7 Best Free Stock Photo Websites (2025 Edition)

Finding the perfect photo is an essential part of many design and content creation projects. High-quality visuals tell a story, set a mood, and elevate your work, whether you’re designing a website, creating social media posts, or writing a blog post. But let’s face it, tight budgets often require free photos.

This article covers the leading options for free stock photos, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each, so you can decide which is right for you.

The Top Websites for Free Photos

This table provides a handy high-level comparison of the top free stock image sites, and full details are below.

	Vecteezy	Unsplash	Pexels	Pixabay	Burst
Photo Quality	High	High	High	Moderate	High
Selection	High	High	High	High	Moderate
Videos	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Vectors	Yes	Limited	No	Yes	No
# of Search Filters	9	3	4	6	0
Signed Model & Property Releases	Yes	No	No	No	Unclear
Photos with Logos Licensed for Editorial Use	Yes	No	No	No	No
Downloadable License	Yes	No	No	No	No

1. Vecteezy

Vecteezy offers one of the most comprehensive collections of free stock photos, videos, vectors, templates, and more. You’ll find millions of high-quality free resources for personal and commercial projects. In addition to the free assets, Vecteezy also offers Pro content that requires a subscription or download credits.

Free Photos That Are Actually Safe to Use

While many websites offer free photos, Vecteezy stands out by providing a safe platform. Vecteezy must approve every contributor before they can upload photos and other resources. 

Unlike most free stock photography websites, Vecteezy requires contributors to submit signed model and property releases when a photo, video, or creative asset includes a recognizable person or private property. When browsing Vecteezy, you can check the resource’s page to see if it has a signed model or property release, as shown in the screenshot below.

Additionally, Vecteezy’s moderators check for brand logos and other trademarked content. If creative resources include logos or trademarks, they are licensed for editorial use only. This protects users from unwanted legal issues over images or videos that shouldn’t be used commercially. 

If you create a free Vecteezy account, you can download and keep a copy of the license for any resource you use, including free downloads. This important functionality isn’t offered by most free stock photo sites.

Helpful Search Filters

Finding the right photo can be challenging. Vecteezy offers a selection of helpful search filters based on the type of content you’re searching for (i.e., the filters are different for photos, videos, vectors, and other resource types).

When searching for a photo, you can use the following filters:

• Sort By: Best Match or Newest
• License Type: Free, Pro, Editorial, or All
• AI Generated: Only AI Images, Non AI Images, or All 
• Color: Select from a color wheel or enter a hexcode, and adjust the threshold
• Orientation: Horizontal, Vertical, Square, or Panoramic
• Image Style: Abstract, Close-Up, Cut Out, Copy Space, or Still Life
• Number of People: None, One, Two or More
• Age of People: Baby, Child,  Teenage, Young Adult, Adult, or Senior Adult
• People Composition: Head Shot, Waist Up, Full Length, or Candid

Vecteezy Editor

The Vecteezy Editor makes it easy to create images for social media posts, YouTube thumbnails, presentations, posters, business cards, and more. When you find a photo you want to use, simply click the edit button and it will open in the Vecteezy Editor. You can choose the type of design you want to create, and then select a template. Some of the templates require a Vecteezy Pro subscription.

Strengths:

• Large Selection: Vecteezy offers millions of free photos for personal and commercial use.
• Videos, Vectors, and More: You can download much more than just photos.
• High Quality Creative Assets: Vecteezy reviews all submissions to maintain high quality. 
• Model and Property Releases: Contributors must submit signed releases, even for free resources.
• No Brand Logos and Trademarks: Photos, videos, and other resources that include logos and trademarks are licensed for editorial use only, to protect users.
• Downloadable License: Keep a copy of the license for your records, even for free resources.
• Robust Search Filters: Quickly narrow the search results to find what you want.

Weaknesses:

• Attribution is Required for Free Users: To avoid attribution, you can upgrade to a Pro account.

2. Unsplash

Unsplash is one of the largest free stock image sites. It launched in 2013 as a modest Tumblr blog but quickly gained popularity. In 2021, Getty Images acquired Unsplash, and a year later they rolled out Unsplash+, a subscription-based service that provides access to more photos.

Strengths:

• Large Selection: Unsplash offers one of the largest libraries of free images.
• High Quality: You can find plenty of high quality images at Unsplash.
• Attribution Not Required: The Unsplash license allows photos to be used without attribution.

Weaknesses:

• No Model or Property Releases: Unsplash does not require signed model or property releases from contributors of free photos, raising potential legal concerns for commercial use.
• Brand Logos and Trademarks: Many photos on the platform include brand logos or trademarks, which can restrict their usability in commercial projects.
• Limited Content Types: The platform focuses on photography and does not offer videos. The selection of vectors and illustrations is very small.
• Search Functionality Limitations: The site-wide search offers only a few filters for narrowing the search results.

