50+ FREE Stock Photography Sites

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Abbey Ashley

Looking for FREE Stock Photography for your blog, website, or business?

Look no further.

We’ve literally compiled the ULTIMATE list of free stock photography sites.

It actually makes my a little giddy to think about it.

‘Cause here’s the truth…

If you want to make your website, blog, or social media graphics captivating, the secret is in your imagery.

Choosing stock photos that reflect your unique brand is a key way to make your posts and blogs more memorable.

Let’s be honest – some of those stock photography websites carry a heavy price tag…

Luckily for you, I’ve compiled the ULTIMATE comprehensive guide on where to find FREE stock photography! I’ve personally evaluated over 60 legit websites for the quality and quantity of their stock photos, and now I am so excited to share this updated list with you.

All of these sites enable you to search for images that you can use for your digital marketing.

Before we begin, a quick note about licensing:

Almost all of these listed images and websites are free to use without copyright restriction, but it is still your job as the user to make sure they are listed under the Creative Commons and/or Public Domain license. When an image is licensed under Creative Commons (or CC0), it means you can use the image any way you want to (feel free to display, copy, modify, or distribute, even for commercial purposes) without asking permission.

However, some photos may require attribution, or a link to the source (even though they’re still free to use). Please double check to make sure you’re in the clear, because you definitely want to avoid legal trouble!

(Also, finding images for your Virtual Assistant business on Google Image search or on Pinterest is NOT recommended, since the licensing information can be unclear or misleading.)

For your convenience, we’ve listed out the free stock photography sites in alphabetical order.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at those free stock photography sites!

50+ FREE Stock Photography Sites

1. Albumarium 

Albumarium Stock Photos

This site has a small collection of photos compared to some of the giants, but it is sorted by album. Helpful features include a “Sort By” option at the top where you can choose images licensed for free commercial use, and a sidebar displaying how many images total are in the album and similar albums based on the current one.

To download:

The images are a little slow to load, but once loaded, click the Download button in the bottom lefthand corner of the image. The image will display on its own, so just right-click and select “Save Image As…”.

 

2. Burst (by Shopify) 

Burst Stock Photos

“Free Stock Photos for Everyone.” Burst has some great photos that are especially geared toward business-owners. Their “new images” are often relevant to the current season (for example: photos for Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the newest images added).

The homepage features a handy search bar, Top Photos This Week (you can sign up to get these emailed to you weekly), Popular Collections, and my favorite feature: Trending Business Ideas. This section gives you stock photos in a free, downloadable photo kit tailored to a specific business, such as selling candles or coffee online. They also give you tips on how to get started or expand your current business.

To download:

Simply click the down arrow download button in the bottom right of the image you would like to download for an instant, automatic download. You can also click on the image and click the blue “Download free photo” button on the left side for an instant, automatic download. No membership or sign-in required.

3. Cupcake

Cupcake free stock photos

Cupcake is a personal project by Swedish photographer Jonas Nilsson Lee. His small collection of photos are mostly geared towards nature and the outdoors, but he also includes some images based on minimalism or food. The gallery is definitely worth checking out!

To download:

From the Home or Archive page, click on either the image or the “download high res” link. The full image will pull up on its own. Simply right-click and select “Save Image As…” to download.

4. Death to Stock Photos 

death to stock photos free stock photography

Death to Stock Photos is not your average stock photography website. Once a month, Death to Stock Photos sends photos straight to your inbox if you sign up for them. They also have recent photo packs available for free download on their homepage. The photos are not your average stock photo, but give off a moody designer vibe. If you like what you see, you can become a premium member for $15/month, which gives you unlimited access to their library of 1500+ photos.

To download:

To download a recent photo pack, select the photo pack from the home page that you wish to download. On the righthand side, there is a red/orange button that says “Download Now.” Click for an instant, automatic download. No membership or sign-in required for featured photo packs.

5. Designers Pics

designers pics free stock photos

 

This gallery is fairly small, but the images are bright and colorful. A majority of the images are focused on basic geometric shapes and minimalism.

To download:

Click on the gray “Free Download” button underneath the image you would like to download. Click the black download button again for an instant, automatic download. No sign-in or membership required.

