Alamy vs Flaticon
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Best for: Designers and marketers who want authentic, non-AI stock photography, Newsrooms and publishers tracking live news, sport, and entertainment images
Read the full Alamy reviewBest for: UI/UX designers who need consistent interface icon sets for apps, dashboards, and websites, Web developers who want icons pre-exported as SVG or CSS so assets drop straight into code
Read the full Flaticon reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Alamy vs Flaticon: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Alamy if
- You want real, non-AI photography your audience trusts
- You need 4K video, vectors, and news images in one library
- Your team shares and approves picks through free lightboxes
Choose Flaticon if
- You prefer usage-based or subscription billing options
Alamy vs Flaticon: pros and cons
Alamy
Alamy offers 459 million-plus real photos, vectors, and videos with no AI-generated content, plus a live news feed, deep archives, and flexible ways to buy. Overall, it's a solid pick for authentic imagery, but hidden pricing, no free trial, and no design-tool integrations mean you should read the license pages before spending.
Pros
- Library scale is genuinely large — 459 million+ assets spanning photos, vectors, illustrations, 360-degree panoramas, and video, so most niche searches return usable results
- The photography collection contains no AI-generated images — every photo is shot by real creators worldwide, which matters for brands whose audiences notice synthetic-looking visuals
- Editorial depth goes beyond typical stock sites — a live news feed covers breaking news, sport, and entertainment, while the archives chronicle historical figures, events, and inventions
Cons
- No free trial or money-back guarantee is spelled out on the reviewed pages, so there is no low-risk way to test paid downloads before committing
- There are no plug-and-play integrations with design tools; programmatic access requires working with the Alamy API as a partner or developer
- License terms are split across separate image, video, and subscription documents, so buyers need to read multiple pages to understand exactly what a purchase covers
Flaticon
Flaticon makes sourcing icons and stickers quick, with downloads in PNG, SVG, EPS, PSD, and CSS, plus categories that keep matched sets together. It's icon-only by design, and PNGs cap at 512px, so it won't replace a full stock library. Overall, it's a solid pick for designers who need production-ready icons fast.
Pros
- Downloads span five formats—PNG up to 512px, SVG, EPS, PSD, and CSS—so one asset covers web, print, and editable workflows
- Specialized categories like Animated icons, Interface icons, and Style Packs make it fast to source matched, visually consistent sets
- The catalog is built specifically by and for designers, so organization and curation beat generic stock-site search
Cons
- PNG raster downloads cap at 512px, which is too small for large-format print or high-resolution background use
- Scope is limited to icons and stickers—no stock photos, video, or broader illustration—so many teams still need a second asset library
- Public pricing data can lag behind vendor changes, so high-volume buyers should confirm current plan tiers and download limits directly at flaticon.com/pricing
Alamy and Flaticon in detail
Alamy
Alamy is a large online marketplace for licensed visual content. Its library spans stock photography, vectors, illustrations, 360° panoramas, and video, alongside editorial coverage of news, sport, and entertainment plus historical archives. Buyers include designers, marketers, publishers, and media teams — and larger organizations can work with its enterprise desk on custom licenses. Photographers and videographers can also join as contributors and sell their work.
Standout features
- Search by keyword or by image
- Real photography, not AI
- Live news plus deep archives
- Fresh video from known partners
- Lightboxes for team sign-off
Use cases
- Finding Authentic, Non-AI Photos
- Covering Breaking News
- Sourcing Video and Vectors
- Buying at Your Own Scale
Flaticon
Flaticon is a media library built specifically for sourcing vector icons and stickers. The catalog is highly organized, so users can browse specialized categories such as Animated icons, Interface icons, and Style Pack collections rather than scrolling undifferentiated results. Once an asset is selected, it is ready for immediate use and can be exported in several professional formats: PNG at sizes up to 512px for raster needs, SVG and EPS for scalable vectors, PSD for layered Photoshop editing, and CSS for direct web integration. It functions as both a search tool and a delivery mechanism for production-ready design assets.
Standout features
- Multi-Format Downloads: PNG, SVG, EPS, PSD, and CSS
- Specialized Categories: Animated, Interface, and Style Packs
- Highly Organized, Designer-Built Catalog
- Ready-to-Use Icons and Stickers
Use cases
- UI and Web Design
- Presentations and Marketing Collateral
- Brand and Print Work
- Motion and Product Demos
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Alamy | Flaticon |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | €19/mo Single image | €7.50/mo Premium — 12 months (Best value) |
| Free plan | No | Yes 18.0M+ icons and stickers in PNG format only; attribution required; limited to 3 collections with a 50-icon limit each; ads shown. |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Flat price | Flat price |
| Cost for 1 user | €19/mo Single image plan, billed monthly | FreeCheaper Free plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 5 users | €19/mo Single image plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | €7.50/mo Premium — 12 months (Best value) plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 10 users | €19/mo Single image plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | €7.50/mo Premium — 12 months (Best value) plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 25 users | €19/mo Single image plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) | €7.50/mo Premium — 12 months (Best value) plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Plans | 4 | 3 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 13, 2026 | Checked Oct 13, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Sep 30, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 1 user (billed monthly), Flaticon costs €0/mo vs Alamy at €19/mo.
- Only Flaticon has a free plan.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
More comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free way to try Alamy?
Yes. Create a free account to browse 459M+ assets, search by keyword or image, and build shareable lightboxes before buying.
Can Alamy connect to my design tools?
Not plug-and-play. Alamy offers an API so partners and developers can integrate its library into their own platforms.