What You Need to Know About Free Photos
Though most photo stocks are free, some of them still impose limitations on the way a photograph can be used and published. So, whenever you want to utilize a photo stock image, pay attention to its license. Let’s go over the basics including the most widespread license types.
Royalty-Free License (Rf)
In this case, the word “free” can be misleading, as it is still necessary to pay for the image in order to use it. RF licenses require a one-time payment and allow for multiple uses of the photograph, but don’t give you the exclusive right to the image, meaning the author can sell it again.
Creative Commons License (cc0)
CC0 is the most widespread license type found online. There are many types of CC0 licenses, including:
- CC-BY requires attribution.
- CC-BY-SA requires both attribution and attaching the same license to all creations based on the original image.
- CC-BY-ND (ND stands for “no derivatives”) doesn’t allow any modifications to be made, unless permitted by the original creator.
- CC-BY-NC (NC stands for “non-commercial”) doesn’t allow use for commercial purposes.
Copyright Free Image License
This license allows creators to use the photos without paying royalties. Thus, no credit or attribution is required.
Public Domain Image License
This license allows for images to be used for free without crediting the creator.
Custom Licenses
Some photo stocks develop their own licenses. To avoid any legal trouble, pay attention to the license type whenever you download an image. Make sure to check whether image use requires permission, attribution, and/or credit and what purposes the image can be used for.
Best Free Stock Photos for Your Blog
Now that you know about the various license types, it’s time to jump into the list of the best photo stocks. We’ve found 33 credible platforms offering the best free stock photos for bloggers.
Burst
Burst by Shopify provides access to a plethora of free, top-quality photos for personal and commercial use. You can find a variety of photo collections, including those in seasonal and trending categories, such as Fall, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, business, etc. In addition, you can choose the image quality before you download it.
The “Business Ideas” section offers insights into cutting-edge business trends. For instance, learn how to sell children’s clothing or watches online.
The platform provides photos under Creative Commons and Shopify’s photo licenses, thus no attribution is required. There is no premium membership.
Death to Stock
Death to Stock gives web creators access to high-resolution authentic stock photos and videos in a variety of categories. This service provides its email subscribers with 10 free photos/month in their chosen theme.
There are several membership options (starting at $12/month) that grant limitless access to a database of over 4,500 images. The database is constantly expanding as new compelling photos are added monthly.
All members work under the platform’s license, which allows for the images to be displayed on websites, social media, in print, and on other media providing attribution.
Desygner
The platform offers access to millions of royalty-free high-resolution images for commercial use. You can explore collections of free images from Pixabay, Unsplash, Photodexia, and Google, as well as take advantage of Desygner’s integration with Shutterstock and discover over 125 million professional pictures.
Desygner also provides a collection of shapes, borders, arrows, infographics and icons to illustrate your content. Leverage the platform’s design tool and create professional images with your own shots or Desygner’s built-in library of templates for a variety of trends, niches and styles.
Fancy Crave
This platform allows users to download royalty-free photos in a large number of categories, including Abstract, Entertainment, Fashion, Food and Drink, etc.
In addition, the FancyCrave premium membership offers users access to more than 40 premium collections and over 2,250 6K (6000x4000px) stock photos. More than 50 new photos are added monthly to the premium collection. Users can become premium members for only $9.99/month.
Under the FunCrave license, photos and videos can be used for commercial and non-commercial purposes, as well as editing. In addition, they do not require attribution. However, there are some limitations. For example, redistribution is not allowed without permission.
Foodiesfeed
FoodiesFeed is a free photo stock website that features mouth-watering food photos. You can browse by keyword, tag, or category, such as Cake, Top View, Healthy, etc.
Though most images are free, the website also features premium content. Once you click on a premium image, you’ll be redirected to a partner’s website.
The images are shared under the CCO license, which means they can be copied, modified, used, and distributed for free (both for commercial and non-commercial purposes). Though using images doesn’t require permission and attribution, giving credit is highly appreciated.
Freerange
Freerange provides topnotch, free images for blogs, websites, e-commerce, and more in a number of categories, including Backgrounds and Textures, Architecture, Military, Objects, etc.
The photos are released under Equalicense, which allows images to be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes, except for selling, redistributing, and relicensing. No premium membership is available.
Freestocks.org
Freestocks.org offers compelling free photos for Facebook and Instagram posts, personal blogs, commercial use, etc. The website is easy to navigate, as it offers a search bar, browsing by hashtag, and numerous categories, including Animals, City, Architecture, Food and Drink, People, etc.
