No need to buy stock: 7 beautiful free photo websites

Whether you are a professional designer, a marketer, a blogger or simply a creative person, finding high-quality and legally available photos is always a constant need. However, we do not always have the conditions to hire a photographer or take the photos ourselves. That is when websites that provide free, copyright-free photos come into play.

In fact, there are thousands of websites that share free images, but not all of them guarantee quality and legality. There are sites that only allow the use of images for personal purposes, while others apply an open license such as CC0 that allows users to exploit images for commercial purposes without worrying about copyright disputes. In this article, we will learn about the concept of "free images" and at the same time explore the top 7 reputable websites that help you find high-quality, completely copyright-free images for your design, advertising or communication needs.

1. Learn about free photos

The concept of “free images” is often misunderstood. Many people think that any image downloaded from the internet is free to use. However, the truth is more complicated than that. Free images do not mean “copyright-free images”. Usually, free images are classified based on the license provided by the author or platform.

Some websites allow you to download images for personal use, such as as wallpaper for your phone or computer, or for homework or school projects. But when you convert them to commercial use, such as printing flyers, designing advertising banners, or building a business website, you may be violating intellectual property rights if you do not read the terms carefully.

To solve this problem, many websites now offer images with a CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) license. This license allows you to:

Use images without permission or payment.

For both personal and commercial use.

Free to edit, crop, and recreate without restrictions.

This opens up a huge opportunity for the creative community, as you can access a huge pool of visual resources without worrying about legal disputes. However, there are two points worth noting as a matter of courtesy:

First, although it is not required, you should credit the author or source of the image. This is a small gesture but it encourages and recognizes the efforts of the creators.

Second, many free stock photo websites are supported by community donations. If you regularly download photos from a particular site, consider donating or supporting the author to help keep the platform running.

Understanding this basic concept will help you feel more secure when choosing photos, and avoid unnecessary legal troubles.

2.  websites to find high quality, copyright-free photos

Here is a list of 7 prominent websites, trusted by designers, marketers and bloggers all over the world. Each platform has its own strengths, making it easy for you to choose according to your specific needs.

2.1. Unsplash

Unsplash has long been considered a “paradise” for creatives. With over 5 million high-quality images, the platform offers a diverse library of landscapes, portraits, architecture, and abstract art.

Unsplash’s biggest strength lies in the image quality. Most of the photos are taken by professional or semi-professional photographers, ensuring high sharpness and aesthetics. Therefore, you can easily use photos from Unsplash for media campaigns, business websites or even printing.

Unsplash uses an open license similar to CC0, which allows you to use photos for any purpose without asking permission. However, the platform still encourages users to credit the photographer – both to respect and to help the community grow sustainably.

Another advantage is that Unsplash integrates well with many tools like Figma, Notion or Trello, allowing you to insert images directly into your project without having to manually download them.

2.2. Pexels

Pexels is a direct competitor to Unsplash and is also popular with creatives. Pexels’ photo library is massive, with millions of high-quality images added daily. Pexels doesn’t just stop at still photos, it also offers free videos – an advantage few other platforms have.

The cool thing about Pexels is its smart sorting system. You can search for photos by theme, color, or what’s trending. This saves a lot of time when you need to quickly find the right image for a project.

Like Unsplash, all photos on Pexels are free for commercial use. Pexels also has a strong community of contributing photographers, where you can not only upload photos but also participate in creating, sharing, and being recognized by the community.

If you're a designer, Pexels is a great resource, especially when you need to combine images and videos in the same campaign.

2.3. Flickr

Flickr is famous as a social network for photographers. With over 10 billion photos uploaded, it is a huge archive. However, not all photos on Flickr are copyright-free. It is important to filter and choose images that are licensed under Creative Commons.

Flickr allows you to do advanced searches and filter photos by license type. CC0 photos are completely free to download and use. Flickr's strength is its diversity: from unique art photos to rare collections of documentary photos, it can all be found here.

Especially if you are interested in documentary, vintage, or historical photos, Flickr is a must-have resource.

2.4. Pixabay

Pixabay is considered one of the most comprehensive websites, offering not only still images but also vectors, illustrations and videos. Pixabay's library currently has over 4 million files, all of which are royalty-free and available for commercial use.

One advantage of Pixabay is that the image quality is strictly moderated. This helps you rest assured that the downloaded images are always up to aesthetic standards. In addition, Pixabay also integrates an API, allowing developers or businesses to easily insert images into their systems.

If you are looking for a rich source of images, including vectors and illustrations, then Pixabay is the optimal choice.

2.5. Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons is Wikipedia's sister project, with the goal of building an open repository of images, audio, and video for all of humanity. Currently, Wikimedia has more than 90 million free media files.

Wikimedia's distinctiveness lies in its academic and reliable nature. It is an ideal source of images for research papers, reports, educational materials, or projects that require informational accuracy. You can find everything from scientific photographs, maps, historical illustrations, to famous art photographs.

While some images on Wikimedia require attribution, most are open-licensed. Just double-check the license before using it to make sure it's legal.

2.6. Vecteezy

Not only stopping at photos, sometimes you will need vectors, icons or illustrations to serve the design. Vecteezy is one of the leading platforms in this field. Vecteezy's library includes millions of free vectors, from wallpapers, icons to complex illustrations.

Vecteezy’s strengths are its versatility and customizability. Many of the vector files are in EPS or SVG format, allowing you to edit them freely in software like Illustrator. This is a big advantage if you work in branding or need to personalize your designs.

Vecteezy offers both free and paid plans. With a free account, you can access a wide range of quality resources. If you need to download in large quantities or don't want to be limited, you can consider the Premium plan.

2.7. Openverse

Openverse is a WordPress project that aims to build a centralized search engine for open resources. The beauty of Openverse is its ability to aggregate images from a variety of sources, including Flickr, Wikimedia, and Creative Commons platforms.

Instead of having to visit each website individually, you can use Openverse as a comprehensive search engine. With just one keyword, you will get a series of royalty-free image results.

Openverse also offers detailed filters that help you quickly find the right images by license type, resolution, or color. This is especially useful for journalists, bloggers, or content creators who need images quickly but still ensure legality.

3. Conclusion

Images are not only decorative elements, but also powerful means of conveying messages. In the digital age, owning high-quality, copyright-free photo sources is more important than ever. It is important to always use images responsibly. Although not required, crediting the author or supporting the creative community is the way to maintain a long-term and sustainable free photo ecosystem. Hopefully, this article will become a useful guide for you in the process of searching and using images. Save the 7 websites above, because they are "treasures" for you to unleash your creativity without worrying about copyright issues.