---
title: "iStock: search popularity and Share of Search worldwide"
description: "iStock provides tools to license stock photography for creative projects. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/istock"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# iStock: search popularity and Share of Search worldwide

iStock provides tools to license stock photography for creative projects. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Brand**: iStock
- **Owned by**: Getty Images
- **Market**: Global
- **Measured month**: Aug 2026
- **Share of Search among stock photo libraries**: 22.4%

## Where the brand sits

| Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stock photo libraries | 2 | 22.4% | 319K |

- [Stock photo libraries](/demand/global-en/categories/stock-photo-libraries)

## How has branded search demand for iStock changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for iStock worldwide fell from 595K to 319K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, iStock’s estimated Share of Search among stock photo libraries worldwide decreased from 26.6% to 22.4%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, iStock’s estimated Share of Search among stock photo libraries worldwide peaked at 29.5% in November 2025 and was lowest at 21% in March 2026.

## How did search popularity change for stock photo libraries worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, 123RF gained estimated Share of Search among stock photo libraries worldwide, from 3.7% to 4.4%.
- In August 2026, Depositphotos gained estimated Share of Search among stock photo libraries worldwide, from 3.6% to 4.3%.
- In August 2026, Getty Images lost estimated Share of Search among stock photo libraries worldwide, from 59.1% to 58.1%.
- In August 2026, iStock lost estimated Share of Search among stock photo libraries worldwide, from 22.9% to 22.4%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Alamy worldwide fell 18.5% over 11 measured months, from 188K to 154K in August 2026.

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Stock photo libraries | 595K | 26.6% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Stock photo libraries | 586K | 29.5% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Stock photo libraries | 492K | 26.8% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Stock photo libraries | 486K | 26.3% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Stock photo libraries | 484K | 26.1% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Stock photo libraries | 487K | 21% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Stock photo libraries | 488K | 25.8% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Stock photo libraries | 400K | 22.3% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Stock photo libraries | 391K | 22.8% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Stock photo libraries | 391K | 22.9% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Stock photo libraries | 319K | 22.4% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Stock photo libraries | — | — | — |

## How is iStock measured?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using iStock’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

- “istock”
- “istock app”
- “istock images”
- “istock software”
- “istock stock images”
- “istockphoto com”

## Which stock photo libraries compete with iStock?

- [Getty Images](/demand/global-en/brands/getty-images): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/getty-images-vs-istock
- [Alamy](/demand/global-en/brands/alamy): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/alamy-vs-istock
- [123RF](/demand/global-en/brands/123rf): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/123rf-vs-istock
- [Depositphotos](/demand/global-en/brands/depositphotos): Head-to-head: /demand/global-en/compare/depositphotos-vs-istock

## Who owns iStock?

iStock is owned by Getty Images. Brandwave also tracks Getty Images, owned by the same company, worldwide.

- [Getty Images](/demand/global-en/companies/getty-images): Owns 2 tracked brands.

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who owns iStock?

iStock is owned by Getty Images. Brandwave also tracks Getty Images, owned by the same company, worldwide.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "iStock: search popularity and Share of Search worldwide". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/istock

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/brands/istock. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.