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How Much Can You Earn With 123RF? A Review

123RF Review

Thanks for joining me for my updated 2022 review of 123RF. 

In my review today I will be finding out whether 123RF is a website you ought to consider if you want to sell your best photos.

Lots of business owners need good quality images these days, and they seek them out from stock photography platforms. 

Stock photography is a cheap method of obtaining high-quality images, without the need of hiring a professional photographer.

Under this arrangement, the freelance photographer retains the ownership of the photos, while the buyer only acquires the “rights of usage”.

There are various platforms that link photographers and potential buyers across the globe. And one of those is the 123RF, which is highly popular for its huge collection of creative images from thousands of photographers.



However, today we will be digging deeper to find out how good the 123RF platform is. I will discovering what real users are saying about 123RF, finding out how much you could potentially earn, and weighing up the likely pros and cons should you decide to join.

Is 123RF Legit?

Yes, 123RF is definitely a legit platform, it is a web-based content agency that sells royalty-free images. Founded in 2005, the company has since grown to become one of the leading stock photography sites.

How To Get Started With 123RF

Registration is fast and easy.

As a freelance photographer, you are only required to provide the basic details about yourself. These include username, email, password, postal code, and country of origin. The next step involves uploading original photos on the site.

The platform contains photo editors, which allows you to modify your images according to your preferences. This helps to increase the chances of making sales. 

Whenever an interested buyer downloads your photos, the company automatically deposits 30 – 60% commission to your account.

One interesting aspect of the site is that it allows you to set your own payout limit. Once the limit is attained, the amount is sent to you via PayPal, Skrill or Payoneer.



How Much Can You Earn With 123RF?

123RF has a business model which is similar to many of their competitors. You aren’t paid a fixed fee each month for submitting your work but you’ll earn based on the number of sales that you make in a month.

So, whether you’re a professional photographer, or you like to take photographs for fun, you can submit your  work to the site. Each photo that you upload will have to be reviewed before it can be made available for sale.

If your photos are accepted, graphic designers and other people who are looking for commercial images can use them for a fee. To become a contributor on the site, at least 10 of your photos must pass the acceptance process.



Contributors on 123RF earn in several ways. The most popular method of earning on this micro stock site is  by selling licenses for photos. In that case, a customer can buy credits to purchase a license to use one or more of your photos.

You’ll earn a percentage from the purchase. If they like your work, that customer could keep on returning to the site in order to purchase more of your photos.

Some customers choose to purchase a monthly subscription for the site. You’ll also earn when they use one of your photos.

Your earnings won’t be calculated as a percentage in that case. Instead, you’ll earn between $0.216 and $0.432 for each photo that is used by a client who has a subscription.

When you make your work available to buyers on this site, you’ll still retain ownership of your work. So, you’ll always own the copyright. The buyer only receives the right to use your work under the terms of a license.



123RF has a large audience and is a global leader among sites that provide free and paid photos to graphic designers and other people who require images.

With over 5 million buyers, you have a good chance of connecting with  people who like photos in your niche, if your pictures are displayed there.

The platform pays commissions of between 30% and 60% for the licenses that are sold. New photographers on the site will earn 30% as their commission. Your commission increases as you add more photos to the site.

The basic level covers contributors who have had up to 999 photos accepted. Photographers who are earning the maximum commission have many thousands of photos on the platform.

So, it’s beneficial to you to upload as many photographs as you can. This increases the amount that you earn from each photo and it will also connect you with a lot more people.



Customers mainly need photos for commercial purposes. So, if you really want to earn from the site, it’s helpful to get an idea of the top searches per month so you can submit photos that match those keywords.

You could also look on niches that are not as fully served but are in demand.

This site has one of the highest approval rates among micro stock sites, so it’s much easier for you to keep getting photos accepted so that you can rise to a higher contributor level and earn even better commissions.

A new photographer may earn from a photo sale. If they sell two photos on the site in their first month, they would earn $0.45. However, as you add more photos to the site, you would gain more exposure.

That is, your photos will be reaching a large audience because they would be targeting more keywords.



There are contributors on the site who have been there for many years. They have a large portfolio on the platform. As such, they’re earning four figures a month from their photos on 123RF.

However, those are users at the top end who have been there for many years and have learned what the market is looking for. They frequently change their filters and even adjust their photo descriptions to ensure that their work is found.

Your earnings will increase if you make the most of all the audiences that 123RF works to reach. When your
work is uploaded to the platform, it’s marketed to people in 44 different countries.

If you only focus on a single country when you’re developing the description of each photo, you’ll earn from buyers in that area. However, your earnings will be boosted even further if you also consider the 17 languages that the site targets in their marketing.

There are several convenient payment methods on the site, so you can get your money without a hassle wherever you are in the world. These include PayPal, Skrill and Payoneer. However, the payment option that’s available to you will depend on your location. For example, if you’re a photographer from China you will have Alipay available.



