# Shutterstock — card for AI agents

Stock images, video, music and sound effects with an API, plus a beta generative image API.

Category: Stock photos and images (also: Stock video, Music libraries, Sound effects, AI image generators) · maker Shutterstock · checked 2026-10-10

## Price
- Price: Free tier
- Free tier: Free API subscription for the free media collection only.
- Usage price: Not on a readable page; a license-history example shows 8.65 USD.

## License
Shutterstock license

- commercial: **unclear** (Commercial use unclear)
- in app: **unclear** (Shipping inside an app unclear)
- youtube: **unclear** (Monetized YouTube unclear)
- Why unclear: We could not read an official terms or license page for it (the pages need JavaScript, block automated reading or are gone).

## Rules to follow
- Use an API subscription; it is separate from a website subscription.
- Set ai_use_acknowledgement=true when licensing AI images; avoid public likeness or brand use.
- License editorial content separately.

## How an agent gets files
- Shutterstock API: GET https://api.shutterstock.com/v2/images/search (also /v2/videos/search, /v2/audio/search) with a query param; license with POST /v2/images/licenses, then download via the returned link. Send a User-Agent header. (sign-in: oauth)
- Not allowed: An API subscription can license and download media only through the API
- Not allowed: Do not share your key and secret

## How to connect
- Public API
- API docs: https://api-reference.shutterstock.com/ (API key needed)
- API limits: Requests per minute by plan: Free and Standard 'Limited', Enterprise custom; 429 example shows 1000.
- npm: `npm install shutterstock-api`
- Website: https://www.shutterstock.com

## Notes
PyPI shutterstock-cli is a CLI, not an SDK. AI images are not IP-reviewed; license history has an is_ai_generated field.

## Numbers (AgentGid data)
- Gid Score: 6.2
- Downloads last week: 760

## Lines to paste into your prompt or AGENTS.md

```
- Shutterstock (Stock photos and images, Stock video, Music libraries, Sound effects, AI image generators). Stock images, video, music and sound effects with an API, plus a beta generative image API. Price: free tier; commercial use unclear; shipping inside an app unclear.
  Connect: API docs https://api-reference.shutterstock.com/ (API key needed); npm shutterstock-api. Limits: Requests per minute by plan: Free and Standard 'Limited', Enterprise custom; 429 example shows 1000.
  Get files: Shutterstock API: GET https://api.shutterstock.com/v2/images/search (also /v2/videos/search, /v2/audio/search) with a query param; license with POST /v2/images/licenses, then download via the returned link. Send a User-Agent header.
  Not allowed: An API subscription can license and download media only through the API
  Not allowed: Do not share your key and secret
  Rule: Use an API subscription; it is separate from a website subscription.
  Rule: Set ai_use_acknowledgement=true when licensing AI images; avoid public likeness or brand use.
  Rule: License editorial content separately.
```

Not verified: License terms, YouTube rules and prices: license, developers and rate-limit pages returned 403. status.shutterstock.com redirects to the homepage.

## Links
- AgentGid page: https://agentgid.com/assets/shutterstock/
- Source: https://api-reference.shutterstock.com/

---
AgentGid's catalog is curated: every entry was checked against the maker's official pages (registry, repository, license and pricing pages) on the date shown; a license value shows the quote it stands on wherever AgentGid has one. Usage numbers come from AgentGid's own scan of public repositories set up for AI coding agents. Claims by makers are reported, not tested by AgentGid.