The number of websites offering free stock photos has multiplied in recent years. The trend is mainly down to advances in smartphone technology (a camera in every pocket) and the change in emphasis on sharing work.
We now have the perfect storm where finding high-quality images for your blog content couldn’t be easier.
We’ve compiled a list of websites where you’ll be able to search over 100 million stock photos to find images you can license free of charge to use on your blog.
The Ultimate List includes:
Let’s dive in and check out each site. While we’re at it, we’ll review the licensing terms for each site and what that means for you.
Pexels
The mission of Pexels is “Empowering Creators“, and it’s safe to say this has held true. There are thousands of free high-quality photos freely available on Pexels.
All images on the website can be safely used for commercial and non-commercial reasons.
Pexels Licensing:
The Pexels License allows the following:
- All photos and videos on Pexels are free to use.
- Attribution is not required. Giving credit to the photographer or Pexels is not necessary but always appreciated.
- You can modify the photos and videos from Pexels. Be creative and edit them as you like.
You are forbidden from the following:
- Identifiable people may not appear in a bad light or in a way that is offensive.
- Don’t sell unaltered copies of a photo or video, e.g. as a poster, print, or on a physical product without modifying it first.
- Don’t imply endorsement of your product by people or brands on the imagery.
- Don’t redistribute or sell the photos and videos on other stock photo or wallpaper platforms.
Australian company Canva bought the Pexels website in 2019 but the licensing policies appear unchanged. It’s an excellent resource for Bloggers.
Unsplash
Unsplash hosts thousands of images provided by a generous community of photographers. It’s one of our first ports of call for free stock photos.
All photos published on the website are available for free and can be used for commercial and non-commercial purposes.
Unsplash Licensing:
Images on Unsplash come with a Creative Commons Zero (CCO) license. You can copy, modify, or distribute the photos without permission, and there isn’t a requirement to credit the photographer (no-attribution).
Arranged by topic, the primary image categories are:
- Animals
- Architecture
- Arts & Culture
- Athletics
- Business & Work
- Current Events
- Fashion
- Film
- Food & Drink
- Health & Wellness
- History
- Interiors
- Nature
- People
- Spirituality
- Technology
- Textures
- Travel
- Wallpapers
There is a wide range of photos for you to use, but check out some of the fantastic scenic shots. Even if you don’t use them on your website, they can be printed out and hung on your wall.
Getty Images
Some readers might be surprised to see the inclusion of Getty Images on a list of free stock photo websites. Especially given their history of being the sheriff hunting down unlicensed use of imagery across the web.
66 Million Images
Well, the good news is that you can freely embed any of the 66 million images Getty has made available for non-commercial use. You just need to do it on their terms.
Unlike other free stock photo libraries, this means you don’t have as much flexibility with the usage of the images. You’re restricted to using embedded media with a maximum width of 564 pixels. Don’t upload them to your media library.
Getty Images Licensing:
You may only use embedded Getty Images Content for editorial purposes.
Embedded Getty Images Content may not be used:
(a) for any commercial purpose (for example, in advertising, promotions or merchandising) or to suggest endorsement or sponsorship;
(b) in violation of any stated restriction;
(c) in a defamatory, pornographic or otherwise unlawful manner; or
(d) outside of the context of the Embedded Viewer.
An Example of a Getty Images Embed
Getty Images have been buying up smaller stock libraries and photo archives for years. As a result, they have the biggest library of images on the planet. We find their photos are especially useful when blogging about specific people, places, or events.
Burst
Burst is a free stock photo platform owned by e-commerce giant Shopify.
The good news is you don’t need to be a Shopify subscriber to access the image vault.
Burst Licensing:
Some Photos on the Burst Website are released under Creative Commons CC0 license
Licensing of other Photos is free for commercial and non-commercial purposes and without attribution.
The library includes thousands of high-resolution, royalty-free images shot by Shopify’s global community of photographers.
Pixabay
One of the most extensive photo vaults around, Pixabay boasts an inventory of over two million images.
