing: Plans start at $10.99 / month based on photo storage, with no commission fees on sales.

6. Fine Art America

Fine Art America

Fine Art America is an online marketplace and print-on-demand service where photographers can sell their work as fine art prints, royalty-free downloads, or printed products. The platform handles production and shipping, allowing photographers to focus on creating. It’s well-suited for those who produce artistic and decorative images, like landscape photographers and want to reach a wide audience without managing logistics.

What We Like:

  • Global fulfillment network
  • Extensive print types, including apparel, accessories, and home decor products
  • Ability to set custom prices
  • Built-in marketing tools, like blogging and Facebook integration
  • Simple setup process
  • Active artist community

While the marketplace can feel crowded, we appreciate how it handles all aspects of production and shipping. Keep in mind that their 30% markup structure means you’ll need to price strategically.

Pricing: It’s free to join (limit of 25 photos), and Fine Art America will add a 30% markup to your prices. A premium membership for $30 / year provides unlimited images, your own white-labeled website, and additional exposure opportunities.

7. Etsy

Etsy

Etsy is a popular marketplace for handmade and artistic goods. Although it’s not photography-specific, we’ve seen many photographers successfully sell prints, digital downloads, or custom work on the platform. With millions of monthly users, it can be a good option for photographers who specialize in unique, creative products and cater to a craft-oriented audience.

What We Like:

  • Massive existing customer base
  • Determine your own pricing
  • No limitations on what products you sell
  • Direct customer communication
  • Offsite ads option (with additional fees) to automatically advertise your work across the web

The platform works particularly well for photographers selling unique or customized products. However, listing fees and transaction costs can add up quickly. Keep in mind that you’ll also need to handle all manufacturing and ship items yourself for physical products.

Pricing: Etsy has a fairly complicated fee structure, but for most users, it’s free for your first 40 listings ($0.20 / item after that) with a 6.5% transaction fee on sales. Etsy Plus provides more customization options and marketing tools for an additional $10 / month.

Best Photo Selling Websites for Stock Photography

With built-in search engines and global reach, stock photo sites make it easy to generate passive income from your work. While competition can be fierce, they’re an excellent option for photographers specializing in commercial, editorial, or lifestyle images.

1. Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock contributor - best places to sell photography online

Having worked extensively with Adobe’s ecosystem, we find Adobe Stock particularly valuable for photographers already using Creative Cloud applications like Lightroom or Photoshop. The platform allows you to sell digital images to a global audience of creatives, marketers, and businesses. Adobe Stock offers competitive commission rates, easy submission processes, and high visibility within the creative industry, making it a reliable source of passive income.

What We Like:

  • Seamless Lightroom integration
  • Supports a variety of other asset types, including AI-generated photos, videos, and vector graphics
  • AI-powered keywording
  • Free portfolio site through Adobe Portfolio
  • Detailed analytics
  • Non-exclusive rights (sell on other platforms simultaneously)

While the 33% royalty rate isn’t the highest, the integration with Creative Cloud tools can significantly streamline your workflow.

Pricing / Earnings: Free to join. Photographers receive a standard 33% royalty share.

9. Shutterstock

Shutterstock photo selling website

Shutterstock is one of the largest and most popular stock photo platforms on the web. It’s known for its vast customer base and high demand for fresh content, which can be lucrative for commercial, editorial, or lifestyle photographers. Competition is tough, but volume sales can offer significant earnings potential.

What We Like:

  • High-volume sales potential
  • Clear earnings dashboard and detailed metrics
  • Regular promotions
  • Personalized portfolio page
  • Supports multiple content types like videos and illustrations
  • Non-exclusive rights (sell on other platforms simultaneously)

The platform rewards consistent contributors, but most users say it takes time and a lot of images to build substantial earnings. It’s best suited to photographers who already have a substantial collection of photos they want to monetize passively.

Pricing / Earnings: Free to join. Offers 6 commission rates, ranging from 15-40%, based on total yearly downloads. Contributors with less than 100 downloads receive a 15% commission, while the top-tier payout rate of 40% requires more than 25K downloads in a year.

10. Alamy

Alamy Contributor

Alamy is a highly regarded stock photo site offering one of the most photographer-friendly commission structures in the industry. With its broad marketplace and global reach, Alamy caters to diverse clients, from small businesses to major media outlets. It’s a flexible option for earning royalties while maintaining control over pricing and usage rights.

What We Like:

  • Competitive commission rates
  • Excellent student program with a 100% commission rate for 2 years
  • Simple submission process and keyword tagging
  • Monthly payments (when earnings are $50+)
  • Mobile contributor app
  • Non-exclusive rights (sell on other platforms simultaneously)

The platform may generate fewer sales than larger competitors, but the higher per-image revenue often makes up for it. Photographers can upload a wide range of content, but we’ve found it’s particularly strong for editorial and news photography.

