27 Decent Free Stock Photo Websites to Get Images for Your Blog

Collage of hundreds of images

Image management for image-intensive websites can take almost as long as the actual writing of an article.

I know, because I publish several niche blogs that require a lot of images in nearly every article.  I’ve been neck-deep managing images for niche blogs for 5 years.

The starting point is discovering quality image sources.  I have many image sources, including arrangements with many huge websites, but I also use stock photos extensively.

The problem with the bigger stock photo sites is they are expensive.  Far too expensive if you’re starting out.

That’s where free stock photo sites come in handy.  I’m amazed at the quality and number of free stock photo sites.

I’ve used several of the ones listed below, but over the years researched many options.  Here’s my rolodex of stock photo sites that offer free images for download.

Warning about free stock photo sites

This warning is via Peter’s comment, but it’s a very good point and so I want to add put it front and center.  Here’s his comment about free stock photo sites.

Isn’t it naive to use free photos? We don’t know who uploaded these photos. Some people upload photos to a stock page. Then they wait until bloggers use these photos on their blogs. Then they remove their photos from the stock page and send warnings to the bloggers who use the photos. A friend of mine got a letter from a lawyer after he used a free photo from a stock page. It can get really expensive. Darren Rowse (from Problogger) was supposed to pay $10,000. Fortunately, thanks to https://archive.org, he was able to prove that the photo was free at that time.

The solution:  Some free stock photo sites track your download.  For example, Pexels tracks your downloads so you have proof you obtained the image from the stock photo site.

1. Pexels

Pexels offers hundreds of thousands of photos and videos in a variety of categories.

Image download sizes of 4608 x 3456, 1920 x 1440, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480, and custom sizes available.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. However, all photos are protected under the Pexels’ License so they cannot be sold.

Categories: Back to School, Crystal Ball, Wildlife, Ice Cream, Space, Pride, Health and Fitness, Backgrounds, Patterns, Christmas, Black and White, Architecture, Herbs and Spices, Landscapes, Pregnancy, Fashion, Jewelry, Seasons, Holidays, etc…

Pexels offers affiliate and partnership relationships with individual brands and businesses. Simply email Pexels contact and put the word “partnerships” in the subject line to receive the quickest service.

https://www.pexels.com

2. Pixabay

Pixabay offers over 1.6 million photos and videos in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. Modifications are completely allowed too. However, all photos are protected under the Pixabay License so they cannot be sold.

Image download sizes of 5511 x 3100, 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 640 x 360.

Categories: Animals, Architecture, Backgrounds/Textures, Beauty/Fashion, Business/Finance, Computer/Communication, Education, Emotions, Food/Drink, Health/Medical, Industry/Craft, Music, Nature/Landscape, People, Places/ Monuments, Religion, Science/Technology, Sports, Transportation/Traffic, and Travel/Vacation.

Pixabay also offers illustrations and cool graphics in addition to their photography.

https://pixabay.com/en/

3. PikwiZara

Pikwizard offers over 100,000 photos in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. However, all photos are protected under the Pexels’ License so they cannot be sold. Arbitration is not required, but is encouraged to support the photographer’s and their work.

Image downloads come in one size, but photos are completely modifiable in their Design Wizard.

Categories: Brick backgrounds, computer backgrounds, galaxy backgrounds, HD wallpapers, Holiday photos, Nature backgrounds, Color themed backgrounds, Animal backgrounds, Birthday backgrounds, Seasonal backgrounds.

Pikwizard offers the use of a personalized Design Wizard so users can make changes to suit their needs.

https://pikwizard.com

4. Unsplash

Unsplash offers hundreds of thousands of photos in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites. Giving photographers credit is encouraged by not necessary. However, all photos are protected under the Unsplash License so they cannot be sold.

Image downloads come in one size. Images can be modified in external editing services.

Categories: Family, Fire, Marketing and Office, Seasons, Animals, Maldives, Dance, Meals, Spectrums, Romance, Textured Wallpapers, Umbrellas, Diverse Men and Women, Holidays, etc…

Upsplash adds thousands of new photos each day.

https://unsplash.com

5. Stocksnap.io

Stocksnap.io offers hundreds of photos in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites. Users can modify photos however they please. However, all photos are protected under the Stocksnap License so they cannot be sold. Arbitration is not required though it is encouraged to support the photograhers and their work.

Image Download Sizes 6000 x 4000, 5000 x 3617, 4068 x 2592, 4000 x 2666, and 2249 x 3373

Categories: Business, Nature, People, Offices, Food, Nature, Scenery, Cities, Travel, Fashion, Animals, Money, Fitness, Art, Weddings, Emotions, Home, Yoga, Road, Space, Books, Backgrounds, and Technology.

https://stocksnap.io

6. Picjumbo

Picjumbo offers over 2,000 in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. However, all photos are protected under the Picjumbo License so they cannot be sold.

