Well, first of all, they are losing customers and their revenue from content decreased by 12% compared to the first quarter of 2025:

QuoteRevenue from our Content product offering decreased by $24.8 million, or 12%, as compared to the first quarter of 2025, to $178.1 million. The reduction in our Content revenue was driven primarily by weakness in new customer acquisition. Content revenue represented 89% of our total revenue in the first quarter of 2026.

Shutterstock is a struggling company. They are losing subscribers and paid downloads are shrinking.

Subscribers: 993K (was 1.079K in march 2025)
Subscriber revenue: 103.8M (was 109.9M)
Paid downloads: 104.1M (was 120.9M)

Metrics include Envato counts and revenue, so difficult to say how it applies to the Shutterstock platform.

On top of that their revenue generated from data, distribution and services (I guess this is A.I. training and deals) took a 47% hit.

So: customers and paid downloads are shrinking, while we as contributors keep feeding the beast. In other words: more content for less customers.

Very normal we all see a decline in our earnings.
Not normal the decline is so steep for some of us.

On top of that: operational costs are not shrinking at the same pace as the turnover is shrinking.
We can expect more exciting news, I guess.

Quote from: Her Ugliness on May 07, 2026, 07:32
I took a good look at where my photos are placed in the search in comparison where they used to be and I think I figured it out. It is indeed the unlimited download plan.

It's not just that the contributors that were offered to be part of the plan get an extra income through the plan. The images that customers with this plan can download at no additional cost get downloaded much more often, raise in ranks and push the other images out, so our images are much further down in the serach and cannot be found easily. So even customers without the unlimited plan do not buy our images, because they don't find them.

Seems very unfair practice. Even if the rest of us gets offered to be part of the unlimited plan at some point (which I never wanted to be part of, but it seems like it is eat or die), by that time our search ranks will be completely destroyed.

Makes sense.

If I understood it correctly, unlimited is not available for every client, but high volume clients can request it.
On the other hand, not every contributor is included in the unlimited plan. That selection process is very unclear.

This means, a high volume of sales on a small portion of the content.

How this affects ranking: I don't know. Do they count unlimited and subscription differently in their search ranking algorithm? If not, well, then you are right, and contributors who are included in the unlimited plan have an unfair advantage, as their content gets more exposure and downloads.

Will they ever fix that unfair advantage? We don't know either.

Anyhow, that unlimited thing saved my past month. I went from having a dramatic month to pretty decent one on the last day when unlimited bonus came in.

Or like another member suggested previously : the next logical step is for all the content to be included in the unlimited plan.

I already stopped uploading new content there. To be fair I'm not even sure I'd want to have my port accessible through the unlimited plan since it's pretty niche. Part of my last uploads have been stuck in pending for "data marketplace" despite being opted out. For reference I'd only get a rejection once in a blue moon so it looks like they want to forcibly deviate part of my content to data licensing. I'll keep a close eye on the situation until the end of this year and if nothing changes I'll have to consider removing everything. At this point it would only be a liability staying there.

How does a contributor determine if they are participating in the unlimited download plan?

Quote from: wds on May 07, 2026, 15:01
How does a contributor determine if they are participating in the unlimited download plan?

You have the option to opt in or out in your account setting, under the Licensing options - unless Shutterstock is not offering this plan to you, then you have no such option. And I think contributers who are allowed to take part in it also got a mail?

Quote from: Her Ugliness on May 07, 2026, 15:56

Quote from: wds on May 07, 2026, 15:01
How does a contributor determine if they are participating in the unlimited download plan?

You have the option to opt in or out in your account setting, under the Licensing options - unless Shutterstock is not offering this plan to you, then you have no such option. And I think contributers who are allowed to take part in it also got a mail?

Thanks. I checked, I am registered into all "options" and have seen drastic decline, so that may dispute the proposed reason above for a significant drop in downloads.

Just a wild unscientific guess and observation here, but isn't it only logical that SS falls as the AS rises?   