Like Pexels, the growth of the site was powered by a community of creatives, sharing copyright-free images, vectors, music, and videos.
Canva purchased the website in 2019, but the ethos remains the same.
Images come with a Pixabay License, which makes them safe to use without asking for permission or giving credit to the creator. The same license also applies if you are using images for commercial purposes.
Pixabay Licensing:
The Pixabay License allows the following:
- Content from Pixabay can be freely used for commercial or non-commercial purposes across print and digital, except in the cases mentioned in “What is not allowed”.
- Attribution is not required. Giving credit to the contributor or Pixabay is not necessary but is always appreciated by the community.
- You can make modifications to content from Pixabay.
You are forbidden from the following:
- Don’t redistribute or sell someone else’s work on other stock or wallpaper websites.
- You cannot sell unaltered copies of a photo or video, e.g. as a poster, print, or on a physical product without modifying it first.
- Don’t portray identifiable people in a bad light or in a way that is offensive.
- Images should not be used with identifiable brands to create a misleading association with a product or service.
Pixabay is a high-quality resource with a diverse variety of images. It’s one of the first places we visit when looking for stock photos.
PicJumbo
PicJumbo was created by Czech photographer Viktor Hanacek in 2013 to showcase his own photographic work.
Over the years, the site has evolved into a free image resource and is used by millions of bloggers, designers, and marketers all around the world.
PicJumbo Licensing:
All photos are free to use, however, please keep in mind although the photos listed here are free to download and use, some photos do not have model or property release. Some photos may also contain copyrighted brands, logos, objects or personal properties.
See FAQs and Terms for full details.
The number of images available doesn’t match those of some of the bigger image sites, but Hanacek’s beautiful photos are free to use, and attribution is not required.
ISORepublic
ISORepublic is described as an independent website that provides curated collections of the best high-resolution CC0 photos and videos.
Over 6,000 media elements are available to choose from, and these are tightly curated for quality.
ISORepublic Licensing:
ISORepublic images are licensed under a free Creative Commons CC0 license.
- Images can be used for personal or commercial purposes.
- You can use, copy, edit, or share a CC0 licensed photo or video.
- Attribution to the creator is not required (although it is encouraged).
- You can’t advertise the photograph(s) or video(s) as your work or portray yourself as the author.
The primary categories are: People, Nature, Food, Technology, City, Landscape, Business, Travel, Animals, Architecture, Textures, Sport, Fashion, Seasonal, Art, Music, and Transport.
Picography
Picography has been providing stunning images to millions of people for four years. The site is now established as one of the top sources for high-resolution, free photos.
Images can be used wherever you like, with no attribution required.
Picography Licensing:
Picography photos are licensed under a Creative Commons CCO license.
- Photos can be used, copied, edited, or shared.
- Personal or commercial use is allowed without attribution (crediting the creator).
However, you may not portray the images as your own work.
The most popular images searched for on Picography include Business, People, Technology, and Scenery.
Women of Color
The Women of Color In Tech (WOCinTech) photo library was the result of a series of events dating back to a Twitter thread. The initial chat evolved into an initiative connecting women of color to job opportunities, scholarships, and conference tickets. Participants received invitations to take part in well-received photo shoots.
WOCinTech images are available to use freely but require attribution (you must credit WOCinTech where you use the photos)
Women of Color Licensing:
Photos are licensed under CC BY 2.0. You are free to copy, share, or adapt images.
The condition is that you give credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
The images are available for download via Pexels, Unsplash, and Buffer. I’ve provided a link to the original collection on Flickr.
CreateHER Stock
CreateHER Stock is a photo library with a focus on women of color. Founded by Neosha Gardner in 2015, the site tagline is “Your destination for images featuring melanated women”.
Neosha’s impetus to start the site was born from frustration in finding authentic stock images of black women.
Most of the imagery comes with a monthly price plan, but there is a nice Freebies section featuring 185 images to download as a zip file. The paid plans are definitely worth a look too, starting at just $10 per month.