All the images on the website come with the Creative Commons Zero License and can be used, copied, and edited for commercial and personal projects. However, users can’t sell or redistribute downloaded photos. There is no premium membership.
Gratisography
Gratisography is one of the most extraordinary resources for free stock photos. The platform features offbeat and creative imagery. There are several collections, including Amazing Animals, Funky Food, Goofy Grownups, Mischievous Men, etc.
In addition, the website contains many categories, such as Animals, Business, Food, Nature, Whimsical, etc. The platform doesn’t offer a premium membership.
The images are offered under the Gratisography Free Photo License and can be used for non-commercial and commercial purposes. However, there are some limitations. For example, the images can’t be redistributed, claimed as your own, or used for unlawful, immoral purposes.
Hubspot
HubSpot is a leading platform that provides marketing, sales, and service software, including a repository of royalty-free photos that marketers can leverage in their online ventures.
The collection is based on the most searched for stock photo keywords and divided into the following categories: Office, Computer, Kitchen, and Miscellaneous. Photos come with the Creative Commons License and there is no premium membership.
Iso Republic
ISO Republic provides users with top-quality, high-resolution CC0 images and videos. Though there are several categories that users can explore (including Fashion, Texture, Business, Travel, etc.), the image library is relatively small.
Apart from standard categories, the platform allows users to explore the trendiest photo topics, such as Flat Lays, Computer Tech, Mobile Wallpaper, etc.
All visuals come with the CC0 license and can be used for commercial and personal projects. No attribution is required. All ISO Republic content is free and a premium membership is not available.
Jay Mantri
The platform presents an impressive range of powerful, state-of-the-art photos published under the CC0 license. You can leverage photos for both commercial and private purposes, as well as modify, edit, and copy them.
Users can find fantastic free blog pictures on this resource and boost the visual appeal of their blog, website, or social media account. The only drawback of the photo stock is that there is no search tab, so you have to explore stunning free blog photos by scrolling. No premium membership is available.
Kaboompics
This platform offers over 14,000 searchable, top-quality photos and more than 1,300 photo shoots, which can boost the performance of your website. There are a variety of categories, including Lifestyle, Nature, Food and Drink, Technology, Travel, etc.
One feature that really makes the platform stand out is the complementary color palette that comes with every image. This addition can help you enhance the color cohesion of your website or blog and leverage colors as a powerful branding tool.
The website uses the KaboomPic license, which allows you to modify the photos and use them for commercial and non-commercial projects. No attribution is required. All photos on the website are free and there is no premium membership.
Libreshot
LibreShot is one of the few free stock photo resources that not only provide breathtaking images, but also guarantee their origin. All LibreShot photos are creations of photographer Martin Vorel. The photos are organized in a wide range of categories, including Asia, Background, Buddhism, People, Plants, Micro-Photography, Technology, Vintage, etc.
All photos are licensed under CC0 and no attribution is required. However, hot linking images from libreshot.com and using them on stock sites is not allowed. Premium membership is also not available.
Life of Pix
This platform is a free photo stock featuring high-resolution pictures and quality videos in a number of categories, such as City, People, Nature, Object, Black and White, Desk, etc. In addition, there are several collections of video categories, including Food, Drone, Clouds, Office, etc.
You can leverage visuals for commercial and non-commercial use. There are no copyright restrictions, as all the images are donated to the Public Domain. However, mass distribution isn’t allowed and the number of photos you can repost is limited to 10. There is no premium membership available.
Little Visuals
This website offers a small collection of stunning photos under the CC0 license, which are free for commercial and personal use. The photos are not categorized and there is no search bar, so you must find what you want by scrolling down the main page.
The website boasts more than 3.4 million users and over 130,000 subscribers. Originally, the project was made to pay homage to its late founder, Nick Jackson. No premium membership is available.
Morguefile
This platform is a great resource for getting free photos for blog posts, social media accounts, e-commerce websites, etc. It features over 300,000 digital images and is both user-friendly and easy to navigate. You can search by keyword to find the pictures you want.
Another great feature is the ability to crop files before downloading them to your computer. Most photos are offered under the Morguefile license, which means you are free to adapt them and use them in commercial projects with other content.
However, you can’t sell, redistribute, or rent an image without modifying it first. If you choose to do so, you must give credit to the original creator. No premium membership is offered.
