# Shutterstock Contributor vs Pexels

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pexels at 76% against Shutterstock Contributor's 36%. Pexels also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Pexels holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.6K and 37K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Shutterstock Contributor's written reviews are positive against 76% of Pexels's.

Shutterstock Contributor ships an update monthly, Pexels every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shutterstock Contributor | Pexels |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (8.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shutterstock-contributor/id913214324/reviews) | **[4.9 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pexels/id1434330413/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8.6K | **37K** |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | **76.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 54 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Shutterstock Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/473347412) | [Canva Germany GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434330412) |

## What reviewers say

### Shutterstock Contributor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shutterstock-contributor/id913214324)

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.

**Highlights:** Upload images from phone, Monitor sales and portfolio performance, Access customer insights and data, Discover trending creative content, Submit work on the go

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 📱 Convenient mobile app
- 💰 Potential to earn money
- 📊 Useful for tracking sales and portfolio

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 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

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and glitches
- Inconsistent upload and review status updates
- Incorrect or misleading rejection reasons

**Requested features**

- 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


### Pexels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pexels/id1434330413)

Access over 3 million free, high-resolution photos and videos donated by a global community. Discover diverse and inclusive imagery for any project, from social media to presentations. Upload your own work to inspire others and connect with fellow photographers.

**Highlights:** Unlimited access to 3M+ free photos and videos, Diverse and inclusive photography, Daily inspiration with trending images, Upload and share your own work, Organize favorites into collections, Support photographers through donations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🌟 High-quality content
- 💰 Free to use
- 👍 Smooth operation
- 🎨 Great for creators

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Difficult navigation and search
- 🔀 Inconsistent user experience
- 🔑 Login/account problems
- 📥 Download failures

**Reported bugs**

- Repeated log-out issues
- Freezing and white screen problems
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between app and website
- Slow or failed downloads
- Search not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit/delete collections
- Filtering options (e.g. orientation, aspect ratio)
- Improved video functionality
- Multilingual support
- Better integration with other platforms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shutterstock Contributor free?

Shutterstock Contributor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pexels free?

Pexels is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Shutterstock Contributor or Pexels?

Pexels is rated higher. Shutterstock Contributor averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8.6K ratings, while Pexels averages 4.9 from 37K ratings.

### Do Shutterstock Contributor or Pexels have ads?

Neither Shutterstock Contributor nor Pexels shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shutterstock Contributor or Pexels?

Shutterstock Contributor ships an update monthly, and Pexels every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shutterstock Contributor was updated on October 17, 2026 and Pexels on October 18, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*