Visit Website See Pricing
Alamy

Alamy

Authentic Stock Content, Zero AI. Just Real Photos and Videos.

#12 dans Media Library
1 min read · Updated 11/17/2025
Alamy homepage screenshot

At a glance

Quick overview for Alamy: rating, pricing summary, key features, and highlights.

Ciroapp review

2.0
Vast, Authentic Library; Buyer Beware.

Alamy offers a strong and unique value proposition via its massive, AI-free content library, focusing on authentic, professionally sourced visuals. However, we must highlight severe operational problems reported by users related to licensing clarity, inconsistent quality control, aggressive fine collection, and poor customer support responsiveness. Overall, while the inventory is visually excellent, the documented purchasing risks make it difficult for us to recommend Alamy for general use.

Pros

  • Pro:Dedication to authentic, human-created, AI-free content.
  • Pro:Vast and diverse global library, including videos, vectors, and live news feeds.
  • Pro:Flexible, one-time purchase licensing model available.
  • Pro:Significant bulk image pack discounts, offering savings up to 75%.

Cons

  • Con:Frequent reports of absent or extremely poor customer service post-purchase.
  • Con:Customers face large, unexpected fines related to licensing disagreements.
  • Con:Purchased, high-cost images can frequently be of unusable, inconsistent quality.
  • Con:Contributor commissions are reported as very low compared to sales yield.
Range: $39.00 (One-time) – Not explicitly statedOne-time payment, Per seat pricing, Usage-based pricing
This section is a summary. Detailed sections about features, use cases, pricing, and reviews follow below.
Visit WebsiteSee Pricing
Read full review

Alamy review, pricing, features, pros & cons

Finding truly unique and reliable stock imagery can be difficult when much of the web is cluttered with AI content. It's frustrating to sort through visuals that lack real depth or authenticity. Alamy solves this by offering diverse, globably sourced photography that is completely AI-free ✨.

They focus exclusively on real life and real images captured by human content creators.

What is Alamy?

Alamy is a comprehensive stock visual platform built for professional projects 💡. It serves as a deep resource for editors, designers, and marketers who need imagery they can trust. The platform organizes its high-quality content into specific categories to perfectly suit your needs.

You can explore focused collections like Creative, Editorial, Photography, and Archives.

Alamy Key Features

🚫 A Commitment to Real, AI-Free Content

You need visuals that convey real depth and authenticity. Alamy strictly maintains an AI-free policy across all its content libraries. They rely only on images captured by human content creators around the world.

This commitment means you find diverse, authentic photography sourced globally. You can be confident that you're using real life, real images for your professional projects. This ensures reliability for editors and marketers alike.

✨ Expansive Video Library and Premium Footage

It's easy to boost your projects with high-quality motion content. You can discover over 30 million new videos on the platform. Alamy secures incredible film footage through strong partnerships, including PA Video and Depositphotos.

Browse and buy premium 4K and HD video with complete confidence. This vast library ensures you have access to specialized and general footage you need for any medium.

💡 Specialized Content Hubs

The right image is easy to find when content is organized logically. Alamy structures its high-quality content into specialized hubs to perfectly suit your needs. Professional categories help you quickly navigate vast amounts of distinct visual material.

Major collections include:

  • Creative collections built for design projects.
  • Editorial for the latest news, sport, and entertainment.
  • Deep Archives covering historical events and launches.

✨ Up-to-the-Minute Live News Feed

When timeliness is absolutely critical, utilize the live news feed. This stream is the home for the very latest news, sports, and entertainment imagery. You get crucial visuals as events are breaking in real time.

Using this feed ensures your content remains topical and current. This resource is essential for publications and agencies focused on speed.

✨ Graphic Designer Resources (Vectors)

Designers will appreciate the platform's rich vector assets. Alamy provides illustrator-ready EPS files in a dedicated section. This content acts as a true treasure trove for graphic designers.

These scalable files offer great flexibility for detailed design work. You can integrate them seamlessly into complex layout projects.

✨ Custom Enterprise Collaboration

For large organizations, Alamy offers custom solutions. The Enterprise team collaborates directly with you to define your needs. They're here to customize licenses that perfectly suit the scope of your specific projects.

This service also includes providing crucial high-resolution downloads. They help bring your largest and most complex visions to life with confidence.

Use Cases

✨ Sourcing Truly Authentic Campaign Visuals

A creative director wants to launch a branding campaign focused on authenticity, but they worry about generic, AI-generated content cluttering their search results. Alamy solves this by strictly featuring real photos captured by diverse human content creators. You can confidently browse the Photography and Creative collections knowing that every visual you select is guaranteed to be AI-free.

This commitment to real imagery ensures your campaign visuals resonate genuinely with your audience. Choosing authentic content makes a huge difference in your project’s outcome and credibility.

📰 Producing Time-Sensitive News Coverage

When covering a story, news editors must quickly find high-quality images related to breaking current events. Alamy provides an immediate solution through its Live News feed. This feature gives you up-to-the-minute images covering news, sports, and entertainment as they break.

