15 Best Apps To Sell Photos On And Make Money

The Best Apps To Sell Pics For Money

When it comes to making extra money, there’s never been an easier way to do it! With the internet at our fingertips and our smartphones clutched tight within our grasp!

A great way of making money is to sell photos online – so if you’ve been wondering how to get paid for pictures you take with your phone, this is the article for you.

We will look at how to sell pics, get cash for those pics, and the best apps that pay you for your photos!

15 Best Apps To Sell Photos Online

Here are the 15 best apps to sell pics for money!

1. Shutterstock

If you’re in the photo business – or even just in the online business world – you’ve probably heard of Shutterstock!

As a contributor to photostock, you create high-quality images and videos for their customers by uploading your content onto their platform. Then you make money every time someone downloads your content!

You can earn even more by referring friends. So make sure to get your friends in on it too.

To get started, you need to sign up to become a Shutterstock contributor on the site! You can check out the Shutterstock community here!

Shutterstock can be an excellent place to start if you want to get your name out there and be part of a big photo marketplace.

Being in a bigger marketplace does have its disadvantages, though, as it can be harder to stand out from the crowd.

2. Depositphotos

I personally love Depositphones and buy images from them all the time! They are a very well known company and a great place to get paid for your photos.

To make money selling photos on Depositphotos, you will need to register for a contributor account for free and take a short examination test (you will need to upload some of your photography work here).

Once you’ve passed, you are free to start uploading your photos. The more images you sell, the higher your contributor level and the more money you can make.

3. Etsy

When you think about stock photo apps, Etsy may not be one of the first ones you think of, but it could be one of the best!

Etsy isn’t a stock photo site but a hugely popular online marketplace where people flock to buy handmade or digital goods.

You will have to set up an online store to sell on Etsy! This makes the processes not as straightforward as some of the other photo-selling apps. But with that being said, if you want to earn money selling smartphone photos, Etsy is the place to be, as you will make more money!

Selling photos on Etsy is a good time to carve out a niche for yourself as a specialist stock photographer – e.g., you could offer photos for feminine workspaces.

If you want to get started with Etsy, be sure to check out

4. Stockimo

Stockimo is a photo selling app set up by the company Alamy (a stock photo site). It’s important to note the differences between the two, as, on Stockimo, you can only upload photos from your cell phone, but on Alamy, you can upload photos from a DSLR camera.

They sell the license to use your photos which means that you get to keep the copyright, and it gives you a better chance of making more money – Stockimo says that the average fee you could get for a single photo is $90.

If you are looking to make money selling photos from your phone, this is a great option for you!

5. Snapwire

Snapwire is similar to some of the other sites we have listed throughout this article. In that, you can upload your photography onto their marketplace within Snapwire.

You also get to choose when you want to work and what jobs you pick up as their designing network expands past taking photos. If you want to get paid for your photos, check out Snapwire.

If you are ready to join the Snapwire community or just read more about it, you can check it out here!

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6. Foap

Foap is a marketplace for photographers. It’s also a site where brands submit photo requests for specific images that they are searching for.

Foap will then put out competitions and missions where you can submit the best photo that you can put forward for it. This can get really fun if you are in for some friendly competition, especially if you take good pictures.

Foap is a little bit different in that when you upload a photo; you have to provide a rating for five other photos that other photographers have uploaded. This is to encourage you to help with the ratings, which means that other photographers will also have to do it for you.

The better your ratings, the better your work will do! The better the work, the more money you will make!

You can read more about Foap here!

7. Envato Elements

Envato previously bought out the photo stock company Twenty20. And with that, it definitely became more user-friendly.

Envato Elements has what is known as “authors” who sell their images to clients via Envato.

If you decide to advance past selling images, you can. Envato has what is known as a marketplace as well. If you have an interest in selling things on the web, doing audio, video, or design, this might be the outlet for you.

To learn more about Envato and sell your photos for cash, check it out here!

8. Agora Images

One of the key benefits of selling your images on Agora is that you get to keep 100% of the earnings. We think that this is one of the best stock photo sites for that reason.

The level of commission you get depends on your rating on the site, with higher rankings resulting in higher payments.

Another great thing about selling on Agora is that you can still resell your photos to other businesses – it’s not just a one-time thing or for Agora only.

You can read more about Agroa Images if you want to sell pictures online!

9. Bylined

Bylined is a really fun and unique marketplace. You can sell your everyday images to businesses, agencies, and more, all from your smartphone.

To get started, jump over to your Google Play app and download Bylined. Create your own profile and start searching for assignments.

If you are ready to get paid for the photos you take on your smartphone, check out Bylined in your Google Play Store now.

10. Scoopshot

We like Scoopshot because they offer many different ways to make money selling photos on their site.

Besides selling pics on Scoopshot to make money, you can also earn money by taking part in tasks and contests that they run daily.

If you are ready to get cash for your pictures, sign up as a photographer! Read more about Scoopshot to see if it’s the right fit for you!

11. iStock

This isn’t the easiest app for selling photos on, as it’s one of the top-selling photo apps. That said, you could make a decent amount of money if you get in!

To sign up for iStock, you will need to sign up as a Contributor and submit an application. If your application is approved, you will be invited to join – but please note that you could be asked to join either iStock or Getty Images (same company).

Although they are the same company, double-check the terms and conditions as they run things slightly differently. For example, on iStock, your images are non-exclusive, and on Getty Images, your content is exclusive.

Both have pros and cons, but the highest earning potential is probably with iStock if you sign up as an exclusive contributor.

If you are ready to earn money from mobile photography, check out iStock now!

