The internet holds a host of websites which offer stock images at a price, but what if you wanted to download free stock photos? What do you do then, download from Google Images? You could, but they are not free either.
What you need is a list of websites that offer free images. And, so we’ve listed below some of the best places that allow you to download free images for personal or commercial needs. Yes, we are quite awesome that way!
Update: We’ve received quite a response from readers on this article and hence its been updated with few more names. Thank you for the contribution!
Free Stock Photos
There are several great websites hosting free stock photography and we suggest you download from them rather than just anywhere. We’ve curated a list for you so lets get to it!
Pexels
As per a user review received in our comments, Pexels comes highly recommended. Its got free stock photos in quite a few categories. The website has a simple elegant interface with Ajax/infinity loading. Simply pick a photo a hit the download button to save the image. They offer a number of image sizes that you can choose from. The images all fall under creative commons license. If you are looking for free videos then Pexels has a separate website for that. You don’t need to attribute images but if you do, kindness is always appreciated
Pixabay
This website contains images that are free of copyrights and that are all published under Creative Commons, into the public domain. Pixabay has a wide variety of free stock photos available, such as illustrations, photos and also vector graphics. The library of images is over 830,000, all of which are high-quality images that can be freely used and shared. Simply search for what you are looking for and download free images.
Good Stock.Photos
What’s different about GoodStock? Well, as per the owner, he publishes a new image daily, so it’s always fresh. All the photos are taken by him and not sourced from somewhere else, so you’re guaranteed that these are unique and won’t appear on other stock photo sites (since many of the sites just source their photos from other sites, so you see a lot of repeats). And, his photos don’t require any attribution. BUT! Kindness is always appreciated. Free images from GoodStock can be used in personal and commercial projects.
Stock Vault
Another great pool of free stock photos! To download free images, search and click on them. Every image comes in a decent dimension of over 3500 x 2400 px, and there is a box on the right with particulars of every image including the kind of license it has. StockVault also has an interesting feature of “coffee” which means that you can donate to them if you like. You can donate $5 via Skrill/Moneybookers or any amount via PayPal. There is a download button which gives you access to the JPG file, all for free. Do read up on their FAQ because they do have certain “Yes” and “No’s” that you should read before starting to use their images.
Stock Snap
I’m not sure what the difference is between all these websites that I’m mentioning, but I know that one of these will have the perfect picture that you are looking for.
StockSnap is a great website if you want to download free images. All free stock photos on this website fall under the Creative Commons license which essentially means that you can copy, modify, distribute any photo (even for commercial purposes). The process to download image is fairly simple. They have a graphic editing tool by the name of Snappa as well, which is a lot like Canva if you know what that is… so do check it out if you are really into editing pictures and building image layouts.
Stok Pic
StokPic is once again a good website for free stock images. Simply search for the one you are looking for or go directly into the category of the image you want and click the picture. You will be directed to a page which shows the kind of license the image falls under. Click “download,” and you are done!
StokPic has a premium membership which can be paid for via PayPal or Credi Card. The benefit of membership is simply that you get access to premium photos for a month.
Free Images
Free Images.co.uk has a category section which shows images in thumbnail size. The website is clear on the license front and to download all you have to do is click on the image you want and an unwatermarked stock photo is yours to use. BUT… you need to give an attribute. So do that, and they won’t sue you ???? You are also not allowed to redistribute or sell these images… which is a general rule about all free stock photos.
Unsplash
Unsplash is like a blog but the images… wow! The website is easy to use and has a search facility that makes it easy to find images directly that are unique to your needs. But if you keep scrolling down, you’ll see that the images are high quality and yes, of course, free to download, use and share as you wish.
Jay Mantri
Something like unsplash above, Jay Mantri is more of a blog than a website, but nonetheless, it contains a platform of free images to download, share and use. The website itself is minimal but has a fresh and modern vibe that also resonates with the images themselves. The images are mainly of landscapes and nature. The website is incredibly easy to use with simple navigation tools. Simply search for what you are looking for and download the image you want All images fall under the creative common license.
Pikwizard
Look no further than Pikwizard when it comes to stunning stock photography. This website stands out for its high-quality images of people, which are rare on other stock photo websites! There are over 100,000 high-quality photos, with 20,000 that are completely exclusive to the site.
Good Free Photos
As requested, we are mentioning another website which seems to have a rare niche; countries! GoodFreePhotos has over 16000 free images categorised mainly by location. The website specialises in photos of state parks, national parks, national landmarks, and historical sites. They also have a business, tech, animal, plant, and food photos as well as few others. All photos are free to use for any purpose. A lot of the photos were taken by the owner and you can submit requests for specific photos as well.
Kaboom Pics
Built like a blog, this website offers stock images in different categories, such as abstract, fashion, food/drinks, and nature. The images at Kaboom are high quality and ideal for personal and business use. Simply search for what you’re looking for and download it.
SunShine Sites
This website contains over 400 images that are free to download and use. There are no additional fees or royalties to worry about, as all of the images are copyright free and can be downloaded at no cost. You can view only a few images on SunsShine as they claim that if you give your email address, they will simply email you the entire collection. If you are one of those who collects, then, by all means, let them send you the whole load.
Free for Commercial Use
The name says it all… A website that is upfront about the “800” image collection caters to a lot of categories. Simply search for the image you are looking for and download it. There is also an option for “donation” that redirects to a PayPal link.
Which website do you use for downloading free stock images? Let us know in the comments below and like before, we will check it out and add it into our list!