Have you ever found the perfect image only to realize it is subject to copyright? Yes? Me too. The real bummer is when you cannot find another one as perfect as that one. However, there is a way for you to get an even better-looking image — for free!
Many designers prefer to use royalty-free images, videos, and music — nobody wants to get embroiled in a copyright infringement lawsuit. Finding these free images can be a pain because even though some claim to be “free”, you can only download a limited number of photos for free, you have to give credit, and/or you have to buy an upgrade to experience the full benefits. With this list of free stock photo websites, you will not have to worry about any of that.
Here is our list of the 10 best websites for free vectors and stock photos:
- Unsplash
- Pixabay
- Pexels
- Stocksnap.io
- Gratisography
- Reshot
- Stockvault
- Picjumbo
- Picspree
- Skitterphoto
Unsplash
Unsplash is one of the most useful royalty-free stock image sources available to UX/UI designers, and rightfully so. It boasts over 2 million high-quality images that are perfect for all your design needs. Each photo is released under the Unsplash license and thousands of new photos are made available every day, so you will always have some fresh, new choices.
Pixabay
Pixabay is another free stock image website that offers over 2.3 million free resources including images, videos, and music. Unlike Unsplash, Pixabay is more focused on business and marketing; hence, it is an ideal choice for UX/UI designers looking to refresh their company’s image.
Pexels
In addition to the vast quantity of royalty-free images that Pexels offers, there are several other useful features that might interest UX/UI designers. First, Pexels gives you the option to create private collections, so you can save your favorite photos and use them as many times as you want without having to search for them again.
Secondly, you can follow your favorite photographers and keep updated on any new material they release. Finally, there is the Pexels app for Zoom. Upon installation, it allows you to use any video or photo as your virtual background when you are on a video call.
Stocksnap.io
Stocksnap.io boasts a vast collection of high-resolution images that are completely free for personal and commercial use. They are always updating their pool, as hundreds of new photos are added every day. You can also use the tag feature to help you find what you are looking for much easier.
Gratisography
Gratisography is the place to go if you are looking for unique stock photos. Unlike many of their counterparts, Gratisography does not focus on the quantity of photos. They prefer quality. As the self-proclaimed “quirkiest” collector of high-quality photos, different is what they do best.
Reshot
Reshot boasts a large selection of vectors and stock photos. It is a community designed to give freelance, as well as new designers and photographers a place to share their work and creativity. One of the perks of this website is that it allows you to download in different formats such as PNG, SVG, et cetera.
Stockvault
Another great free stock image resource for UX/UI designers is Stockvault. Like many of the other resources on this list, Stockvault adds to its collection daily. In addition to vectors and stock photos, you can find textures.
Picjumbo
Picjumbo is a free stock photo resource that was created in 2013 by Viktor Hanacek. To date, the site has had more than 8.2 million downloads. Their mission is to share beautiful and unique photos with the world that are completely free. They also have a variety of categories from which to choose, including animals, food, nature, and technology.
Picspree
Picspree boasts its own community of contributors who share their work so that it can be downloaded for both personal and commercial use. All of the images are free and no attribution is required for their use. However, they also have an additional premium service where you can purchase an image on their preferred partner website.
Skitterphoto
Skitterphoto is a free image resource website that was founded in 2014. At the time, its own photographers uploaded and shared their work for free. Nowadays, other photographers are also able to do the same. They have a variety of categories including technology, business/commerce, industry, and travel.
Conclusion
There you have it! Now you know where to find free vectors and stock photos for all your design needs.