Negative Space
This platform offers free, high-resolution photos in categories like Animals, Travel, Technology, Nature, etc. In addition to browsing by category, you can search by keyword, color, or popular tags. In addition, you can sign up for a newsletter and get dazzling, cutting-edge images delivered directly to your inbox.
The website offers photos under the Creative Commons CC0 license. Images are free to use for personal and commercial projects. No attribution is required. Premium membership isn’t offered.
New Old Stock
NewOldStock offers a free collection of vintage and historic photos from public archives. The site owner curates photos from institutions listed on Flickr Commons, including museums, archives, NASA, etc.
The collection is comprised of over 1,500 files, which are all in the Public Domain. You can use most of these files for commercial and non-commercial projects. However, the site owner points out that, though images are free of any known copyright restrictions, users should check each photo’s licensing terms through the provided links.
Pexels
On this platform, users can choose from thousands of top-quality images and videos to create astounding designs and products. There are various categories, including such offbeat options as Night Time, Happy Feet, Our Future, Come Fly with Me, Follow the Lines, I Scream for Ice Cream, etc.
Users can gain insights from the Popular Photos and Popular Searches sections, as well the Photographer Leader Board. The website navigation is user-friendly and users can search by keyword and color.
The platform offers photos and videos under the Pexels license, allowing for use within commercial and non-commercial projects without attribution. However, you can’t sell, redistribute, or repost the photos on other photo stocks without first altering them in some way. There is no premium membership.
Picjumbo
Picjumbo is a free photo stock featuring over 3,000 photos across more than 17 categories, including Business, Abstract, Nature, People, etc. The Design Resources section offers many handpicked ideas for your inspiration.
For a $15 donation, you can gain access to the “All in One” pack, which features over 3,000 additional photos. Premium membership starts at $9.99/month and offers over 100 stock photo collections and a monthly newsletter with over 50 photos. There is also a loyalty bonus that comes with three designer fonts. Another perk for Designer and Agency Members is the chance to download all images presented on the website in bulk.
According to the Terms of Use, all the photos offered on the platform are free to download and use, though not all of them have the model or property release. Please note that you are not allowed to redistribute the photos.
Picography
This platform offers free, dazzling images under the CC0 license. The images are organized into 12 categories, including Technology, Nature, Hospitality, Festive, etc.
You can browse by category and hashtag or use the search bar at the top. There is no premium membership.
Picspree
On Picspree, you can find a plethora of free HD photos in over 20 categories, including Lifestyle, Food and Drink, Medicine, Transportation, Special Occasions, etc. You can browse images by category or keyword. In addition, the platform displays related tags and free content.
The Picspree license allows for the commercial and non-commercial use of images. No credit or attribution is required. However, users can’t sell photographs as prints, physical goods, or on photo stocks.
Users can also purchase premium content. If they decide to download a premium image, they are redirected to a partner website.
Pikwizard
Pikwizard gives users access to over 1 million beautiful, top-quality images and high-resolution videos. The platform offers images under both the CC0 and Free license — you can find the photo license by clicking on the photo.
Pikwizard features a variety of categories, such as Phone Wallpapers, Background Images, Brick Wall, Happy Anniversary images, etc. The website is easy to navigate and you can browse the photo library by category, as well as search by keyword and hashtag. In addition to hassle-free downloading and sharing, users can leverage a free online editor to easily modify photos.
Pixabay
Pixabay features over 1 million high-resolution photos, 230,000 illustrations, 90,000 vector art images, as well as loads of videos and footage shared by the community members.
All visuals come with the Pixabay license, which allows content to be used for both commercial and private purposes without attribution. Users can also modify all content. However, selling unaltered content copies, using images with identifiable brands, and redistribution are not allowed. There is no premium membership.
Rawpixel
Rawpixel provides users with a wide range of diverse, top-quality photos and authentic design resources, themes, and more. In addition, the platform features the World Face collection, where you can find portraits of people from across the globe. The project aims to praise diversity and raise money for charity.
Users can download 10 images/day from the collection of free resources or access premium resources for as little as $3/month.
The website content comes with several license types. Public domain visuals are available under the CC0 license with no attribution required. Premium members can use the website visuals under the Personal and Commercial License depending on their membership plan.
Reshot
This website offers “non-stocky” creative photos under the Reshot license, which allows content to be used for both commercial and non-commercial projects. No attribution is required. However, users cannot replicate a similar service using images from the platform.
