Scopio Review – Is Scop.io Stock Photography a Good Service?

This Scopio review will walk you through the details of Scop.io, the stock photography service. Scopio’s lifetime deal was one of the first purchases I ever made as a new business owner over fiver years ago.

Since originally writing this review, my perspective on Scop.io (referred to from now on as “Scopio”) has changed significantly.

Note: This article contains affiliate links; if you follow them and then make a purchase I may receive a commission at no additional expense to you.

I initially liked Scopio because it provided a decent library of stock photos for a one-time payment lifetime deal, and it claimed to pay the individuals who contributed those photos to its archive.

Sadly, since then, things have changed. Scopio recently downgraded all of their lifetime deal holders to the same tier as a free account on their platform, devaluing the original deal and requiring that LTD holders upgrade to a subscription if we want to use the service as we always have.

I understand that business models need to change sometimes, but treating their early investors the same as free users is extremely unfair. I’ve also seen claims form other Scopio users about the site failing to pay creators for the pictures they upload.

The final issue which made me decide not to promote Scopio is that, although I’ve sent them hundreds of visitors via my affiliate links, they have never paid me a single commission. They also recently kicked me out of their affiliate program for no reason and with no notice.

Personally I now use DepositPhotos for any really high-quality premium images I need. There are also plenty of free public domain images available on the web through sites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay.

Of course if you love Scopio’s photo library and don’t mind paying a monthly subscription for access, don’t let me stop you. But on a personal level I can’t support a company that doesn’t honor commitments.

What is Scopio (Scop.io)

Scopio is a library of royalty-free images. They originally used a lifetime deal and an affiliate program to attract a user base, both of which have now been dismantled in favor of a costly subscription.

Scopio Pricing

It’s difficult to discuss Scopio’s pricing plans because my experience with the brand has shown that they may change their pricing at any time to increase profits. Check their website for more info.

What to Consider Before Investing in a Stock Photography Service

The biggest thing to consider before investing in Scopio is whether or not you want to pay for a subscription from a company that has a history of not respecting their early investors and supporters.

Regarding stock images in general, here are a few considerations:

• If you create a lot of visuals and find you always use the same images
• If you need to bring some life to your blog posts or YouTube thumbnails
• If you like using high-quality pictures for anything but aren’t a great photographer

All of the above describe me, which is why I currently use DepositPhotos when I need really unique and clickable visuals.

I also use Artspace.ai to generate eye-catching visuals and backgrounds when I want something really different.

Scopio Pros and Cons

I struggled with this list it’s difficult to say anything positive about Scopio at this point. Thanks to this user who commented on my YouTube channel and initially notified me of their changing business practices:

Pros

• Lots of decent quality images

Cons

• Some important areas (such as technology) seem underrepresented
• History of treating affiliates and LTD holders disrespectfully after using them to grow a user base
• Numerous complaints from users across the web
• Charges a subscription fee regardless of whether you use the service on a monthly basis

Scopio Demo and Walkthrough

If you want to see a walkthrough of the dashboard, I made a video review of Scopio almost four years ago. Obviously I don’t hold same opinions now as I did then, and the interface may have changed, but you can watch my demo of the front and back end in this video.

Rounding Up My Scopio Review

If you need stock photos and you’re on a budget, I recommend using sites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay instead of Scopio. If you want something fancier and can pay premium rates, I recommend going to DepositPhotos. 

I’ll be honest, when I first started using Scopio I really appreciated the service, but at this point it seems like the good things about the company were a facade intended to deceive new business owners like me into investing in and promoting them.

I still prefer not to rely on free stock images most of the time, because the good ones tend to get overused on free blogging platforms. But they work in a pinch, and for everything else I use superior premium sites.

A high percentage of the photos I use on my blog only appear in a few other places around the web, and that adds a certain air of authenticity. Using websites that have positive business practices and don’t take advantage of their customers and affiliate is important to me.

Frequently Asked Questions About Scopio (FAQ)

Here are some frequently asked questions to round out my Scopio review.