For photographers and content creators, selling photos can be a great way to earn extra cash. It’s easy to get started - and it doesn’t always require extra equipment. All you need is a smartphone with a good camera.

The challenge comes from finding where to sell. Foap is just one of the platforms you might want to try. But how does it work? Does it compete with other stock photo sites? And how much can you earn on Foap?

In this Foap review, we’ll answer all these questions and more. Let’s get started…

What is Foap?

What is Foap

Foap is an online platform for selling photos and videos. According to the Foap website, they’ve supported creators for over 10 years and have paid out upwards of $3 million. There are currently around 4.5 million creatives sharing their content on the platform.

Developing strong, collaborative relationships between brands and creators is integral to Foap. As the popularity of influencers (and micro-influencers) continues to grow, brands recognize the importance of user- and creator-generated content. And that’s where you come in!

What makes Foap interesting is that it puts your content directly in front of brands. You can get feedback from them and potentially start long-term collabs. It’s also a great space for connecting with other creatives. 

Foap app review at a glance: Is it worth it?

In this Foap review, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the platform. In a hurry? Here’s the TL;DR:

Foap pros ✅ Foap cons ❌
Earn money from photos and videos Poor Better Business Bureau ranking
Free to register Scam accounts
Connect with brands Delayed, misleading payments
Network, feedback from other creatives Errors, issues on the application

Good for: Creators who want to earn some extra cash selling stock photos and videos online. Photographers looking to build their skills in a like-minded community.

Not so good for: Professional photographers looking to make big bucks selling stock photos. Branching out into new digital products, like courses, online communities, and podcasts.

How does Foap work for creators?

How does Foap work

To upload and sell content on Foap, you’ll need to use the app. This is available for iOS and Android devices. Foap also has a website, but this is for purchasing images only. 

Images cost $10 each and come with a license, and creators get a 50% commission. So, if you sold a picture, you’d get $5 back.

There’s also the option for brands to request photos or videos through “Missions”. Missions work like competitions, with creators submitting an entry. The brand will then choose a winner (or several winners, in some cases). 

There are two license types on Foap. These are:

  • Commercial - used for commercial purposes, like advertising
  • Editorial - used in blogs, magazines, etc., but not commercially

Photos without people in it (or with no recognizable people) can have either license. However, photos with recognizable people will require permission from the person photographed for use with a commercial license. 

Foap features 

No Foap review would be complete without exploring what makes the app unique. If you’re thinking about selling photos or videos on Foap, here are the main features you’ll enjoy.

Crowds

In many ways, Foap works like a social media platform. Brands can set up a “Crowd”, which works as their community space on the platform. When you follow a Crowd, you join that community. You’ll then be able to stay up-to-date with any Missions, posts, comments, and other content from the brand. 

So, if the brand is looking for images from the community, you’ll be among the first to know.

Aside from the branded communities, there are also Foap’s own Crowd communities. These are aimed at different creators on the platform.

For example, there’s the Foap Creators’ Community. Here creators can find Missions, tips, and more to develop their skills and potentially earn money.

Foap Creators’ Community

This gives creators a space to learn and connect, though it’s relatively limited. Followers can add comments to any post, but it’s not like a real forum or digital community. There’s nowhere to add new topics or send personal messages to other creators. 

Want to develop a creative digital space? Learn how to build and manage a thriving online community.

Missions

Although brands can purchase the photos you’ve already added to the site, they can also request specific images through “Missions”. Some focus on a particular theme or need to include a certain product. Brands will provide a brief to describe what they’re looking for, and then you’ll submit your video or photo content.

If you win, you’ll earn a prize. This will usually be a portion of the total reward listed on the website if there are multiple winners.

reward

You can take part in some Missions free of charge. To participate in premium Missions, you’ll need Foap Coins. You can buy these or earn them by watching video ads in the app. 

premium missions

Newsfeed

Foap’s Newsfeed tab provides more opportunities to connect with other photographers. Here you can follow other creators on Foap and view and comment on their content. So, it works similarly to feeds on social media platforms.

Getting started with the Foap app

For creators, you’ll get started with Foap via the app. You can download this on the Apple App Store or Google Play. For the purposes of this post, we’ll take you through the process on an Android device.

