27 of the Best Free Stock Photo Sites to Use in 2025

In the age of digital marketing, there is perhaps no resource quite as valuable as free stock photography. Whether you are looking for the subject of your next Instagram post or content for your next marketing proposal, the best free stock photo sites are the ones that can provide the kind of thoughtful, high-definition artistic content that entrepreneurs and influencers alike can benefit from.

In this guide, we are going to present you with a list of the Top Free Stock Image Sites of the year, breaking it all down by content, style, and functionality. We are also going to take the time to describe how each site handles its stock content licensing, which is an essential consideration when making the decision to integrate stock photos or images into your next project.

If you are looking for a different kind of stock content for your next artistic, commercial, or retail project, then you should also check out our list of the Top Stock Photo Catalogues, which also takes into account the different subscription-based content plans that are available.

But for the artists and upstarts who aren’t there yet, FREE stock photo sites are the only viable option, and luckily for them, there are more of these than ever before.

List of the 27 Best Free Stock Photo Sites to Use in 2023

If you’re looking for stock photography for your business, then you are going to need to pay attention to the licensing and copyright restrictions that are attached to the specific image you are looking to use. While some stock providers make it very easy to know whether or not an image can be used commercially, other websites make it entirely too complicated.

Knowing the ins and outs of stock photography license types is essential for anyone who oversees a digital marketing campaign. Because some of the image sites listed here are what is known as aggregators, they might be offering you free stock images with different copyright restrictions placed upon them.

It is the responsibility of the user to know what restrictions, if any, are applied to the specific image in question. While the stock photography websites that we feature here are built to provide images that are free of copyright protection, there are many instances where this does not apply, such as when the image is being merchandised.

The Top Free Stock Photo Sites of 2023

Pixabay – High Definition Stock Photos

Designed by a team of German technology experts, Pixabay has grown from a small crowd-sourced photography project to one of the most reputable, fully-stocked stock image sites on the web. With over 1 million files to choose from and an open submissions policy, Pixabay makes it easy to find the exact image you are looking for. To learn more about them, check out our Pixabay review.

License Information: Creative Commons Zero (also known as CC0) which means that no attribution is required for commercial purposes.

Unsplash – Images with Artistic Flair

In what began as a Tumblr blog that allows professionals to take advantage of other people’s “leftover” photography, Unsplash has become one of the most highly relied upon sources for free stock images and photography. Today their collection is over one half million images and counting, and their contributor profile pages are a unique feature. To learn more about them, check out our Unsplash review.

License Details: Unsplash operates off of their own creative use license, which operates like CC0 but does not allow image compiling.

PikWizard – Professionally Sources Stock Photography

Unlike some of the free stock photography databases out there, PikWizard sources all of its images from professional creators, which has allowed their collection to become one of the most unique in their class. While their library is not as large as some of the other providers, their team of professional, well-known contributors makes this site a true gem. To learn more about them, check out our PikWizard review.

License Details: Custom; images can be used for commercial purposes without charge, but a “sensitive use” clause prohibits use in resale products.

Pexels – Trend Setting Stock Photography

As a full-features stock photography aggregator, Pexels has the unique ability to compile, organize, and display hundreds of thousands of images either from individual contributors or from other stock photo websites. Anyone who is also looking for stock video can rely on Pexels, though their video collection is still growing. To learn more about them, check out our Pexels review.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Life of Pix – A Curated, Artistic Collection of Free Photos

The Canada-based digital marketing agency LEEROY operates Life of Pix as a smaller, more boutique stock photo website that has put their entire catalogue in the public domain, making it easier for creative professionals to avoid the hidden copyright infringements that sometimes come with free stock images.

License Details: All the photos available at Life of Pix are in the public domain, which means that none of them are under copyright restrictions and are therefore generally safer to use.

Picspree – A Rapidly Growing Stock Photo Collection

Everyone knows that Getty Images has one of the most impressive stock image libraries on the planet, so when you find a small image source like Picspree that is a part of the Getty family, then you can trust that you are getting high quality images in a fast and effective way. Picspree’s catalogue is in the midst of impressive growth, so you can expect thousands of new images to be available every time you visit.

License Details: A worldwide, perpetual custom license means that no attribution is required, but permissions may have to be sought from the author for retail use.

