Best Stock Photo Sites
- Negative Space
- Death to Stock
- HubSpot
- Picjumbo
- Stokpic
- CreateHER Stock
- Kaboompics
- Startup Stock Photos
- Freerange
- LibreShot
- nappy
- Fancy Crave
- Unsplash
- StockSnap.io
- The Jopwell Collection
- SplitShire
- Life of Pix
- Pexels
- Gratisography
- Jay Mantri
- ISO Republic
- PICNOI
- New Old Stock
- Pixabay
I got the image above for free on Unsplash.
Yet for some reason, many other publishers continue to push out cheap (and usually cheesy) stock photography to serve as a representation of their brand.
The truth is, high-quality stock photos don't have to come hand-in-hand with a hassle or high price tag.
To prove it, we've compiled a list of awesome resources for free, high-quality stock images for websites, blogs, and similar online properties.
From enviable office spaces to stunning scenery, we're certain you'll find exactly what you're looking for with the help of this roundup.
Best Free Stock Photo Websites for Royalty-Free Images
1. Negative Space
Negative Space offers up new free stock photos every week. All of its photos are shared without copyright restrictions, meaning you're free to use them however you please.
From architecture to technology, Negative Space's continuously growing collection of images is one you'll find yourself tapping into again and again. The best part? It's easy to filter through the gallery of photos, which are sortable by category, copy space position, and color.
Click here to view the full license details.
2. Death to Stock
When founders and photographers, Allie and David, noticed how challenging it was for businesses, bloggers, and creatives to find free high-quality images that fit their "vibe and tribe," they stepped in.
As a result, Death to Stock was born. Simply submit your email and enjoy a new batch of photos delivered to your inbox every month.
If you do have some extra budget to spend, Death to Stock also offers a Premium membership for $15/month or $180/year. The cool part about the paid membership is that a percentage of the profit is used to fund photography trips and other creative projects to keep the resource moving forward.
Click here to view the full license details.
3. HubSpot
When we noticed there was a shortage of high-quality free stock photos available to marketers and creatives, we decided to whip up some of our own.
We’re a bit biased (since many of our own employees appear in these photos), but we think these images can help you snazz up your site or marketing materials.
Check out the following collections to get your fix:
4. Picjumbo
Need free images for your next website design or blog post? Look no further than picjumbo.
With new photos added daily, there is a wide selection of high-quality images to fit a variety of different topics.
The photographer, Vicktor, also offers unique paid packages for bloggers, designers, and agencies (starting at $10/month).
Click here to view the full license details.
5. Stokpic
Photographer Ed Gregory generously dishes up 10 new photos every two weeks that you can use on your website, as part of a template, in an ad, and ... well, pretty much anywhere.
You can check out his latest 100 pictures here, or browse through categories like landscapes, people, and technology until you find the perfect fit.
Click here to view the full license details.
6. CreateHER Stock
CreateHER Stock is a stock photography site that features authentic images of Black women created by founder Neosha Gardner. While the pricing at $10 per month, there is a collection of "freebies" that includes more than 185 images. Keep in mind that CreateHER Stock is not intended for commercial use without an extended license.
Click here to view the full license details.
7. Kaboompics
Karolina, a web designer from Poland, is the creative eye behind this awesome resource for high-quality photos. From fashion to food to landscapes, her images cover a variety of different scenarios. And users have the freedom to use them for anything they'd like -- commercial or not.
While there are no formal attribution requirements, Karolina does ask that you include photo credit with a link back to the site when possible. This request will help her grow the website, and in turn, provide even more awesome photos for everyone to use.
Click here to view the full license details.
8. Startup Stock Photos
"Take 'em, these things are free. Go. Make something."
While the name is specific to startups, there are plenty of professional options to use no matter what industry you're operating within.
Click here to view the full license details.
9. Freerange
All of the photos on the Freerange website come from a pool of both in-house photographers, as well as a growing community of external contributors.
Not only is there a lot to choose from, but the photos are good quality, too: "Images provided directly (in-house) by Freerange Stock originate one of two ways. They are either digitally photographed on Canon DSLR cameras or they are a high resolution (4000 dpi) Nikon scan of an original 35mm slide," according to the site's 'About Us' section.
Click here to view the full license details.
10. LibreShot
Photographer and SEO Consultant Martin Vorel is the creative force behind the stunning photos available on this site.
From crisp architectural shots to vibrant florals, Vorel's collection of photos contains some of the most unique selections we've come across.
Click here to view the full license details.
11. nappy
nappy is a free stock photo site on a mission: "To provide beautiful, high-res photos of black and brown people to startups, brands, agencies, and everyone else."
On their site, they talk about how many stock photo sites depict unrealistic representation, and if they don't, there's often a lack of diversity in the people being depicted. This presents a real problem for creators who are intentional about representation in articles, designs, and ads. nappy calls on their audience to "tackles diversity and representation one photo at a time."