6. Epicantus

epicantus free stock photos

Epicantus is a personal project by Daria, a UX/UI Designer by profession. She takes photos and uploads them to her Tumblr account, and all photos are “by Daria and… free to use.” The homepage is a list of single hi-res photos, with newest photos at the top. There is a search bar function at the top to search photos by tags, and you can also see an archive of image thumbnails dating all the way back to September 2014.

To download:

Click on the photo you want to download. When it displays as a full, hi-res photo, simply right-click and select “Save Image As…”.

7. FindA.Photo

finda.photo free stock photos

FindA.Photo is unique because it has an awesome feature that allows you to search for images by color right from the home page. (You can search by topic in the search bar on the home page, too.) When you click on a specific color, it tells you which hex code the images are using and groups images together by like colors. FindA.Photo does pull images from different sources.

To download:

Make sure the license listed underneath the image is good to go. Click on the green download button under the image. The image will open in a new tab, so you will have to right-click on the image and select “Save Image As…” to save.

 

8. Foodies Feed 

foodiesfeed free stock photos

foodiesfeed free stock photos

 

Foodies Feed is a specialty stock photography site geared towards… you guessed it – foodies! This site hosts over 900 images of food only, so it’s perfect for food bloggers or Virtual Assistants working in the food industry.

To download:

Photos are available for instant download; no membership or sign-in required. Simply hover over the image you would like to download, select “Free Download.” Click “Free Download full resolution” one more time, and the photo will automatically download.

 

9. Foter

foter free stock photos

Foter boasts a stock image library of over 335 million free stock photos. The handy search bar feature on the homepage is probably the quickest way to find what you’re looking for, but you can also browse by popular category. Once you’ve landed on a search term or category, you can sort images at the top by license type or by color.

To download:

Foter has a nice step-by-step guide on how to use each image laid out in the sidebar of each image. Step 1: Instantly download the image in the preferred size. Step 2: Check license for how you can use the image. Step 3: Instructions on how to attribute the photo (if required). No membership or sign-in required.

 

10. Free Images

free images free stock photos

Free Images hosts close to 400k free photos and illustrations. It’s a great resource to have bookmarked in case you can’t find what you’re looking for elsewhere.

To download:

Click the green download button under the image. You have to create a free account and sign in before downloading images.

ALSO READ:

BECOME A PINTEREST MANAGER 

11. Free Nature Stock 

free nature stock free stock photos

This personal project was started in January 2015 by Adrian Pelletier. He uploads at least one photo per day, and all of the photos solely depict nature and the outdoors. This is a great specialty site to have bookmarked in case you have an outdoorsy client. You can view all photos in the library in thumbnail format by clicking Archive.

To download:

Once you’ve clicked on the hi-res image you want to use, simply right click and select “Save Image As” to download.

 

12. Freephotos.cc

freephotos.cc free stock photos

Free Photos is an easy, non-membership way to find what you’re looking for. This stock photo library is search-driven, and they also feature one premium photo a day that is free for download.

To download:

If you see a photo you like, simply click the download button and the download will start automatically.

 

13. Free Range Stock

free range stock free stock photos

Free Range has a great selection of photos and illustrations to choose from. Free Range definitely stands out from your standard free stock photography site. They are a search partner with Shutterstock, and so they do require an account to download any photos.

To download:

Create a free account. Once registered, click on the photo you want to download. Select the burgundy “Login to Download” button, log in to your account, and download the image.

 

14. Freestocks.org

freestocks.org free stock photos

Decked out with a search bar function and categories to browse, Free Stocks has some really cool and unique photos that you won’t find anywhere else. They’re fun to browse and look through for your stock photo needs or simply for inspiration.

To download:

Hover over the photo you would like to download, and click on the download button in the bottom righthand corner for an instant, automatic download. If you click on the full-size image, the download button is in the same place.

15. Gratisography

gratisography free stock photos

This site is so funky, quirky, and off-the-wall with its stock photography. I love it so much. A personal project by Ryan McGuire, a creative and eclectic web designer, Gratisography has images that you are guaranteed not to find anywhere else. This site is perfect for brands with a funky, humorous vibe that don’t take themselves too seriously.

To download:

Simply click on the image or the download button in the bottom righthand corner for an instant, automatic download.

 

16. Jay Mantri

jay mantri free stock photos

 

Jay Mantri is another personal free stock photography project hosted on Tumblr by Jay Mantri. He started the project in March 2014. He hasn’t updated the site regularly in a while, but most of the photos in his archive focus on a beachy vacation-y feel. (There are a couple of months with mountains and snow thrown in there, too.)

