9 Best Free Images and Stock Photos Sites for Blogs (2026)

Free images and stock photos make every blog post better. Looking for the best free images and stock photos for your blog or website? You don’t need to pay for stock photos or risk a copyright notice by grabbing pictures from Google Images. Several reliable stock photo sites let you download high-quality photos free for commercial use, usually without attribution. We use them on this blog every week. Here are the best free stock photo sites in 2026, and how to use their images safely.

Quick answer: For most blogs, start with Unsplash, Pexels and Pixabay. All three offer free photos for commercial use without required attribution. For openly licensed and public domain images, search Openverse or Wikimedia Commons, and check each image’s licence.

Best free images and stock photos sites

1. Unsplash

Unsplash has millions of beautiful, high-resolution photos from photographers around the world. Images under the Unsplash License are free for commercial and personal use without attribution, though crediting the photographer is appreciated. Some results are from the paid Unsplash+ collection and are marked with a plus badge.

2. Pexels

Pexels offers free stock photos and free stock videos, with strong search and curated collections. It’s great for lifestyle, business and technology images. The Pexels license allows free use without attribution.

3. Pixabay

Pixabay has photos plus free illustrations, vector graphics, videos and music, which is handy for blog graphics and icons. Use the filters to hide sponsored results from paid stock sites.

4. Openverse

Openverse, run by WordPress.org, searches hundreds of millions of Creative Commons and public domain images from sources like Flickr and museums. Licences vary, so check whether attribution is needed for each image.

5. Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons is the best place for photos of real places, landmarks, historical events and people. Most images need attribution under their Creative Commons licence.

6. StockSnap.io

StockSnap.io adds hundreds of new high-resolution photos every week, all released under the CC0 licence, so no attribution is needed.

7. Burst by Shopify

Burst is Shopify’s free stock photo site, with images aimed at online stores, products and small businesses.

8. Freepik

Freepik mixes free and premium photos, vectors and templates. Free downloads usually require attribution, and some assets are premium-only, so read the licence before using them.

9. ISO Republic

ISO Republic offers free CC0 photos and videos with a creative, editorial style.

How to find free images on Google

In Google Images, search for your topic, click Tools → Usage rights and choose Creative Commons licenses. Always click through and confirm the licence on the source page, as Google’s filter isn’t a guarantee. You can also use other image search engines with similar filters.

How to use free images and stock photos safely

• Read the licence: “free” can mean CC0, a site licence, or Creative Commons with attribution. Some forbid selling the image unchanged or using it in a logo.
• Be careful with people and brands: photos with recognisable people, logos or products may not be suitable for ads or endorsements.
• Download, don’t hotlink: upload images to your own site rather than linking to another server (and stop others hotlinking yours).
• Keep a record of the source page and licence for each image you use.

Optimise free images and stock photos for your website

• Resize images to the width your theme displays, often 1200px or less.
• Compress and convert to WebP or AVIF to cut file size.
• Add descriptive alt text for accessibility and image SEO.
• Use lazy loading for images below the fold.

Need something no stock site has? Try AI art generators to create original images, and check their terms for commercial use.

Frequently asked questions

Are Unsplash and Pexels images really free for commercial use?

Yes. Both allow free commercial use without attribution under their own licences. You can’t sell the photos unchanged or create a competing stock photo service with them.

Do I need to credit free stock photos?

Not for Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay or CC0 sites, though credit is appreciated. Creative Commons images from Openverse, Wikimedia Commons and Freepik’s free tier usually require attribution.

Can I use images from Google Images on my blog?

Only if the licence allows it. Most images in Google results are copyrighted. Use the Usage rights filter and confirm the licence on the source site.