Death to Stock Review (2023)

Death to Stock (DTS) is one of the worst stock photo sites we have tested and reviewed. The image quality and variety are not worth paying for since you can get better options for free. If you need unlimited downloads, the best alternative is Envato Elements, where you can get over 7 million stock images, 3 million videos, audio tracks, templates, and other creative assets.

Alternatively, you can pick Shutterstock, our Editor’s Choice for the best stock photo site, where the price per image starts at just $0.22. Shutterstock also offers much better licensing terms than DTS and a user-friendly website full of additional features.

How much does Death to Stock cost?

Death to Stock images are available with two unlimited downloads subscriptions. One subscription is for small businesses and startups who need images for their worn business. It costs $15 per month when billed monthly or $12 per month when billed annually. The other subscription is for freelancers and agencies who buy images on behalf of their clients, and it costs $49 or $33 per month. Large brands and organizations that require a custom agreement can contact sales. Tax is not included in the price.

All subscriptions grant you unlimited downloads of the very small collection of 4,500 photos and the Standard License with each download.

Licensing

The Death to Stock licensing terms offer three different types of licenses for their content: Limited, Standard, and Extended. The Limited License allows users to download and use the content for free without needing to be a Brand or Agency Member. The Standard License applies to content available to Brand or Agency Members, while the Extended License is available for additional fees.

	Limited License	Standard License	Extended License
Cost	Free	$12–$49/month	???
Duration of rights	6 months	During the membership	Perpetual
Who may use	Individual who downloads	People within the Member or Agency Client organisation	People within the Member or Agency Client organization
Use in TV and film production	No	No	Yes
Use in print media	No	Small print publications	Yes
Use on products	No	No	Yes
Commercial rights	Yes	Yes	Yes

One positive aspect of Death to Stock’s licensing terms is that they offer free content under the Limited License, making it accessible to a broader audience. However, the duration of rights under the Limited License is limited to only six months, which may not be sufficient for some users. Additionally, the Limited License only allows for use in small print publications, which limits the potential uses of the content.

Under the Standard and Extended Licenses, users have more extensive rights to use the content, including for commercial purposes, in video clips, and even in TV and film productions. However, these licenses are only available to Brand or Agency Members, which may not be feasible for individuals or smaller organizations.

Overall, the Death to Stock licensing terms are relatively straightforward and offer a range of options for different types of users. However, the limited duration of rights under the Limited License and the restrictions on use in small print publications may be a disadvantage for some users. Additionally, the fact that the more extensive licenses are only available to Brand or Agency Members may limit accessibility for smaller organizations or individuals.

How to get started with Death to Stock

You can create a new account by linking it to your favorite email address. When you log in for the first time, you will be asked several questions, such as what industry you’re in, your core values, and a few others. You can either skip or answer them.

To get started, you’ll need to activate your plan. Note that you may pay only with a credit card. You have the option to start with a 14-day free trial or make a payment right away. However, you can’t download any photos with the free trial—you can only look at them.

Once activated, you’ll get access to your account and, consequently, the images. The dashboard is divided into several tabs: Projects, Explore, Collective, Moodboard, and Account. The Explore tab is where you’re going to spend most of your time looking for images.

Finding a good photo worth downloading is a challenge. Most of them don’t look any better than Instagram shots uploaded by amateurs and are definitely not better than those you can find for free on Unsplash. On top of that, many of stock photos still look very “stocky”, despite the name Death to Stock.

You can download a photo by clicking on it and pressing the orange download button. You will also have to select whether you want the photo for print, social, or web.

During our testing, we didn’t find a way of buying an Extended license for photos; and customer support didn’t reply.

Frequently asked questions