In mid-February 2026, I am at exactly one percent of the revenue I had on February 17, 2016. I checked: my images have become completely invisible in the Shutterstock search. All the images that had four-digit download numbers have completely disappeared. I have no idea if this is related to the fact that I selected "Image data licensing – no." Or if other factors are at play. On average, each of my images has more than 60 downloads on Shutterstock. Apparently, that's not enough to remain visible. All I can say is that I haven't uploaded anything to Shutterstock for a long time and won't be doing so again. Because if an image doesn't reach a certain number of downloads, it's no longer worth the effort. Especially not in times when the RPD is getting lower and lower. If we've reached the point where I only get $6 for those 60 downloads per image today, there's no point in feeding the beast!

Quote from: DaLiu on February 17, 2026, 11:29
All the big sales are gone from SS. I don't see anything higher than $3 anymore, which is crazy for Shutterstock. I'm Level 5 for images, and I used to have sales like that on a daily basis. Not anymore this year, they clearly changed something.

If even you have reason to complain now, things must really be bad at Shutterstock.

What I find odd is that there were contributors who saw big drops a year ago while others (at that time) seemed to be cruising along. Now others are seeing big drops now. SS must be "experimenting" with perhaps different marketing in different geographic areas or doing other types of experimentation. It's one thing if "everyone" seems to be seeing similar ups or downs, but when some contributors have seen big drops over a year ago and now others (who were doing fine a year ago) are suddenly seeing big drops now...Very weird!!

None of your comments make any sense to me....If you were making a minimum $0.35us prior to Shutterstock slashing contributor commissions, isn't it obvious you're going to make a lot less now regardless of how many sales you make? And how much money are you REALLY making if you consider things like:

1. Equipment costs
2. Travel time and location fees
3. Agency none payment issues, etc.

Unless you're a masochist, I don't understand how this business is still luring contributors into their sites. Shutterstock's home page statement: "Join Shutterstock's global community and earn money doing what you love"...is true but does the time, effort and expense make it worth it? 

i've opted into the image training dataset,  but have 1400 images that it says are eligible, but many have been sitting there for > 4 months - support just says it may take up to 8 weeks for approval!

Quote from: Asthebelltolls on February 17, 2026, 23:07
If you were making a minimum $0.35us prior to Shutterstock slashing contributor commissions, isn't it obvious you're going to make a lot less now regardless of how many sales you make?

True, and not only am I making less money, mostly dimes now, but there are fewer downloads and licenses. The math is much easier if anyone takes a couple minutes to be realistic.

To make the same as before, where middle range we got 35¢ a DL, we'd have to have 3.5X the old number of DLs, just to equal the same earnings. Instead of just a commission drop we also have a huge DL drop. Maybe not everyone, but most people have seen that.

I had more DLs in Jan/Feb 2015 than I did in the entire year 2025. I made more money in those two months than the entire year of 2025. You're right. Most people are making a lot less. I don't have any video on SSTK, which could change things if someone does that. Photo Only.

Well, they dekcuf up Envanto and Pond 5 for me, so yes they are an embarrassment, more like vampires.

Hello,

I live in Turkey, and this experience I'm about to describe applies to Turkey.

When I access Shutterstock from my computer as a customer, the results are displayed as "All images." However, when I access Shutterstock from my phone as a customer, only "Unlimited" images are displayed. It's necessary to select "All images" from the filters.

Many customers are unaware of this, and even if they don't subscribe to an unlimited subscription, they only see "Unlimited" content in the search results, leading them to make their selections from there. Therefore, those who don't provide content for unlimited subscriptions see a significant decrease in their income.

If Shutterstock were a company managed from Turkey, it would face very large fines from the Competition Authority under Turkish law. They can display "Unlimited" images in searches, but this should be a user-selective option. "All images" should be displayed first on the search page. By displaying "Unlimited" images, they are showing leniency to a small number of participants who accept it, while penalizing those who don't, thus violating competition and committing a crime.

If they were in Turkey, I would file a complaint. But I don't know how or where to file a complaint from here in the USA. If US law also allows competition, they will consider the complaint.

SS AI review flagged up my image for being AI, which obviously it's not. Strange.

Quote from: Brasilnut on February 28, 2026, 10:20
SS AI review flagged up my image for being AI, which obviously it's not. Strange.

Technology, however advanced, is the sum total of technological and human failure. But acting with unparalleled speed, it then appears as a super-efficient solution.
The lazy human is the authoritarian pilot of these technologies within tech companies. The human who is a victim of injustice can always cry out, but will only be heard by polite, oblivious, and deaf algorithms.

Yes, it's worrying.

350$ from unlimited this month, every month is higher and higher.

No sales for 2 weeks at Shutterstock (with 20K videos), used to make multiple sales a day 

Well no payout for two months (Jan & Feb) for the first time since 2013.

$10 for Jan
$8 for Feb

Used to get regular $300 to $400 payouts every month 

Lowest month since 2009.  Seems my search result placement is gone.  I see no reason to continue uploading.

Down here as well since the start of the year, now below $100

Lowest month ever: 34$. Even in my first month in 2014 I made double that.

Yes, Shutterstock is (almost) dead to me too. $8 for the entire month of February. The worst month since I joined them. Unbelievable. It's not even worth the effort to check sales, not to mention taking pictures/videos, editing them, uploading them, etc...
If anyone wants to get into stock photography and reads my post, I highly recommend and strongly advise them to look for something else. This industry is dead for people like us.

I didn't get a single video download on SS in February.

