Making money by selling photos can seem challenging when everyone with a smartphone can call themselves a photographer. But success in this field boils down to two things: finding your niche and building your audience. Currently, several apps let you sell your photos for cash. These apps allow you to market your pictures in their marketplace. Not all apps are the same though – some are better than others. The real question is, what is the best app to sell photos? To help you make an informed decision, we have rounded up 9 of the best apps to sell your photos. Let’s dive straight into our list!

The 9 Best Apps To Sell Photos

1. Foap

This free app is available for both iOS and Android. After signing up, the app lets you upload your photos and sell them on the Foap Marketplace. Foap’s approval process is based on member ratings. You have to rate 5 user photo submissions every time you upload a photo. For your photos to get accepted, you will need positive ratings from other users. To start making money using Foap, download the app and create an account. You can then upload photos or take them directly using the app. Each picture needs to have a minimum resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels. The app splits the profit with you 50/50.

2. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is another big name in the photo selling industry with over 180 million photos, vectors, and clips. Since inception, the micro-stock site has paid out $500 million to contributors. All photo enthusiasts are welcome to join Shutterstock. The pay is low, but you can still earn some cash on the side. If you are starting out, I recommend this app. Typically, the payment is 20-30 percent of the sale. If you want to make additional money, you can refer your friends through Shutterstock’s affiliate program.

3. Stockimo

Many marketing agencies, small businesses, and large corporations use the Stockimo app to buy photos for their websites. You get a commission for every pic sold, and the app allows you to retain the copyright to your work. The community rates the images and just like Foap; you are required to have a score of at least 2 to sell your photo. The only downside of Stockimo is that you will only receive a 20 percent commission from each sale.

4. ScoopShot

ScoopShot is another one of the best apps to sell photos. This app operates a little differently than the other apps on this list – it runs a daily contest that rewards outstanding users. One thing that makes ScoopShot stand out is that it allows you to set your own sales prices. This way, you can factor in the amount of effort you put into taking the pics and the price you feel each photo is worth. Companies can search photos by name, location or genre. To sell faster, you need to provide your location and experience as well as a portfolio of at least nine recently taken photos.

5. Snapwire

Just like the rest of the apps on our list, Snapwire allows you to monetize your passion of taking pics. Unlike most general photo marketplaces, this challenge-based app is strict on photo quality. With 200k+ users, the app lets you submit images according to the buyer needs. Snapwire pays you 50 percent of any photo sold through the marketplace or your individual profile. You can make additional money through requests or challenges.

6. EyeEm

With EyeEm, you can take a photo, upload it and make it available for purchase. EyeEm is designed with usability in mind. You can even take photographs and store them in your app if you lack an internet connection. Once you are connected, the images will be synced and uploaded automatically. With pictures selling from $20-$250, this could be the best app to sell photos.

7. Clashot

The Clashot app lets you shoot, publish and sell your photos instantly. You earn between $.50 and $80 for each photo sold. A verification process must be completed before you can sell any photos. Clashot is one of the more popular photo sites in the world.

8. Twenty20

Build your own personal online gallery to sell your photos. You earn $2 for each photo you sell and you can sell the same photo over and over again. Photo challenges allow you to earn additional cash and prizes. If a brand likes your work you can earn 100 percent of the agreed commision price.

9. Bylined

BYLINED is a user-generated content platform built to connect brands and businesses. Download the app, take pictures, and get paid by your favorite brands.

Tips for Selling More Photos

Upload multiple photos to increase your chances of making a sale.
Utilize a range of subjects to diversify your photos.
Target specific niches that you feel are underrepresented.
Do not over-filter your photos.
Submit relevant tags and descriptions. Keep keywords simple.
Explore in-demand photos to get an idea of what buyers want.
Shoot at full size to give buyers’ multiple size options.

Conclusion

Since your smartphone is likely with you at all times, that makes it an excellent tool for seizing photo opportunities and making extra money. With today’s phone cameras being more powerful than ever, you can take some breath-taking shots. If you feel there is an app that we didn’t mention in our list of the best apps to sell photos let us know in the comments below.