CreateHER Stock Licensing:
You may not use any images or content for profit without the express permission and proper compensation (extended license) to CreateHER Stock.
However, you can use the images for non-commercial purposes.
We downloaded the Freebies and they are of good quality. The collection is a perfect blend of business, people, lifestyle, and abstract photography.
Stocksnap.io
StockSnap.io offers beautiful, high-quality stock photos for just about any use you can think of – including commercial usage – for free.
Hundreds of new photos are curated and added to the library each week.
Stocksnap Licensing:
Stocksnap photos are licensed under a Creative Commons CCO license.
- Photos can be used, copied, edited, or shared.
- Personal or commercial use is allowed without attribution (crediting the creator).
Images must not be portrayed as your own work.
Popular searches relate to Wallpapers, Vehicles, Food, Nature, People, Business, Lifestyle and Places.
Gratisography
Gratisography stands out by offering one of the quirkiest collections of free high-resolution pictures, images you won’t find anywhere else.
All completely free of copyright restrictions.
Gratisography Licensing:
Gratisography licence images on a free “peace of mind” basis.
You may use photos for both personal and commercial projects. You can adapt and modify the images and get paid for work that incorporates the pictures.
This includes advertising campaigns, adding your logo or text to an image, printed in any size print runs (e.g., book covers, magazines, posters, etc.), on your website, blog, or other digital mediums, and merchandise as long as the picture itself is not the merchandise.
If you are looking for some leftfield or “off the wall” images, then check out Gratisography. You won’t be disappointed.
Pikwizard
Pikwizard offer over a million images and videos that you can use royalty-free and safe for commercial use, with no attribution required.
Arranged by topic, the primary image categories are:
- Abstract
- Animals / Wildlife
- Arts
- Backgrounds / Textures
- Buildings / Landmarks
- Business / Finance
- Celebrities
- Editorial
- Education
- Food & Drink
- Healthcare / Medical
- Holidays
- Illustrations / ClipArt
- Industrial
- Interiors
- Nature
- Objects
- Parks / Outdoor
- People
- Religion
- Science
- Signs / Symbols
- Sports / Recreation
- Technology
- Textures
- Transportation
- Vectors
There is a wide range of photos for you to use, but check out some of the fantastic scenic shots. Even if you don’t use them on your website, they can be printed out and hung on your wall.
PikWizard Licensing:
Wave Break, who run the website grants you, a non-exclusive, non-transferable, right to use and reproduce Content in the following ways, subject to the limitations set forth herein and in Section Three hereof:
- On websites, both non-commercial and commercial.
- On business cards, business letterheads, brochures, and on business pop up displays for use in trade shows.
- In the artwork for the packaging of any product provided that the print and/ or manufacturing.
- In multimedia presentations and incorporated into film and video for television and/or internet broadcast.
- As CD or DVD cover art and/or artwork provided that the manufacturing or print run of such CDs or DVDs.
- As part of editorial or advertising in textbooks, newspapers, books, book covers, magazines.
- In eBooks.
Pikwizard is run by Wave Break Media from their Irish base. It took me a while to stumble across this website and it was worth the wait.
There are a lot of top quality free images but be aware that there are also paid premium images mixed into the results (courtesy of Adobe) when you search for an image.
Life of Pix
Life of Pix is an image library run by a community of photographers who have come together to share their best shots.
New photographs get added weekly to the collection, as featured photographers get to showcase their work.
Life of Pix Licensing:
There are no copyright restrictions and images have been donated to the public domain.
Life of Pix is a relatively small library of photos, but the shots are decent quality, and there is a charming community “feel” about the place. The site is run by LEEROY Web Design agency and supported by around five hundred photographers.
Wikimedia Commons
Over 63 million media files form the Wikimedia Commons Library. A large proportion of these are images (the library also includes video and sound archives).
There are 48 different categories, but our experience is that the easiest way to find relevant images is to utilize the search.
The archive is particularly strong for images related to places and historical events.
WikiMedia Commons Licensing:
Wikimedia use Creative Commons (CC) licensing.