Gratisography – Stock Photos with an Experimental Quality

Created and maintained by a single individual photographer, Gratisography uses personally-authored photographs and images for absolutely no charge. This means that you are getting unique images that you are not going to see anywhere else … images that can lend an intimacy to your campaign or project. To learn more about them, check out our Gratisography review.

License Details: Custom license with sensitivity clause for brands & trademarks

NegativeSpace – Free and Trendy Stock Photography

NegativeSpace utilizes a complex portfolio review process that allows content creators to have their submissions reviewed by the NegativeSpace curation team. The result is an expansive but one-of-a-kind image library that provides dynamic visual material in a number of different topics and styles.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

SplitShire – Unique, Professional, Personally-Curated Stock Images

Built by professional photographer Daniel Nanesou, the website SplitShire hosts an impressive collection of personally-curated content that spans a number of different themes and topics, all of which can be downloaded and used in your next project totally free of charge.

License Details: Custom creative license with sensitive use clause

Skitterphoto – Multi-Sourced Images on a Variety of Subjects

One of the primary strengths of the Skitterphoto collection is that the images are sourced from a number of different locations, including user submissions and from the personal collection of one of the founders themselves. With photos and images on a number of different subjects, this is a great place to find some free stock imagery with built-in artistic value.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Burst – Free Stock Photos with the Business Owner in Mind

Burst was created in 2017 by the online shopping giant Shopify in order to provide potential e-shop owners with a dynamic way to peddle their wares. Today, Burst has a massive library of high-resolution images that are particularly effective at driving e-commerce for clients in a number of different industries.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0) and a custom license with a sensitive use clause

New Old Stock – Historic Images with a Vintage Feel

Another stock image site that began as a passionate Tumblr project, New Old Stock offers historic, vintage, and old-timey images and photographs that can be used to give your project an authentic old-world vibe. Many of the images are sourced from pre-existing free-use libraries, so all of the pictures can be trusted to be free from copyright restrictions.

License Details: All images are public domain so there is no attached copyright, but the individual images are subject to the terms of the aggregator that they came from (Flickr, etc.)

Rawpixel – Subscription-Based Collection Great for Social Media

While the aesthetic-forward Rawpixel host's libraries of both “premium” and “free” image sets, it still manages to provide an impressive collection of no-charge pictures that are ideally suited for your next Instagram campaign. There is something particularly hip about this collection; every picture looks fresh, new, and exciting … the perfect combination for an effective visual campaign. Make sure to check out our rawpixel review as well.

License Details: Custom license with sensitive use clause

Styled Stock – Boutique Feminine Images with Versatility

As one of the smallest image collections on the internet, Styled Stock has managed to carve out a little niche piece of the stock photography game by providing unique images with a defined theme of femininity. While the number of photos available is particularly limited, this is a great source for someone who knows exactly what they’re looking for.

License Details: Custom license with full copyright held & maintained by the owner

Libreshot – Free Photography with a Fine Art Flair

Just like many of the other free stock photo sites out there, Libreshot does not offer a whole lot of images of human beings, but rather, the rich and vibrant world that human beings exist in. Powered by the photography of Martin Vorel, Libreshot offers some of the brightest and most visually dynamic stock photography.

License Details: Restriction-free Creative Commons / Public Domain License

StockVault – Crowdsourced Stock Photography from Around the Globe

With over 110,000 images and a number of different licensing options available, StockVault is a reputable and growing mid-size image source that features content from artists all over the globe. No matter what your creative purpose, there is a good chance that you can find what you need at StockVault.

License Details: Multiple different licenses available depending on the contributor

PicJumbo – Unique, Commercially Viable Stock Photos

PicJumbo is another of the smaller, “boutique” stock image sites that have been rising in popularity over the last few years. Because small personal collections like these can sometimes be found in the bigger aggregators, the contributor (in this case photographer Viktor Hanacek) can continue to provide versatile imagery that has a built-in commercial appeal. You find the picjumbo review here.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Freerange – A Varied Image Library with Contemporary Topics

With several thousand stock images available for use, Freerange is a good option for anyone who is looking for contemporary imagery that you don’t need to pay for. With a good blend of in-house content and contributor-sourced images, there is a pretty good chance that you will be able to boost your marketing plan with images pulled from Freerange.

