There are various websites on the internet that perhaps have free stock images but not everything would have the desired quality. We thought we would help you by listing some of the best sites that have free stock photos.
Pictures are an excellent source to capture the attention of your audience, as they can convey messages visually. For your business or personal website, social media and other online platforms, you might need pictures that would go well with the content on display.
The first thing you would want to do is search for a relevant image on your search engine and it would, in turn, show you thousands of images. But, it is important to know that not all images are free; in most cases, images have to be purchased for commercial use. This may not be a favourable scenario, because you would need a lot of images for your content every time you update your website and buying them isn’t viable. This is where free stock photos come to the rescue.
Here are some of the best websites with stunning, free stock photos. We have listed them down for your convenience.
1. Unsplash
The site boasts over 2 million free high-resolution images brought out by a community of photographers across the world and is one of the best sources for free stock photos. They handpick photographs and publish only the best, so you may not have to worry about the quality. The site has over 200,000 photographers contributing to it, with excellent photographs that can be used by anyone, anywhere. When you explore the site, you will see that it has absolutely stunning images. You can search with a keyword that suggests what you are looking for, and you will find a plethora of images.
Images from Unsplash can be downloaded in original resolution or lower, depending on your requirement and can be accessed without signing up. You may have to give credits to the contributor while using the image, but it is optional.
Also read: Best Sources of Free Illustrations
2. Pixabay
Pixabay is a community of creatives sharing copyright-free images, music and videos. These items can be used for any purpose, even for commercial use, and you may use them without giving credit to the artist or photographer. You need to register and log in to access the images. With various resolutions available for download, the images can be used for commercial and non-commercial purposes across print and digital, except in the cases where they have mentioned ‘what is not allowed’.
Attribution is not required in Pixabay, but the community would appreciate giving credits to the artist. All content from the site can be modified according to your requirements.
3. Pexels
Another site that offers free stock photos is Pexels. The site has a wide range of photographs and videos that can be used for free for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. You can choose the resolution of the image while downloading from the site and can even customize it.
You don’t really have to sign up to access the pictures and the site would always appreciate it if you could donate or give credits to the artist while using the image. It is quite obvious, the site does not allow redistribution or sale of the images on other sites similar to Pexels.
4. PikWizard
PikWizard is a library of free stock photos that can be used for any purpose. The site has a wide range of categories to choose from and you could find a desirable picture from the site that suits your requirement. While you click on the download button, you will be suggested to edit the picture on DesignWizard, an online editing tool by the team. Or you could just save the image as it is.
The site is easy to navigate as the images are categorised according to their type. This makes finding an image that suits your requirements easier. Attribution is not required for PikWizard but a little credit to the original artist wouldn’t do you any harm.
5. Burst by Shopify
Shopify, a well-known e-commerce company, has introduced a website under the name Burst, which has free stock photos up for grabs. While you hover over an image, it shows options to download – high resolution and low resolution. You can choose whichever suits your requirement and the image will be downloaded in no time!
The site has a great collection of photographs that can help you in making that presentation, blog or website. The site also gives business ideas and a collection of photographs that would suit the selected business.
Also read: Websites To Download Icons For Your Website For Free
6. Life of Pix
Life of Pix is a library of free high-resolution photographs with no copyright restrictions. New photographs are added weekly and you can explore what you want from the gallery and free videos. The images are arranged in categories so that it is easy to find what you want.
The navigation of the site is easy in Life of Pix. You don’t need to sign up to download, which makes it quite convenient. Life of Pix is affiliated with Adobe Stock so you can buy premium images from them as well.
7. Vecteezy
Vecteezy offers a massive collection of free stock photos, videos, and vector illustrations. Creating a free account is optional, but you can also download the free resources without registering. If you choose to create an account, you’ll be able to view your download history, create collections, and save your favourites.
The free license requires you to give attribution, but that requirement is waived for Pro subscribers. Vecteezy stands out by requiring contributors to submit signed model releases and property releases, even for free resources. This helps to protect users from potential legal issues.
