If you are looking for royalty-free images to illustrate an article or a website, you have come to the right place. In this article, we share some great sources of websites that offer free image collections.

Licensing

Most images and photos in these libraries are licensed under Creative Commons or have been placed in the public domain. This means you can use, copy, modify, or distribute them for various purposes, including commercial use.

Some sites may ask for attribution — that is, a mention of where the image came from. For each provider, we have noted the usage restrictions and any attribution guidelines. That said, we always recommend checking the specific terms of use, as they can vary from image to image.

Free Image Libraries

FREEPIK

FREEPIK is one of the largest free image libraries. You can use images on your website, in business card design, brochures, or any other materials promoting your business.

You can choose between a free or paid subscription. The free plan requires attribution for each image used. With the paid plan, you do not need to credit the author. In short, if you only need a handful of images per day, the free plan will be more than enough.

Visit FREEPIK.

UNSPLASH

UNSPLASH is a library of royalty-free photos. Based in Montreal, it offers over 1 million high-definition photos and has quickly become one of the most appreciated resources for designers.

All photos can be downloaded and used for free for commercial purposes — no conditions required. Attribution is not mandatory but is appreciated by photographers as it gives exposure to their work and encourages them to share freely.

Visit UNSPLASH.

PEXELS

PEXELS offers a completely free, royalty-free library of photos and videos. You can use them on your website, online store, newsletter, and in printed materials such as brochures, cards, books, and more.

No attribution required. Crediting the photographer is not mandatory, but always appreciated. You may also modify the photos and videos.

Visit PEXELS.

CC Search

CC Search is a search engine that indexes all images available in the public domain or under open licenses. Creative Commons, a non-profit organization, created the CC license and developed this lesser-known search tool. Its goal is to help creators share their work and boost creativity.

Currently, CC Search offers only images, but plans to expand to all types of media in order to ultimately provide access to the entire public domain.

Visit CC Search.

PIXABAY

Pixabay is a library of over 1.8 million royalty-free images. It includes vector images, video clips, photos, icons, and illustrations. Founded in 2010 in Germany, it has become an essential resource for bloggers, designers, advertisers, and journalists.

Pixabay uses its own "Pixabay License" — all content can be used freely on any medium for commercial or personal purposes. Attribution is not required but is always appreciated by creators. You may modify Pixabay images, but you cannot resell the result.

Visit PIXABAY.

RAWPIXEL

Rawpixel is an image library offering royalty-free images, PSDs, vectors, and exclusive works. You need to create a free account to download up to 10 images per day. For unlimited downloads and access to exclusive content, a paid subscription is required. Two different licenses are available: personal and commercial, the latter being required for professional projects.

Visit RAWPIXEL.

How to Search Image Libraries Effectively

Image libraries offer many search filters. Here are some useful tips for more targeted searches.

Describe the elements you want to see.

For example, for a young man searching at a computer, try: "young man + computer + desk".

Specify color and brightness.

For example: yellow, dark, bright.

Think in symbols.

Instead of describing a concept with a word, try searching for what symbolizes it. For example, to illustrate the word "idea," use "light bulb" in your search.

Search by angle.

You can also define the camera angle — use "drone" or "aerial" to get top-down photos.

Search by era.

Indicate the era that matches your search, such as: retro, 1970s.

Conclusion

We hope these royalty-free image libraries will help you unleash your creativity and successfully complete your projects. Feel free to share in the comments any libraries you use that are not listed in this article.