This is almost definitely a stupid question, but is there any possible way to revitalise my video sales on SS - even slightly? For example, by deleting and re-uploading my (now presumably dead) bestsellers? Might they get more visibility that way? I don't expect anything like the $$$$ I used to get per month in the old days, but I feel that I could generate a couple of hundred dollars per month if my videos had improved visibility. For context I have always continued to upload the same videos to SS as I upload to the other sites and I'm very happy with sales on Adobe and iStock/Getty.

Quote from: synthetick on March 02, 2026, 08:15
I didn't get a single video download on SS in February.

This is almost definitely a stupid question, but is there any possible way to revitalise my video sales on SS - even slightly? For example, by deleting and re-uploading my (now presumably dead) bestsellers? Might they get more visibility that way? I don't expect anything like the $$$$ I used to get per month in the old days, but I feel that I could generate a couple of hundred dollars per month if my videos had improved visibility. For context I have always continued to upload the same videos to SS as I upload to the other sites and I'm very happy with sales on Adobe and iStock/Getty.

Nor did I, both on Pond 5 (SS owned) and SS. Very unusual for SS, but then again my usual $150-$200 a month was $80 for Feb.

Shutterstock

Feb 2026 +21% earnings -15% downloads  (compared to Feb 2025)

I opted out ​​of the unlimited downloads program.

My downloads are down, but my RPD is good, and I've made a lot of sales >$10. Level 4.

Will not joining the unlimited program raise my RPD?

Quote from: synthetick on March 02, 2026, 08:15
I didn't get a single video download on SS in February.

This is almost definitely a stupid question, but is there any possible way to revitalise my video sales on SS - even slightly? For example, by deleting and re-uploading my (now presumably dead) bestsellers? Might they get more visibility that way? I don't expect anything like the $$$$ I used to get per month in the old days, but I feel that I could generate a couple of hundred dollars per month if my videos had improved visibility. For context I have always continued to upload the same videos to SS as I upload to the other sites and I'm very happy with sales on Adobe and iStock/Getty.

If only your bestsellers then it might work, but you'll have to wait a long period before re-uploading them or the system might flag them. As to how long I have no idea.

Have you considered re-making your bestsellers and/or improving them in some way so that even though they are similar they are still 'new'.

Quote from: synthetick on March 02, 2026, 08:15
I didn't get a single video download on SS in February.

This is almost definitely a stupid question, but is there any possible way to revitalise my video sales on SS - even slightly? For example, by deleting and re-uploading my (now presumably dead) bestsellers? Might they get more visibility that way? I don't expect anything like the $$$$ I used to get per month in the old days, but I feel that I could generate a couple of hundred dollars per month if my videos had improved visibility. For context I have always continued to upload the same videos to SS as I upload to the other sites and I'm very happy with sales on Adobe and iStock/Getty.

SSTK has been flagging images as duplicates, even if they are not accepted. And how do you know it will be accepted? Then there's the problem that image rank, you just went back to the bottom and any sales history is lost. I really think that the whole, delete and upload again myth was from a couple of people who had some crazy idea, that a new image, would get a better placement and for some mysterious and magical reason, get downloads.

The problem is, there are too many new images, and anything new, is buried just as fast as it gets accepted. This isn't the old days and wasting time, trying to game the system, has more hazards and negatives than some trick that will suddenly change the fact that SSTK is dying.

by deleting and re-uploading My answer is NO! Don't do it.

Quote from: Bauman on March 03, 2026, 16:08
Shutterstock

Feb 2026 +21% earnings -15% downloads  (compared to Feb 2025)

I opted out ​​of the unlimited downloads program.

My downloads are down, but my RPD is good, and I've made a lot of sales >$10. Level 4.

Will not joining the unlimited program raise my RPD?

When I go search on SS I only see the unlimited. I don't want the unlimited, but they are forcing the default to unlimited and our work is being hidden. But that's one reason so many of us are seeing less downloads. Our photos are hidden from the search.

Quote from: YadaYadaYada on March 04, 2026, 20:40
When I go search on SS I only see the unlimited. I don't want the unlimited, but they are forcing the default to unlimited and our work is being hidden. But that's one reason so many of us are seeing less downloads. Our photos are hidden from the search.

I did a keyword search with the anonymous browser, and out of over 200,000 results, 12 of my images appeared in the first 100 photos.

Historically, I've always been at the top with this keyword and have always had between 8 and 15 images on the first page.

So I'm not seeing anything new. And I've opted out of the unlimited download program.

The drop in downloads is in line with the slow decline I've been experiencing on SS for the past four years (-10/15% each year). However, it doesn't seem like my photos are being hidden. I sell 30 to 50 of them every day.

Quote from: Bauman on March 04, 2026, 23:07

Quote from: YadaYadaYada on March 04, 2026, 20:40
When I go search on SS I only see the unlimited. I don't want the unlimited, but they are forcing the default to unlimited and our work is being hidden. But that's one reason so many of us are seeing less downloads. Our photos are hidden from the search.

I did a keyword search with the anonymous browser, and out of over 200,000 results, 12 of my images appeared in the first 100 photos.

Historically, I've always been at the top with this keyword and have always had between 8 and 15 images on the first page.

So I'm not seeing anything new. And I've opted out of the unlimited download program.

The drop in downloads is in line with the slow decline I've been experiencing on SS for the past four years (-10/15% each year). However, it doesn't seem like my photos are being hidden. I sell 30 to 50 of them every day.

You're true. Same for me. Default search is not set to unlimited (I use 4 different browsers on internet, so I tested). For a one-word search, I still have 6 of my photos at the first page, out of more than 400,000 results.