Image download size 6,034 x 3,394, 5,719 x 7,149, 4000 x 6000, and several other dimensions different from image to image. Images are fully modifiable.

Categories: Abstract, Animals, Architecture, Business, Fashion, Food and Drink, Holidays, Love, Nature, People, Roads, Snow and Winter, Sunlights, Technology, Things, Transportation, and Vertical.

https://picjumbo.com

7. Kaboompics

Kaboompics offers thousands of pictures in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. Modifications are completely allowed too. However, all photos are protected under the Kaboompics License so they cannot be sold. Arbitration for free images is not required but is encouraged to support the artists and their work.

Image Download Sizes come in three categories: the original size of the photo (5423 x 3615), medium size of the photo (usually 1280 x 854), and a customizable photo download size.

Categories: Seasons, Holidays, Travel, Foreign Cities, Weddings, Nature, Home, Coffee, Food, and Architecture.

Kaboompics offers a powerful image search engine which makes finding the ideal photo quick and easy. Each photo also comes with a custom color palette with free graphics for download.

https://kaboompics.com

8. Stockvault.net

Stockvault offers over 256 million images in a variety of categories

Some of Stockvault’s photos are free and others are paid, but the price depends on the license feature the photographers have chosen to classify their photos. There are three licenses consumers can purchase: Commercial, Non-Commercial, and Public Domain. There is a list of terms and conditions which explain to users what to use their downloads for. Attribution is needed on some photos, and is appreciated on the ones that are free.

Image Download Sizes: Various download sizes. Some examples are: 1920 x 1024, 2509 x 1673, and 4919 x 2763, etc..

Categories: Animals, Transportation, Nature, Objects, Construction, Industrial, Graphics, Seasonal, Textures, and 3D Renders.

New textures, backgrounds, and illustrations added each days.

https://www.stockvault.net

9. Negativespace.co

Negativespace offers thousands of photos in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites. Users can modify photos however they please. However, all photos are protected under the Negativespace License so they cannot be sold.

Image Download Sizes: 4,460 x 2973

Categories: People, Technology, Landscapes, Abstract, Food, Travel, Objets, Architecture, Music, and Nature.

https://negativespace.co

10. Splitshire.com

Splitshire offers over 1,000 free photos in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. However, all photos are protected under the Splitshire License so they cannot be sold.

Image Download Sizes: 6,000 x 4,000 and 3024 x 4032

Categories: Abstract, Animals, Cinemagraph, Fashion, Automobile, Food, street, Technology, Nature, Things, People, Wedding, Landscapes, Blur Backgrounds, Interiors, Still Life, Mock Up, and Bokeh.

https://Splitshire.com

11. Getty Images

Getty Images offers millions of photos in a variety of categories.

Some of Getty Images’ photos are free and others are paid, but the price depends on the license feature the photographers have chosen to classify their photos. There are three licenses consumers can purchase: Commercial, Non-Commercial, and Public Domain. There is a list of terms and conditions which explain to users what to use their downloads for. Attribution is needed on some photos, and is appreciated on the ones that are free.

Image Download Sizes: 507 x 339, 726 x 486, 2120 x 1418, and 6403 x 4283

Categories: People, office, nature, seasons, marketing, colors, ethnicity, holidays, animals, holidays, travel, backgrounds, cities, space, etc…

Getty Images has two categories of images, creative images and editorial images to offer the best choices for your needs. Getty Images also has a stellar blog covering a variety of topics as resource.

https://www.gettyimages.com

12. Librestock.com

Librestock offers links over 57,000 images and videos in a variety of categories.

Librestock offers a search function which allows you to search top free photos and videos from a variety of sources so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. So while Librestock does not offer the photos themselves, they link to the best free sources around.

Categories: Holidays, People, Seasons, Family, Nature, Space, Animals, Music, Fashion, Office, School, Yoga, Road, Brick, Emotions, Sky, Architecture, and Technology.

Https://librestock.com

13. Freeimages.com

Freeimages offers over 350,000 photos in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. Modifications are completely allowed too. However, all photos are protected under the Freeimages License so they cannot be sold. Review the terms of use for more information regarding distribution and promotion.

Image Download Sizes: 2560 x 1920, 1920 x 1440, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480.

Categories: Animals and Wildlife, Automobiles, Fashion and Beauty, Health and Medical, Landscapes and Nature, Religion, Textures and Patterns, Architecture, Business And Finance, Flowers and Trees, Holidays and Festivals, Movies and Music, Science and Technology, Army and Weapons, Celebrities Games and Cartoon, Home Designs, Outdoor Activities, Signs and Symbols, Arts and Design, Education, Food and Drink, Industrial, People And Families, Sports and Fitness.

https://www.freeimages.com

14. Imagesource.com

Imagesource offers over 1.25 million photos in a variety of categories.