These range from CC0 licenses (Public Domain) through to CC BY-SA 4)
We love the sharing ethos of Wikis, so started contributing some of our own photos. Why not stick them in the public domain and let others use them?
SkitterPhoto
SkitterPhoto was founded in 2014 by two Dutch photographers Rudy and Peter. The library is relatively small, but there is quality over quantity.
The photos are free to use without attribution, but donations are accepted.
SkitterPhoto Licensing:
All images on Skitterphoto are public domain using the Creative Commons CC0 license. This means you can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.
We recommend that you check this collection out for originality. Some of the wildlife photography is particularly impressive.
Rawpixel
Rawpixel’s message is “Changing the way people see stock photos“. They do a pretty good job, and you won’t find any of the cheesy mainstream stuff here. Like its name, the website is raw and original.
Rawpixel is underpinned by a philosophy of creatives working together rather than competing with one another.
Rawpixel Licensing:
Rawpixel includes photographs and artwork with various licensing terms, including:
Public Domain: Free for personal and commercial use with no attribution required.
Editorial: Images for use in news and events articles, non-commercial blogs and websites, broadcasts and other non-profit media. These photos cannot be used for commercial purposes.
Rawpixel Personal License: For non-commercial activities such as personal blogs and social media.
Rawpixel Commercial License: Royalty-Free commercial use license. Use anywhere in the world for unlimited projects with no expiration dates. These images are not free and you are required to take out a Business membership.
The library is a mix of photos and artwork. The offerings are not your typical mainstream selections. Instead they are highly original and creative works.
Stockvault
The Stockvault library consists of 128,000 free stock photos with new additions every week.
Photos are submitted by photographers around the globe and then curated to ensure quality levels remain high.
Stockvault Licensing:
Image usage depends on the individual image license. Licenses can be one of three types; Non-Commercial, Commercial, and Public Domain (CC0).
You will need to check the license for each individual image.
There are dozens of niche collections in the library, and it’s particularly strong on events (such as Easter, Halloween, Christmas, etc.)
Little Visuals
Passionate creative Nic Johnson started the Little Visuals website. Unfortunately, Nic passed away in 2013. His family have generously allowed all of the images remain available and free for commercial use.
Little Visuals is essentially Nic Johnson’s own collection rather than a wider stock photo library. The number of images is small, yet they beautiful and demonstrate a fine legacy.
Little Visuals Licensing:
The images have been donated to the public domain and are free to use for commercial and non-commercial use.
PicsPree
Picspree is a community of contributors who upload and share their images, free for use.
When browsing or searching the image library, results are intermingled with premium (paid) photos, courtesy of PicPree’s partners with commercial stock photo libraries.
PicsPree Licensing:
All images are free to use, with no credit or permission needed, meaning they are ready to use even in commercial projects.
PicsPree isn’t exclusively about stock photos, you can also find illustrations and vectors. The library is quite large, so you’ll have plenty of choice.
Libreshot
Formerly know as freepix.eu, Libreshot features the work of Martin Vorel. The collection has grown to several thousand images.
The collection is quite diverse, featuring an array of categories including Animals, Architecture, Backgrounds, Cities, People, Religion, Seasonal, Technology and Travel.
Libre Shot Licensing:
Images are licensed using Creative Commons CC0 so you can use them without attribution for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
Attribution isn’t required by always welcomed.
Stokpic
Stokpic is the collection of photographer Ed Gregory (me) and he made his work available just over a year ago.
The site includes the following photo categories: Abstract, Animals, Architecture, Background, Black & White, Fashion, Food & Drink, Landscapes, Lifestyle, Live Events, Nature, Objects, People, Sport & Fitness, Transport and Technology.
Stokpic Licensing:
Stokpic photos come with generous licensing terms. You can do what you like with the photos as long as you don’t redistribute and claim them as your own.
Stokpic’s photos aren’t available on any other stock library website. So if you want them, then visit Ed’s website.
