20+ Free Stock Image Websites for Commercial Use

If you are like most bloggers then you have probably struggled to find high-quality stock images that you wanted to use in your blog posts.

Whether you are just starting out or you are a veteran blogger, then you know why it’s crucial to add images to your blog posts.

A study by Search Engine Journal found that just adding an image to a blog post increased its pageviews by almost 94% (that’s almost double the engagement!!). 

But you already know this right? 

And you are here perhaps because you are struggling to find free images or photos that you can use without having to incur additional costs. 

You are not sure where to look or start. 

No problem – we got you covered! We created this list for bloggers like you.

In this article, we will cover 20+ amazing websites that you can use to find stunning images to add to your blog posts, social media, and advertising campaigns. 

What Does the List Include?

We have been careful to only include websites that only offer royalty-free images (meaning you don’t have to purchase them or offer any ongoing compensation for their use).

In some cases, attribution (or crediting the owner) may be required, and we explain that on a case-by-case basis. 

We have purposely excluded premium or freemium websites such as Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Deposit Photos, etc. 

A quick word of caution – stray away from using Google Image Search for images for your blog posts. If you do, there is a chance you might run into copyright issues which could be costly. 

Instead, use any one of these websites we mention below.

Free Stock Photo Sites

The following are the best free stock photo sites that offer high-quality images that you can use without any licensing restrictions.

UnSplash

Behind Instagram and Tumblr – UnSplash is the 3rd largest photography website in the world. You will be able to search and find over 1.2 Million photos on just about anything here.

UnSplash allows photographers to upload their pictures and images to the website, which is then curated by their team of editors. So far, over 150000 photographers have submitted their photos to the websites. 

The pictures are 100% free to download and can be used for just about anything – blog posts, social media, advertising, etc. They encourage you to provide credit when you use their pictures (however it is not mandatory).

In addition, UnSplash has also released its API that developers & other software can use to populate their apps and websites with photos from the UnSplash database.

Pixabay

With more 1Million+ images –  Pixabay is one of the fastest-growing and widely used royalty-free stock image websites out there.

You will also find vector images, illustrations, and even HD videos – all of them FREE to download and use.

All the images are available under the Pixabay licenses (similar to Creative Commons), and this means that you can safely use them without asking for permission or by providing credit. 

Pexels

If you are looking for high-quality stock photos – then Pexels is another option for you.

They have a vast library sorted under different categories to help you find an image under any niche.

All the images are free to download and use for both personal and commercial purposes. Attribution is not required but encouraged. You are also able to modify or customize the pictures once downloaded (however, you are not allowed to sell and profit from them). 

In addition, they also list sponsored photos from other vendors that you can sort and purchase. 

Recently they have started including free stock videos (the library is definitely smaller than that available at Pixabay but it’s growing).

SplitShire

SplitShire was created by independent graphic designer Daniel Nanescu.  He uploaded the initial 100 photos. Since then he has added over 1000+ photos and these stock images have been downloaded over 2 Million times. So you can imagine that the quality of the stock photos is top-notch.

You can use the free stock photos form SplitShire in any form or medium you choose (your blog posts, social media, advertising, book covers, etc)  and they are available for free for both personal and commercial use.

FreeStocks.org

Initially started by 3 photographers as a side-hustle to share their work online – Freestocks.org has since then grown to a library of over 2000+ high-quality and hi-res stock photos. 

You will be able to search and sort under a few different categories (animals, architecture, fashion, nature, technology, people,etc.) 

Though the library is smaller than others we have mentioned so far – you can find certain images that are unique to this site.

All stock images are free and licensed under Creative Commons, and you can use them for both personal and commercial purposes. Attribution is not required, but strongly encouraged.

Burst (by Shopify)

Created by eCommerce giant Shopify – Burst is a free stock images platform, where you can find 1000s of images captured, curated & uploaded by their team of photographers (and other independent photographers).

It is totally free to use for both personal and commercial purposes, and no attribution is required (though it is encouraged).

All the stock images are sorted under 36 collections (based on genres), and you will find over 100s of royalty-free stock photos under each genre. 

Since this is a Shopify powered website – you will also find some additional valuable content under the “Business Ideas” section to help you with your next eCommerce venture.

Gratisography

If you are looking for images that are beyond the stereotypical stock photos of people at office meetings and at their desks (you know the Vince Vaughn type!)  – then you might enjoy the collection at Gratisography.

Created by photographer and designer Ryan McGuire – this website specializes in providing stock images that are creative, fun, and artistic (out of the traditional). 

The site has around 500 unique images and stock photos.

All the stock images on the site are free to use for both personal and commercial use. Attribution is not required but encouraged.

Kaboompics

If you either have a lifestyle blog or an interior design blog – then Kaboompics might be the destination for you.

Created by photographer & web designer Karolina Grabowska – the site has over 12000+ hi-quality stock images, which have been downloaded over 14 Million times (so you know for sure that the quality of these images is top-notch).

All the stock photos on the site can be downloaded, modified and used for both personal and commercial projects. No attribution is required, however, it is encouraged.

PicJumbo

Created by photographer & online entrepreneur Viktor Hanacek – PicJumbo has close to 3000+ unique photos. 

Almost all the photos are created by Viktor himself – to ensure that they are genuine and unique.

The stock images are free to use for both personal and commercial purposes, and no attribution is required.

