Adobe Stock Standard vs Extended License: Key Differences

One time, when I needed photos to print out brochures in a volume of over 500,000 copies, I was forced to pit the Adobe Stock Standard vs Extended license types to determine which one I should choose. I’ve done a lot of research and ask Adobe customer support for help.

Since then and can help you understand the difference between them.

As you can guess, I need professional-quality visual assets for promoting my business to increase audience engagement, and Adobe Stock’s expansive selection of images and videos is my go-to platform for obtaining such content.

However, before you can start using its library with full confidence, you first need to learn the differences between the standard license vs extended license for Adobe Stock to ensure you’re not breaking any laws or policies.

Main Differences

If you still don’t know if you should pick the Adobe Stock Standard or Extended license, take a look at the main distinctions between the two types. I’ve prepared a table that breaks down their key features to help you decide which license to pick.

Scope of Usage	Restricted to small-scale digital and print projects.	Secures unlimited reproductions, products for resale, and large-scale distribution.
Exclusivity/Ownership	Non-exclusive; others can purchase the same asset. No ownership; rights remain with the creator.	Non-exclusive; others can buy the same asset. No ownership; rights remain with the creator.
Legal Protections	Offers legal protection from copyright lawsuits.	Provides legal protection from copyright lawsuits.

Standard License

The Standard license of Adobe Stock is aimed at small businesses and individuals who can use the purchased assets for the following purposes:

Social Media Content: I often employ the Standard License when making images for my online marketing campaigns. It lets me add the purchased assets to posts, stories, reels, and advertisements that I feature on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Blog Pictures: Making blog posts more interesting with the help of relevant images is a must if you want to keep your readers engaged. The Standard license allows adding pictures to online posts without having to pay any extra fees.

Internal Presentations: This license covers presentations and reports that remain within my company, allowing me to create professional-looking documentation at no extra cost.

Price: Usually, standard royalty-free images are very cheap. Expect to the price to be in the $1-$20 range for on-demand orders, and as low as 0.22 cents per photo if you get a subscription.

Standard License: Legal Protections

The Standard License allows you to protect yourself from unjustified copyright claims. Representing one of the best stock photography sites, Adobe Stock makes sure all hosted content is vetted for intellectual property rights, minimizing the chances of legal trouble as long as you remember the limitations imposed by the Standard License:

Circulation Limit: Usually, the limit stands at 500,000 copies or views, which is more than enough for most individuals and small businesses.
Non-commercial Usage: You can’t add the purchased images to merchandise and products that you sell yourself.

Extended License

If your usage cases aren’t covered in the previous paragraph, it seems like your needs fall into the latter half of the Standard vs Extended license spectrum for Adobe Stock. It expands the range of available permissions, representing the designated option for large-scale distribution and commercial usage. An Extended License is mandatory when it comes to:

Large Print Volumes: Whenever I’m designing brochures, banners, or flyers for widespread distribution, the Extended License is needed to cover unlimited numbers of copies, securing legal compliance and helping me avoid copyright issues.
Merchandise for Resale: If you’re making items like T-shirts, mugs, or digital artwork for sale, you’ll need the Extended License to have the required rights to use Adobe Stock’s content for profit.
Multi-user Access: If your work entails distributing materials to customers or third parties, like digital templates or large-scale marketing campaigns, an Extended License is required to allow for establishing wide-scale distribution channels.

Price: Extended licenses are typically restricted to on-demand, by the unit, and prepaid package purchases. They can send you back between $40 and $250. This can seem too expensive compared to the Standard license, but remember that this way you’ll be able to reap significant profits by selling the products featuring the stock images, while the single-time payment model allows avoiding dealing with regular royalty fees.

Extended License: Legal Protections

Both sides of the Adobe Stock license equation entail legal protection from unjustified copyright claims. The platform ensures all images and videos are properly vetted, allowing you to use them for huge commercial projects without worrying about legal issues.

Best Practices for Choosing the Right Adobe License

Evaluate the project scope. Figure out the scale and distribution requirements of your project. If it doesn’t go beyond online platforms and internal documentation, you can stick to the Standard License. For commercial purposes or large-volume printing, go with the Extended License.

Estimate your budget. Compare the price you have to pay for the license to the expected return on investment. For promising projects that drive a lot of profits, the Extended License is usually worth the higher cost, based on the offerings from Adobe Stock vs Shutterstock.

Stay up to date on policies. Occasionally review Adobe Stock's licensing terms and conditions to ensure the covered usage cases remain the same.

Keep records. Create records of how and when you’ve used the purchased content. Such records can help you out when dealing with legal inquiries or audits.

FAQ

• What’s the key distinction between the Adobe Stock Standard License vs the Extended one?

The most important difference is tied to the scale of the project. The Standard License was created for smaller-scope projects with limited distribution, while the Extended License covers unlimited volumes of copies and commercial usage, including products for resale and large print runs.

• Am I allowed to use photos covered by the Standard License for social network posts?

Yes, the Standard License is ideal for producing social media content. As long as your posts don’t get more than 500,000 views, you’re good to go.

• Is it legal to add images from Adobe Stock to my product designs?

Adobe Stock images and videos can only be included in your products for commercial purposes if you got the Extended License. The Standard License doesn’t cover the application of content from Adobe Stock contributors to products intended for resale.

• What type of legal protection do Adobe Stock licenses provide?

Both license types offer legal protections from copyright claims. Adobe Stock makes sure all content is verified for intellectual property rights, ensuring you don’t have to worry about potential violations.

• Is it possible to upgrade from a Standard License to an Extended License?

Yes, if at any point the scale of your needs goes beyond what’s covered by the Standard License, you can buy the Extended License for the specific images or videos that require it.

• What kind of use cases demand an Extended License?

Projects that deal with high-volume distribution, like big print runs, merchandise, digital templates for customers, or products for resale, are only covered by an Extended License. It makes sure you’re complying with all policies tied to large-scale and commercial projects.