Pricing / Earnings: Free to join. Commission rates range between 20%-50%. Most contributors fall into the Alamy Gold tier ($250-$25,000 in annual revenue), which offers a 40% commission rate.

11. 500px

500px

500px is both a photography community and a stock photo platform with a focus on high-quality, artistic imagery. The platform offers a supportive community for sharing and improving your skills, along with a marketplace to showcase your work, gain exposure, and sell licenses. While the platform’s submission standards are strict, we appreciate how this maintains the quality of the marketplace and reduces competition with lower-quality images.

What We Like:

  • Active professional community
  • Weekly prizes for photo challenge quests
  • Discovery page and ‘Pulse algorithm’ to highlight new uploads
  • Available-for-hire listings with your profile, resume, and portfolio to get more clients
  • Detailed performance metrics
  • Exclusive and non-exclusive licensing options

500px offers a less-saturated market and a lucrative payment structure for highly skilled professionals who want to combine social networking with selling their images. However, we wouldn’t recommend it for most beginners or hobby photographers due to the strict submission requirements.

Pricing / Earnings: Offers free and paid memberships, and all plans pay a 25% commission rate for non-exclusive images. For exclusive images, members on the free plan receive a 60% commission, while members on a paid plan (starts at $6.49 / month) receive 100% commission and additional perks.

12. iStock by Getty Images

iStock by Getty Images - site to sell photos online

iStock by Getty Images is another popular platform for selling stock photos, known for its strong brand recognition and broad customer base. It provides a solid balance of accessibility and earning potential for photographers. iStock allows clients to license your work through their subscription plans or with on-demand purchases. As a contributor, you’ll gain access to a global marketplace (100+ countries) and a variety of tools to track sales and optimize your portfolio.

What We Like:

  • Supports multiple content types
  • Free online photo editor and Adobe CreativeCloud plugin
  • Regular buying trends updates
  • Clear path to Getty Images distribution
  • Non-exclusive rights, but active contributors can apply to become exclusive contributors for higher rates

The best work on iStock is also shown on Getty Images, and all contributor applications are reviewed for acceptance on both platforms. For photographers who want to sell on both iStock and Getty Images, this is a convenient connection that increases exposure and revenue. However, like the majority of stock sites, building significant earnings takes time and consistency.

Pricing / Earnings: Free to sign up. iStock offers a 15% commission rate for non-exclusive images. Commission rates for exclusive images are based on total yearly downloads and range from 25%-45%. If you’re invited to Getty Images as well, all submissions must be exclusive and pay a 20% commission.

13. Stocksy

Stocksy

As a highly curated platform specializing in unique, artistic collections, Stocksy is my personal favorite stock site to browse. With a focus on quality over quantity, Stocksy appeals to premium clients who value creative content. Royalty-free purchases start at $15 and can quickly reach the thousands with extended usage and market-freeze options for buyers. As a photographer, you’ll benefit from an artist-friendly commission structure and premium exclusivity agreements.

What We Like:

  • Carefully curated libraries
  • Supportive community
  • Premium licensing rates
  • Generous referral program (10% in lifetime royalties)
  • Unique brand positioning
  • Photographer-owned co-op with a fair compensation model

Stocksy is perfect for photographers with a distinctive style who want to stand out in a competitive market. With a less than 30% approval rate, the selective acceptance process can be challenging, but it’s clear how the tighter requirements help maintain higher prices and better earnings per image. Keep in mind that if you’re accepted, all submissions must be exclusive.

Pricing / Earnings: Free to apply. Contributors earn 50% on regular purchases ($15-$400) and 75% on extended licenses ($100-$10,800).

14. Foap

Foap

Foap is a unique mobile app that helps photographers and content creators sell their work by connecting them directly with brands and businesses. Clients post a “Mission,” which is a creative brief containing all the information creators need. From there, creators can submit photos and videos that align with the requirements. Brands can provide feedback on submissions, purchase the content they want, and connect with contributors for future collaborations.

What We Like:

  • Easy mobile uploads
  • Feedback from brands
  • Brand campaign opportunities
  • Social community features
  • Simple submission process
  • Direct brand connections to become brand ambassadors

Foap is geared towards brands that are looking for user-generated marketing photos and videos, offering an easy way to monetize lifestyle snapshots and videos for social media. While earnings per photo are modest, the platform’s mission system and brand ambassador program can provide higher-paying opportunities for consistent mobile content creators.

Pricing / Earnings: Free to join. Most photos sell for $10 each, and you’ll earn a 50% commission.

How to Choose the Right Platform to Sell Photos Online

Here’s what to consider when deciding where to sell your photos online:

Business Model and Goals: Clearly defining your goals upfront will help you choose more suitable platforms.

