It can be difficult finding high-quality images for use on social media or marketing materials. Most people are aware of the big images libraries such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and iStockphoto with their huge image libraries. But what about the businesses with a limited budget? Well, luckily there are online image galleries out there that run on different revenue models and as such provide images for free.
An important note: When using search engines like Google to find images, you have to be careful using the images for business purposes as many are under copyright. This means they can’t be used without direct permission from the copyright owner. However, Google image search does has a helpful tool for identifying images suitable for business use. It can be found under ‘Tools’ and then ‘Usage rights’.
Additionally, you may come across the term ‘creative commons licence’. This describes the type of usage licence the image or image provider holds. Though there are six main types of CC licenses, you will likely find the two types on free image platforms:
CC0: you can use the images in any way you like, including commercial purposes.
CC-BY: you are free to use the images but will need to credit (attribution) the original photographer or licence holder.
We have listed some of our favourite resources for free images below. Always make sure to double-check the attribution and licensing restrictions based on your intended use.
Pixabay
A library of over 5 million high-quality royalty-free images. You can find illustrations, vector artwork, videos, music and sound effects on Pixabay.
Attribution required: No
Commercial use: Yes
Unsplash
A great site for high-resolution photos for a community of photographers and artists. If you subscribe to their newsletter you get sent 10 new photos every 10 days.
Attribution required: No
Commercial use: Yes
Canva
For those who are Canva Pro users, you can access a wide variety of images for free, directly in the design editing mode. A great choice for those who regularly use Canva and don’t want to find images outside of the software.
Attribution required: No
Commercial use: Yes
Pexels
A simple to use site with a rankings leaderboard of top photographers on the site. An active community of photographers use the site.
Attribution required: No
Commercial use: Yes (with alteration)
StockSnap
Features a great range of filters and categories to find the right image for your project without copyright restrictions.
Attribution required: No
Commercial use: Yes
picjumbo
Premium quality stock images. Sign up to their newsletter to receive a collection of free images every week. Be aware that some photos may contain copyrighted brands, logos etc.
Attribution required: No
Commercial use: Yes
Gratisography
A fantastic gallery of images, many with a marketing or commercial style. They add new images weekly. A large majority of the images on Gratisography are AI generated or edited.
Attribution required: No
Commercial use: Yes
Morguefile
Don’t let the name put you off, this site has a great selection of images and good search facility. To download the images you will need to create an account with them. They also have additional resources such as free lessons for those who want to learn the basics of photography.
Attribution required: No
Commercial use: Yes
