Watch on YouTube
An open secret among many entrepreneurs and marketers, when asked about content marketing is that images can make or break its appeal. High-quality photos can boost engagement, enhance user experience, and help build brand credibility. However, hiring a professional photographer or paying for premium stock photos doesn’tdon’t always agree with businesses with limited finances. Fortunately, there are plenty of places you can get stock photos for websites free of charge. Here are the ten best:
Table of Contents
1. Pexels
A go-to quality stock photo source for many businesses, marketers, and individuals, Pexels has a vast library of high-resolution images and videos. These are all available under the Pexels license, allowing the assets’ use free for personal and commercial projects—no attribution needed.
Also, Pexels boasts diverse and professional content, curating its images from talented photographers all over the globe. It has a user-friendly search bar, which makes finding the perfect image quick and easy. You’ll also find high-quality stock videos, making the platform a reliable and hassle-free source for beautiful stock images.
Skip the DIY, Get Unlimited Design
Get all the branding graphics you need with Penji
2. Unsplash
Another premier choice for free, high-quality images, Unsplash is one of the most popular platforms for stock photos for websites free of charge. Its massive collection of high-resolution images comes from its global community of photographers. Its extensive library offers no-cost licensing, making it a favorite among businesses looking to enhance their brand without spending on premium stock photography.
Furthermore, Unsplash has a stunning collection of professional-grade images available under its free license. This means you can use them not just for websites but also for ads, social media posts, presentations, and more. Although you don’t need to add attribution, credit will be most appreciated.
3. Pixabay
Offering more than just stock photos, Pixabay is a well-known resource for royalty-free stock illustrations, vectors, music, sound effects, and GIFs. With over 5.3 million stock assets, it is one of the most versatile hubs businesses and individuals turn to for free-to-use content.
As a result, Pixabay has something for every creative project. In addition to photos and videos, it has AI-generated images and background music. Its Pixabay License lets you use these assets commercially, even without attribution. Its user-friendly search and categories will help you filter through its vast library, helping you find what you need quickly.
4. Kaboompics
For those in the lifestyle and business niche, Kaboompics is your go-to resource for free stock photos. Its modern, stylish, and aesthetic images have made it a favorite among many business owners, bloggers, and designers. Its hand-picked, professional-quality images have a modern, editorial feel suitable for business websites, creative agencies, and lifestyle brands.
One of Kaboompics’ standout features is its built-in color palette tool that provides you with the dominant colors of each image. This makes it easy for you to match the visuals with your branding. All photos on the platform are taken by its founder, Karolina Grabowska, so you can be sure they’re consistent in style and quality.
5. Freepik
Going beyond being a platform that offers free stock images for websites, Freepik has a wide array of features to help you with your creative endeavors. It has photos, illustrations, icons, videos, templates, mockups, and many others. It also offers free fonts, music, 3D images, and story sets, among other things.
In addition, Freepik has tools you can use, such as an AI image generator, mockup generator, image expander, editor, and background remover. Its advanced filters can help you narrow down the results based on file type, color, orientation, and more. This makes it easy to find the perfect visual for your project.
6. PicJumbo
From abstracts and animals to sunlight and technology, PicJumbo is an excellent free stock photo websites for both personal and commercial use. It has a straightforward interface and diverse collection of photos. This makes it an ideal option for entrepreneurs and creatives seeking to enhance their websites, social media platforms, and marketing materials without spending a lot of money.
In addition, PicJumbo’s royalty-free images require no attribution, allowing you access to its wide range of categories. It also offers a premium membership for those who need more exclusive photos with even higher resolutions.
7. Burst by Shopify
Created specifically for entrepreneurs and businesses, Burst by Shopify provides high-quality, royalty-free images for your website, marketing materials, and social media content. Its comprehensive library of images focuses on e-commerce, business, and lifestyle. This can significantly help online store owners, marketers, and business owners boost their visual game.
