--- title: "iStock vs Unsplash: Which is searched more?" description: "Is iStock or Unsplash more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Stock photo libraries set worldwide. 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/categories/stock-photo-libraries/compare/istock-vs-unsplash" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # iStock vs Unsplash: Which is searched more? Is iStock or Unsplash more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Stock photo libraries set worldwide. 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 - **Compared**: iStock and Unsplash - **Competitive set**: Stock photo libraries - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **iStock Share of Search**: 4.4% - **Unsplash Share of Search**: 17% ## Is iStock or Unsplash more popular in search? - In September 2026, Unsplash had more branded searches than iStock among stock photo libraries worldwide. Unsplash had about 1.5 million branded searches, while iStock had 384,000. Unsplash made up 17% of all stock photo library searches we track, and iStock accounted for 4.4%. - Unsplash was ahead of iStock in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, iStock’s share of searches among stock photo libraries worldwide moved from 5.2% to 4.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 591K to 384K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Unsplash’s share of searches among stock photo libraries worldwide moved from 19.9% to 17%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.2M to 1.5M. ## Top stock photo libraries in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Unsplash appeared in all five answers. iStock was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Unsplash was listed before iStock in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Unsplash | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Pexels | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Getty Images | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | iStock | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Pixabay | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Alamy | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Depositphotos | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | 123RF | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about stock photo libraries - Asked ChatGPT "Which stock photo library should I use?": 1. Unsplash, 2. Getty Images - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best stock photo libraries?": 1. Getty Images, 2. Unsplash, 3. Pexels, 4. iStock, 5. Alamy, 6. Depositphotos, 7. Pixabay - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best stock photo library for creative projects?": 1. Unsplash, 2. Pexels - Searched Google, AI Overview "royalty free photos": 1. Unsplash, 2. Pexels, 3. Pixabay - Searched Google, AI Overview "stock photos for websites": 1. Unsplash, 2. Pexels, 3. iStock, 4. Pixabay, 5. Getty Images Not named in any answer: 123RF. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for stock photo libraries worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Unsplash lost share of searches among stock photo libraries worldwide, from 19% to 17%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for iStock worldwide fell 35.1% over 12 measured months, from 591K to 384K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | iStock estimated searches | iStock Share of Search | iStock rank | Unsplash estimated searches | Unsplash Share of Search | Unsplash rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 591K | 5.2% | 5 | 2.2M | 19.9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 583K | 5.3% | 5 | 2.2M | 20.3% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 489K | 4.7% | 5 | 1.8M | 17.5% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 484K | 4.6% | 5 | 1.8M | 17.4% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 481K | 4.9% | 5 | 1.8M | 18.7% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 483K | 4.3% | 5 | 2.2M | 19.7% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 485K | 4.6% | 5 | 1.8M | 17.4% | 3 | | May 2026 | 396K | 4.1% | 5 | 1.8M | 18.9% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 388K | 4.4% | 5 | 1.5M | 17% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 389K | 4.8% | 5 | 1.5M | 18.3% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 317K | 4% | 5 | 1.5M | 19% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 384K | 4.4% | 5 | 1.5M | 17% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using iStock’s and Unsplash’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **iStock**: Measured on the search terms “istock”, “istock app”, “istock images”, “istock software” and “istock stock images”, summed into one figure. - **Unsplash**: Measured on the search term “unsplash”. - [iStock profile](/demand/global-en/brands/istock) - [Unsplash profile](/demand/global-en/brands/unsplash) - [All stock photo libraries worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/stock-photo-libraries): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is iStock or Unsplash more popular in search? In September 2026, Unsplash had more branded searches than iStock among stock photo libraries worldwide. Unsplash had about 1.5 million branded searches, while iStock had 384,000. Unsplash made up 17% of all stock photo library searches we track, and iStock accounted for 4.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "iStock vs Unsplash: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/stock-photo-libraries/compare/istock-vs-unsplash This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/stock-photo-libraries/compare/istock-vs-unsplash. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.