Designers, don't miss these awesome free stock photos in 2025!

A great photo can make people stop, evoke emotion, and inspire action. Whether you’re a designer, a content writer, a small business owner, or simply a creative person, having high-quality images can elevate any communication product from social media posts to website designs to professional marketing campaigns.

However, not everyone has the budget to hire a photographer or buy photos from commercial stock sites like Shutterstock or Getty Images. That is why websites that provide free stock photos are increasingly becoming the optimal choice for the creative community. These platforms not only provide a rich source of high-quality images but are also completely legal to use for both personal and commercial purposes.

This comprehensive guide will introduce the 10 best free stock photo websites of 2025 , carefully selected based on image quality, diversity, user experience, and community reputation. But before we dive into the list, let’s take a look at why free images are essential in today’s creative landscape.

1. Why free images matter

In the world of online media, content production is growing at an ever-increasing pace, and the demand for images is ever-increasing. A small business may need hundreds of photos each month for social media, websites, advertising, and marketing materials. If each photo requires a license fee, the costs can add up. This is where free stock photo sites come into play.

First of all, they help save costs . For many individuals or startups, investing in professional photography is a luxury. A photo shoot can cost millions of dong, not to mention post-production costs and copyright usage. Meanwhile, just visiting a few free stock websites, you can find thousands of beautiful, sharp and professional photos. This is especially meaningful in a time when small businesses have to balance every marketing expense.

Not only does it save money, using free photos also saves time . Instead of having to spend time organizing photo shoots, hiring models, finding locations and post-processing, you only need a few minutes to search and download suitable images. Today's stock photo websites have smart search tools, suggestions by keyword or topic, helping users easily access the necessary content.

Another advantage is variety . Free stock sites often have millions of images covering a wide range of topics from nature, food, technology, fashion, architecture to lifestyle, education, and business. Whether you need a minimalist photo for your company website or a vibrant image for a social media campaign, you can find the right option with just a few clicks.

Finally, the legal safety factor is the biggest plus. Reputable platforms often use Creative Commons Zero (CC0) or similar licenses, allowing users to use images for personal and commercial purposes without attribution or permission from the author. This helps users feel secure in their creativity, avoiding the risk of copyright infringement.

It’s clear that free stock images are not just a temporary solution, but a powerful tool that democratizes the creative industry, allowing anyone, regardless of budget or skill, to create professional, eye-catching, and legal work.

And now, let's explore the top 10 websites offering beautiful free images in 2025 .

2. 10 Websites Providing Free Stock Photos in 2025

2.1. Burst by Shopify

Burst is a product of Shopify, a globally renowned e-commerce platform. Born to support the business community, especially those doing business online, Burst quickly became a trusted destination for those looking for highly commercial images.

With over 20,000 high-resolution images , Burst offers carefully curated resources focusing on areas such as e-commerce, startups, fashion, food, travel, and technology. The best part is that all images are copyright-free and can be used for commercial purposes , meaning you can put them in ads, banners, or websites without worrying about legal issues.

Burst's interface is designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for users to browse by specific topic or industry. In addition, suggested collections by season and event (such as Christmas, Black Friday or Tet) help save a lot of searching time.

“Burst has been a game changer for our e-commerce clients,” says Sarah Johnson, a digital marketing specialist at a New York-based agency. “The quality and variety of images is outstanding, and the lack of attribution makes it easy to implement.”

It is this combination of aesthetics and commercial utility that makes Burst a top choice for those building their online brand.

2.2. Unsplash

It’s impossible to talk about free stock photos without mentioning Unsplash, the platform that has become synonymous with the phrase “free stock photos” in the design world. Starting as a small project in 2013, Unsplash now boasts over 6 million high-quality images , contributed by hundreds of thousands of photographers worldwide.

What sets Unsplash apart is its exceptional artistic quality . The photos are not only beautiful, but also emotional, deep, and narrative. This makes Unsplash a great source of inspiration for designers, writers, bloggers, and marketers.

According to the 2024 report, Unsplash recorded 100 billion photo views and more than 500 million downloads in just 12 months, demonstrating the huge influence of this platform.

Unsplash is also loved for its minimalist interface, powerful search engine , and deep integration with many popular tools such as Figma, Notion, Canva, Medium, and WordPress. Whether you are designing a website or writing a blog post, Unsplash images are just a click away.

The power of Unsplash is not in numbers, but in the spirit of community. Every photographer is celebrated, and that creates a rich creative ecosystem where quality comes first.

2.3. Pexels

Pexels is another great platform for beauty lovers. Known for its huge collection of free images and videos, Pexels attracts with its consistent quality and modern style . More than just a place to share photos, Pexels is also a community that connects creators around the world.

What makes Pexels special is its smart search engine powered by artificial intelligence , which helps to accurately suggest content related to keywords. For example, when you search for “minimal office”, the system will also suggest images with similar styles in color tones and layout, providing a more refined experience.

Pexels not only has photos but also offers free high-quality videos , serving advertising projects, slideshows, YouTube or social networks. The platform also has a convenient mobile application , allowing users to search and download photos anytime, anywhere.