Google Play

Once you’ve downloaded the app, open it up. On the start-up screen, you can scroll through some winning images. When you’re ready, click on “Start Using Foap”. You’ll then be prompted to create an account.

Start Using Foap

Setting up an account is very simple, and you don’t need to provide banking details. You just add a username, email address, and password. 

Once this is done, you can start adding images to your portfolio. Your portfolio can contain up to 4 photos and 4 videos. These images can help your profile to stand out, so choose your best work. Alternatively, you can skip this step and get stuck into browsing the app.

When you start using the app, there are four main tabs to take a look at, basically corresponding to the features discussed above. These are:

Newsfeed: Here you can follow other creators to view their new photos and videos in your feed. You can also see any content that’s connected to you.

Missions: On the Missions tab, you can view Missions that are currently open, along with ones you’ve joined. There’s also a section to view winning entries to completed Missions.

missions

Crowds: These are the communities that surround brands on Foap. You can follow these “Crowds” to take part in the community and see updates and Missions from the brand. When you first access this tab, you’ll be prompted to follow some Crowds to improve recommendations on the app.  

crowds

Explore: As it sounds, you can use this tab to explore content on the app. That includes images and videos that have sold or been uploaded recently. There’s also a section to check out best-selling photographers on the platform.

Explore

To manage your content and account, you can click the icon with three lines at the top left of the app. This brings up a menu with several options, including sections to manage photos, videos, and your portfolio.

Overall the app is easy to use, but we noticed a few connectivity issues. For example, although we followed several Crowds, this didn’t register the next time we loaded the app. 

How to upload photos to the Foap app

Adding your content to the Foap app is very easy. Just tap the circular “+” button on the bottom right of the “Newsfeed” or “Manage photos/portfolio” pages. 

When you first upload to the app, you’ll need to allow Foap access to photo and media content on your device. Once that’s done, you can choose the photo or video to upload. 

You can add a short description, which should be under 250 characters. After this, you can add your own tags to the image. These help buyers find the image, so you should include terms that reflect the content. 

upload photos to Foap tags

When you’re ready to upload, click “Publish”. Next, you’ll need to confirm whether or not there are people in the photo. If not, your image will be published on the platform.

If there are people in the photo, you’ll then have to clarify whether their faces are recognizable or not. If they’re not recognizable, you can go ahead and publish. 

However, if the faces are recognizable, you’ll need to confirm you have permission from the individuals to use their photos for commercial purposes. Once you’ve confirmed that you have this, you can publish the image and then manage your images from the “Manage photos” page.

Manage photos

Pros & cons of Foap

So, now we’ve explored the platform’s features and setup, let’s look at what works - and what doesn’t. Foap has mixed ratings online. On Trustpilot, Foap has a “Poor” rating of 2.5 stars from 45 reviews.

Trustpilot Foap

It also has a rating of 2.7 stars on Google Play. This score comes from 36,200 reviews. 

Google Play foap

However, reviews are more positive overall on the Apple App Store. Here, Foap has a 4.4 out of 5 rating from 1,700 reviews.

Apple app store foap

So, why is reception mixed? Exploring the pros and cons can shed some light on this.

Foap benefits

Commissions and prizes

While sharing photos and videos on platforms like Instagram is fun, it’s also nice to earn from your creations. Selling photos online can be a lucrative passive income stream. 

As we've mentioned, photos sell for $10 on Foap and you’ll get $5 back from this. There’s also the opportunity to apply to “Missions”, which have a larger payout if you win. This Trustpilot review highlights how users appreciate having the chance to earn from their photography:

Pros 

Free registration

It’s free to make an account and upload photos and videos to Foap. No monthly fees makes getting started accessible. However, other platforms like Whop also forgo monthly and setup fees. 

Keep in mind that Foap does charge for Foap Coins, which are used to apply for some Missions. 

Branded “Crowds”

Some leading brands like Uber Eats have “Crowds” on Foap, so you can connect and build long-term relationships with companies. This is a cool feature that can potentially help you to land some new projects and helpful feedback.

Networking opportunities

It’s not just about brands and prizes, there are also lots of ways to connect with other creatives. Connecting with like-minded photographers and video creators can inspire and motivate you. It can also help you to develop your craft. Foap also features a number of community-focused “Crowds” to help creators share their work.

