Depositphotos license explained for website owners

A Depositphotos license gives you the right to use an image within specific parameters defined by the license tier you purchased. The standard license covers most website and digital marketing uses, while an extended license is required for merchandise, resale items, or campaigns that exceed the standard impression limits. Understanding which tier you need before you publish an image prevents the kind of license gap that can lead to a copyright claim.

What Depositphotos is

Depositphotos is a global stock photo, vector, and video marketplace founded in 2009. It operates a catalog of contributor-uploaded content and sells access through subscription plans and on-demand credit packs. Photographers and designers who contribute to Depositphotos retain copyright in their work and grant Depositphotos the right to sublicense it to customers under the platform's standard terms.

That sublicensing structure means your license runs from Depositphotos to you, not from the individual photographer. If a licensing dispute arises, you are dealing with Depositphotos' terms, not a private agreement with the contributor.

The two main license types

Depositphotos offers two primary license tiers for still images.

License	Typical use case	Web use	Merchandise or resale	Digital impressions
Standard	Websites, blogs, ads, social media, presentations	Yes	No	Up to 500,000 per use
Extended	Merchandise, products for resale, unlimited digital distribution	Yes	Yes	Unlimited

Most website owners need only the standard license. The extended license becomes relevant when you plan to print an image on a product you sell, distribute an item featuring the image, or run a digital campaign that will significantly exceed 500,000 impressions.

What the standard license permits

The Depositphotos standard license covers a wide range of uses including:

• Website and blog publishing (personal and commercial).
• Social media posts and profiles.
• Email newsletters and digital advertising.
• Print materials not intended for resale (brochures, flyers, presentations, office decor).
• App and software interfaces.
• Video productions where the image is used as a graphic element (not as a standalone product).

The standard license is non-exclusive: the same image may be licensed to other customers under the same terms. It is also non-transferable: you cannot sell or give your license to another party.

The standard license covers up to 500,000 digital impressions per specific use. If a banner ad or social campaign is likely to exceed that threshold, review whether an extended license is more appropriate.

What a subscription plan includes

Depositphotos offers monthly and annual subscription plans that bundle a set number of image downloads per day or per month. Each image downloaded under a subscription comes with the standard license unless you specifically purchase an extended license for that image as an add-on.

A subscription does not convert standard licenses to extended licenses. The license type is determined by which option you select at download, not by your plan tier.

On-demand credit packs

If you purchase a credit pack rather than a subscription, the license per image is the same standard license. Credits are simply an alternative payment mechanism, not a different license type. Extended licenses are available as a separate purchase per image.

What the standard license does not permit

Several uses fall outside the standard license scope:

• Printing an image on merchandise intended for sale (t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, posters sold to customers).
• Licensing, sub-licensing, or reselling the image itself (including as part of a template or resource pack).
• Distributing an image as a standalone product separate from the broader context it illustrates.
• Using an image in a logo, trademark, or service mark where the image functions as the brand identifier.
• Defamatory, offensive, or illegal uses.

If your intended use includes any of these, you need the extended license or, in some cases, you need to use a different image entirely.

Editorial images: a separate category

Depositphotos, like other major stock platforms, includes images marked for editorial use only. These are photographs of identifiable people, branded products, or newsworthy events where model releases or property releases were not obtained.

Editorial images can be used for:

• News articles, commentary, and journalism.
• Educational materials.
• Blog posts discussing the subject matter shown (not promoting a product).

Editorial images cannot be used for:

• Commercial advertising or marketing.
• Product promotion.
• Content on a monetized commercial website where the image functions as a promotional element.

A food blog with display advertising is generally considered a commercial operation. Using an editorial-only image of a restaurant interior to promote your review is a license mismatch. Always check whether an image in your Depositphotos account has an editorial restriction before publishing it in a commercial context.

What happens when you use beyond your license scope

Using a Depositphotos image outside your license scope is copyright infringement. The rights holder, through Depositphotos or independently, can pursue a claim for the unlicensed use. In the US, statutory damages under 17 U.S.C. 504(c) apply to registered works and range from $750 to $30,000 per infringed work, up to $150,000 per work for willful infringement. Those ranges require the copyright to have been registered with the US Copyright Office before the infringement began, under 17 U.S.C. 412.

Depositphotos itself does not typically operate a direct enforcement arm the way Getty Images does with its PicScout crawler, but individual contributors whose images are exceeded in scope may pursue enforcement independently or through third-party platforms like Copytrack.

The practical consequence for most website owners is not litigation but a demand letter from an enforcement firm seeking a retroactive license fee at a multiple of the standard rate. Addressing license scope proactively is far less expensive than resolving it after a demand letter arrives.

For more on how stock agency licenses from other major platforms compare, see our guide to Shutterstock and Adobe Stock licenses.

How to check the license on images already on your site

If your site has been running for a while, it may include Depositphotos images downloaded by previous contributors, contractors, or team members where the license type or scope is unclear.

PixGuard's metadata reader can check EXIF, IPTC, and XMP fields embedded in image files. Depositphotos images often retain metadata identifying the contributor and, in some cases, the image ID, which you can use to look up the original license in your Depositphotos account history.

A free PixGuard page scan checks the three largest images on any URL for copyright risk signals, with no account required. A free account gives you 30 image scans and the ability to crawl up to 50 pages, checking metadata fields, watermark patterns from major stock agencies, and a fingerprint database comparison. Images that show risk signals are flagged for investigation so you can prioritize your review.

Practical steps for license compliance

1. Before downloading: confirm whether the image has an editorial restriction and select the correct license tier (standard or extended) for your intended use.
2. At download: save the license confirmation from Depositphotos, which includes the image ID, the license type, and the date. Store it alongside the image file.
3. For team accounts: establish a policy that all team members check editorial status and license tier before publishing any image.
4. For inherited sites: audit existing images to verify that downloads are present in your Depositphotos account history with the appropriate license.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do images I downloaded under a subscription stay licensed after I cancel? Yes. Images downloaded during an active Depositphotos subscription remain licensed for the uses covered at the time of download. Canceling your subscription does not revoke licenses for images already downloaded. You cannot download new images after cancellation.

Can I use a Depositphotos image on multiple websites I own? The standard license covers a specific use, not unlimited use across all your properties. Using the same image on two separate websites you operate may require two separate licenses. Review Depositphotos' terms or contact their support team to clarify multi-site use before publishing.

What does "non-commercial use only" mean on some Depositphotos images? Some images in the Depositphotos catalog are available only for non-commercial purposes. A monetized website, an e-commerce store, or a business website promoting services is considered commercial use. If an image is labeled non-commercial only, it is not suitable for most business website contexts.

How do I upgrade a standard license to extended? In most cases, you can purchase an extended license for an image separately through the Depositphotos platform. Contact their support team with the image ID and they can advise on the upgrade process and cost difference.

What if I used a Depositphotos image and later discovered my plan did not cover that use? Contact Depositphotos to discuss retroactive licensing options. Acting proactively, before an enforcement issue arises, typically results in a more straightforward resolution than addressing it after a rights holder or enforcement firm has already sent a demand letter.

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Check whether images on your site carry copyright risk signals from Depositphotos or other agencies: run a free page scan at PixGuard.