Some of Imagesource’s photos are free and others are paid, but the price depends on the license feature the photographers have chosen to classify their photos. There are three licenses consumers can purchase: Commercial, Non-Commercial, and Public Domain. There is a list of terms and agreements which explain to users what to use their downloads for. Attribution is needed on some photos, and is appreciated on the ones that are free.

Image Sizes: 531 x 354, 750 x 500, 1240 x 827, 2800 x 1867, 4000 x 2667, 5200 x 3467.

Categories: Animals, Landscape, Holidays, Special Events, People, Sports, Games, Science, Technology, Space, Office, School, Medical, Fashion, Family, etc…

https://www.imagesource.com

15. Gratisography.com

Gratisography offers just over 400 free photos in a variety of categories.

Gratisography’s photos are completely free for commercial and personal use. These photos do not require any arbitration, but credit to the photographers is always appreciated. These photos are not meant to be resold and are protected under Gratisography’s License agreement.

Image Download Sizes: Photos are downloadable in their original dimensions, but are completely modifiable. Every photo ranges between 2,000 and 5,000 pixels.

Categories: Animals, Business, Fashion, Food, Nature, Objects, People, Urban, and Whimsical.

Gratisography offers a non-standard variety of stock photos which are designed to captivate the imagination. These photos capture the human spirit and are perfect for a quirky blog post or whimsical shop.

https://www.gratisography.com

16. Startupstockphotos.com

Startupstockphotos offers a small collection of a couple hundred photos.

Some of Startupstockphotos’ images are free for commercial and personal use, while others require payment. There is a list of terms and agreements which explain to users what to use their downloads for. Attribution is needed on some photos, and is appreciated on the ones that are free. Photos cannot be sold by downloaders.

Image Download Sizes: Photos are downloadable in their original dimensions, but are completely modifiable. Every photo ranges between 2,000 and 5,000 pixels.

Categories: Office, Business, and People.

http://startupstockphotos.com

17. Thestocks.im

The Stocks offers thousands of photos and videos in a variety of categories.

The Stocks’ photos are completely free for commercial and personal use. These photos do not require any arbitration, but credit to the photographers is always appreciated. These photos are not meant to be resold and are protected under The Stocks’ License agreement.

Image Download Sizes: Photos are downloadable in their original dimensions, but are completely modifiable. Every photo ranges between 1,000 and 5,000 pixels.

Categories: Abstract, Architecture, Business, Food, Landscape, Nature, Office, People, Technology, and Travel.

In addition to photos and videos, The Stocks offers icons, mockups, and fonts to make your photos completely customizable.

http://thestocks.im

18. Freephotos.cc

Freephotos offers links over 100,000 images in a variety of categories.

Freephotos offers a search function which allows you to search top free photos and videos from a variety of sources so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. So while Freephotos does not offer the photos themselves, they link to the best free sources around.

Categories: Art, Archetecture, Holidays, Seasons, Family, Office, Food, School, Medical, Marketing, Money, House, Fashion, Beauty, Nature, Landscape, Space, Foreign Countries, etc…

https://freephotos.cc

19. Rgbstock.com

Rgbstock offers over 100,000 photos in a variety of categories.

The photos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. Modifications are completely allowed too. However, all photos are protected under the Rgbstock’s License so they cannot be sold. Review the terms of use for more information regarding distribution and promotion.

Image Download Sizes: Photos are downloadable in their original dimensions, but are completely modifiable. Every photo ranges between 1,000 and 5,000 pixels.

Categories: Abstract, Architecture, Business, Computers, Concepts, Food, Nature, Objects, People, Places, Seasonal and Events, Signs, Street and City, Transportation, and World.

http://www.rgbstock.com/

20. Lifeofpix.com

Lifeofpix offers over 1,000 high quality photos and videos in a variety of categories.

The photos and videos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. Modifications are completely allowed too. However, all photos are protected under the Lifeofpix’s License so they cannot be sold. Review the terms of use for more information regarding distribution and promotion.

Image Download Sizes: Photos are downloadable in their original dimensions, but are completely modifiable. Every photo ranges between 1,000 and 5,000 pixels.

Categories: Nature, City, Object, People, Architecture, Sea, Food, Animals, Black and White, Textures, Desk, Beach, and Urban.

New photographers are highlighted every week to help you find fresh new photos regularly.

https://www.lifeofpix.com

21. StockPhotosForFree.com

StockPhotosForFree offers over 100,000 photos in a variety of categories.

The photos and videos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. Modifications are completely allowed too. However, all photos are protected under the StockPhotosForFree License so they cannot be sold. Review the terms of use for more information regarding distribution and promotion.

Image Download Size: Photos are downloadable in their original dimensions, but are completely modifiable. Every photo ranges between 1,000 and 5,000 pixels.