Discover the best community apps for creators and entrepreneurs.

Foap drawbacks

Poor ranking with Better Business Bureau

Some Trustpilot reviews comment that Foap isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Checking out the BBB website shows that this is the case. 

foap BBB

According to the website, Foap is ranked “C+” and is not accredited by the BBB. They state that the rating is due to Foap’s “failure to respond to 1 complaint(s) filed against business”.

The BBB is a private organization that advises the public about businesses and manages customer complaints. It also ranks businesses based on their ethical practices, transparency, and other factors. So, a poor ranking does raise questions about Foap’s practices. 

Scammers

Other reviews comment on problems with scam accounts on the platform. Some of these accounts try to get creators to switch to another platform, like Telegram. Users on Reddit describe their experiences with this:

Scammers

This issue has caught new Foap users who were surprised at being contacted, like Trustpilot reviewer Keely Smith:

new Foap users

Issues with prizes and payments

Although a big draw of Foap is its commission and paid “Missions”, users have faced various issues with these. There appear to be two main alleged problems:

  • Delayed payments
  • Incorrect or misleading payments
Issues with prizes

Even otherwise positive reviews of the platform note issues with payment delays. The Trustpilot reviewers below both had issues with delayed payments. It took reviewer Daria 5-6 months to receive payment for the competitions she won.

Another reviewer, Diana, requested payment in September 2023 and didn’t receive it until late March 2024. 

payment delays

Another Trustpilot review from Olga Vasina also claims there was a discrepancy between the amount she was promised and how much she was actually paid. Foap claims this payment was in Foap coins. However, the previous review from Daria included similar comments about misleading payments.

Trustpilot review

App issues

Other reviews comment on errors and issues with the app itself, including problems with updating profiles and rating other creators’ photos. See this review from the Google Play Store below.

App issues

Foap alternatives: Where should you sell your photos online?

Want to sell photos online, but not sure about Foap? Here are a few of the top alternatives to try.

1. Whop

Whop sell

Whop is an online marketplace for selling digital products. It’s a great choice for selling photos and videos for several reasons:

  • No sign-up or monthly fees
  • Pay as little as 3% on transaction fees when you make a sale
  • Sell all things digital - communities, podcasts, courses, and more
  • Benefit from Whop's seamless payment processing and customer support
  • Bundle products together into a unique offering - e.g. photos + a photo editing course or photos + website templates

We might be biased, but Whop is our top choice. That’s because it’s flexible in terms of what you can sell - and earn. You’re not just limited to photos or videos.

You can branch out to creating photography courses or an exclusive community for creatives if you want, all from the one platform. 

Discover how to become a digital creator and unlock your earning potential with more than just photos.

2. Shutterstock

Shutterstock

Shutterstock might be your first thought for Foap alternatives. It’s a solid choice, and here’s why:

  • Huge, ready-made user base to buy your products
  • Sell stock photos, videos, vectors, and more
  • Recurring royalties when users download your images

There are some downsides to selling on Shutterstock, though. The platform is highly competitive, and you can’t branch out into as many digital product types as you can on Whop, for example.

3. iStock

istock

If you’re looking for a smaller platform for licensing your photos to businesses, you could try out iStock, which is owned by Getty Images. You can make money from stock photos, videos, and illustrations on this platform. Again, it offers a wide reach through Getty Images. However, Shutterstock offers better royalties. 

Find out the best way to sell pictures online in our handy guide.

Get creative & earn from photos, videos, & digital goods on Whop

In this Foap app review, we’ve covered the platform’s features, pros and cons, and more. We've also seen that Foap isn’t the only option if you’d like to sell photos online.

You can maximize your income by selling on Whop. You’ll have your own whop store, where you can sell photos and other digital goods. You can diversify and scale without paying to apply for projects. 

Plus, Whop only takes a transaction fee of as little as 3% when you make a sale. That means you get up to 97% of your payment (excluding other payment platform fees). That’s considerably more than Foap’s 50% commission, and you can also set your own prices on Whop. 

It’s easy to take your creativity further on Whop. Want to create a community for like-minded video creators or develop a photography course? It’s all possible here!