Also, all images on Burst are available for personal and commercial use, and you won’t need to worry about attribution. The photos on this platform are organized into curated collections, from product shots and workspace imagery to lifestyle photos. You’ll find diverse categories, such as food, fashion, tech, and wellness, offering options for many types of businesses.
8. StockSnap.io
Known for its extensive library of high-quality images, StockSnap.io is ideal for business owners, designers, and marketers. It boasts an impressive collection of thousands of free stock photos for websites that are free to download and use. All images on the platform are released under the Creative Commons CC0 license, allowing you to use them commercially without giving attribution.
Moreover, StockSnap.io regularly updates its library with new images to ensure there’s always fresh content for you to choose from. All the photos here are high-resolution, making them suitable for websites, social media content, blogs, printed materials, and presentations.
9. Gratisography
A unique place to find stock photos for websites for free is Gratisography. Its collection includes free, quirky, and creative images curated for those looking to upgrade their visuals with fun, out-of-the-box photography. If you want to add personality and character to your visuals, this platform offers a fun and unconventional vibe. This can artistically elevate your website, social media, and marketing campaigns.
Similarly, Gratisography regularly updates its collection by adding new photos to keep its library fresh. It requires no registration, allowing you to download and use images without creating an account.
10. Pikwizard
Boasting a library of more than a million high-quality images and videos, Pikwizard is a free stock image source that provides a massive collection of royalty-free visuals. Its wide array of categories includes underwater wallpapers, red tree forests, galaxy backgrounds, and even animated Tyrannosaurus images. This makes this platform an excellent choice for businesses seeking dynamic content for websites, ads, marketing materials, and many other uses.
Like most websites on this list, all the images on Pikwizard are available for free commercial use without needing attribution. Its intuitive search function allows easy filtering via categories, orientations, and color. Like Gratisography, it requires no registration, letting you download images and videos without signing up for an account.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Stock Photos on Your Website
Stock photos offer a convenient and cost-effective way of enhancing your website’s visual appeal. However, it comes with drawbacks. Below are the advantages and disadvantages of using stock photos for your websites:
Advantages
- Time-Saving and Cost-Effective: Stock images are readily available. You won’t need to hire a professional photographer for it, which could be time-consuming and expensive. Even if you pay for a stock image, it is still more affordable.
- High-Quality and Professional: Stock photo platforms will give you high-resolution images, usually taken by skilled photographers.
- Wide Range of Options: Most free stock photo websites have millions of images covering diverse industries, themes, and styles. This makes it easy to find images that match your needs.
- Quick and Easy Access: Hiring a professional photographer or taking the photos yourself will require you to allot time to arrange a photoshoot. With stock photos, you only need to download them and use them on your creative projects.
Legal and Copyright Compliance: Many stock photo websites offer royalty-free images. These often come with clear licensing terms, ensuring you don’t encounter issues with copyrights.
Disadvantages
- Lacks Originality: Stock images are available to everyone. Thus, even your competitors can use the images you use. This can give your content a generic feel.
- May Not Fit Your Brand Exactly: Stock photos are designed for general use. This means you won’t get pictures that will match your brand identity perfectly.
- Overused and Cliche: Some stock photos are overly used across multiple websites. This can make your content look unoriginal.
- Limited Customization Options: While stock photos are editable, they may not always be flexible to suit your exact requirements.
- Potential Licensing Concerns: Some stock photos will require attribution even if they state that they are free.
When it comes to high-quality graphic design, you no longer have to search high and low for the best stock photos for websites for free. All you need to do is work with Penji, the ultimate solution for all your design needs. Watch our demo video here to know more about us, or click here to get our designers working.
Boost your business with unlimited graphic design
Try Penji risk-free for 30 days and get all your design projects done
About the author
Celeste Zosimo
Celeste is a former traditional animator and now an SEO content writer specializing in graphic design and marketing topics. When she's not writing or ranking her articles, she's being bossed around by her cat and two dogs.