3. Pexels

Pexels is similar to Unsplash in many ways. The site launched in 2014, one year after Unsplash, and was acquired by Canva in 2019. Pexels stands out by offering all of its content, including videos, under its free license, with no subscription or premium options available. 

Strengths:

• Videos Included: Aside from photos, Pexels also offers a selection of free stock videos.
• Attribution Not Required: The Pexels license allows photos and videos to be used without attribution.
• Canva Integration: Every photo and video includes an “edit in Canva” button..

Weaknesses:

• No Model or Property Releases: Pexels doesn’t require photographers to submit signed model or property releases.
• Brand Logos and Trademarks: Photos with brand logos can be used without realizing the potential legal ramifications.
• Search Functionality Limitations: The search function offers only a few filters to narrow the results.
• No Vectors or Illustrations: Pexels offers photos and videos but no vectors or other graphic elements.

4. Pixabay

Pixabay was one of the industry’s early influencers. It launched in 2010, and over the years, Pixabay has built a large catalog of free photos, videos, vectors, music, and sound effects. Like Pexels, Pixabay was acquired by Canva in 2019. 

Strengths:

• Wide range of content types: Pixabay offers photos, videos, illustrations, music, and sound effects.
• Attribution Not Required: The Pixabay license allows resources to be used without attribution.
• Canva Integration: Every photo and video includes an “edit in Canva” button.

Weaknesses:

• Inconsistent quality: While Pixabay offers many high-quality photos and resources, their library also includes a lot of lower-quality items, making it harder to find what you want.
• Dated: Many of the photos feel old and outdated.
• No Model or Property Releases: Contributors can upload photos and videos without signed model or property releases.
• Brand Logos and Trademarks: You’ll find many photos on Pixabay that include brand logos, which can raise legal concerns if used commercially.
• Search Functionality Limitations: The search function offers only a few filters to narrow the results.

5. Burst (by Shopify)

Shopify, the world’s most popular e-commerce platform, launched Burst in 2017. Burst provides entrepreneurs and shop owners with a growing selection of free photos that can be used commercially, including many product-focused photos.

Strengths:

• Categorized Collections: Visitors can browse collections of photos with specific themes or purposes. 
• Business-Focused Photos: Since Burst was created for e-commerce websites, most of the photos are well suited for business use.
• Attribution Not Required: Photos from Burst can be used on commercial projects without attribution.

Weaknesses:

• Smaller Selection: Although Burst offers high-quality photos, the selection is much smaller than the platforms listed above.
• Limited Variety: Other sites on this list offer better options for blogs and other use cases aside from e-commerce.
• Lack of Clarity: Burst does not specify whether signed model and property releases have been collected for photos of recognizable people or private property. 
• Lack of Search Filters: Burst doesn’t offer filters to narrow the search results.
• Photos only: Videos, vectors, and other content types aren’t available.

6. Gratisography

Gratisography is possibly the most unique site for free photos. The images you’ll find here are quirky and offbeat, definitely not the stereotypical stock photos. Although the selection is much smaller than what you’ll find at most of the site’s listed above, Gratisography is very useful when you’re looking for something whimsical.

Strengths:

• Playful and Unique: Features unconventional photos with a creative twist.
• Consistent Quality: All of the photos are from Ryan McGuire, resulting in a more consistent level of quality. 
• Attribution Not Required: The Gratisography license does not require attribution.

Weaknesses:

• Small Library: Gratisography’s collection is limited and much smaller than the other resources covered in this article.
• Not Ideal for Corporate Use: Its quirky style may not suit corporate needs or serious marketing campaigns.
• Limited Content Types: Gratisography offers photos and a very small selection of vectors, but no videos or other content types.

7. picjumbo

Like Gratisography, almost all of the images at picjumbo are from the site’s founder, Viktor Hanacek. However, the selection is much larger than what you’ll find at Gratisography. Many photos on the site are free, but a premium pass offers access to thousands of additional photos for a one-time fee.

Strengths:

• Growing Collection: Considering most of the photos are from a single contributor, picjumbo offers a decently sized collection.
• Attribution Not Required: picjumbo does not require attribution.

Weaknesses:

• Heavy Use of AI: Most of the newer images are AI generated.
• Only Photos: picjumbo doesn’t offer videos, vectors, or other content types.
• No Model or Property Releases: The picjumbo FAQ states that they do not have signed model and property releases for all photos. 
• Brand Logos and Trademarks: Some photos include brand logos or trademarks that could create legal issues if used commercially.
• No Search Filters: There are no filters for narrowing the search results.

Download Free Photos Safely at Vecteezy

Vecteezy offers the top platform for downloading high-quality, royalty-free photos, videos, and vectors that are safe and easy to use. With advanced search filters, diverse content, and clear licensing terms, you can confidently create content for blogs, social media, and marketing campaigns without worrying about legal issues. 

Don’t settle for less when it comes to your creative projects. Create a free Vecteezy account today to start downloading.

Featured image by Potjanun Surirug.