Categories: USA Cities and Locations, International Cities and Locations, Effects and Lower Thirds, Backgrounds, Nature and Animals, Time Lapse, Light and Energy, and People.

https://www.stockphotosforfree.com

22. Barnimages.com

Barnimages.com offers thousands of images in a variety of categories.

The photos and videos are free to use on commercial and personal sites, however any photos that have logos or other endorsements may need to be sourced and given attribution. Modifications are completely allowed too. However, all photos are protected under the Barnimages License so they cannot be sold. Review the terms of use for more information regarding distribution and promotion.

Image Download Size: Photos are downloadable in their original dimensions, but are completely modifiable. Every photo ranges between 1,000 and 5,000 pixels.

Categories: Landscapes, Animals, Space, Wallpapers, Nature, Holidays, People, Celebrations, School, Office, Medical, etc…

https://barnimages.com/

23. Flickr Creative Commons

Go to the Creative Commons section so that you can jump into the area where you can find photos based on your preferred licensing arrangement.

I used to use Flickr more often, but since I’ve developed relationships with many sites (as in they permit me to use their images in exchange for a source link), I’m not nearly so dependent on Flickr these days.

That said, if you are in need of great images, Flickr is a great source.  Just be sure to verify that images you want to use have a Creative Commons license that permits you to use the image.  Typically attribution is required.

24. Canva

Canva is not a stock photo site, but if you pay for their service, it comes with a huge selection of stock photos.  I include it because Canva is not very expensive and perhaps you need a good image editing platform, in which case Canva is a great option because of the stock photos included.

I pay for Canva and have for years.  It’s a great platform.

https://www.canva.com/

25. Instagram

I embed Instagram posts/images in my content somewhat regularly.  Your only option is to embed it instead of upload the image into your WordPress library.  This means you can’t use an Instagram image as a featured image, but it can be used as visual media within content.

26. Pinterest

Like Instagram, you can embed most Pins on Pinterest.  Like Instagram, I do this as well.  Instagram is my go-to because they offer more for my niche, but I have found some gems on Pinterest.

27. Amazon

You cannot upload Amazon product images to your site.  Instead, you need some software tool that will embed Amazon product images into your site.

I use AMZ images which is by far the best Amazon image embed tool I’ve ever used.  It’s fast and it works.  The tool does one thing, which is embed Amazon images, but it does it really well (unlike other Amazon plugins which does everything under the sun, but often is clunky and time-consuming).

What do I use?

While I appreciate free options, I currently pay for subscriptions to Shutterstock and istockphoto.com.  The reason I pay is I publish a lot of images in most of my content.  I’m particular about which images are chosen so I like to have access to huge libraries.  It’s important to note that images are an integral part of several of my niche sites.

I also use Amazon images via the AMZ Images plugin extremely frequently whenever I mention or discuss a product.  The one exception is when I take product photos myself (which I’m doing more and more frequently whenever possible).

 

10 thoughts on “27 Decent Free Stock Photo Websites to Get Images for Your Blog”

  1. Isn’t it naive to use free photos? We don’t know who uploaded these photos. Some people upload photos to a stock page. Then they wait until bloggers use these photos on their blogs. Then they remove their photos from the stock page and send warnings to the bloggers who use the photos. A friend of mine got a letter from a lawyer after he used a free photo from a stock page. It can get really expensive. Darren Rowse (from Problogger) was supposed to pay $10,000. Fortunately, thanks to https://archive.org, he was able to prove that the photo was free at that time.

    1. Hey Peter,

      This is a very good point and one I never thought of or had happened to me, but I can see that it could be a problem. I use mostly paid stock photos which insulates me from this since there’s a record of everything I’ve downloaded in the system. Therefore, it’s a good idea to see if your stock photo account tracks all downloads. I’m going to add your comment to the article because it’s an excellent point.

    1. I see no reason not to as long as you can verify that it was on a stock site first. I use them very occasionally if I think I’ll use up my paid stock account inventory.

  2. Hello and thank you for this list of photo sources. We would like to recommend our Free Stock Photos site as an additional source for beautiful pictures licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain license CC0. Today the collection is not that huge, but is still growing day per day. May be it can be useful for other peoples. Try it at https://freestockphotos.io

  3. Nice! About the photos to use, did you tried JumpStory? a lot of innovative features, like textmatch that is giving you suggestions for pictures based on text you write, instead of you spending plenty of time looking for the right picture!
    https://jumpstory.com/

  4. Great guide to finding good stock photos on the internet. I will also suggest https://jumpstory.com, which I use a lot. JumpStory is a new service, and it’s very different than the ones you mention, because they have much more authentic photos and videos than their competitors. Also the price is much lower – it’s totally free for 30 days and afterwards just 25 USD/month for unlimited downloads. Thanks again for sharing a good guide.

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