Reshot presents unique photos in different categories, including Fashion, Travel, Music, Holiday, Christmas, etc. You can find top-quality pictures by searching by keyword, using tags at the bottom of the page, or exploring the Packs section.
Skitterphoto
Skitterphoto offers free, high-resolution photos in over 16 categories, such as Culture and Art, People, Sports, Technology, Wallpapers, etc. Photos are available under CC0 and are free to use for both commercial and personal projects.
You can browse the images by category or keyword. In addition, you can get insights from the Newest Photos and Admin Picks sections.
Splitshire
This website features over 1,101 free high-resolution stock photos and videos that you can use for commercial and personal purposes.
The SplitShire license even allows you to include the photos in final products for sale, including in mock-ups, templates, graphic designs, etc. However, you cannot sell the photos without modifying them. In addition, you cannot redistribute the photos on other photo stock websites or use them in projects that contain inappropriate content, such as violence, racism, etc.
You can browse images by category or keyword. In addition, the mosaic section displays photos on a single page, which allows for easy scrolling. No premium membership is offered.
Startup Stock Photos
This platform offers top-level images under CC0 for start-ups, bloggers, designers, developers, etc. As such, the images are mostly dedicated to subjects related to start-ups, businesses, the entrepreneurial community, etc.
However, there is no search bar, so you will have to explore the photos by scrolling. There is also no premium membership.
Stocksnap.IO
The platform helps web creators find free, eye-catching images for their projects. StockSnap’s ever-expanding photo library includes images in a great number of categories, such as Cake, Mobile, Children, Green, Books, Writing, and Wall, just to name a few.
You can search by keyword or category, or discover what’s topical in the Trending section. In addition, you can receive a Weekly Free Photo Bundle by signing up for the newsletter or downloading it directly on the website. All images are offered under the StockSnap CC0 license, which means no attribution is required. No premium membership is available.
Stokpic
Stokpic offers high-resolution, attention-grabbing photos in 16 categories, including Architecture, Black & White, Food and Drink, Landscapes, Lifestyle, etc. You can also discover the most recently added images in the Latest 100 section and browse the trendiest images in the Favourites section.
In addition, you can receive 10 of the latest premium images directly to your inbox every week if you sign up for the Stokpic newsletter. You can’t go premium on Stokpic.
All images are subject to the Stokpic Photograph license, which limits redistribution and prevents you from claiming images as your own or using the images in inappropriate content.
Stockvault
Stockvault features over 133,000 free compelling photos, vectors, and footage that web creators can use for their personal and non-commercial design projects. The images are divided into 11 categories and numerous subcategories.
In addition, you can get inspiration from a variety of different photo collections. Users can also receive hands-on tips (though sometimes out-dated) on working with Photoshop and HTML in the Tutorials section.
The website is easy to navigate. You can search by keyword, category, or collection, as well as get insights from the Latest Photos, Most Popular, Most Downloaded, Most Loved and Featured, and Popular Keywords sections. Users can also access premium content.
Styled Stock
This platform positions itself as a feminine photo stock offering free, sophisticated images in such categories as Beauty, Business, Fashion, Florals, Lifestyle, etc. There are premium content bundles available for a fee.
The website features user-friendly navigation, which allows users to search by keyword, category, or color. You can also have stunning photos delivered directly to your inbox if you sign up for the newsletter.
The Styled Stock license allows Styled Stock images to be used for both commercial and personal purposes without attribution, though there are some limitations. You are not allowed to share any of the photos on free stock websites, nor redistribute or leverage photos on your design app, web builder, etc.
Unsplash
Unsplash is the go-to solution when it comes to looking for free stock photos for blogs and websites. The platform boasts a collection of over 1 million top-quality images curated by over 158,000 photographers.
The website offers categorized and searchable photos that will enhance the visual appeal and integrity of your project. The images are organized in a wide range of collections, such as Retro Pop, Denim for Days, International Women’s Day, Double Exposures, etc.
The photos come with the Unsplash license, which allows them to be used for commercial and non-commercial purposes without attribution. There is no premium membership.
How to сHoose a Photo Stock for Your Blog
As you can see, there is an array of trustworthy, free photo stocks to get visuals from. Remember to study these options in detail to determine what license images come with the photos and what limitations are imposed on their use. Choose the ones that meet your business needs and will skyrocket your performance, and then share your experiences in the comments.
