15 Best Websites With Free Images for Commercial Use in 2025

A single copyright claim can wipe out an ad budget, derail a campaign, and sink trust with a client. Yet under deadline pressure, it’s tempting to grab whatever “free” photo looks good and hope the fine print checks out later.

The trap is real: many so-called free-image libraries bury attribution rules, watermark downloads, or allow commercial use only after you pay. Spend hours hunting, and you’re still one mistake away from takedown notices or legal fees.

To cut that risk and save you valuable time, I vetted dozens of stock sites for crystal-clear licenses, true commercial freedom, and high-resolution files. The 15 platforms below passed every test and come with additional features, including advanced filtering tools, industry-specific collections, and high-resolution downloads.

All my picks offer a great starting point, but Pixabay impressed me most with its truly vast collection of free stock images.

What We Look for in the Best Free Image Websites for Commercial Use in 2025

When browsing through sources of free images for commercial use, it’s essential to consider more than just image quality. Here’s what I focused on during my research.

• Clear licensing terms. All platforms on my list either have Creative Commons Zero (CC0) or their own custom license, clearly allowing commercial use without attribution. These images are safe to use in ads, on websites, and in monetized content, not just on personal blogs.
• No hidden restrictions. I’ve only chosen stock image websites that don’t require payment, registration, or attribution, making the download process simple.
• High-resolution downloads. I picked sites that provide high-quality, high-resolution images suitable for both print and digital use, without watermarks or pixelation.
• Wide range of categories. A diverse library ensures that you can find images relevant to your niche, whether it’s business, food, tech, lifestyle, healthcare, or other industries. Some sites also include illustrations, vectors, or mockups, which can be valuable for brand design.
• Advanced search and filters. I chose platforms with powerful search tools that let you filter by orientation, color, category, style, and license type. This saves time and helps you find the exact image you need quickly.

1. Pixabay: Widest Selection of Content Formats

Pixabay has its own content license that allows you to use its images for free, both for personal and commercial projects. There’s no need for attribution, although, as they say, crediting the creator is always appreciated.

You can filter images by size, color, orientation, publication date, and even content type, allowing you to narrow your search to authentic or AI-generated images. There’s also a SafeSearch feature that makes it easy to filter out adult content. You can download images in various sizes.

Aside from images, Pixabay also offers a variety of visual media, including illustrations, videos, GIFs, musical playlists, and sound effects. This makes it suitable for a wide range of projects, from website design to product packaging.

 2. Pexels: Best Free Stock Image Collections

Pexels is another platform that offers its own license, allowing you to use stock images for unrestricted commercial use without attribution. The platform supports contributors worldwide, offering a diverse and continually updated collection of images across various themes and industries. In addition to photos, it also has free videos.

I particularly like Pexels’ Leaderboard page, which shows you community members with the most views on photos and videos. This allows you to follow the photographers you like and stay updated on their latest work.

Pexels also offers a small set of apps to make it easier for you to search and download images without interrupting your daily workflow. For instance, with a Google Slides add-on, you can add free stock images directly to your presentations. Also, if you’re a designer, you can add your desired images directly to your designs using the Sketch plugin.

3. Gratisography: Best Unconventional Free Images for Commercial Use

Gratisography’s bold and whimsical image style provides a fresh alternative to conventional stock images. Although they currently have a limited number of photos, you’ll find a quirky selection designed to capture your audience’s attention.

Gratisography has its own license that allows you to use its images for free however you like. The platform is straightforward to navigate, allowing you to quickly browse through categories such as “Goofy Grownups” and “Funky Food”. You can also find AI-generated images.

Aside from photos, Gratisography also offers free vectors. You can easily resize and edit them in software like Adobe Illustrator without any loss of quality. While you can’t download an image in different sizes, I like how the platform recommends similar photos based on your previous interests.

4. Burst: Best Business Free Images for Commercial use

Developed by Shopify, Burst provides images that are not only visually appealing but also tailored to trending business niches such as fashion, fitness, food, and technology. All images are free for commercial use, without the need to credit the creator.

Burst offers high-resolution and low-resolution downloads, making it easy to find the correct format for your needs. The platform frequently updates its library with fresh content, ensuring you have access to current and relevant visuals.

I particularly like the list of resources that help you get the most out of its free pictures. Burst also recommends trending business ideas, illustrated through case studies, to help you start and manage an online store.

