How to Cancel Shutterstock

Online Cancel anytime Moderate ~7 min

AI-Generated: These steps were automatically generated. If you notice any inaccuracies, let us know below. (Confidence: 85%)

Difficulty

4/10

Est. Time

7 min

Plan ahead

Refund

Available

Within 48 hours of initial purchase or renewal

Auto-Renewal

Active

Cancel before renewal date

Important Warnings

Annual subscriptions have early termination fee of 50% of remaining subscription value
No refund available after 48 hours unless no downloads were made
Unused downloads expire and are not refunded
Access to downloaded content licenses remains, but you cannot download more
Cancellation takes effect at end of current billing period for monthly plans
Must cancel at least 24 hours before renewal to avoid next charge

Step-by-step instructions

Open link

Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and select 'Account Settings'

Navigate to the 'Subscriptions' or 'Billing' section

Find your active subscription and click 'Cancel subscription' or 'Turn off auto-renew'

Select a reason for cancellation from the dropdown menu

Review retention offers (discounts or plan changes) and decline if you want to proceed

Confirm cancellation by clicking the final 'Cancel Subscription' button

Check your email for cancellation confirmation

Go to cancellation page

Tips & Things to Watch For

Multiple Free Trial Accounts Violates ToS

Critical

Creating multiple accounts to get repeated free trials violates Shutterstock's Terms of Service and can result in account termination and being banned from the platform. They track by email, payment method, and device fingerprinting.

Annual Plan Early Termination Fee

Critical

Canceling an annual subscription before the year is up typically results in a charge for the remaining months at a higher rate or loss of the annual discount. Shutterstock may charge you the difference between what you paid (annual rate) and what you would have paid (monthly rate) for the months you used.

Unused Downloads Roll Over on Annual Plans

Pro Tip

Annual subscription plans allow unused downloads to roll over to the next month within your subscription period. This means if you don't use all your downloads in one month, they accumulate for later use. Monthly plans typically do NOT have this benefit - unused downloads expire at the end of each billing cycle.

Download Before Cancellation - Keep Licensed Content Forever

Pro Tip

Any content you download while your subscription is active remains licensed for perpetual use, even after cancellation. Make sure to download all images you might need before your subscription ends. The license doesn't expire when your subscription does.

What to Expect

Dark Patterns to Watch

Multiple confirmation screens with retention offers
Confusing language between 'cancel subscription' and 'turn off auto-renew'
Prominent retention offers with discount percentages to distract from cancellation
Small or less prominent 'proceed with cancellation' buttons
Required selection of cancellation reason before proceeding
Warning messages about losing access designed to create anxiety

Retention Tactics

Offers discount (typically 30-50% off) at cancellation screen
Shows benefits and features you'll lose
Suggests alternative cheaper plans
Displays number of downloads remaining in current cycle
Reminds users of content in collections or favorites
May offer to pause subscription instead of canceling

Typical offer: 30-50% off next billing cycle

Hidden Fees

Early termination fee not clearly displayed upfront for annual subscriptions
Unused downloads do not carry over or get refunded

Early Termination Fee

50% of remaining subscription value for annual plans

Shutterstock Plans & What You'll Lose