Simultaneously, the Editorial collection organizes this trusted content for professional use. You can quickly secure the necessary licenses and download high-resolution photos, ensuring your publication meets tight deadlines with relevant visuals.

🏛️ Acquiring Content for Deep Historical Projects

A documentary filmmaker needs rich historical context, including original images of inventions, prominent figures, and key events from the past century. Rather than searching through fragmented online sources, they turn to Alamy’s Archives collection. This deep resource offers a comprehensive chronicle of history.

They can browse this dedicated archive to find specific, licensed imagery. They might also explore the vast Video Library to find archived footage, securing premium 4K or HD film that perfectly fits their vision.

Tip: Use the Archives to find visuals for retrospectives or chronicles of historical launches.

🤝 Streamlining Visual Content for a Design Agency

A design agency manages projects for several clients, requiring quick access to hundreds of licensed images annually. Managing individual licenses for multiple users is inefficient and costly. Alamy offers solutions tailored for high-volume users.

Approach:

  1. Purchase the Team License to ensure access is shared across all designers.
  2. Acquire a discounted Image Pack (like the 25 Pack) to receive the maximum 75% savings on cost.
  3. Designers utilize the Vectors section to find illustrator-ready EPS files, streamlining graphic design efforts. Expected outcome: Significant cost savings and streamlined content usage across the entire team.

🏢 Customizing Licensing for Large Corporate Initiatives

A large corporation requires specific license terms and high-resolution downloads for a global campaign launch. Their needs extend beyond standard one-time purchase options. The Enterprise team is ready to assist with complex requirements.

They collaborate directly with the company to customize licenses perfectly. This ensures all specific usage and scaling needs are met, allowing the corporation to bring its vision completely to life.

Pricing Overview for Alamy

Pricing range
$39.00 (One-time) – Not explicitly stated
Pricing types
One-time payment, Per seat pricing, Usage-based pricing

Alamy offers flexible, one-time image purchases starting at $39.00 for a single image license. Customers can save money by purchasing discounted image packs, with potential savings scaling up to 75%.

Plans & Pricing

Individual License

Contact for pricing
Limited to single user
  • Single user usage
  • One-time purchase model
  • Can be purchased as a single image or via image packs
Buy and download now

Team License

Contact for pricing
  • Supports more than one user (multi-seat licensing)
  • One-time purchase model for projects
Contact sales (implied)

5 Pack

Contact for pricing
  • Includes 5 images
  • 45% discount applied
See Pricing

10 Pack

Contact for pricing
  • Includes 10 images
  • 65% discount applied
See Pricing

25 Pack

Contact for pricing
  • Includes 25 images
  • 75% discount applied (maximum savings)
See Pricing

Alamy offers image licenses starting at $39.00 per image through flexible, one-time purchase arrangements, with package discounts up to 75%.

Alamy's pricing focuses on licensing flexibility. You can choose a license type based on your user count, then determine your purchase quantity (single image or discounted pack).

Individual License (Single User)

Price: $39.00 (per single image displayed) Websites Supported: Not explicitly stated Best For: Single user Refund Policy: Not explicitly stated Other Features: Can be bought as a single license or bundled into discounted image packs.

This license is ideal for freelancers, small business owners, or anyone needing content for a personal project. Since it supports only a single user, it keeps your permissions simple and straightforward for individual use.

Team License (More than one user)

Price: Not explicitly stated Websites Supported: Not explicitly stated Best For: Multiple users Refund Policy: Not explicitly stated Other Features: Designed specifically for projects where content access must be shared across several people or accounts.

If you work in a collaborative environment, such as a marketing department or design agency, the Team License is a clear fit. It streamlines content usage, ensuring that everyone who needs access is covered by the license terms.

Image Packs (e.g., 25 Pack Option)

Price: Not explicitly stated (75% discount visible) Websites Supported: Not explicitly stated Best For: High-volume content users or tight budgets Refund Policy: Not explicitly stated Other Features: Discounts start at 45% (5 Pack) and go up to 75% (25 Pack), offering significant savings for bulk purchasing.

Image packs help you achieve considerable savings on your content acquisition costs. Choosing the larger packs, like the 25 Pack, drastically reduces the price per image, making it the most economical choice. It's smart way to stock up on images you'll need later. 👍

Alamy's licensing structure focuses solely on one-time payments for image use and does not show any standard free plans or free trials. Details regarding any refund or cancellation policy are not explicitly stated within the visible pricing information.

User Reviews

Trustpilot shows a severely critical outlook for Alamy, scoring 1.4/5 stars. The most frequent complaints center squarely on customer service and ambiguous billing practices.

Many users report nonexistent customer support after purchase, struggling for months to gain access to files or process refunds, often feeling ignored or dismissed 😔. A significant and distressing theme is the experience of receiving large, unexpected fines, sometimes reaching over £400, for alleged license non-compliance months or years later.

Users describe this practice as 'abusive' or 'sharp practice,' claiming a lack of clarity in the licensing terms. Buyers also note major quality inconsistency, receiving unusable images with high noise despite high per-image costs, making the transactional pricing feel too risky.

