21 Free Stock Photo Sites for Commercial Use
My Epic List Of Free Stock Photo Sites I use For Business
Its hard to find good quality photos for your content. I know. I’m often found around various places snapping photos of landscapes, people, abstract views and animals with my trusty iPhone. All in the name of good content stock. There comes a time though that i need to rely on some other super awesome sites. Now this list, I have kept quiet for years. Today i have decided to share this list of pure visual gold with you. So you can also put it to use.
Your articles, social media posts, blog posts and even your website pages will be more attractive to readers when they have relevant pictures. If you don’t have your own photo collection, you can check out these free stock photo sites offering stock photos free for business use. Yay!
You can’t just use any images you find in your Google searches because many of them are for sale especially those with watermarks. You need to explore websites providing stock photos free for commercial use to ensure you won’t be facing copyright issues later on.
Attribution and licenses explained.
Although some stock photos are free for use in many websites, you must note how the original artist wants to be credited for his work. “Attribution” is the technical term used to define the act of giving credit where credit is due in terms of stock photos. Many websites, however, provide stock photos free to use without the need to cite the owner or attach a link to the source.
Also, be mindful of licenses when using stock photos. A “Creative Commons zero” label will allow you to use the image in any way you like, including for commercial use without having to ask for permission. On the other hand, you should check how the original artist wants to be cited when you use their photos with the “Creative Commons with attribution” license.
Check out these websites where you can find free stock photos that don’t suck. Remember that you still need to verify the license attributes associated with the pictures you are planning to use.
- Pexels –
High quality and high resolution photos available in various categories including people, technology, street and art. Offers 50 new images every day.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
Thousands of free stock photos are available and can be searched by keywords or, interestingly enough, by color.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
- Pixabay –
Has more than a half million stock photos available for download, modification and distribution. Art illustrations, vectors and videos are also available.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
Sign up to the mailing list and receive free photos every month. You can use the images any way you like but you’re not allowed to distribute them.
Searchable: No
Attribution Required: No
Offers thousands of high-resolution digital photographs that teachers, designers, illustrators and other professionals can use. Website layout can be confusing to navigate, thus, always check if you’re still on the Morguefile tab and database.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No. But appreciated.
Offers over 350,000 free stock photos and illustrations in various categories such as sports, transportation and outdoor activities.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No for commercial use. Yes for editorial purposes and for audio/visual productions.
Browse through huge quality images in high resolution for free.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: Greatly appreciated.
All photographs are taken by Ryan McGuire and can be used for both commercial and personal works. New photos are available every week.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No, but greatly appreciated.
- Cupcake –
Has a variety of free professional, high-quality photographs owned by Sweden-based Jonas Wimmerström (former Nilsson Lee).
Searchable: No
Attribution Required: No, but appreciated.
Founded in 2014, the website offers exclusive stock photos in high resolution.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No, but appreciated.
Offers high-definition photos that web and graphic designers will love.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
- Stock Up –
A website that pulls out free stock photos from 26 other websites including some listed here.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: Depends on the image
Stocks only the highest quality photos in their website on a daily basis. Images are sourced from the web while others are taken by photographers in the website’s network.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
Folkert Gorter owns all the photos in this website but you can use them in any way you want.
Searchable: No
Attribution Required: Yes
A great source of free photos and other resources for web design. They can be utilized for business purposes.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: Yes
A few high-resolution photos are available on the website, but you can sign up to their mailing list to receive 7 images every week.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
Browse through the various stunning hi-res photos available in this website.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
Thousands of stock photos in high quality shots can be downloaded. Explore the popular tags like landscape, travel and nature.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
High resolution and high-quality photos available for free in this Tumblr-based website.
Searchable: No
Attribution Required: No
Athens-based Matt runs this public domain image repository made specifically to inspire creativity.
Searchable: No
Attribution Required: No
Offers beautiful images categorized in “Albums.” Popular ones include nature, dogs, cats and architecture.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: Depends on the photo.
Bonus Sites
Some great entrepreneur-related photos are available for use on blogs, websites and printed materials, among others.
Searchable: No
Attribution Required: No
A one-stop source for high-quality photos sourced from the public domain as well as from the photographer network of Montreal-based Leeroy Advertising Agency.
Searchable: Yes
Attribution Required: No
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