Quote from: qunamax on May 08, 2026, 14:22
Just a wild unscientific guess and observation here, but isn't it only logical that SS falls as the AS rises?

True but it's not that easy. IS has also fallen, DT has also fallen and every Microstock site that reports earnings, has fallen. Agencies have shut down, because their earnings can't support the business. AI has taken away more, there's much more behind this, than something as simple as a shift, from SS to AS, where buyers look and purchase.

Quote from: qunamax on May 08, 2026, 14:22
Just a wild unscientific guess and observation here, but isn't it only logical that SS falls as the AS rises?

Would be logical if everyone was affected in a somewhat similar way and if the fall was similar on other agencies. But only Shutterstock and only (seemingly) for the contributors who are not part of the unlimited plan seems a bit too much of a coincidence.

Sure, my income is declining on all agencies because of AI and I am sure it will continue to decline till it is close to zero, but it is a slow and gradual decline. I have no other agency where I went from several hundred of $ in earnings per month to like $5 in such a short time.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 08, 2026, 18:37

Quote from: qunamax on May 08, 2026, 14:22
Just a wild unscientific guess and observation here, but isn't it only logical that SS falls as the AS rises?

True but it's not that easy. IS has also fallen, DT has also fallen and every Microstock site that reports earnings, has fallen. Agencies have shut down, because their earnings can't support the business. AI has taken away more, there's much more behind this, than something as simple as a shift, from SS to AS, where buyers look and purchase.

Of course there is a huge global decline across all agencies: saturation with both assets and contributors fueled by social media and information, excellent cheap gear, Youtube tutorials, even smartphone camera capabilities, AI both as image generator and tutor/information source etc... It's all spread way too thin, but in all that chaos I'd expect at least one agency to stay afloat and to me it's only logical that it is the agency that has the biggest design software package in the world with integrated both stock library and AI capabilities. Survival of the fittest, to say. Under the hood SS probably pulled some desperate unfair moves, but I feel like they are going under anyway, so in the end it won't matter much for long.   
But all that aside, looking only at SS and AS, as I wrote, my simple observation is that right about time the SS started to fall, AS started to rise, as seen on these forums too, praise for AS and frown on SS, dating some years back. My point being, I don't expect SS to rise back again to it's past glory for anyone.   

Quote from: qunamax on May 09, 2026, 14:21

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 08, 2026, 18:37

Quote from: qunamax on May 08, 2026, 14:22
Just a wild unscientific guess and observation here, but isn't it only logical that SS falls as the AS rises?

True but it's not that easy. IS has also fallen, DT has also fallen and every Microstock site that reports earnings, has fallen. Agencies have shut down, because their earnings can't support the business. AI has taken away more, there's much more behind this, than something as simple as a shift, from SS to AS, where buyers look and purchase.

Of course there is a huge global decline across all agencies: saturation with both assets and contributors fueled by social media and information, excellent cheap gear, Youtube tutorials, even smartphone camera capabilities, AI both as image generator and tutor/information source etc... It's all spread way too thin, but in all that chaos I'd expect at least one agency to stay afloat and to me it's only logical that it is the agency that has the biggest design software package in the world with integrated both stock library and AI capabilities. Survival of the fittest, to say. Under the hood SS probably pulled some desperate unfair moves, but I feel like they are going under anyway, so in the end it won't matter much for long.   
But all that aside, looking only at SS and AS, as I wrote, my simple observation is that right about time the SS started to fall, AS started to rise, as seen on these forums too, praise for AS and frown on SS, dating some years back. My point being, I don't expect SS to rise back again to it's past glory for anyone.

Yes, that's partially true. AS is rising and SSTK is falling, I don't see that the ratio or relationship is that AS is getting the SSTK customers, as much as, AS is doing a good job of holding their share and building.

If there is a merger, I predict we will see IS regaining some of their share of the Microstock market. I remember when IS was the big dog and all the rest were new, or trying to take a share of their position. SSTK did that. They grabbed most of the IS business. Odd how that has turned? Fotolia wasn't a big player, now under Adobe, the same agency has become something reborn.