5. Kaboompics: Best Free Branding Features

Kaboompics offers various categories to browse through, with a primary focus on lifestyle, interior design, fashion, and food. All images are available under a custom license similar to CC0 (Creative Commons Zero). This means you can use Kaboompics photos commercially for free, but you can’t redistribute them.

What’s unique about Kaboompics is that it allows you to download full photo shoots for free, enabling cohesive visual storytelling. For instance, you can find sets of photos titled “Minimal Coffee Aesthetic With Dark Tones and Texture” and “Malaga Spain Travel Photos With Urban Charm and Seaside Atmosphere.” The themes are diverse, so you’re likely to find what you’re looking for, regardless of your niche.

Another nifty perk is the complimentary color palette that comes with every download, making it easy to maintain consistent branding across web and print. And if those coordinated shades inspire you to give your site a makeover, our Wix Starter Guide walks you through building a polished, on-brand website for free, step by step, no design experience required.

6. Stockvault: The Easiest Image Search Process

Stockvault offers thousands of free stock photos, textures, graphics, and illustrations. All of these are contributed by professional and amateur photographers worldwide. Not all Stockvault images are free for commercial use, but you can filter the photos by Creative Commons Zero license.

You can easily browse through well-organized categories or use the search function to find specific content. I also appreciate how Stockvault categorizes the most downloaded and most loved photos to help you get started. Also, if you don’t know where to start, you can take a look at a list of the most searched free stock photo keywords for inspiration.

The site’s clean layout and user-friendly interface make it easy to download images as well. You can also like and comment on individual images.

7. Unsplash: Great Selection of Illustrations and Icons

Unsplash is a particularly great option if you’re looking for top-notch free images for commercial use. According to its website, their team hand-picks the photos, accepting only the highest-quality submissions.

There are numerous image categories to choose from, such as Film, Travel, Experimental, and 3D. You can also browse through wallpapers, illustrations, and icons, making Unsplash an excellent choice for designers and content creators. Once you’ve saved a collection of favorite shots, you can follow our step-by-step Squarespace Starter Guide to incorporate them into a unique, custom-made portfolio site that you can have up and running in a couple of hours.

Unsplash allows you to download images in various sizes. Also, with a free account, you can like the images and add them to your own collections. That way, you can keep all your favorite images in one place.

8. Dupe: Best Royalty-Free Images for a Natural Look

Dupe makes it easy to access professional-grade, royalty-free images. These photos are released under Dupe’s own license and can be used commercially at no cost. What I like about this platform is that its images look like they came straight from your camera, rather than from a generic stock website.

There are no image categories, so you can only search for photos using keywords. Still, you can filter photos by orientation and sort them by date, relevance, and popularity. In addition to photos, you can also browse through videos.

You can download Dupe’s images with a single click. Also, you can like the photos and create your own collections, provided you create a free account.

9. Magdeleine: Best Free Stock Images for an Artistic Look

Magdeleine has a small but well-curated selection of high-quality images, hand-picked from various photographers. The photos have an artsy, moody feel, with themes ranging from landscapes to abstract compositions.

You can filter images by CC0 license, and like with Kaboompics, each photo includes a free color palette. What I particularly like is the ability to filter images based on the type of camera used (CANON, EOS, or 80D) to suit your preference. You can also filter the images by dominant color and keyword.

I also like that you can switch between light and dark backgrounds while exploring the photos. Not a huge deal, but it can help you see which works best for your project.

10. Skitterphoto: Best Public Domain Photos

Skitterphoto has an original selection of images you won’t typically find on other stock sites. The selection is limited, but the archive is continuously growing.

All images are in the public domain and published under a CC0 license. There are 15 image categories to browse, including Business, Sports, and Decoration. There are also specific categories, such as Featured and Admin Picks, to help you get started.

When you click on a particular image, you can see the number of views, likes, and downloads. You can download any photo with a single click. That said, I would have liked the option to download images in different sizes.

11. StockSnap: Easy Tag-Based System for Images

Whether you need a picture of nature, people, coffee, or almost anything else, you can easily find it on StockSnap. Its tag-based category system sorts thousands of photos in order of relevance to help your search. You can sort images by date, views, downloads, and favorites.

There’s also a trending image category to help you get started. Alternatively, you can search for images by keywords. All photos on the platform are released under the CC0 license, so you can edit and use them for free for commercial purposes.

In addition to dozens of categories, there are also image collections. You can find some scenic pics in the Autumn Foliage collection.