8. Reshot
While we talk about sources for free stock photos, Reshot cannot be missed. The site has a variety of photos, icons and illustrations that can serve your purpose. The site helps you keep your online content updated with original photos that do not require attribution. The site is easy to navigate and you can find the desired image by typing the keyword on the search bar.
The images downloaded from reshot can be used anywhere. The images are authentic, uploaded by artists themselves and you can use them for all purposes including commercial use.
9. PicJumbo
PicJumbo was started in 2013 by designer and photographer Viktor Hanacek to share free stock photos. Since then the site has been providing a plethora of images that can be used for personal and commercial use. PicJumbo is reliable and is a fine source for free stock photos.
The images are listed in categories so that it is easy to find what you are looking for. The site also has an affiliation with iStock, where you could access premium photos for a price.
Also read: Image Optimization Tips for Web to Improve Site Performance
10. RawPixel
RawPixel is a community of artists and photographers who share their best works, free for anyone to use. The site which offers free stock photos has over 1 million professionally made free photos, vector graphics, PSD mockups, templates, PNG stickers, and design add-ons, as per their description. There are both free and premium images available in RawPixel, both categorized separately for ease of use.
The site is also a resource to avail beautiful artworks, including digitally enhanced artworks from famous museums. Downloading all the images is easy, but you need to sign up first to avail the service.
11. Free Images
Free Images is another excellent source for free stock photos. The site has premium images as well, from Getty Images’ iStock. However, one can easily access the free photos that are categorised in such a way that finding the images you need is easy-peasy. The images are of high quality and can be downloaded in the resolution you like, from original quality to low.
Free Images has a huge library of free images with over 300,000 stock images. The site offers a 15% discount for premium images that are enlisted in iStock. The site is perfect if you are looking for something that offers free, high-quality images.
12. SkitterPhoto
SkitterPhoto has a good range of free stock photos that can be used for any purpose. These images can be edited or modified as per your need and used in websites, blogs or social media – basically anywhere you like. You can browse the free photos from the list of categories and find stunning images that might suit your purpose.
The site does not ask for attribution but if you would like to appreciate the photographer, you could always give due credit to them while using the photo or donate money via PayPal. It is easy to navigate through SkitterPhoto and premium images would be watermarked, so that you can identify them easily.
13. StockSnap.io
StockSnap.io curates high-quality images from a huge pool of submissions and makes them available for free download. The free stock photos are available in categories and are tagged to browse through relevant content. The categories are wide, so that your search can be precise. The images are of excellent quality and can be downloaded easily.
You don’t need to sign up to access the site’s content. However, if you are looking for premium images, you can always sign up and pay a certain amount to access them. The site adds new images every week and features trending images. This one is also easy to use and it ensures free use of images.
Also read: Best Instagram Plugins For WordPress
14. Canva
You might be aware of Canva as a design tool, but how many of you know that Canva has a gallery full of high-quality free stock photos? Well, it is true! The site offers a wide category of images that are free to use. You may have to log in to access Canva but the images are absolutely free.
When you click on an image, you will be taken to the design platform of Canva. If you want to modify the image, you can make use of this tool which has umpteen design templates. Otherwise, you can download it in the desired format and use it at your convenience.
15. Kaboom Pics
Another option for free stock photos is Kaboom Pics. The website offers a wide array of eye-catchy photography curated by talented photographers. The site is easy to browse and download. The images can be downloaded in their original format or you can customise the resolution to match your needs.
For aesthetic, stunning photographs, you can always head to Kaboom Pics. The site also offers a 15% discount on iStock, the website that offers premium photos. Kaboom Pics is indeed an excellent choice for free stock images.
16. Openverse
Openverse is a search engine for openly-licensed media. Successor to CC Search, a Creative Commons initiative, now a part of WordPress.org, Openverse serves everyone with free media and public domain works including images, audio and video. These can be freely used and modified, and giving credits to the original artist is not mandatory.
With over 300 million images, Openverse is one of its kind for free stock photos. The source plans to give free access to all 1.4 billion CC-licensed and public domain works on the web! This one is indeed a powerful tool and one of the best in the segment that cannot be missed.
Hope this article gives you an insight on the various websites that offer stock photos for free. If you are aware of other sites that serve the same purpose, do let us know in the comments.
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