When P5, DT, DP. and all the rest have lost their ability to make enough to stay open, or Getty closes what the just bought/merged, we'll have Adobe and iStock. I don't think any of the others will be able to continue. But according to what you are pointing out, if SSTK has lost so much, because of their own faults, wouldn't the others, not just Adobe, have also picked up business? They haven't and they also continue to fall. No one is bragging about how DT or DP are growing in earnings.

Microstock, not all stock, or any other. It's over and there will only be two.

Maybe at some point they'll figure out that they can make more money by charging more for their product?

Higher prices are a result of either increased demand or reduced supply or even better both at the same time.

Thus, I'd say higher prices are unlikely in the foreseeable future.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 09, 2026, 20:42

Quote from: qunamax on May 09, 2026, 14:21

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 08, 2026, 18:37

Quote from: qunamax on May 08, 2026, 14:22
Just a wild unscientific guess and observation here, but isn't it only logical that SS falls as the AS rises?

True but it's not that easy. IS has also fallen, DT has also fallen and every Microstock site that reports earnings, has fallen. Agencies have shut down, because their earnings can't support the business. AI has taken away more, there's much more behind this, than something as simple as a shift, from SS to AS, where buyers look and purchase.

Of course there is a huge global decline across all agencies: saturation with both assets and contributors fueled by social media and information, excellent cheap gear, Youtube tutorials, even smartphone camera capabilities, AI both as image generator and tutor/information source etc... It's all spread way too thin, but in all that chaos I'd expect at least one agency to stay afloat and to me it's only logical that it is the agency that has the biggest design software package in the world with integrated both stock library and AI capabilities. Survival of the fittest, to say. Under the hood SS probably pulled some desperate unfair moves, but I feel like they are going under anyway, so in the end it won't matter much for long.   
But all that aside, looking only at SS and AS, as I wrote, my simple observation is that right about time the SS started to fall, AS started to rise, as seen on these forums too, praise for AS and frown on SS, dating some years back. My point being, I don't expect SS to rise back again to it's past glory for anyone.

Yes, that's partially true. AS is rising and SSTK is falling, I don't see that the ratio or relationship is that AS is getting the SSTK customers, as much as, AS is doing a good job of holding their share and building.

If there is a merger, I predict we will see IS regaining some of their share of the Microstock market. I remember when IS was the big dog and all the rest were new, or trying to take a share of their position. SSTK did that. They grabbed most of the IS business. Odd how that has turned? Fotolia wasn't a big player, now under Adobe, the same agency has become something reborn.

When P5, DT, DP. and all the rest have lost their ability to make enough to stay open, or Getty closes what the just bought/merged, we'll have Adobe and iStock. I don't think any of the others will be able to continue. But according to what you are pointing out, if SSTK has lost so much, because of their own faults, wouldn't the others, not just Adobe, have also picked up business? They haven't and they also continue to fall. No one is bragging about how DT or DP are growing in earnings.

Microstock, not all stock, or any other. It's over and there will only be two.

Well I feel like SS directly lost to AS, that's why nobody else gained and I think that CreativeCloud and Adobe apps subscription models made it available and got to more customers globally, inlcuding the integrated stock part (which is included in their app plans). That's why I think smaller agencies never gained anything and continued to fall under, they are just like SS, only smaller, no innovation (app integration) like AS. And globally, there was a shift from in-house to outsourcing to marketing agencies doing the work, and I can only imagine they (or their subcontractors) mostly use Adobe products for content creation, so Adobe Stock is right there in the software. Canva did the similar thing and went huge, at least for customers.

As for the IS, I'd say their main source has always been Getty, macro/middle stock, and just like others (Alamy) that went out of fashion fast, the line of quality and exclussivity of assets blurred between macro and microstock and a huge amount of buyers aren't willing to pay extra for basically the same thing.
I agree, if the merger happens, IS and AS are going to be the only ones left, for a while. But in the end, I see Adobe, Canva, Artlist and similar, making sense because they have content creation systems, and today everyone seem to be a content creator.   