12. ISO Republic: Best Free Videos for Commercial Use

ISO Republic features a user-friendly interface and well-organized categories, making it easy to browse and discover relevant content quickly. You’ll find videos and stock images for unrestricted commercial use under a CC0 licence.

The video selection is on the smaller side, but it is carefully curated. You’ll get high-res clips of landscapes, a hot cup of coffee, and burning candles, among others, to elevate your site’s design.

In addition to categories like Animals, Food, and Travel, there’s a collection with artistic backgrounds titled “Designer’s Toolkit.” These are particularly useful for logo design mockups.

13. Stockio: Best for Making Your Own Stock Image Collections

Stockio features a clean interface that allows you to easily browse through a wide range of free photos, vectors, icons, fonts, and videos. The platform specifies that you can use the content for free for personal and commercial purposes, without attribution. That said, you can’t use it for sales or redistribution.

You can download images in various sizes without an account. However, if you do open a Stockio account (for free), you can keep track of your downloads and favorite items and create your own collection of stock content.

One downside, however, is that images aren’t organized in categories or collections, making the search process slightly unintuitive.

14. Free Nature Stock: Best Nature-Focused Free Images

Free Nature Stock specializes in images of nature, animals, and space. It offers royalty-free photos, vectors, and videos published under a CC0 license.

You can browse through image collections or search by file type. You can also search by keywords and try out some of the popular searches listed on the website to help you get started.

Since this is a single photographer sharing their collection, the selection is a bit limited. That said, you’ll find some exceptional-looking nature images for your site as well as free mobile wallpapers.

15. New Old Stock: Best Vintage Free Images for Commercial Use

New Old Stock offers vintage photos from the public archives. According to its website, the images are collected from the institutions that participate in the Flickr Commons.

This means that the photos are available for unrestricted commercial use. That said, New Old Stock’s website also states that most of these institutions prefer that you link back to the original Flickr photo and mention the institution by name.

You’ll find a truly unique selection of images, from gold mining in New England to the museum station bookstall in Sydney. However, if you decide to use a particular image, be sure to check the institution’s rights statement through the link to the original Flickr posting (provided with each photo).

Free Images for Commercial Use –

Key Terms

If you stick to the sites I mentioned above, you won’t need to worry about licensing rights. But if you want to venture deeper into the world of stock images, there are a few terms you need to familiarize yourself with first. Understanding the meaning of these terms will help you stay on the right track when choosing images, ensuring truly unrestricted commercial use.

Creative Commons (CC)

Creative Commons licenses enable creators to grant others permission to use their work with specific terms and conditions. There are several types of CC licenses, and they usually include combinations of these elements:

• BY (Attribution): You must credit the creator.
• NC (Non-Commercial): You can’t use the image for commercial purposes.
• ND (No Derivatives): You can use the image, but not change it.
• SA (Share Alike): If you modify the image, you must share it under the same license.

For instance, a CC BY-NC license allows you to use and adapt the image for non-commercial purposes, as long as you provide proper credit.

Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Creative Commons Zero (CC0) means “no rights reserved.” The creator has waived all copyright and related rights to the extent permitted by law. With a Creative Commons Zero license, you can use the image for any purpose, including commercial.

You can also edit the image and share it without crediting the original creator (though credit is still appreciated).

Royalty-Free

“Royalty-free” doesn’t always mean the image is free of cost – just that you don’t pay per use. You may need to pay a one-time fee to obtain a license for the image. After that, you can use it multiple times without paying additional fees (royalties) for each use.

However, you have to follow specific usage terms. Some may restrict commercial use, redistribution, or using the image in logos or products for resale, such as t-shirts or mugs. Also, it’s essential to note that “royalty-free” isn’t the same as “copyright-free” – the creator (or stock website) still retains the copyright, and you’re being granted usage rights.

Public Domain

If an image is in the “public domain”, it means that it isn’t protected by copyright and is free for anyone to use. You can use it for any purpose, without needing permission or giving credit to the original creator. You can modify or adapt the image and use it commercially. You can also share or resell it, as well as use it without attribution (unless required by the source platform’s terms).

That said, there are some things to watch out for. Some images may be labeled “public domain” incorrectly, so you should always verify the source. Additionally, an image may be in the public domain, but it may still display logos, brands, or people, which can hold separate rights. Public domain images of people may lack a model release, which is required for commercial use involving recognizable individuals.

If you’re using images for business or publishing purposes, always double-check the licensing details on the site where you found the image.