To download:

Click on the image or “download” link under the image. When the image pulls up, right-click and select “Save Image As…”.

 

17. Kaboom Pics

kaboom pics free stock photos

Kaboom Pics has STUNNING stock photos that are visually remarkable. The site’s interface is simple and very modern – aesthetically pleasing and easy on the eye. The featured photos section has timely photos for whatever season it is, and their advanced search feature allows you to search for either horizontal or vertical photos. They also have a search function by color. For each photo, you can either select the quick download function, and the picture will download instantly and automatically, or you can select “See More.” Additional features in the “See More” section include customizing the picture size to download, and a complementary color palette from each picture with six color hex codes to go along with. How cool is that?!

To download:

Simply hover over the image and select “quick download.” The picture will download instantly and automatically.

 

18. Pexels

pexels free stock photos

Pexels is another well-known stock photography site. It’s easy to browse or search to find what you’re looking for. Pexels is a little bit more artsy and moody than some of the standard stock photography sites that are out there, and their selection is a little bit smaller than Unsplash or Pixabay.

To download:

Click on the image you wish to download. Click the down arrow to the right of the “Free Download” button, and select the size you wish to download the image in. Then, click the green download button at the bottom for an instant, automatic download.

 

19. Pic Jumbo 

pic jumbo free stock photos

Pic Jumbo focuses on close-up images that are more minimal. These pictures are great for overlaying text, since there is usually some white space in the image to use. There are some great seasonal hero images to be found here, along with a focus on simplicity.

To download:

Click on the image you wish to download. Select the green “free download” button on the left of the picture, and your file should download instantly and automatically.

 

20. Pixabay

pixabay free stock photos

Pixabay is a stock photography giant and is well-known for stock photos. Pixabay is a great place to go first for any stock photography need. They boast over 1 million images in their library!

To download:

Click on the image you would like to download. Click the green “Free Download” button on the right, select the size you wish to download, and then click download. You may have to click a “Captcha” to prove you’re not a robot, but you can bypass that for easier downloading if you’re a registered user and logged in to your free account.

21. Refe

refe getrefe.com free stock photos

Not all photos on Refe are free, but there is a handy navigation tab that shows you where the free stuff is. Click on “Free Photos” at the top of the site, and you can search and browse all categories in the free section. The most cumbersome part about the site is that you have to add the free photos to your cart and complete a checkout process. Make sure you add all the photos you want to your cart at one time, so that you don’t have to complete the checkout process multiple times.

To download:

Hover over the photo you want, and click “Add to Cart.” Do this for as many photos as you would like to download. When you’re finished, click “Checkout.” Complete the checkout process in order to access and download your new, free photos.

22. Stocksnap.io 

stock snap stocksnap.io free stock photos

With hundreds of new images added weekly, you never know what new goods you’ll find over at Stock Snap. I also love the trending search feature and the trending photos feature. The site lets you know how many times an image has been downloaded from their site, which is super helpful in online business!

To download:

Click on the image you wish to download. Click on the coral “Free Download” button to the right of the picture for an instant, automatic download.

 

23. Travel Coffee Book

travel coffee book free stock photos

These free stock photos are beautiful if you are working in a travel niche. Check out all of the photos in the archive section of the site.

To download:

Click on the image you want to download. When it comes up full-screen, right-click and select “Save Image As…”

 

24. Unsplash

unsplash free stock photos

At over 300k photos, Unsplash is a stock photography giant. It’s a great place to go if you need a lot of stock photography in one place. Their photos, in general, are very pretty, hi-res, and top-notch quality.

To download:

For an instant, automatic download, hover over the image and click the download button in the bottom right-hand corner. If you click an image for more information, simply click the green “Download free” button in the top righthand corner. You can choose to “say thanks” to the photographer, but it isn’t required. To exit out of the “say thanks” box, click the X in the upper left-hand corner of the pop-up box.

 

25. Viintage 

viintage free stock photos

The site feels a little cluttered when you first visit, but there are some really cool vintage posters and images that are available for download. Images on the homepage and under the “Free Downloads” section on the homepage are awesome for any brand going for that vintage, retro feel.