If customers aren't willing to pay anymore, it makes me wonder if they're also not willing to pay anymore for an extended license. If you can still get a decent sale with an extended license for one photo or video, it makes up for all the rest with tiny commissions.

For video, I haven't sold any files with an extended license for a long time, hope someone can prove me wrong.

Quote from: stocker2011 on May 11, 2026, 00:41
If customers aren't willing to pay anymore, it makes me wonder if they're also not willing to pay anymore for an extended license. If you can still get a decent sale with an extended license for one photo or video, it makes up for all the rest with tiny commissions.

For video, I haven't sold any files with an extended license for a long time, hope someone can prove me wrong.

Video extended license since December 2024:

• December 2024 x 1 Extended License for $28.98

• January 2025 x 1 Extended License for $18.57

• September 2025 x 1 Extended License for $18.44

• December 2025 x 1 Extended License for $18.44

Hardly inspiring. I've had higher Clip Pack sales. For example in May 2025 had one Clip Pack sale paying $147.67. 

Quote from: qunamax on May 10, 2026, 20:05

As for the IS, I'd say their main source has always been Getty, macro/middle stock, and just like others (Alamy) that went out of fashion fast, the line of quality and exclussivity of assets blurred between macro and microstock and a huge amount of buyers aren't willing to pay extra for basically the same thing.
I agree, if the merger happens, IS and AS are going to be the only ones left, for a while. But in the end, I see Adobe, Canva, Artlist and similar, making sense because they have content creation systems, and today everyone seem to be a content creator.   

Yes, I'd agree. Once again, I was only comparing Microstock. There should be other places for us to monetize images.

Quote from: qunamax on May 10, 2026, 20:05
Well I feel like SS directly lost to AS, that's why nobody else gained...

Many people were making $100 to $400 a month on SSTK before the changes. $150 on Fotolia. If there was a direct gain, including Adobe gave us a raise, why aren't people making 3 times more on Adobe now? I don't see a direct relationship between SSTK going down and Adobe going up. I do agree that Adobe pays more fairly and they have increased their sales, but not so much from SSTK customers that switched.

Microstock has died as a business model and been replaced in many ways. I actually think that Adobe gains because of the CC clients who aren't just stock but also designers and others.


2018

Shutterstock Contributor Revenue

The final two Immortals standing in the climactic battle for The Microstock Prize. iStock vs Shutterstock.

I think Alamy is different enough, concentrating on the UK and News Editorial in many ways, to be another business. Adobe with the CC subscriptions is also a different business model, even though they do have a good bit of Microstock, but no pure editorial.

Yay I earned a dollar, well done SS, Keep on keeping on.

I do think not being included in the Unlimited plan has an effect, but has anyone looked at the search results lately? They are pretty dire.

Yesterday, I took some random words and checked out the 'popular' images for the last 12 months, and the first 10-20 images are largely decent, (and a mix of unlimited/not unlimited), but beyond that it falls apart very quickly. There are loads of very similar images, even though Shutterstock put a policy in place to avoid this, and quite a few with exposure issues or ugly colour casts. These are being promoted ahead of much better content, that is way pushed back.

It really looks as if they are either not bothering to check what the AI is approving and promoting, or don't care.

Certainly, most of the content that I had very high in searches, has totally disappeared, (along with my sales). I don't mind healthy competition, but this is crazy.

Quote from: kuriouskat on May 16, 2026, 08:21
I do think not being included in the Unlimited plan has an effect, but has anyone looked at the search results lately? They are pretty dire.

Yesterday, I took some random words and checked out the 'popular' images for the last 12 months, and the first 10-20 images are largely decent, (and a mix of unlimited/not unlimited), but beyond that it falls apart very quickly. There are loads of very similar images, even though Shutterstock put a policy in place to avoid this, and quite a few with exposure issues or ugly colour casts. These are being promoted ahead of much better content, that is way pushed back.