How To Pick Stock Images for Free Commercial Use

Selecting the right free images for commercial use involves more than just grabbing the first visually appealing photo. It’s crucial to ensure the images are high quality, relevant, and legally safe to use. Here’s how to get it right:

Helpful Search Techniques

Use filters effectively – search by orientation (horizontal/vertical), color scheme, image type (photo, vector, or illustration), or contributor. You can also add modifiers like “minimalist,” “copy space,” or “isometric” to narrow down results.

Also, you can try using words like “and”, “or”, and “not” to expand or narrow your search parameters – these words are known as Boolean operators. For example, you can type in “food AND background” or exclude terms with “- logo” to refine your search.

When it comes to keywords, it’s a good idea to start with broad terms, then drill down using more specific words. For instance, instead of “happy,” try “smiling professional at desk.” Terms like “authentic,” “remote work,” or “eco-friendly” will likely bring modern, high-conversion images. Also, synonyms and localization (e.g., “flat” vs. “apartment”) can help yield better results.

Image Quality Assessment

It’s a good idea to look for images with a resolution of at least 3000 x 2000 pixels for print and 1920 x 1080 pixels for digital use. Zoom in to ensure sharpness – a high-resolution file may still look blurry if the photo is poorly shot.

You can use free tools like TinyJPG or Squoosh to check if an image is overly compressed. Excessive compression introduces artifacts, which degrade image quality when the image is enlarged.

Here are some size guidelines for different uses you might find helpful:

• Web banners: 1920 x 1080 px
• Instagram posts: 1080 x 1080 px
• Printed flyers: at least 2550 x 3300 px

It’s recommended to start with a larger file than needed – it’s easier to scale down than up.

You should avoid stretching images disproportionately. You can use editing tools like Figma, Canva, or Photoshop to maintain aspect ratios. Also, you can leave a margin for overlays or text, and crop to focus on key subjects without cutting off essential elements.

If you still don’t have your images ready but want to keep your project moving forward, you can use our placeholder image generator tool. It’s free to use and allows you to quickly create dummy images for your designs.

If your project is website-related, follow our comprehensive Wix Starter Guide to turn those assets into a cohesive, branded website without paying for a developer.

AI Image Considerations

AI tools like Midjourney, Gemini, and ChatGPT are currently producing impressive images, though the best models are paid for. Also, AI-generated stock images are increasingly available on platforms like Pixabay and Gratisography. While they can be visually stunning, consider the following:

• License clarity: Ensure the image is marked as free for commercial use without attribution. Some AI content still carries ambiguous rights.
• Authenticity check: AI images may contain visual anomalies – look closely at hands, eyes, or backgrounds to spot unrealistic features.
• Consistency in branding: AI images can look overly polished. Blend them carefully with real photography to maintain a coherent visual identity.

These Are the Best Free Images for Commercial Use

Professional-quality stock photos are an efficient way to create engaging content on a budget. With numerous stock image platforms available, it can be challenging to determine which ones offer truly free images for commercial use.

All websites on my list make it easy to search and download free images you can use right away. You’ll find a variety of options, whether you’re running an online business, publishing monetized content, or managing a professional website.

If you’re still undecided, here’s a look at my top picks.

FAQ

How to get free images for commercial use without a watermark?

You should use reputable free image websites such as Pexels, Pixabay, and Burst by Shopify. These platforms provide stock images for free commercial use, without watermarks. Additionally, no attribution is required, so you can upload them to your site with confidence.

Can I use free images for client work?

Yes. Most free stock platforms, such as Pixabay, allow the use of their images in client projects, including websites, advertisements, presentations, and branding materials. However, it’s essential to ensure that you’re not using images of recognizable people or logos in a misleading or sensitive context. Also, be sure you’re not reselling the image as-is (e.g., prints or merchandise) unless the license allows it.

Is Pexels 100% free?

Yes, Pexels is completely free to use. You can download and use all images and videos for both personal and commercial purposes. Pexels has a diverse image selection suitable for various industries. It also offers several apps, such as Google Slides, so you can sync your daily workflow and stock image research.

Can I use ChatGPT images for commercial use?

Yes, images created with ChatGPT can be used for commercial projects, such as client work, social media content, marketing materials, and product designs. However, you must follow OpenAI’s usage policies, which prohibit generating content that violates copyright, trademarks, or ethical standards. It’s important to always review generated images for accuracy and appropriateness before publishing.