Best of all, their library is completely free.
Click here to view the full license details.
12. Fancy Crave
Not only are the photos on Fancy Crave free of copyright restrictions, but they're also pretty remarkable. (Can't you practically taste those green grapes?)
All the photographer asks is that you never advertise the photographs as your own, and provide attribution when and if you can.
With two new photos uploaded daily to keep things feeling fresh, this is a bookmark-worthy resource for great photos if we've ever seen one.
Click here to view the full license details.
13. Unsplash
Unsplash serves up 10 new "do whatever you want" photos every 10 days.
What we love most about this resource is the uniqueness of the photos. With pages upon pages to choose from, you won't run into any cheesy, "Smiling Boss Shaking Hands With Male Employee" shots.
Not to mention, every photo published on Unsplash is licensed under Creative Commons Zero, which provides users with the freedom to copy, modify, distribute, and use all of the photos without permissions or attribution.
Click here to view the full license details.
14. StockSnap.io
StockSnap.io proudly claims that it's "not your typical crappy stock photo site." And we couldn't agree more.
In fact, its selection is so interesting and versatile that it's almost too easy to "fall down the rabbit hole" and come to fifty-something scrolls later.
Click here to view the full license details.
15. The Jopwell Collections
Jopwell is a career advancement platform for people of color, helping brands recruit and retain diverse candidates. Their slogan is "Representation matters," and as part of that commitment, they've created a collection of stock photos that feature people of color in the workplace.
The images are free to use as long as there's a visible attribution to Jopwell.
Click here to view the full license details.
16. SplitShire
SplitShire offers a ton of awesome free photos for you to use without commercial restrictions. Powered by Italian photographer Daniel Nanescu, all of the images available on the website are "made with love" -- and it shows.
From stunning portraits to sleek work stations, we've got a feeling you won't have any trouble finding the perfect photo for your next project or blog post.
Click here to view the full license details.
17. Life of Pix
Brought to you by Leeroy Advertising Agency in Montreal (and its network of talented photographers), Life of Pix is home to some awesome high-resolution photos.
All of the images are donated to the public domain, and are available for personal and commercial use.
As if that wasn't enough, Life of Pix also has a counterpart, Life of Vids. According to its website, Life of Vids serves up free footage videos, clips, and loops, weekly. Like the images, the video content contains no copyright restrictions, and can be easily downloaded on its Vimeo account.
Click here to view the full license details.
18. Pexels
These photos are carefully handpicked from a variety of free image sources to ensure that you're getting only the best of the best.
All of the photos that make the cut are under the Creative Commons Zero license, meaning that they are free for personal and commercial use with no attribution required. And thanks to its search functionality, turning up the right photo for your next project is super easy.
Click here to view the full license details.
19. Gratisography
With new photos added weekly, Gratisography is another awesome website serving up high-resolution photos covered under the Creative Commons Zero license.
All of the photos are taken by Ryan McGuire, a "whimsically creative visual artist, based in Ithaca, NY." And while these photos are a bit more quirky (we're talking everything from monster feet slippers to Vespas to bananas), they are entirely usable for the right project.
Click here to view the full license details.
20. Jay Mantri
Designer Jay Mantri has built up an impressive gallery of professional, quality images just for you and me ... and everyone else.
If I had to describe Mantri's photos in one word, it'd be "scenic." But don't just take my word for it. Go see for yourself.
Click here to view the full license details.
21. ISO Republic
ISO's Republic's mission is to "provide high-quality images to be used by designers, developers, bloggers, marketers, and social media teams."
And all it takes is one quick scan of the website to know that it is succeeding in doing just that. (So much so that it's hard to believe the images are free)
For those looking for access to more exclusive free photos, ISO Republic invites you to sign up for its email list and receive photos right to your inbox.
Click here to view the full license details.
22. PICNOI
PICNOI is a free stock photo site "for a colorful world." The photos feature people of color, and all of the images are free as long as you provide attribution (though you can choose to make a donation to support their mission).
Click here to view the full license details.
23. New Old Stock
Who can resist a good black and white photo?
This collection of vintage photos comes from the public archive via Flickr Commons. According to the website, the photos are free of any known copyright restrictions.
That said, while it's likely that they are safe to use for things like blog posts and hero images, you'll want to read up on the rights and usage below before you use them for any type of commercial project.
Click here to view the full license details.
24. Pixabay
Pixabay serves as a repository for a ton of quality photos that released under Creative Commons CC0 into the public domain. The site is clean and intuitive, making it easy to navigate your way through the 780K+ free photos, vectors, and illustrations.
The main search bar even allows you to filter your query down by factors like media type, orientation, color, and minimum dimensions.
Click here to view the full license details.
The perfect image can solidify your design, article, ad, or other creative. Whatever your need, there are many resources for free stock photos out there.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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