Negative Space
The purpose of Negative Space is to give photographers a platform whereby they can share their photography with the world
The website has something for everybody, so be sure to check out the categories: Abstract, Animals, Architecture, Business, Black & White, Food, Landscapes, Nature, People, Sport, Street, Technology, Transport, and Work.
Negative Space Licensing:
All images come under the Creative Commons CC0 license. This means you can use, share or edit the photos for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Attribution is not required.
Many of the images on the site fall under the concept of negative space. This is essentially the art where part of the image is clear and crisp, and set against a blurred backdrop. An example is the photo of the bird below.
Free Images
Freeimages is one of the older free stock photo sites, having been around since 2001. The site has evolved over the years into a community numbering over 2.5 million users and 400,000 photos.
Images are free for commercial and non-commercial use. You don’t need to provide credit to the photographer but it’s always welcomed.
Free Images Licensing:
You may use content:
- in digital format on websites, blog posts, social media, advertisements, film and television productions, web and mobile applications
- in printed materials such as magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, flyers, product packaging
- for decorative use in your home, office or any public place
- or personal use
The primary categories are: Animals & Wildlife, Architecture, Army & Weapons, Arts & Design, Automotive, Business & Finance, Celebrities, Education, Fashion & Beauty , Flowers & Trees, Games & Cartoon, Food & Drink, Health & Medical, Holiday & Festivals, Home Designs, Industrial, Landscapes & Nature , Movie & Music, Outdoor Activities, People & Families, Religion, Science & Technology, Signs & Symbols, Sports & Fitness, Textures & Patterns, Transportation.
Reshot
Reshot’s platform allows the best emerging photographers a place to share some of their best work for free use in creative projects.
You can freely explore and license some of the world’s best imagery.
Reshot Licensing:
Reshot grants you an irrevocable, nonexclusive copyright license to download, copy, modify, distribute, perform, and use photos from Reshot for free, including for commercial purposes, without permission from or attributing the photographer or Reshot.
In their own words, Reshot curate and license “handpicked, non-stocky images.” There are thousands of images to choose from, and the library grows week by week.
Dreamstime
Dreamstime are more closely associated with paid images, but they also have a pretty good free section.
There are 180,000 free images to suit your social media content, your blog posts, or covers.
Dreamstime Licensing:
Free Photos in the Dreamtime library generally fall under one of two license types. Public Domain or Limited Royalty Free Licenses (RF-LL).
Public Domain: You are free to use public domain photos in any manner you choose.
Limited Royalty Free Licenses (RF-LL): You need to credit the photographer.
Popular free photo categories include: Abstract, Free Illustrations, Objects, Animals, Arts & Architecture, Technology, Travel, Industries, Finance, IT & C, Business, Nature, Holidays and People.
FoodiesFeed
Unsurprisingly, FoodiesFeed is devoted to food images, and there are over 1,600 to choose from.
Food photographers from around the globe contribute to FoodiesFeed and the quality is high.
FoodiesFeed Licensing:
All FoodiesFeed images are licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 agreement. This means you can use, share or edit the photos for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Attribution is not required.
Jakub Kapusnak founded the website around three years ago and it has gone from strength to strength. Check it out.
Focastock
Featured on Shopify and Canva, Focastock is a collection of photos taken by Jeffrey Betts.
Jeffrey had kindly licensed all images under a CCO license, meaning you can use for personal or commercial purposes.
Focastock Licensing:
Focastock photos are licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 agreement. This means you can use, share or edit the photos for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Attribution is not required.
There are a range of categories, but Focastock is particularly strong on nature, city scenes, workspaces, and macro photography.
Free Stocks
Images on Free Stocks come courtesy of three photographers who have combined efforts to create a “non-cliched” stock photo collection.
The collection isn’t huge but as said by the creators “It is growing by the day”. There are some really unique images available.
Free Stocks Licensing:
Free Stocks images are licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 agreement. This means you can use, share or edit the photos for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Attribution is not required.
Free Stocks images are split into various categories, such as people, nature, fashion, food & drink and more, so that you can easily browse through a section of your own interest.