Pexels has partnered with major brands like Adobe and Google , delivering photos directly into their design software and presentation tools, making it an indispensable tool in the modern creative ecosystem.

2.4. Pixabay

Pixabay is one of the world's largest repositories of not only photos but also vectors, illustrations, music and videos . With over 5 million free content files , it's the perfect choice for those who want to find everything in one place.

Pixabay's standout feature is its wide variety of formats . You can download JPEGs, SVG vectors, PNG illustrations, or even 4K videos, all for free. Its smart search system lets you filter results by color, orientation, size, or subject.

Pixabay also guarantees absolute quality and legality . Each content file is carefully reviewed by our editorial team before being published. This helps ensure that the images you use do not violate copyright or contain sensitive elements.

In addition, Pixabay has built-in integration with many design tools such as Canva, Figma, Google Slides, helping users to work directly without leaving the working environment.

2.5. Canva

If you've ever designed a poster, social media post, or presentation, you're probably familiar with Canva . Not only is it an online graphic design tool, Canva also has a huge library of free stock photos built right into the platform.

What makes Canva so powerful is the seamless integration between image searching, editing, and publishing. You can find a photo, add filters, text, effects, and publish directly to social media in minutes. No professional software, no Photoshop skills required, and the results are still incredibly professional.

Canva now has over 60 million monthly active users and is still growing. Their ever-expanding image library includes a mix of free and premium content for both personal and business users.

Convenience, speed, and syncing make Canva the all-in-one platform for all your modern design needs.

2.6. Freepik

In the world of graphic design, Freepik is almost a “treasure trove”. Not only does it provide free stock photos, Freepik is also a rich source of vectors, icons, illustrations and PSD files . This makes Freepik the number one choice of many professional designers.

Freepik offers millions of carefully crafted content files by artists and designers around the world. In 2025, the platform rolled out a new feature that differentiates AI-generated content from human-generated content , reflecting the trend toward transparency in the era of artificial intelligence.

What makes Freepik so appealing is that you can easily customize and reuse files to create your own unique designs. For professional designers, this is an invaluable time and effort saver.

2.7. Stocksnap.io

Stocksnap.io may not be the most popular name, but it is loved for its authenticity , simplicity and closeness . All images on the site are licensed under Creative Commons CC0 , allowing use for any purpose without permission or attribution.

Stocksnap.io updates weekly, with hundreds of new photos added constantly. The images are natural and candid, making them great for personal projects, blogs, marketing articles, or social media content.

Stocksnap.io's interface is minimalist, easy to use, and free of ads. Each image displays views, downloads, and popularity, helping users quickly grasp trends.

2.8. Gratisography

If you feel like the usual stock photos are too “same”, then come to Gratisography . This is a unique, creative and even “weird” photo repository, created by photographer Ryan McGuire.

Gratisography focuses not on quantity but on uniqueness and personality . Each photo has a free artistic spirit, is colorful and often makes the viewer smile. This is a great source of inspiration for marketing campaigns that want to show difference, wit or unconventionality.

Gratisography's images are high resolution, free to download, and no attribution is required. Ryan McGuire's style helps the site stand out from the crowd of traditional stock photos, making it a favorite among creatives looking for something unique.

2.9. Life of Pix

Life of Pix is ​​an art project from Agence LEEROY in Canada. Unlike many popular photo galleries, Life of Pix focuses on artistic quality and emotion . The photos here often have an editorial feel, with light, composition and color being handled delicately.

Interestingly, Life of Pix has a “ Photographer of the Week ” section, which highlights outstanding photographers and showcases their style to the community. This creates a creative environment, encouraging artists to share and learn from each other.

The images on Life of Pix are completely free for commercial use without attribution. This is an ideal choice for high-end design projects, e-zines, or art websites.

2.10. Kaboompics

Closing out the list is Kaboompics , one of the most popular stock photography sites among interior designers, fashion bloggers, and minimalist lifestyle enthusiasts. Founded by photographer Karolina Grabowska , Kaboompics impresses with its sophisticated aesthetic and harmonious color palette.

The most unique feature of Kaboompics is that each photo comes with a detailed color palette , making it easy for designers to coordinate the color tones in their projects. Additionally, users can search for photos by main color, an extremely useful feature when you want to synchronize images with your brand.

The images on Kaboompics are modern and bright, suitable for fashion, travel, interior or lifestyle projects. All images are free for commercial use and do not require attribution, providing absolute convenience for creators.

The world of digital imaging is evolving rapidly, and with the help of these platforms, access to high-quality, legal images has never been easier. Each site on this list has its own unique selling point: Unsplash offers artistic beauty, Pexels is highly functional, Pixabay is comprehensive, and Kaboompics and Gratisography bring creative flair to every detail.

Choosing the right platform depends on your purpose and style. If you need commercial photos, Burst or Pexels are great options. If you want to create a personal and artistic look, try Gratisography or Life of Pix. If you need everything in one platform, Pixabay and Canva are definitely enough.