A Copytrack alternative that doesn't take a cut of your recovery

If you want a tool that finds where your photos are being used and gives you the evidence without taking a percentage of whatever you recover, ImageTrace is the Copytrack alternative to look at: a flat fee from €5 per scan, you keep 100% of any recovery, and you decide who to contact.

Copytrack, now operating under RD Legal GmbH, is a known name in image-rights enforcement. It can be useful for photographers who want a third party to pursue licensing or settlement on their behalf. But it solves a different problem than ImageTrace.

The difference comes down to one question: do you want someone else to chase the infringer for a success fee, or do you want the match, screenshot, evidence report and letter so you can decide what happens next?

This post compares both options honestly, including when Copytrack is the better choice.

Direct answer

Choose Copytrack if you want outsourced copyright enforcement and are comfortable giving up a success fee when money is recovered.

Choose ImageTrace if you want to find unauthorised image use, export evidence, send your own letter, stay in control of the follow-up, and keep 100% of anything you recover.

ImageTrace is not a law firm and does not pursue infringers for you. That is the point. It gives you the discovery and documentation layer without taking a cut of your settlement, licence fee or damages.

How Copytrack works

Copytrack runs a managed enforcement model for image rights. You submit images or cases, Copytrack checks for unauthorised use, and then it can pursue retroactive licensing, commercial dunning, out-of-court enforcement or judicial enforcement.

That managed follow-up is the core service. Copytrack contacts the alleged infringer, handles the process, and charges a success fee if money is recovered. Copytrack's current enforcement terms list a 45% success fee for retroactive licensing, commercial dunning, out-of-court enforcement and judicial enforcement.

That can be a fair trade if you genuinely do not want to do the outreach yourself. For some photographers, 55% of a recovery handled by someone else is better than 100% of a claim they would never pursue.

The trade-off is control and margin. On a successful claim, a large part of the recovered amount goes to the service. You also hand over part of the decision-making: which uses are pursued, what tone is used, when to escalate, and whether a publication or client relationship is worth preserving.

How ImageTrace works

ImageTrace stops one step earlier, on purpose.

It scans the web for copies of your photo across public pages, marketplaces, print-on-demand sites, blogs and social sources. It uses image matching designed to survive common changes such as crops, resizing, re-encoding, filters and many watermarks.

For each useful match, ImageTrace gives you the information you need to act:

• the matched URL
• a screenshot of the page
• match details
• a structured PDF evidence report
• an editable demand or cease-and-desist letter in English or Dutch

After that, you decide what to do. You can invoice, send a takedown, request a licence, send the letter, escalate to a lawyer, or ignore the use.

ImageTrace does not contact infringers, negotiate, remove content, invoice, or act as your legal representative. Because of that, it does not take a percentage of your recovery. Whatever you recover, you keep.

The pricing is flat: from €5 per scan. Credits cost €1 each and do not expire. One standard scan uses 5 credits, and loyalty levels can lower the effective price per scan. Your first scan is free and does not require a card. Recurring monitoring can keep watching an image and notify you of new matches.

Side by side

Which one is right for you?

Be honest about how much of the work you want to do yourself.

Copytrack is the better fit if:

• you do not want to contact infringers yourself
• you prefer a success-fee model over paying upfront
• you want a third party to handle enforcement
• the case may need legal escalation
• you are comfortable giving up a percentage of the recovery
• you would otherwise never send the letter or pursue the case

For some photographers, that is exactly the right trade-off.

ImageTrace is the better fit if:

• you want to know where your photos are being used
• you want a PDF evidence report and editable letter
• you are comfortable sending your own invoice, takedown or demand
• you want to choose which cases are worth pursuing
• you want predictable pricing before you recover anything
• you want to keep 100% of any settlement, licence fee or damages
• you want to monitor your portfolio over time without handing over the follow-up

That is the gap ImageTrace fills. It gives photographers the finding and evidence layer without forcing them into a commission-based enforcement model.

The money difference

The difference becomes clearest when a case succeeds.

If a claim recovers €500 through a service with a 45% success fee, the fee is €225 and the photographer keeps €275.

With ImageTrace, the scan cost is known upfront. If you use a €5 scan and later recover €500 yourself, you keep the recovery. ImageTrace does not take a percentage.

That does not automatically make ImageTrace better in every case. If you would never pursue the claim yourself, outsourced enforcement may produce money you otherwise would not recover at all. But if you are willing to send the letter yourself, a flat-fee workflow can make far more sense.

Control matters too

The financial difference is only one part of the decision.

Some unauthorised uses are worth pursuing firmly. Some are not. A small blog, a non-profit, an old client, a publication you want a relationship with, or a minor social repost may deserve a different tone than a commercial print-on-demand seller using your work on products.

With ImageTrace, you decide. You can send a friendly licence request, a formal demand, a takedown notice, a normal invoice, or nothing at all.

With managed enforcement, you are choosing convenience. That can be useful, but it also means giving up part of the judgement call.

ImageTrace vs Copytrack in one sentence

Copytrack is for photographers who want someone else to pursue the case for a success fee.

ImageTrace is for photographers who want to find the use, document the evidence, send their own letter, and keep 100% of the recovery.

ImageTrace vs Pixsy

Pixsy is closer to Copytrack than to ImageTrace. It is also a managed enforcement service. Pixsy currently says that submitting a case for resolution is free and that it charges 50% of the recovery when a case is successfully resolved.

That makes Pixsy a strong option if you want done-for-you enforcement. It also means the same trade-off applies: less work for you, but less money and less control if the case succeeds.

ImageTrace is different. It is not trying to be your enforcement agent. It is trying to give you the search, monitoring, screenshot, evidence report and letter so you can decide what to do yourself.

FAQ

Is ImageTrace a Copytrack alternative?

Yes, if what you want is image search, monitoring and evidence collection without a commission on recovery. If you want someone else to pursue the infringer for you, Copytrack is a managed enforcement service and may be the better fit.

Does ImageTrace take a percentage of what I recover?

No. ImageTrace charges a flat fee per scan. Any settlement, licence fee or damages you collect are yours.

Does ImageTrace contact the infringer for me?

No. ImageTrace gives you the match, URL, screenshot, evidence report and editable letter. Sending it, negotiating and escalating are your decisions.

Does Copytrack take a commission?

Copytrack's current enforcement terms list a 45% success fee for several enforcement routes. Always check the current Copytrack terms before making a decision, because service terms can change.

Is ImageTrace cheaper than Copytrack?

It depends on what you mean by cheaper. ImageTrace has an upfront scan cost from €5 and takes no commission. Copytrack works on a success-fee model, so the cost depends on whether money is recovered and how much is recovered.

Is ImageTrace a legal service?

No. ImageTrace is a reverse image search, monitoring and evidence tool. It does not provide legal advice, represent you, negotiate settlements or pursue claims.

Is the matching guaranteed to find every copy?

No. No reverse image search tool can find every copy of an image online. Some pages are not indexed, blocked, private, behind logins, heavily altered, or offline. ImageTrace is designed to find and document matches, but no tool can guarantee complete coverage.

What does ImageTrace cost?

ImageTrace starts from €5 per scan. Credits cost €1 each and do not expire. One standard scan uses 5 credits. Loyalty levels can reduce the scan cost, and the first scan is free without a card.

Is my data handled in the EU?

ImageTrace is EU-hosted and built with GDPR in mind.

Try ImageTrace first

If the commission model never felt right, try a free first scan before you commit to any enforcement route.

Run one photo through ImageTrace, review the matches, export the evidence report, and decide for yourself what the next step should be.

Start your free ImageTrace scan, no card required.