  • Do you want to sell directly to clients or earn passive income?
  • Are you selling prints, digital downloads, or both?
  • Do you need client galleries and proofing?
  • What’s your target profit margin?
  • How much control do you want over your brand?

Features and Integrations: Consider which tools you currently need and any features you think you’ll need as your business scales.

  • Customizable portfolio showcase
  • Client gallery functionality
  • Automated print fulfillment
  • Integration with existing tools (like Lightroom)
  • Scheduling and booking system
  • Marketing and SEO capabilities

Technical Comfort Level: Be honest about your technical abilities and time constraints.

  • Do you want to manage your own website?
  • Are you comfortable handling updates and maintenance?
  • Do you prefer an all-in-one hosted solution? Are the trade-offs worth it?

Budget and Pricing Structure: As you’ve seen, different fee structures can significantly impact profitability.

  • What’s your budget for monthly and yearly fees?
  • How do commission rates affect your pricing strategy?
  • What’s your expected sales volume?

For photographers who want to attract clients, manage their business, and sell directly to customers, running your own WordPress website with Imagely provides the most value-packed solution. Imagely also offers different pricing tiers, so you can always upgrade to unlock the features you need as your business expands.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best platform for professional photographers?

Pairing your own WordPress website with the Imagely plugin offers the most comprehensive and cost-effective solution for professional photographers. It provides complete control over your business and includes essential features like client proofing, Lightroom integration, and automated print fulfillment, with no commission fees.

What photography website pays the most?

We’ve found that self-hosted solutions like Imagely offer the highest potential since you keep 100% of sales. For stock photography, exclusive contracts with major platforms can provide substantial earnings through volume, though it takes time to build momentum. High-quality, niche sites like Stocksy, 500px, and Alamy pay the highest commission rates, but they also have higher standards for submissions compared to popular options like Adobe Stock and Shutterstock.

Which platform offers the highest earning potential?

We’ve found that self-hosted solutions like Imagely offer the highest potential since you keep 100% of sales. For stock photography, exclusive contracts with major platforms can provide substantial earnings through volume, though it takes time to build momentum.

Do I need my own website to sell photos online?

While not required, having your own website provides the most control and professionalism. Solutions like Imagely offer a complete business and provide more long-term benefits, while marketplaces can serve as additional sales channels.

What kind of photos sell the most online?

The types of photos that sell the most online often reflect market demand and the specific platform you’re using to sell your work. Here are some popular categories:

  • Lifestyle and People: Images of people in natural settings, engaging in everyday activities like working, relaxing, or spending time with family, tend to perform well. These photos are frequently used in marketing and advertising.
  • Business and Technology: Photos that depict modern workplaces, teamwork, or technology (like laptops, smartphones, or futuristic gadgets) are in high demand for corporate websites, presentations, and social media campaigns.
  • Nature and Landscapes: High-quality shots of mountains, forests, beaches, and other scenic environments sell well, especially for fine art prints or backgrounds in digital media.
  • Travel and Adventure: Images showcasing unique destinations, cultural experiences, and outdoor adventures appeal to travel companies, bloggers, and tourism boards.
  • Food and Beverages: Professionally styled food photography is widely used by restaurants, food bloggers, and advertisers. Photos of coffee, cocktails, and meals with appealing compositions are especially popular.
  • Health and Wellness: Photos related to fitness, self-care, or mental health resonate with brands in the wellness industry. Think yoga, exercise, and healthy eating.
  • Seasonal and Holiday Themes: Photos that represent holidays or seasonal activities—like Christmas decorations, summer vacations, or fall leaves—are in consistent demand for marketing campaigns.
  • Abstract and Conceptual: Abstract visuals, such as patterns, textures, or symbolic compositions, are often used in creative projects and marketing materials.

To maximize your chances of selling photos online, focus on creating high-quality, visually engaging images that cater to the needs of your target audience. Additionally, researching trends on the platform where you sell can help identify specific types of photos that are in demand.

Many successful photographers we work with use a combination of platforms – maintaining their own WordPress website as their primary portfolio and business hub while leveraging stock marketplaces for additional exposure and sales. This hybrid approach often provides the best balance of control and reach.

Don’t have Imagely yet? Get started today!

We hope this article helped you find the best places to sell photography online! Want to learn more about creating your photography business and brand? Check out:

For more photography tips and WordPress tutorials, check out our blog.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. I have been trying to make sales for several years, and the hardest part is getting people to see your work. Some of the big sites do get a lot of views, but you are competing with a lot of other artists. If you have your own website, you are still competing with the rest of the internet for views.
    posting your work is easy, finding the right people and marketing to them is hard…

Leave a Reply

Close Menu