It really looks as if they are either not bothering to check what the AI is approving and promoting, or don't care.

Certainly, most of the content that I had very high in searches, has totally disappeared, (along with my sales). I don't mind healthy competition, but this is crazy.

Have you been offered to join the unlimited program?

Quote from: danielvisuals on May 16, 2026, 11:51

Quote from: kuriouskat on May 16, 2026, 08:21
I do think not being included in the Unlimited plan has an effect, but has anyone looked at the search results lately? They are pretty dire.

Yesterday, I took some random words and checked out the 'popular' images for the last 12 months, and the first 10-20 images are largely decent, (and a mix of unlimited/not unlimited), but beyond that it falls apart very quickly. There are loads of very similar images, even though Shutterstock put a policy in place to avoid this, and quite a few with exposure issues or ugly colour casts. These are being promoted ahead of much better content, that is way pushed back.

It really looks as if they are either not bothering to check what the AI is approving and promoting, or don't care.

Certainly, most of the content that I had very high in searches, has totally disappeared, (along with my sales). I don't mind healthy competition, but this is crazy.

Have you been offered to join the unlimited program?

I wasn't invited by SSTK.

Quote from: kuriouskat on May 16, 2026, 08:21
I do think not being included in the Unlimited plan has an effect, but has anyone looked at the search results lately? They are pretty dire.

Yesterday, I took some random words and checked out the 'popular' images for the last 12 months, and the first 10-20 images are largely decent, (and a mix of unlimited/not unlimited), but beyond that it falls apart very quickly. There are loads of very similar images, even though Shutterstock put a policy in place to avoid this, and quite a few with exposure issues or ugly colour casts. These are being promoted ahead of much better content, that is way pushed back.

It really looks as if they are either not bothering to check what the AI is approving and promoting, or don't care.

Certainly, most of the content that I had very high in searches, has totally disappeared, (along with my sales). I don't mind healthy competition, but this is crazy.

I don't have any idea, except from people here, about the Unlimited. I do see that it's being forced on customers as a default.

I think I can agree about the search being stinky. (or an embarrassment?) We've never been able to see why the same images, some horrid images, and some junk images, manage to be page 1?

Some of these have been on page 1 for over ten years.  https://www.shutterstock.com/search/sliced-tomato?image_type=photo  Look at the 3rd row? Similar? Then take a look "Similar Images" their own content.  https://www.shutterstock.com/search/similar/1483126889

The search is still broken and flawed, as always.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on May 16, 2026, 18:13
Then take a look "Similar Images" their own content.  https://www.shutterstock.com/search/similar/1483126889

Fantastic!  :-(

Quote from: danielvisuals on May 16, 2026, 11:51

Quote from: kuriouskat on May 16, 2026, 08:21
I do think not being included in the Unlimited plan has an effect, but has anyone looked at the search results lately? They are pretty dire.

Yesterday, I took some random words and checked out the 'popular' images for the last 12 months, and the first 10-20 images are largely decent, (and a mix of unlimited/not unlimited), but beyond that it falls apart very quickly. There are loads of very similar images, even though Shutterstock put a policy in place to avoid this, and quite a few with exposure issues or ugly colour casts. These are being promoted ahead of much better content, that is way pushed back.

It really looks as if they are either not bothering to check what the AI is approving and promoting, or don't care.

Certainly, most of the content that I had very high in searches, has totally disappeared, (along with my sales). I don't mind healthy competition, but this is crazy.

Have you been offered to join the unlimited program?

I'm basing the conclusion that the unlimited plan leads to more earnings partly on the comments of others here, but mainly on the fact that if you aren't included, then your sales to these customers equal zero. Being involved gives you opportunity that would otherwise be missed.

However, I can't see the option to filter these in the search these days, nor is my search defaulting to just the unlimited images, which was clearly giving a huge advantage when this was first introduced.