License Details: Two different license options depending on the image, either Equalicense or CC0.

Kaboompics – Stock Photography Design for Social Media

If there is one trend that is changing the way that influencers and web-business are engaging with their audience, it is the rise of small, personally-sourced stock image libraries like those created by Karolina Grabowska of Kaboompics. Here users will find over 8,000 artistically composed imaged that were composed and captured with modern social media in mind. Kaboompics review can be found here.

License Details: Custom license with sensitive use clause

FoodiesFeed – Delicious Hi-Res Food Photos

Food is one of the most commonly addressed topics in social media culture, and why shouldn’t it be? FoodiesFeed is a culinary-centric stock image site that is comprised of the skillful work of Jakub Kapusnak, an artist who clearly knows how to capture the heart of a dish, the spirit of an ingredient, or simply a composition that makes the mouth water.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Rgbstock – A Trusted Source for Quality Stock Content

In internet years, a decade is a long time, and if you can last that long as a business then you must be doing something right. Rgbstock has over 100,000 free stock photos in its collection and every one of them is reviewed for quality standards, so you’re not just fishing in a pond of mediocrity.

License Details: A custom creative license with a creative use clause

MMT Stock – Free Stock Photos of Nature and the Workplace

Powered by the nature and workplace photography of artist Jeffrey Betts, MMT Stock is a collection of free images that can be used in whatever creative or commercial project that you are looking to complete. There is an absence of people-centered photos, which no doubt makes licensing and permissions easier for everyone involved.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Good Stock Photos – Stock Image Source that is True to Its Name

The artist, web designer, and marketer Steven Ma decided to call his new photo venture Good Stock Photos for a reason: because that is precisely what he provides with his personally-sourced collection of stunning, high-color stock photography. This collection features a balanced mix of travel, social, landscape, and urban-inspired imagery that is perfect for blog writing and social media posts.

License Details: Custom license with specific restrictions on compiling and redistributing

Startup Stock Photos – Free Stock Images for Startup Businesses

Just like the name suggests, Startup Stock Photos is a trusted resource for free stock photography for a fledgling business that are just starting to get off the ground. The pictures here have an authentic, genuine feel to them that is sure to ring true with investors, customers, and employees alike as you grow your business from the ground up.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

StockSnap.io – Creative & Crowdsourced Image Solutions

Anyone who is familiar with the graphic design tool Snappa will be pleased to know that the very same developers are now the proud owners and operators of StockSnap.io, a free stock image site that provides easy access to tens of thousands of free stock images with a modern, style-conscious aesthetic.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

ISO Republic – An Artist-Curated Stock Photo Library

Sometimes, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to make a splash in the digital photo scene, and ISO Republic is a prime example of what we’re talking about. With many thousands of high-quality images ready for download, ISO Republic is a good place to check out if you are still on the hunt for quality marketing content.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Fancy Crave – Inspiring Travel-Focused Stock Photography

While travel-based photography is certainly not the only thing that you are going to find at Fancy Crave, one of the newest micro-stock companies on the web, it certainly seems to be what they do best. This is a well-curated collection of modern, place-based photography that has a significant commercial appeal from the first time you lay eyes on it.

License Details: Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

BONUS SEGMENT: Getting FREE Stock Photos from PAID Stock Photo Agencies

Any business owner or marketing professional who has been in the game will tell you: there is nothing that can quite compare with the quality, reliability, and legality of a royalty-free stock photo from one of the “big boys”, or in other words, the best stock photo websites around.

This should come as a surprise to no one, seeing as how the old maxim of you get what you pay for seems to be truer and truer as the world continues to spin.

However, if you are looking for the best stock photography and you aren’t too keen on paying full price, then you are in luck. Our team has compiled a list of the best ways to score free pictures from the world’s best stock photo sites:

What’s Your Favorite Free Stock Photo Site?

The 27 different stock photography companies that we featured here are, perhaps not surprisingly, only a small fraction of what is actually available to marketers and content specialists who are looking for a way to integrate free stock photos into their next campaign or project.

If there is a free stock photo website that we left out, be sure to let us know in the comments section We are always on the lookout for reliable, high-quality sources of free stock photos.