 | |
Type of site | Image hosting service |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Photobucket Corporation |
| Created by | Alex Welch, Darren Crystal |
| URL | photobucket |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional (required for uploading files) |
| Launched | May 8, 2003 |
| Current status | Active |
Photobucket is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community based in Denver, Colorado, United States. Photobucket once hosted more than 10 billion images from 100 million registered members. Links from personal Photobucket accounts were often used for avatars displayed on Internet forums, storage of videos, embedding on blogs, and distribution in social networks. Images hosted on Photobucket were frequently linked to online businesses, online auctions, and classified advertisement websites like eBay and Craigslist.
The website was founded in 2003 by Alex Welch and Darren Crystal and received funding from Trinity Ventures.[1][2] It was acquired by Fox Interactive Media in 2007. In December 2009, Fox's parent company, News Corp, sold Photobucket to Seattle mobile imaging startup Ontela. Ontela then renamed itself Photobucket Inc. and continues to operate as Photobucket.[3]
In late June 2017, Photobucket dropped its free hosting service, and started requiring a US$99 annual subscription to allow external linking to all hosted images, or a US$399 annual subscription to allow the embedding of images on third-party websites, such as personal blogs and forums. This policy change, enacted with minimal advance notice, has been highly controversial. Even years after abandoning free accounts, Photobucket keeps sending email "offers" that variously attempt to cajole or threaten users to switch to the paid plan.[4][5][6]
At its peak, Photobucket employed 120 people and accounted for 2% of American internet traffic. In 2019, the company employed 10 and ranked approx. 1,500th according to Alexa.[7][8]
- ^ "2% of U.S. Internet Traffic goes through Photobucket". techcrunch. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ "PhotoBucket Closes $10.5M From Trinity Ventures". techcrunch. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ "It's Official: Ontela Bought Photobucket from News Corp". xconomy. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ^ "Photobucket's bizarre emails are the last straw for many people". Aqueous Digital. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Photobucket.com, Inc. | Complaints | Better Business Bureau® Profile". www.bbb.org. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ Kenseth, Lars. "All the Urgent Messages I Have Received from Photobucket". McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Photobucket: From Rise of Fame to Breaking Billions of Photos to Present Day". PhotographyTalk. December 13, 2018. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ Lee, Dami (June 24, 2019). "Photobucket still has your photos, and it wants you to come back". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.