Shutterstock Contributor vs Pixabay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shutterstock Contributor
Empower visual artists and photographers to monetize their creative work globally. Upload images directly from your phone, track earnings, and gain insights into customer behavior and market trends to optimize your content strategy.
- Upload images from phone
- Monitor sales and portfolio performance
- Access customer insights and data
- Discover trending creative content
- Submit work on the go
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Visual artists, photographers, and content creators- earn money in your creative field no matter where you are in the world. This is the Shutterstock Contributor app. We can't wait to showcase your incredible content, so you can earn money through your creative work. Made exclusively for approved Shutterstock artists, upload new images to the platform directly on the app to earn money through your craft. Access the app to see how potential customers interact with your portfolio and uploaded content. Educate yourself on what's trending in the creative content world, and what visuals you should be creating and selling next. Image Submission Made Easy Upload and submit images straight from your phone. It's that easy to earn money on the go! Earnings & Activity Monitor your sales, as well as the performance of your creative portfolio and work. Customer Insights & Data See what's being downloaded from your portfolio, get notified when your images are being looked at, and see what customers are purchasing around the world. The more you know, the better! Not on Shutterstock yet? Visit submit.shutterstock.com to apply now. We can't wait to have you be a part of our creative community.
Pixabay
Access a vast library of free stock photos, clip art, vector graphics, and video clips. All content is licensed for commercial use without attribution. Easily search, view, download, and share high-quality visuals.
- Free photos, cliparts, and vector graphics
- Thousands of free video clips
- Fast search and user-friendly interface
- One-click image viewer with zoom/pan
- Direct download and share in all sizes
- Connect with others via messages and comments
- Like and favorite images
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Find free photos, cliparts, vector graphics and thousands of free video clips. All images and footage on Pixabay are released under Creative Commons CC0: Free for commercial use, no attribution required. Pixabay is the most valuable free alternative to commercial stock photo sites. The Pixabay mobile app includes the following features: * Fast search and a user-friendly interface * Swipe through search results * One-click image viewer - optimized with zooming and panning for smaller screens * Directly download and share images in all sizes * Messages and comments allow you to connect with others * Images can be liked, favorited, and easily managed within the app Planned features for the next app version: * Direct image uploads from your device * Show tags and camera info for all images * Manage your own uploads We want to give you the best experience possible with this app. If you have suggestions, which are not mentioned in the new features list - or if you want to report an issue - please write us at info@pixabay.com or visit the Pixabay forum: https://pixabay.com/en/forum/topic-24/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Shutterstock Contributor at none against Pixabay's shown. Shutterstock Contributor also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and ratings volume (8.6K vs 1.6K). Pixabay's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (57% vs 36%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pixabay holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shutterstock Contributor has 8.6K ratings behind it against 1.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Shutterstock Contributor's written reviews are positive against 57% of Pixabay's.
Shutterstock Contributor ships an update monthly, Pixabay every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shutterstock Contributor | Pixabay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (8.6K ratings) | 4.8 (1.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | 57.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8.6K — better | 1.6K |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Shutterstock Inc. | Canva Germany GmbH |
Customer experience
Shutterstock Contributor
Pixabay
User reviews
Shutterstock Contributor
From 8.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 📱 Convenient mobile app
- 💰 Potential to earn money
- 📊 Useful for tracking sales and portfolio
Room to improve
- 🔍 Strict and inconsistent review process
- 💸 Low payouts for contributors
- 🤖 Automated rejections without clear feedback
- 📤 Difficulty uploading and managing content
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with required personal information
Pixabay
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🌟 Amazing app
- 🎨 Great source of high-quality images
- 🙏 Grateful for the talented contributors
- 📚 Excellent resource for artists and creators
Room to improve
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate, no back button
- 🐛 App crashes and freezes
- 🔑 Frequent log-out issues
- 🔍 Search function not reliable
Bugs and requests
Shutterstock Contributor
Reported bugs
3 issues- Frequent app crashes and glitches
- Inconsistent upload and review status updates
- Incorrect or misleading rejection reasons
Requested features
4 requests- Batch editing and uploading capabilities
- More detailed analytics and sales reporting
- Ability to edit and manage portfolio within the app
- Support for video uploads and tracking
Pixabay
Reported bugs
4 issues- No images found for basic search terms
- Inability to download videos
- Inconsistent app performance across devices
- Login issues and frequent log-outs
Requested features
4 requests- Add a back button to navigate easily
- Improve search functionality and filters
- Implement landscape mode support for iPad
- Introduce a dark mode option
In-app purchases
Shutterstock Contributor
No in-app purchases
Pixabay
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Shutterstock Contributor free?
Is Pixabay free?
Which has better reviews, Shutterstock Contributor or Pixabay?
Do Shutterstock Contributor or Pixabay have ads?
Which is updated more often, Shutterstock Contributor or Pixabay?
Other comparisons