123RF Reviews

Many photographers like to do business via 123RF. It’s easy for them to upload photos right from their mobile device.

They can also tag photos from their phone as soon as they have taken them. So, they can use relevant keywords in the moment or edit those keywords later on.

Users also like the fact that many of their photos are usually accepted. In fact, members say that this platform has the highest acceptance rate of all the sites that they currently use.

This is an advantage, especially for beginners, who sometimes become discouraged on platforms that decline their submissions several times.

However, some users wish that the team would speed up the acceptance process. They say that it sometimes takes as long as a week for their photos to be accepted.

Some users also report that they try to speed up the process by emailing the submissions department. The acceptance process does take a while because the site receives tens of thousands of new photos each day.



123RF is not the largest micro stock site out there. However, it is right among the top five in terms of its reach. So, most photographers who generate an income online have at least some of their photos on the platform.

Most contributors like the flexibility on the site. They like being able to add photos from different genres. They also like that the number of photos that they can add is unlimited.

Most users like being able to earn USD from their photos. There are sometimes complaints about dips in earnings. However although users may experience this from time to time overall, they’ve been earning steadily from the site.

They’re also experiencing growth in income as they start to understand which topics do well for them. Some members say that this platform doesn’t work for them as well as others.

Contributors like the photo editors that are available to everyone on the site. They can use these editors to adjust each of their photos so that they’re more marketable. The best photos on the platform are very sharp and look as though they’re ready to be used in a magazine.



Users like the fact that after investing the time to take a good quality photo and setting up a good shot, they can further enhance their work with tools that are available on the site.

Users like the freedom that they have to earn from their photos in any way that they wish. They don’t have  restrictions placed on them as to where they can display their pictures. In other words, they’re not required to give the side exclusive rights.

Members like that because it means that they can earn from the same photo on several sides. So, if they find that a picture is doing well on the platform, they can either reuse it on another site or use that as inspiration for a similar series on another platform.

123RF has many contributors from different countries outside of the United States. These members are delighted that no matter where they are in the world, they can earn from their photos.

This is a good way to earn money online and all they need is a smartphone. This is also helpful for contributors who like to travel and submit photos of different destinations.



The site supports multiple languages and members consider this to be a positive factor. However, members realize that with a large number of photos being added to the site daily, it’s important for them to produce sharp images in order to stand out.

Members are saying that this site is legitimate. They appreciate receiving their payments on time. There aren’t any complaints about late or missed payments and their transfers are processed speedily via any of the payment methods that are available.

So overall, users like using this site to display their photos and attract new clients.

Have you used The 123RF website to sell photos? If so and you want to share your experience please leave a comment in the comments section below.

What Are The Pros Of 123RF?

– It is a legitimate site that pays

– Membership is open across the globe

– Available in mobile app

– It has a free photo editor; you can filter images to make them more appealing.

– Different payment methods: It allows you to choose your preferred payment method.

– The platform supports multiple languages

– Excellent customer service: You will get fast response to your queries.

– Referral program; you can earn extra cash through your referrals

– Flexible licensing plans

– You retain the ownership of your photos

– Allows you to choose your pay out limit

What Are The Cons Of 123RF?

– The prices of images are determined according to the image size and file type

-You need to submit 10 of your best photos for review, during the application process.

 

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Is 123RF Worth It?

If you are a passionate photographer and you would like to monetize your photography skills, then 123RF is definitely worth considering.

The site allows you to retain exclusive rights to your photos. You will, therefore, be able to sell your content to different clients over time.

The site also has an excellent customer support team that responds promptly to queries in case you have any issues on the site. Additionally, the payment system is quite fair compared to other similar sites.

However, for you to increase your chances of making sales, you need to produce unique, high-quality images that stand out from the rest. You may also boost your income by referring new members to this platform.

Based on these findings, I would recommend 123RF to anyone that wants to try to generate extra income on the side using their photography skills.

Star Rating 3/5-A good platform for budding photographers that want to earn an extra income by capturing high quality images.

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Thanks for checking out my review of 123RF. I Hope you found it informative, and gave you some insight into what the platform could offer you as a member.

I have written hundreds of similar reviews and articles about making money online here on my website Wealthinflator.com. You will find all my latest posts HERE

 

4 thoughts on “How Much Can You Earn With 123RF? A Review”

  1. Hi,
    I’m Iqra. I just want to confirm that we need to pay for upload the photos or it is free of cost for uploading? I mean without any a single investement we can upload ? or after upload yo will ask for payment?

    1. Hi Iqra,
      Yes it is free to upload photos to 123RF. As stated in the review however, you will need to submit 10 of your best photos first so they can be reviewed for quality. Thanks for your comment.

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