If you believe you have taken some photos people would be willing to pay for, you need to know the most profitable places to sell photos online. Thankfully, there are some reputable websites that can help you turn those photos into cash, and selling your photos online can help diversify your income.

1. Alamy

A photo listed on Alamy's website

There's a reason why Alamy has over 160 million videos and photos for sale on its website. It offers photographers a huge 50% royalty payment on each photo sold. The site also allows photographers to sell their photos with Alamy's partnered agencies, though you'll get less for those; either 20% or 40% depending on your own unique factors.

This has enabled Alamy to become the world's largest marketplace for stock photos, with a huge number of monthly visitors—all of whom are potential customers for your photos.

2. Shutterstock

Search results for images appearing in Shutterstock

Since its launch, Shutterstock has paid out more than $1 billion to photographers contributing to its website. When you upload a photo to the marketplace, you still keep the copyright.

You can earn up to 40% of the sale price of your photos. However, for the highest commission rate, you'll need to achieve over 25,000 licenses in a single calendar year.

There are six levels, ranging from 15% to the upper 40% threshold. You'll reach the second tier after surpassing 100 licenses in a calendar year, and you can also sell vectors and illustrations.

3. iStock

Search Result Showing Images for Sale on iStock

If you're interested in learning about the best types of photos to sell online, take a look at iStock. Its popular forums and resources will help you find your feet and understand how to sell photos online.

You have to apply before you start selling your photos. The application process consists of submitting a few samples of your work through the Contributor by Getty Images app. Since iStock and Getty Images are partners, you may get accepted into either platform.

Rates for non-exclusive photos are 15%. For exclusive images, the commission range varies from 25% to 45%. You'll need 1,050 photo downloads to get to the 30% commission tier, 11,235 for 35%, and 45,675 for 40%. The 45% commission is reserved for photographers who achieve a minimum of 681,083 downloads.

4. PhotoShelter

Some of the main listed features in Photoshelter

If you want to sell your photos online, but would rather make those sales through your own site, PhotoShelter is a fantastic tool for this.

At its core, it's a photography-oriented eCommerce platform that you can integrate into almost any website. This includes cloud storage for your photos, a built-in shopping cart, drag-and-drop website templates, an intuitive interface, decent SEO, and several social media integrations.

The benefits of this option include retaining full control over how your photos are displayed, not having your competitors' photos displayed alongside your own, and the ability to earn much more of the sale price.

Unfortunately, you will have to pay a subscription fee for this service. The basic plan starts at $10/month (annual) and $12.99 for month-to-month memberships, and comes with the minimum amount of features. PhotoShelter charges 8-10% in transaction fees when you sell an image. These do not include potential fees that your bank might also charge.

5. Adobe Stock

Images Listed on Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock is a beautiful site that offers a royalty of 33% for photos. If you're getting into videography, you can receive 35% for the videos you sell. You can deposit these royalties into your bank account after you've reached a threshold of $25. Adobe Stock is integrated into Adobe's apps, making it more likely your photo will get noticed.

Adobe has simplified the way you upload your photos. Instead of going through the painstakingly slow process of tagging all of your images, Adobe's smart tagging system does it for you.

To make your life even easier, Adobe allows you to upload your photos through Adobe Lightroom CC, Adobe Bridge CC, or its website. You can find out what Adobe CC includes if you're interested in a membership.

6. SmugMug

The homepage on the SmugMug Website

The SmugMug Pro package is an alternative to PhotoShelter. The platform enables you to showcase your work on a massively customizable storefront and to manage your orders for a yearly subscription fee.

The main distinguishing feature is the ability to use SmugMug's printing service to create prints, books, and greeting cards from your snapshots. There are also some additional features such as the ability to create coupons, photo packages, and built-in analytics. You'll also get to keep up to 85% of your revenue.

SmugMug also has features for photo-sharing and other niceties.

7. Can Stock Photo

Search results on the Can Stock Photo website

If you're looking for an easy way to sell your photos online, Can Stock Photo is a viable option. After you submit three images to the site's editors, you'll need to wait 24 hours for approval to start selling.

When uploading photos onto the site, Can Stock Photo will also post your work to one of the largest stock image databases, Fotosearch. You can earn up to 50% in royalties on the site and can withdraw your money into PayPal once your balance reaches $50. If you want a mailed check, you'll have to wait until you have earned $100.

