[caption id="attachment_4873" align="alignright" width="411" caption="Figure 1. Alexa Internet traffic rank comparison: Stock.xchng vs. PhotoXpress"][/caption][caption id="attachment_4874" align="alignright" width="410" caption="Figure 2. Alexa Internet search engine-driven traffic comparison: Stock.xchng vs. PhotoXpress"][/caption]
Fotolia-owned free stock site PhotoXpress has released a statement claiming to have “flourished into the online global leader of stock photography” by offering the largest free-image inventory: 400,000 files.
Launched in May, PhotoXpress receives 6,000 image and illustration submissions daily. Members can access up to 10 downloads per day.
PhotoXpress may have surpassed the number of images offered on older competitor Stock.xchng—which currently says its inventory stands at 350,000—but the Getty-owned, iStockphoto-managed Web site still outranks the newcomer in traffic rank (see Figure 1).
Though the number of search-engine-driven visits to PhotoXpress is growing (see Figure 2), the recent change of Stock.xchng management suggests it may be too early for Fotolia to celebrate. Still, Fotolia co-founder and president Oleg Tscheltzoff thinks PhotoXpress’ early success “speaks to what the industry is thirsting for.”