Contributors, too, express dissatisfaction, citing incredibly low commission structures and an overly strict, inconsistent review system that rejects photos without clear reason. Conversely, a small group of active contributors reports efficient, friendly service and high responsiveness.

What users say elsewhere

Jane K.
· Trustpilot
5.0 / 5

I purchased four images, but realized a package deal was better. They immediately refunded my first purchase when I bought the package. Their team patiently sorted out the mess I made and gave me a great, lower price.

Sarah T.
· Trustpilot
1.0 / 5

I bought a license for my client's website, but later got a fine over 400 euros without warning. I offered to adjust the license, but their only focus during 15 emails was collecting the fine. This procedure feels abusive.

No reviews yet.

Write a Review

Write a Review for Alamy
0/100 characters
0/2000 characters

Why use Alamy?

Choosing where you source your visuals makes a huge difference in your project's outcome. Alamy stands apart by prioritizing authenticity and providing extensive creative flexibility.

Here’s why you should explore Alamy for your next project:

  • 🚫 A Commitment to Real Content: You won't find AI-generated visuals here. They rely strictly on diverse, authentic content photographed by real people around the world.
  • 🎥 An Expansive Video Library: Discover over 30 million new videos, featuring premium 4K and HD footage secured through strong partnerships, including Depositphotos and PA Video.
  • 🗞️ Up-to-the-Minute Imagery: Access Alamy's live news feed for the latest images covering news, sports, and entertainment as they break.
  • 🏛️ Rich Historical Archives: Dive into their deep Archives for a chronicle of prominent figures, historical events, inventions, and key launches.
  • 🤝 Custom Enterprise Solutions: For large projects, the Enterprise team is ready to customize licenses perfectly and provide high-resolution downloads to bring your specific vision to life.
  • 🎨 Designer Resources: Explore illustrator-ready EPS files within the Vectors section, offering a true treasure trove for graphic designers.

Ready to transform your workflow with Alamy?

Try it nowView pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Alamy offer a free trial or a standard free plan?

Based on the current pricing details, Alamy does not offer a free trial period or a permanent free plan. They use a strict one-time, transactional purchasing model for image licenses instead of monthly subscriptions.

How do the licensing options differ between Individual and Team purchases?

The Individual License is designed for a single user, perfect for freelancers or personal projects. The Team License is specifically meant for use by more than one person, letting teams in marketing or design departments share content access.

What is the largest possible discount I can achieve on images?

You can generate significant savings by buying images in discounted packs. The maximum discount visible is 75% off the per-image price when you choose the largest 25 Pack option.

Do I have to use all the images in an image pack immediately after buying it?

No. When you buy a pack, the images work out cheaper, and you don't have to choose all the licenses right away. This allows you to stock up on credits for future needs.

What happens if I need to cancel my purchase or request a refund?

Details regarding a formal refund policy, money-back guarantee, or cancellation process are not explicitly stated within the visible pricing information. You should check the full service terms before completing your transaction.

How quickly can I download my purchased content?

Alamy uses a simple one-time purchase system; you buy and download the licensed content immediately. The call to action for the Individual license is simply 'Buy and download now.'

Can I get assistance for a very large or custom licensing project?

Yes, Alamy offers Custom Enterprise Solutions for major projects. Their dedicated team will work with you to customize licenses and provide the necessary high-resolution file downloads.

Does Alamy provide content that can be opened directly in design software?

Definitely. Alamy includes a Vectors section featuring illustrator-ready EPS files, serving as a specialized resource for graphic designers.

Are there any volume limits or usage quotas built into the licensing?

The licensing is based on a one-time purchase, meaning you buy the specific number of images you need (single image or a pack of 5, 10, or 25). There are no ongoing monthly quotas or limits beyond the package size.

Is all Alamy content guaranteed to be free of AI generation?

Yes. Alamy makes a strong commitment to exclusively offering authentic content. They rely strictly on real life and real images captured by human content creators, with zero AI-generated content.

What quality level are the videos offered, and where do they come from?

The video library includes premium 4K and HD footage. Much of this footage comes from strong partnership networks, notably including Depositphotos, PA Video, and DVArchive-Retrofootage.

How secure is the platform in terms of purchasing licenses and data protection?

Information regarding specific platform security or data guarantees related to purchased licenses is not explicitly stated on the official site. It's best to review their full privacy terms for details.

What kind of user is the Individual License best suited for?

The Individual License is ideal for single users, which usually means freelancers, independent creatives, or small business owners needing content for a personal or simple proprietary project.

What kind of responsiveness should I expect from customer support?

The official site does not explicitly state a Service Level Agreement or typical response time for support inquiries. We advise contacting their sales or support department directly with specific questions.

Can I use a single image license across multiple websites or projects?

The licensing details pages do not explicitly state the number of websites or projects supported by either the Individual or Team licenses. Please consult the full license terms for usage scope.

Ready to try Alamy? Check out the official site or pricing.
Visit Website See Pricing