I 
iStock
Budget stock photography, undercut by free generation.
YES
why this verdict
Cancel it — switch to ChatGPT
ChatGPT and Unsplash now cover the same core job on a free tier, so the $29/mo is optional.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Generated imagery at zero marginal cost. OpenAI, March 25, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers all of it editorial call
- The whole core job — the thing the subscription was actually for.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 3 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: ChatGPT, Unsplash and Pexels.
- What the call is worth $348/yr
- $29/mo at the entry paid tier — $348 a year per seat.
Reason composed from the fields above missing: announcement linked recorded: free replacement listed recorded: two or more escape hatches
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- March 25, 2025
- List price
- $29/mo
- Per year
- $348
The backstory
iStock is Getty's value-tier microstock library. The customers who bought a $12 image because they needed something acceptable now generate exactly what they want free. Getty's defensible business is editorial and sports imagery of real events, which iStock is not.
Escape hatches
switching could free up $348/yr C 
ChatGPT Free tier covers the core job.
chatgpt.com open_in_new U 
Unsplash Free photos.
unsplash.com open_in_new P 
Pexels Free photos and video.
pexels.com open_in_new3 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.