WireStock Review
Wirestock is a SaaS tool that helps microstock artists upload their work to multiple microstock marketplaces from one interface. Although it is not the only tool available for this purpose, it is one of the newer ones in the space. It is free to sign up and get started, but they take a 15% fee on your sales.
WireStock Pro's
The signup process is quick and easy. WireStock's website is modern, and it looks better than some of the older tools out there. This tool would be a breeze for newbies to use. However, someone trying to keep their microstock upload process super simplistic would be better off just uploading directly to one of the big three marketplaces.
Xpiks looks excellent too, but it's desktop software, different than WireStock's web-based platform. While StockSubmitter/MicrosockPlus covers both sides by offering a software solution AND a web-based solution. WireStock's design stands out above the dated look of StockSubmitter.
WireStock Con's
WireStock is simply a middleman service that uploads your media to the marketplaces for you. The test photos I uploaded to WireStock were NOT accepted because they didn't meet WireStock's standards. The same images were accepted by skipping WireStock and submitting them directly to the marketplaces. This is unacceptable for my use because of my shotgun approach to microstock. I try to get as many of my photos as I possibly can onto the marketplaces. Why would I use something that limits my strategy
WireStock's Adobe Stock Account Got Disabled
A huge downside to these types of services is that your photos are pooled into one giant portfolio that includes the work of others. These other microstock uploaders can upload content that they don’t legally own, which is considered copyright infringement. When this happens, the marketplace can close the account that holds the group portfolio, then your photographs become unavailable. I wrote an article about this here.
Is it worth the fee?
In my opinion, it is NOT worth the fee. There are similar tools that are much better, like Xpiks and StockSubmitter. They have the same features that WireStock has, AND they don't take a cut of your sales. StockSubmitters auto meta keywording tool is so quick and easy to use that I don't see a point in giving up 15% for WireStock's keywording service. Xpik's flat monthly fee is much cheaper compared to giving away a percentage of your sales with WireStock. The bottom line is that there are much better options for microstock contributors looking to increase their efficiency.