DerrikIn this review, we take a closer look at Dreamstime. This is one of the world’s first agencies in microstock. The agency scores well with its excellent price-quality ratio, favorable rates and a very wide range of more than 81 million items. Learn more about this stock photo agency, its product range, price level and download plans in this review. And see what Dreamstime currently does in the field of stock videos.
Company profile of Dreamstime
Dreamstime is one of the largest players in the field of stock photography worldwide. With an offer of 81 million images at attractive prices it is a top player in microstock. Dreamstime is also one of the first pure internet players, with a history that dates back to the year 2000. Since then, the concept has evolved into a powerful community-based website. Nowadays thousands of new images and videos are uploaded on a daily basis, by photographers from all over the world. In order to guarantee quality, images are first assessed by experts. Then they become available for sale to the more than 21 million registered users.
Product range with creative content
Dreamstime once started as a small in-house database of a web design agency. The last decade it has grown into a community where 432,000 photographers and other creative artists trade their work. The offer is currently much larger than just stock photos. Most of the product range is still in stock photos but nowadays there are also millions of editorial photos, illustrations, videos and audio files available.
Download plans at Dreamstime
This stock photo agency uses two payment systems, namely a credit system and a download plan. With a download plan you can download a fixed number of photos and illustrations every month. Therefore the price per item can be very attractive, to just 0.23 US$ each. To get to that price of course you have to use your complete bundle. The download plans are ideal for those who use a lot of material every month, such as web designers and bloggers. The table below shows the different options and the price per image per download plan.
| Duration | Img/month | Total images | Price | Price/image | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 5 | 5 | 25 US$ | 5.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 750 | 750 | 219 US$ | 0.29 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 3 months | 750 | 2250 | 627 US$ | 0.28 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 6 months | 750 | 4500 | 1194 US$ | 0.27 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 12 months | 750 | 9000 | 2028 US$ | 0.23 US$ | 🡆 More info |
Credit packages at Dreamstime
A second option is the purchase of a bundle with credits. You can use these credits to purchase creative content, with each item having a prize in credits. In this case, the higher the quality of the item, the higher the number of credits will be. Content is available for 1 credit, but in practice you pay considerably more for nice content. The big advantage of credits is that they can be used for a year. Especially when you use less content, a credit package can be a good choice. As you can see in the table, the price per image decreases when you purchase more credits.
| Credits | Images | Price | Price/image | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Up to 11 | 14.99 US$ | 1.36 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 15 | Up to 15 | 17.99 US$ | 1.20 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 30 | Up to 30 | 34.99 US$ | 1.17 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 60 | Up to 60 | 68.99 US$ | 1.15 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 120 | Up to 120 | 124.99 US$ | 1.04 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 260 | Up to 260 | 250.00 US$ | 0.96 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 500 | Up to 500 | 470.00 US$ | 0.94 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1000 | Up to 1000 | 900.00 US$ | 0.90 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 2000 | Up to 2000 | 1760.00 US$ | 0.88 US$ | 🡆 More info |
Stock videos
Dreamstime has worked hard to get big in stock video. This has resulted in a large number of videos and thousands of hours of video material. The footage is available to customers via the website. You can find very useful material in various categories, such as abstracts, business, editorial, holidays, industries, nature and much more. Below you will find a nice compilation with video footage.
Video subscriptions
For videos, special video subscriptions are available with 1, 5, 10 and 25 video downloads per month. With the subscription you have to select in which resolution you want to download videos. At a higher resolution the price will be higher. Video subscriptions are always valid for a month and can optionally be extended automatically. In addition, videos can also be purchased with credits from a credit package. If you choose for credits, keep in mind the costs per video will depend on the chosen dimensions and the type of license. In the table below you will find the prices of all available video subscriptions at Dreamstime.
| Duration | Downloads | Resolution | Price | Price/video | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 1 | web | 15.00 US$ | 15.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 1 | 720 | 40.00 US$ | 40.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 1 | 1080 | 50.00 US$ | 50.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 1 | 4k | 55.00 US$ | 55.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 5 | web | 40.00 US$ | 8.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 5 | 720 | 135.00 US$ | 27.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 5 | 1080 | 165.00 US$ | 33.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 5 | 4k | 265.00 US$ | 53.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 10 | web | 72.00 US$ | 7.20 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 10 | 720 | 250.00 US$ | 25.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 10 | 1080 | 311.00 US$ | 31.10 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 10 | 4k | 500.00 US$ | 50.00 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 25 | web | 170.00 US$ | 6.80 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 25 | 720 | 493.00 US$ | 19.72 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 25 | 1080 | 593.00 US$ | 23.72 US$ | 🡆 More info |
| 1 month | 25 | 4k | 1189.00 US$ | 47.56 US$ | 🡆 More info |
175,000 Free stock photos
Quite unique in the stock photography market is the offer of almost 175,000 free royalty-free photos. At Dreamstime all members can use them, without any obligation or annoying conditions. The free photos section contains very useful material in various categories. You will find free stock photos of objects, animals, art, technology, travel, industry, people etc.
About Standard licenses
By default, Dreamstime’s content is issued under a royalty-free license. This means that the image can be used as often as wanted after the purchase. You can use images with a standard licence for websites, TV programs, magazines, newspapers, books, flyers and advertising material. There are only a few limitations. For example, the image may only be used by the buyer or his client, for his own projects or for customers of the company. Photos may not be transferred to another party.
About Extended licenses
In some cases an extended licence is required. This may be the case with greeting cards, postcards, web templates, canvas, t-shirts, mugs and other materials. A criterion here is that the image is used in an essential way and that it is a free way of giving. When this is the case, an extended license can be purchased. The Dreamstime support department can provide support in all possible ways in case of doubt. For example, by telephone and by e-mail.
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