An image is worth a 1000 words. How about two high resolution images then? and what if you can get that image for free from a free stock images source?. All kidding aside, soon after you start writing your blog article, you will arrive at a point before publishing it. At this point, you have to pick a feature image. The image must suit your article theme and complement the narrative. You do not have to spend thousands of dollars on getting high resolution images for your blog. This is true unless you are a huge commercial news agency.

Nonetheless, if you are a blogger focusing on your niche audience, you do not have to spend tons of money. You can still get the right images (for free) to complement your blog. Getting free stock images for your blog starts with understanding the types of image licenses first. We have analyzed 20 websites where you can get high quality free stock images. We have picked Pexels as the overall winner.

Overall Winner among free stock photo providers:

Pexels is the overall winner. It offers Free Stock Media, Offers high-quality images and videos at no cost. It ranks high for easy navigation for both beginners and experienced users. Pexels has a wide range of themes and niches suitable for various projects. You can download images without needing to create an account. Lets you to quickly find relevant visuals with efficient search options. Continuous contributions from photographers keeps fresh content. Overall, Pexels is an excellent resource for blogging, marketing, and other creative endeavors.

Freepik stands out as the top choice for niche categories. This is due to its extensive collection of vectors and diverse themes.

Read on more to understand detailed ratings, licensing types definitions. All the free image sources we have documented here are also ranked on basic user facing questions. e.g. do we need to log in before downloading images?

Understanding licenses of stock images

When it comes to images, there are two broad categories of images

• Copyrighted images
• Creative Commons Public Domain images

Copyrighted images:

These images are protected by copyright law, which grants the creator exclusive rights to use, distribute, and change them. You need permission or a license to use, copy, or change copyrighted works. Using them without authorization can result in legal repercussions. The licensing terms that let you use copyrighted images fall into three broad categories. Royalty-free (RF), rights-ready (RR), and rights-managed (RM) images. Here is the summary view of how you can use each of these licensed images:

RF: Pay once, use many times, fewer restrictions. RR: Flexible usage with some limitations; a middle ground.RM: Pay per use, highly specific licensing, potentially exclusive.

Creative Commons (CCO) Public Domain images

CCO images refers to a licensing choice. It enables creators of the images to relinquish their rights to a work. This allows anyone (any blogger) to use, change , and distribute it without needing permission or attribution.

What are high resolution images:

Any image can be called as a high resolution one if it satisfies one of the below criteria:

• An image with a pixel count of more than 300 dots per inch.
• Images that have dimensions more than 1920 X 1080 pixels

High resolution images offer exceptional clarity and detail, making them perfect for a range of professional uses. They will be ideal for your blog usage if are chasing top quality standards. You can aim for high standards for both on social media and on the blog itself.

20 places where you can get free stock images including high resolution images

• Unsplash – A vast collection of high-quality, free images contributed by talented photographers.
• Pexels – Offers a wide range of free stock photos and videos, all focused on quality.
• Pixabay – A large library of free images, illustrations, and videos available for use.
• Burst (by Shopify) – Provides free high-resolution images specifically designed for entrepreneurs and businesses.
• Freepik – A resource for free and premium images, vectors, and PSDs (attribution is required for free downloads).
• Kaboompics – Features high-quality free images, particularly in lifestyle and interior design categories.
• Reshot – A curated collection of unique, handpicked free photos from a community of photographers.
• ShotStash – Offers a selection of free stock photos that are easy to search through.
• Morguefile – A source for free photos suitable for both personal and commercial projects.
• Foodiesfeed – Specializes in free food-related stock images, ideal for food bloggers.
• Life of Pix – Features high-resolution images donated by a creative agency in Montreal.
• SplitShire – Provides a variety of free high-resolution photos for personal and commercial use.
• ISO Republic – Offers high-quality photos and videos that are free for personal and commercial projects.
• Gratisography – A collection of unique and quirky free images that add a distinctive touch.
• New Old Stock – Vintage photos sourced from public archives, available for free use.
• Picjumbo – Features a wide array of free stock photos across various categories.
• Pikwizard – A large collection of free images focused on business and lifestyle themes.
• Flickr – Search for images under the Creative Commons license to find free options (check individual licenses).
• Rawpixel – Offers a mix of free and premium images, including vectors and mockups (some require attribution).
• Skitterphoto – A platform with free stock photos contributed by a team of photographers

Ranking of free stock images websites

We ranked all the above high resolution image platforms on a scale of 1 to 10 on these parameters:

• Ease of search
• Accuracy of search
• Range of images
• Number of niches of images
• Website browsing experience
• Community strength
• Search filtering options.

Here is a heat map comparing all the rankings:

Free stock images website rated on various questions:

We have evaluated the above twenty tools on these questions ?

• Do you need to log in to download the images ?
  • Except Freepik and Rawpixel all the other platforms lets you download images with out logging in.
• Does the platform support high resolution images?
  • All websites support download of high resolution images
• Is there a support for SVG / vector based images?
  • Only Pixabay and Freepik has SVG image option available
• Is it mandatory to give credit to the original owner?
  • We tried our best to reserach on this question. Please do your own research before using every image on a specific platform.
• Can you buy additional premium images?
  • Both Flickr and Pixabay allow you to buy premium images
• Is there a help desk support
  • Some platforms offer helpdesk support
• Is the platform too specific on certain set of niches?
  • Yes. Some websites are specific to certain niches. Please check before using them.

Pexels is overall the best free stock images platform to download high resolution images:

The overall winner among the free stock image platforms is Pexels. Here’s why:

1. Ease of Use

Pexels has a user-friendly interface. It makes it easy for both beginners and experienced users to navigate. Users can find images quickly.

2. High-Quality Content

The platform offers a wide range of high-quality images and videos that are well-curated. The community of photographers often contributes, ensuring fresh and diverse content.

3. Versatility

Pexels supports a broad array of niches, making it suitable for various projects—whether for blogging, marketing, or social media.

4. No Login Required

Users can download images without needing to create an account, streamlining the process.

5. Good Search Functionality

The search feature is effective, allowing users to find relevant images quickly. While it has some basic filters, it still provides a decent range of options.