8. 123RF

123RF Search Result Images

This site has over 110 million files on offer, with almost 100,000 more added every day. The royalties payable vary between 30% and 60%, depending on your level of contribution. This means that the more photos you upload, the higher your payout.

If you upload less than 999 images to the site, you'll earn 30%, which equates to $0.216 per download. If you upload over 1 million images, you'll receive 60%, which equates to $0.432 per download.

9. Dreamstime

Landscape photos appearing on Dreamstime

In the stock photography world, Dreamstime is a reputable player. It achieved this status by ensuring that all uploads are reviewed to check they meet their high standards, thereby guaranteeing quality.

Once your photos are approved, you'll receive royalties of 25-50%. However, this could increase to 60% on all images if you sign an exclusivity contract. If you do sign that exclusivity deal, you'll also receive an additional bonus of $0.20 for your first 100 approved submissions. Photos used in news pieces could earn you a $5 bonus.

10. Fine Art America

Fine Art America Images for Sale in the Architecture Category

Fine Art America is the perfect place to set up an alluring portfolio and sell physical prints of your shots. You can sell each photo as a canvas print, poster, framed print, metal print, acrylic print, greeting card, phone case, and more.

When you make a sale, the order (including the printing) can be fulfilled by the company's own printing service. You'll have to pay the base price for the production, but you can make a profit by raising the price of the final product.

In other words, if a canvas print costs $50 for Fine Art America to produce, you can increase the price to $75—that way, you'll earn $25 from an order.

If you're able to print your own digital photos online, you might want to sell pictures on a craft site like Etsy instead.

11. Snapped4U

Search Results on the Snapped4U Website

If you're a photographer who takes photos at events—parties, gigs, festivals, weddings—you should know that Snapped4U allows you to easily sell these pictures online. You can also use the sale of your photos as a way to raise money for a good cause.

By uploading and selling your photos here, you don't need to deal with the nightmare of order processing, printing, and postage. Snapped4U deals with all of that on your behalf. For each photo sold that costs $5 or less, you'll have to pay a $0.50 fee. If the photo is sold at more than $5, Snapped4U will charge a 10% commission.

Each purchase also has a $0.50 handling fee, so you should keep this in mind when using the service.

12. Fotomoto

Fotomoto Sell Photos Online

For photographers who already have a website, but want to sell physical prints, Fotomoto is the way to go. This site handles all the printing, packing, and shipping, so you can concentrate on taking pictures. All you have to do is copy and paste Fotomoto's code into your website, and you can instantly start to sell your photography online.

The most basic subscription plan is free, but you'll have to pay 22% in transaction fees. Paid plans will reduce the transaction fees you need to pay.

13. Stocksy

Pictures listed on the Stocksy website

Stocksy pays out some of the highest royalties for contributors, making it one of the best sites to sell photos online. To apply, you'll need to submit at least 25 photos, along with some information about yourself. If you manage to get accepted, expect to see royalties ranging from 50-75%.

Stocksy recruits top-notch photographers who take high-resolution images, so make sure that you have all of the essential photography gear you need to snap amazing photos. You should also keep in mind that Stocksy requires that all of your photos are exclusive.

14. EyeEm

Pictures Listed on the EyeEm Website

EyeEm is a creative community app that lets you upload and sell photography online while allowing you to retain your own copyrights. You can earn between 25% and 55% of the revenue share when selling your images on the platform.

This site pairs up with other image marketplaces as well, giving your pictures better exposure. The more exposure, the more money you can potentially earn. If you're starting to run dry on ideas, visit EyeEm's community page on the app to gain some inspiration from other professional photographers.

15. Storyblocks

Photos appearing in search results on the Storyblocks website

Storyblocks is a popular place for online creators to find footage and still images, and as a photographer, you can contribute with your own shots. You'll need to apply before you're allowed to sell on the Storyblocks platform, but you can earn a 50% commission on your sales if you're accepted.

In addition to photos, you can also list vectors on Storyblocks. You can upload multiple kinds of images, such as drone shots and landscape pictures. See our comparison between Adobe Stock and Storyblocks if you're thinking about selling on either platform.

Sell Photos Online to Earn Some Extra Cash

Photography is such a fun hobby, so making money doing what you love is a bonus. These photo-selling websites can finally give your photography the recognition that it deserves.

Hopefully, as you improve your photography skills, you'll start figuring out the photos that sell well (and those that don't)—leading to more sales and bigger profits! You might also want to use your photography skills to sell other things online, such as books and more.