Freerange Stock
Freerange Stock was formed with the goal to provide quality stock photos for commercial and non-commercial use. For free.
The collection was started in 2007 and has grown steadily. The community has over 725,000 users.
Freerange Stock Licensing:
Freerange photos are licensed under Equalicense – Read more at http://www.equalicense.com.
In a nutshell, you can use images for commercial or personal projects without attribution (although it is always welcomed)
You can find some excellent quality photos on Freerange with lots of subject matter covered.
Kaboompics
Photographer Karolina founded and manages the Kaboompics collection. The images available are her own work.
Thankfully, Karolina generously allows you to license them for your own website!
Kaboompics have a strong focus on lifestyle and interior design.
Kaboompics Licensing:
The Kaboompics license allows:
- Usage for free for commercial and noncommercial use.
- Attribution is not required. Giving credit to Kaboompics is not necessary but always appreciated.
- You can modify the photos. Be creative and edit the photos as you like.
Over 70.000 people from 209 countries visit Kaboompics. That’s a testament to the quality of Karolina’s work.
Splitshire
Splitshire is the work of an individual photographer (name not disclosed) who decided to release 10 years worth of photos that you can use for personal or commercial reasons.
Splitshire’s mission is “Helping you to be awesome out there with great content” and there are plenty of fantastic photos and a small collection of videos to help you meet that aim.
Splitshire Licensing:
Splitshire photos can be used for commercial or non-commercial use without attribution.
There are plenty of different categories, but take time to check out some of the outdoor shots.
Fancy Crave
Igor Ovsyannykov founded Fancy Crave in 2014. The website has evolved into an online resource providing photo packs. These are collections focusing on a specific subject matter.
Fancy Crave is particularly strong in the areas of Business, Health and Fitness, Technology, Travel, Lifestyle, News, and Working from Home.
Fancy Crave Licensing:
All Images and Videos on the Website are released under the Fancycrave License, which governs their terms of use.
In summary:
- Usage for free for commercial and noncommercial purposes.
- Attribution is not required. Giving credit to Kaboompics is not necessary but always appreciated.
- You can modify the photos. Be creative and edit the photos as you like.
We really like the Fancy Crave collections. There are so many top-quality non-cliched images to check out. Well worth a visit.
MorgueFile
“Free Images For Creatives, by Creatives” is the mantra at MorgueFile. It seems to be working as the site boasts over 400,000 images in the stock photo collection.
MorgueFile Licensing:
You can use MorgueFile images based on the following terms:
- Remix – to adapt the work.
- Commercial – to use this work for commercial purposes.
- Accompany – the photos with other content.
If you don’t alter the image and leave it exactly as it is, then you must credit the photographer to use it. (attribution)
Suggested credit byline:
Photo by <photographer’s username> at Morguefile.com )
MorgueFile has a strong community feel with the site including free photography lessons, and daily “Quest challenges”. Typically, a challenge would be to capture the best photograph for a given assignment.
If you can’t find the image you would like, then a “Request Image” feature is available.Visit MorgeFile
Jay Mantri
The Jay Mantri collection is a collection of images released under a CC0 license by Los Angeles photographer/designer Ajay Mantri.
Jay Mantri Licensing:
Jay’s photos are licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 agreement. This means you can use, share or edit the photos for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Attribution is not required.
Styled Stock
Styled Stock focuses on feminine stock photography. Featured categories include Beauty, Business, Desktops, Fashion, Florals, Food, Frames, Lifestyle and Mugs.
Images can be downloaded without any type of membership, but if you subscribe to their newsletter then you’ll be notified of new additions as they are added.
Styled Stock Licensing:
The Styled Stock license allows:
- Usage for free for commercial and noncommercial purposes.
- Attribution is not required. Giving credit to Kaboompics is not necessary but always appreciated.
- You can modify the photos. Be creative and edit the photos as you like.
Clean, classy and chic are the three words I’d use to describe these collections. Check them out for your yourself.
If you can think of any more useful free stock photo resources, drop them in the comments below and we’ll check them out.
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