To download:

Click on the image you want to download. When it comes up full-screen, right-click and select “Save Image As…”. Note that because of the legitimate retro/vintage nature of the photos, not all images will register as high-resolution.

 

33 Other Free Stock Photography Sites

Now, this wouldn’t be the Ultimate Guide to Free Stock Photography if we didn’t give you some bonuses, right?

So – just for kicks, here are 33 more free stock photography sites, where you can find images for your blog or business.

  1. Bucketlistly 
  2. Every Stock Photo
  3. FancyCrave
  4. Good Free Photos 
  5. IM Free 
  6. Image Base 
  7. ISO Republic 
  8. Jeshoots 
  9. Life of Pix 
  10. Little Visuals 
  11. Magdeleine
  12. Makerbook 
  13. MMT Stock 
  14. MorgueFile 
  15. Moveast 
  16. Negative Space 
  17. New Old Stock 
  18. The Pattern Library
  19. Photober 
  20. Picography 
  21. Public Domain Archive 
  22. Realistic Shots 
  23. RGB Stock 
  24. Shotstash 
  25. Skitter Photo 
  26. Smithsonian on Flickr
  27. Splashbase 
  28. Splitshire 
  29. Startup Stock Photos 
  30. Stockvault 
  31. Stokpic 
  32. Styled Stock 
  33. Superfamous 

Paid Options

Can’t find exactly what you are looking for?

You may find yourself in a place where you can’t find the perfect pic from the free sites. In that case, here are some very inexpensive sites where you can find stock photos. Most are membership/package sites, but the photos end up being around $1 each on most of them.

Here are my favorite websites where you can get inexpensive stock photos:

123RF*

123rf stock photography

 

Creative Market 

creative market stock photography

Fotolia* 

fotolia stock photography

Canva 

canva stock photography

Haute Stock

haute stock stock photography

 

* I am an affiliate for these sites because they seriously do have incredible images and I want to support them. YAY for awesome images!

Want to know how to use your images to design captivating photos and branding?

 

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Meet Abbey

Abbey Ashley is the Founder of The Virtual Savvy. She helps aspiring virtual assistants launch and grow their own at-home business from scratch. She's since gone on to grow a multi-six figure business and retire her husband ALL from her at-home business. It's now her passion to help others start their own VA business so they can taste the freedom and flexibility of entrepreneurship as well.

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28 Comments

  1. Ines on November 28, 2017 at 8:01 am

    I swear in stock photography! To whoever first had the idea to create the first stock photo site I raise a glass every time I finish my writings 🙂 (not kidding)

    • Abbey Ashley on November 28, 2017 at 5:43 pm

      Haha, I love this Ines! Totally agree! 🙂

      • INES on December 5, 2017 at 4:33 am

        😀

  2. Loretta on March 5, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    Whoa! I had a little list of about 12 sites… so this is huge and amazing 😮 I just learned about so many new sites, I may be lost on the internet for a few hours browsing these tonight.

    • Abbey Ashley on March 13, 2018 at 2:56 pm

      Hi Loretta! There are quite a few amazing sites, aren’t there!? Good luck browsing! 🙂

  3. photostockeditor on November 27, 2019 at 10:43 am

    Hi Abbey, great list!!! I suggest also photostockeditor.

    • Abbey Ashley on December 2, 2019 at 10:58 am

      Thanks for the feedback and the suggestion! 🙂

  4. Alen Morgan on September 14, 2021 at 6:43 am

    I had so much fun learning with you. Your lessons were very insightful and interactive, so thank you.

    • Abbey Ashley on September 14, 2021 at 10:47 am

      Thank you for joining me!! I’m SO glad my lessons helped you!

  5. Selena Richard on November 12, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    That’s really amazing reviews of the best free stock photography sites.

  6. James Scotlin on December 15, 2021 at 1:29 pm

    I really enjoyed your blog. It was a great piece to read

    • Abbey Ashley on December 16, 2021 at 9:26 am

      Thank you so much! I hope it helped.

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    • Abbey Ashley on April 7, 2022 at 10:59 am

      Thank you so much! I’m so glad you’re here!

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  11. Radhe on May 9, 2022 at 4:41 am

    Great tips and very easy to understand. This will definitely be very useful for me when I get a chance to start my blog.

    • Abbey Ashley on May 12, 2022 at 3:33 pm

      Glad this helped! Best wishes with your blog!!!

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