Visual communication has more sticking power with your audience. So where do you get your visuals? Here are some of our favorite stock photo sites.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock is one of the ‘Big 6’stock photo agencies on the internet today and refer to themselves as simple, elegant and user friendly. This is the largest microstock in the world which is currently selling around 20 millions of royalty free images, with this figures increasing by 90-100 thousands weekly.  With a long history of stock image selling and buying, Shutterstock caters to designers and corporate accounts that require large inventories of stock photos. For this reason their buying model is subscription only.

Getty Images

Getty Images is arguably the most prestigious and well-known stock photography agency in the world. Its strong global presence, huge pool of images including exclusive collections, and impeccable reputation make for a first-class, premium stock photo service like no other.

You can buy this premium photos on demand. Rights Managed images’ price vary according to intended use, ranging from a couple hundred to up to thousands of dollars. Royalty Free photos on the other hand, cost from $125 to $500. But you can get them for as low as $100 to $375 each using an Ultrapack. If you’re after top class stock photography, Getty Images is definitely one agency to explore.

Dreamstime

More than 15 millions of royalty free images, presented on Dreamstime, can be purchased either on an individual or on a subscription basis.

Since the minimum payment constitutes only $9.99, almost everyone can afford single purchase of images at Dreamstime. The payment is transferred to your balance as 8 credits which can be spent within one year from the date of payment. Images and photos are priced from 1 credit for small-scale versions, which are good enough for blogs and websites’ posts. Medium- and large-scale images can be purchased for 3-5 credits.

Pond5

Pond5 is an online hub for stock footage. You can buy or sell royalty free footage. The clips range in length anywhere from 3-60 seconds and they are each individually priced by the artist. From a quick scan, the average price range seems to be between $20 – $50 per clip. Some clips are even free and others are priced much higher for speciality footage.

CodeCanyon is a marketplace for WordPress plugins, jQuery plugins, Bootstrap plugins and more. Created by Envato.

Envato is based in Australia and was founded in 2006, although their huge network of workers come from all over the world. They are a world class open source (PHP code) and a creative company committed to creating high quality products and services for their worldwide clientele.

The company’s CEO is Collis Ta’eed and the company was co-founded by Collis and Cyan Ta’eed. Some of their many websites include a host of Envato marketplaces where you can buy and sell digital goods: Tuts+, which is a wide network of online educational sites where you can learn online fields in graphics and development, audio and motion productions; FreelanceSwitch, an online freelancer community website; AppStorm, a site for the latest in computer technology; Creattica, a site showcasing online galleries, 3D works, advertising, business cards, web design and more; and Rockable Press, which is an online publishing brand for freelance writers.

At the moment CodeCanyon contains more than 8,000 scripts, plugins and widgets which makes it market leader in delivering top notch products.

How do I shop on CodeCanyon?

If you have decided to purchase any plugin or script from CodeCanyon, there are certain things you should do.

1. First you need to create your account on Envato here
2. After easy to fill form and confirmation you will receive your personal secured account
3. Next you need to add balance to your account, which is the money you need to purchase items from CodeCanyon
4. Choose ‘Purchase’ and confirm your order
5. Download purchased plugin and start using it on your WordPress site immediately

P.S. You can also purchase plugin using your PayPal account without adding balance, but take into consideration that additional $2 fee will be applied by Envato in such case.

>> Click Here to Visit CodeCanyon Website

With over 900 WordPress themes available for quick purchase and download, ThemeForest has successfully managed to create the winning concept of selling stable and beautiful themes to a price the average WordPress user can afford.

Themes Category

Themes in stock are majorly portfolio themes and themes for small business websites. But there is also many magazine, personal and photography themes worth checking out. Also make sure to see what’s available in the Creative category.

Functionality

ThemeForest is not short of world-class WP theme developers. If you are looking for excellent theme functionality, then you’ve definitely come to the right place.

Since they are pooling resources from hundreds of high end developers from across the world, ThemeForest has the most extensive network of tools that will surely provide you with every single detail you should need.

The site is categorized into the following main categories: WordPress, Site Templates, Marketing, CMS, eCommerce, PSD Templates, and Plugins. Known best for their thousands of different WordPress Themes from hundreds and hundres of different authors, ThemeForest is the the largest WordPress Theme marketplace by far in existence today.

Pricing

ThemeForest offers one of the lowest prices among the various WP Themes today, with the exception of those who offer them free of course. Their price for WordPress Themes ranges from as low as $30 to as high as $60 per Theme. The company doesn’t really offer any special deals or combos while most of their competitors operate on a 3-in-1, 4-in-1 or a special discount to buy all themes.

What We Like

+ Wide Selection of themes
+ Reasonable prices
+ Excellent user feedback system
+ Give out a free theme monthly
+ More than just WordPress themes available

What We Do Not Like

– Extra fees if you don’t deposit set amounts of money
– Some designer’s quality and support is lacking compared to others.
– Easy to buy wrong theme

Conclusion

Overall, Themeforest is an excellent resource to find premium WordPress themes to fit virtually any need. It is important you do further research on each seller and make sure they are dedicated to updating their theme and have great feedback on their work. If you choose to buy from the right people, chances are you will be extremely happy with the Themeforest marketplace just like I have been through all my previous sales. I do recommend buying themes from Themeforest as long as you take precaution and are smart with purchase decisions.

>> Click Here to Visit Themeforest Website