The site also has an optional paid membership option, and its benefit is that they will send you their latest collection of 50+ stock images each and every month.

PikWizard

Owned and Operated by software company DesignWizard – this is another website that has a large collection (over 1 Million) of free stock images and free stock videos.

You are able to use all the images from PikWizard for free on your website, social media, videos, ebooks, etc. No attribution is required but encouraged.

There is also a direct integration with DesignWizard  – where you are able to edit the images for free using their software. 

ISO Republic

Created by UK based photographer Tom Eversley –  ISO Republic has a collection of over 6000+ free stock photos, images, and videos. 

You can use their royalty-free images for both personal and commercial uses. No attribution is required.

StockVault

Curated with the help of submissions from photographers and artists –  StockVault has a library of over 130000+ stock images that have been downloaded over 24 Million times.

The website has an extensive catalog collection which makes it easy for you to search and sort. All the images are free to download and use for personal use only. No commercial use is allowed. 

Even though the images are free – the terms of usage vary for each image. 

Some are licensed under Creative Commons (and require no attribution) while others need permission from the original contributor. You will be able to find the respective licenses under each image.

StockSnap.io

One of the advantages of StockSnap is its search function. 

You are able to search for photos based on categories, or by date uploaded or even how popular they are on the site (views and/or downloads).

All the images are free to use and licensed under Creative Commons, and no attribution is required. They can be used for both personal and commercial use. The site is very active and they add hundreds of new images every day.

Morguefile

Created by Michael Connors in 1996 to help other creative professionals find and share free images – Morguefile has a library of over 350000+ stock photos and images.

All the images are free to use for both personal and commercial purposes, and no attribution is required.

Reshot

All the images on Reshot are handpicked and curated by their team, and it has a large collection of hi-resolution photographs. 

All the images are free to use for both personal and commercial purposes, and no attribution is required.

One of the unique features of this website is its “Image Packs” feature. 

To save you time – the site has curated a few images within a specific niche (about 10 to 20 images at a time), and you are able to download the entire list in one shot.

All you need to download the entire pack is to send out a single tweet.

StokPic

A relatively new website – StokPic was started by photographer Ed Gregory not so long ago.

You will be able to browse and find numerous stock images on the website. 

All images are free to use for both personal and commercial use. No attribution is required, though encouraged.

You also have an option to subscribe to their newsletter – when and where Ed will curate 10 new photos every couple of weeks and share them with you via email.

PicXClicX

Created by independent photographer Jill Levenhagen – PicXClicX is a great option if you are looking for stock photos that don’t look generic. 

Many of the images are “portrait-type” format, and they will come in handy if you want images that are Pinterest-worthy.

All images are free to use for personal use only. However, attribution is required for each image.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to provide attribution or want to use it commercially – then you can purchase a lifetime non-attribution license for a nominal $10 (you are then free to use them as you feel fit).

MMT

Launched in 2014 by a product designer, Jeffrey Betts – MMT is a great resource for high-quality stock images.

All stock photos and images from MMT are free to use for personal and commercial use, and no attribution is required.

The unique thing about MMT is that you are able to adjust, modify or resize the photos before your download for your own use. 
This saves you an additional step if you are using another software/ website for resizing, and comes in very handy for your social media posts.

FreeImages

As the name suggests – all the stock photos from FreeImages are totally free to use for personal use. 

Moose

Maybe you are not looking for the traditional Vince Vaughn type images  – but you want something much cleaner and unique – then a niche website such as Moose would interest you. 

Created by the design team at Icons8 – Moose has a collection of 90000+ collages (pictures of people) in their catalog.

They are free to use for personal and commercial use – however, attribution is required all the time. 

Alternatively, they do have a premium version where you don’t have to provide attribution by purchasing a premium subscription at a cost of $20 per month.

FoodiesFeed

You probably guessed from the name that FoodiesFeed is a website that provides free food photos, and you guessed it right!  

Started by passionate food photographer Jakub Kapusnak – this stock image website has a collection of high-quality and hi-res images & photos of food.

Ideal for food and recipe bloggers – the site has about 1400 images, and the list is updated periodically. 

The images from the site have been downloaded more than 1.3 million times – and they are all free to use for all purposes licensed under Creative Commons.

Fancycrave

High-quality travel photos are hard to find – even on all the websites that we have mentioned so far. 

If you have a travel and lifestyle website and feel that way – don’t worry Fancycrave has got you covered.

Initially started by Igor Ovsyannykov as a place to share his travel photos, the website has now grown to a library of over 2000+ images from exotic locations around the world. 

All the images are professionally edited using Adobe Lightroom before they are uploaded to the site, to ensure the quality.

All the images are free to use under Creative commons. No attribution is required though encouraged.

Exposure

If you’ve ever wondered if there was a summary to all of these on this list and wanted a site where you can find it all, Exposure would be it. 

It’s not as much as a website containing stock images, but think of it as a Free Image Search engine. It brings you all of the free stock images from a number of different stock images providers, most of which are on this list. 

That way, you don’t need to scan and open each of these websites just to find the perfect one that would fit your needs. It’s all here. And they’re all free!

Conclusion

There you have it, folks!!

A list of 20+ websites that you can now go to find stock images that you can freely use. 

Use these resources to improve the engagement of your blog posts and social media posts.

Bookmark this post, and whenever you are in need of high-quality and royalty-free stock photos – come here and check this list.