12. 500px

Are you ready to grow a career by taking pics? Or just sell pics for money? If so, this photo-selling app might be looking for you!

To get started with 500px, download their app with Google or Apple. Then sign up!

Begin building out your portfolio so you will stick out to your competition. They also offer quests, basically photo challenges, where they test your creativity. Win a quest, and you win prizes.

To earn from your photos or learn more about 500px, check them out here!

13. Dreamstime

With over 650,000 contributors, Dreamstime is one of the largest stock photo communities. They also have over 32 million registered users that are looking for images.

Dreamstime offers different options to increase your payout, such as the exclusivity of sale rights for a 10% bonus.

You can also sign up as an Exclusive Contributor and receive a 60% bonus – meaning that you won’t be able to sign up to any other sites with the promise that you will only contribute photos to Dreamstime.

If you want more info on becoming a contributor at Dreamstime, pop on over, register, and let’s start selling pictures!

14. EyeEm

EyeEm is another site that acts as a marketplace for photos and photographers. However, it’s not just a marketplace where you upload photos – you can also undertake missions from brands to earn money.

You keep the copyright of your photos. It is also non-exclusive, so you can upload your photos to other sites. The more sites you work with, the more potential for your images to be seen and the more money to make!

To earn money by selling photography online, create a contributor account and get started!

15. Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock is one of the best-known names for photos. Best of all, they have a place where you can upload your images to sell them. They are called Adobe Stock artists!

You will have a non-exclusive agreement with Adobe Stock, which means you can sell your photos elsewhere if you want.

Better yet, if your photos are popular enough, you can get added to the Adobe library and receive royalties.

To get started as an Adobe Stock artist, sign in with an Adobe ID and get started uploading images.

What Are The Best Type Of Photos To Sell?

When thinking about the best types of photos to sell, it’s worth considering the types of customers on the apps. Who is your target audience?

What photos would you purchase from a photo site if you had a business?

Don’t underestimate the quality of your photos, as you can produce something that many people can’t and are willing to pay for.

The main types of photos that sell better than others include niches like:

Travel
Food
People (families, people at work, etc)
Nature
Lifestyle
Holidays
Weddings

Suppose any of those niches interest you; great! You can choose to pick one niche or many.

How To Sell Pictures For Money (Get Started Today)

1. Choose a photo-selling app or site to sell photos

First things first, you need to choose which app to sell your photos on. We have looked through the best photo-selling apps out there – but it all comes down to what you want from your experience and how many photos you want to sell.

When choosing, check the terms and conditions thoroughly, as some sites will want exclusivity, which you want to avoid if you want to upload to multiple sites.

I recommend starting with one stock photo app or site to begin. Then consider expanding over time if you want.

This isn’t a get-rich-fast kind of gig. The more time you put in, the more money you get out. If you love taking pictures or are into professional photography, this is a fun way to get your images out there and make some cash doing it.

2. Create a free account

Once you have chosen which photo selling app or site you will be using; it’s time to create a free account! This is important as you don’t want to pay to use a platform.

Most of the best photo-selling sites are free.

3. Start taking high-quality photos

You could put any photo up on a stock photo site, but to maximize your chances of selling your photos, you need to take high-quality pictures.

This might include having a phone with a nice camera, such as the Samsung S22 Ultra or iPhone 13.

Take your time with taking images, and remember that this could be the first impression of your work. Impress the buyer, and they could be back for more!

4. Upload images to stock photo sites

You will often have to wait for approval to join the photo apps and sites. Once you have been approved, start uploading your work.

Remember uploading your best work increases the likely hood of selling your images.

How To Get Paid For Pictures

Getting paid for pictures is a great side hustle if you have the skill. We don’t want to disrespect photographers by saying that absolutely anyone can do this, as you will clearly have more luck if you are already a professional photographer.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t give it a go, though, as many amateurs are very talented and could make money off something that is currently a hobby.

The main way to get paid for pictures is to be a professional photographer, but you can make money more passively by uploading photos to photo apps to sell.

That being said, you don’t need to be a professional to sell your pictures. You might need some practice.

Who buys online stock photos?

Technically, many of the apps and sites we looked at in this article buy your stock photos.

The types of people that buy online stock photos are generally businesses or agencies. If you are running a business, you may not have the time or money to pay for specific professional photos, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t want to have some nice-looking photos on your site or business.

There are so many different businesses out there that you can cater to, but you may want to focus on the types of businesses where people will be actively searching for stock photos.

However, you could also go a bit more niche and think about types of businesses that don’t have a lot of available stock photos for their purposes.

All different-sized businesses buy online stock photos.

Different businesses that buy a lot of stock images include:

Bloggers
Social media influencers
Small businesses
Ad agencies

Tips For Taking Photos That Sell Quickly

Ideally, you will want your photos to sell quickly, bring you in some income, and compensate you for your time.

Here are some easy tips for taking photos that sell quickly:

Take free tutorials on taking high-quality images
Upload multiple photos
Pay attention to what’s “in” or trending right now

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Equipment You Need To Sell Pictures For Money

You can get by with only your phone’s camera in the beginning. But when you are ready to take things to the next level, it will help if you have decent equipment,

Something you considering upgrading would be your phone. It also might help to have some nice editing software. However, these things are not necessary.

Some of the equipment that you will need to have include:

Photo Selling Apps – Final Thoughts

Tired of wondering how to make money selling stock photos? We hope this article will help you find the best apps for selling photos!

You should now know how to sell stock photos and make money, whether that’s as a side income or jumping in full-time.

If you enjoyed this article, make sure to save it for later, and join us on Pinterest for more ways to make money!

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