28 Best Free Stock Photo Sites You Should Start Using in 2019

If pictures are worth a thousand words then what are free stock photo sites worth?

I honestly can’t describe the feeling.

Don’t you just hate it when you’re done with your fantastic article and all you need is a nice photo to go along with it but all that pops up in Google image search are photos from Shutterstock, Getty Images and what have you.

I know how frustrating that can be because as a web designer, I’m in constant demand for high-quality, beautiful photos that will breathe life into my designs.

It’s easy If you have a camera, you could just go out and take a couple of pictures and slam it on your design right?

Well, also, you need to have some photography skills to turn out some beautiful photos.

You can use your smartphone but then you have to worry about lighting, sharpness, depth of field and all that stuff that just makes a simple task look rather complicated.

This is where free stock photo library comes to the rescue. 

They are definitely a good resource for high-quality, high-resolution photos, beautifully taken by amateur and professional photographers just for your creative pleasure. 

There are loads of free stock photo websites out there and I will be updating this list with more and more of them when I discover.

All photos on the stock photo websites on this list are free to use, with most of them licensed on the Creative Commons (CC0) meaning you are not required to give credit to the author. 

These are stock photo sites I use on a regular basis and I’ve never had any copyright-related issue so encourage you to give them a try and add some life to your designs and content. 

1. Pexels

Pexels is undoubtedly the best free stock photo and video site on the internet today.

This is my number one resource for high-quality images that will truly spice up your designs.

Their collection of free stock photos is so huge that I literally get confused and overwhelmed when searching for photos.

Most of the photos are free to use without giving credits to the photographer while others require you to so pay special attention when sourcing for photos on Pexel

2. PixaBay

Pixabay has a huge collection of high-quality stock photos and videos that are free to use in your projects.

Just like Pexels, the collection of photos can be quite overwhelming just by share numbers. 

Lots of Pixabay photos are also featured on Pexels so don’t be surprised when you come across them while browsing.

3. Unsplash

Unsplash has a huge collection of high-quality stock photos that you can use for your designs and blog contents.

With lots of categories to choose from, Unsplash makes it easy to find photos that are interesting and useful.

This can easily be your one-stop free stock photo website.

4. Burst by Shopify

Browse a huge collection of high-quality free stock photos from Burst and spice up your content.

Burst is a free stock photo website by Shopify and photos are licensed under the Creative Commons so they are free to use for both personal and commercial use.

5. Reshot

Looking for high-quality free stock photos, try Reshot. They have a huge high-quality free stock photo collection that will cater for most of your needs.

6. FoodiesFeed

If you’re into food blogging then you should definitely try FoodiesFeed.

They have a massive collection of high-quality, close-up photos of food, fruits and drinks you can use in your blog. 

It’s a one-stop-shop for those into food blogging or just looking for images related to food.

7. Gratisography

Lots of high-quality free stock photos to choose from and all completely free to use.

If you’ve tried all other free stock photo sites on this list and couldn’t find any photo of interest, you should definitely try this.

8. Picography

A huge library of high-quality free stock photos and an easy way to browse around, this is what Picography is all about.  

Photos are grouped into tags making it easy for you to quickly browse around and find the photos you need for your next design or content project.

9. Kaboom Pics

Looking for high-quality close-up shots, try Kaboom pics. The library comprises of lots of close-up shots, well detailed, high-quality photos that you can start using today.

10. ISO Republic

ISO Republic has thousands of high-quality free stock photos for your design and blogging needs.

The website is well laid out which makes browsing for photos a breeze.  

The images are also grouped into collection what they refer to as collection packs making it easy to browse for collections like Animals, Architecture, Arts etc.

11. Metropolitan Museum of Art

If you’re an art lover or just interested in ancient artefacts and paintings then you should definitely check out The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection for high-quality photos on artwork and artefacts that date back centuries.

12. Iwaria

I remember the look on my face when I discovered this free stock photo website of high-quality African photos.

If you’ve ever tried looking for real African photos (not those crappy looking photos of sick children promoted by mainstream media), you’d understand my joy when I stumbled on this website.

If you are ever in need of beautiful high-quality African photos for your next project, I highly recommend you check out Iwaria.

13. Skitterphoto

This is another great website for high-quality photos. Skitterphoto was launched in 2014 by amateur photographers with day jobs from Groningen and Drenthe in The Netherlands.

Their collection is quite impressive with lots of high-quality free stock photos to choose from.

14. LifeofPix

A community-driven free stock photo library with an impressive variety of free stock photos and videos to choose from.

15. ThePicPac

If you’re looking for well organized free stock photos that tell stories then the ThePicPac is the way to go.

Their collection of photos are free to download but you’re encouraged to support their work by paying what you want for the photo pack.

You should definitely check them out if you want consistent photos you can tell a story with. Don’t forget to support their work, it is truly amazing.

16. Picspree

Picspree is a platform to discover and download beautiful high-quality free stock photos for personal and commercial use. There are also lots of categories to choose from.

17. My Stock Photos

When I need high-quality Architectural or Landscape photo, this is where I end up. My Stock Photos has an impressive collection of high-quality photos in Architecture, Animals, Landscape, People and Flowers. 

18. ABSFreePic

ABSFreePic offers a huge collection of high-quality free stock photos released under the Creative Commons Zero license. You can use the photos for personal or commercial projects.

19. Trunklog

Trunklog is a simple photoblog by photographer Magnus Jälthammar. The photos are free to use without credit to him. 

20. Jeshoots

Launched in 2014, Jeshoots is a photobank by photographer Jan Vasek who believes in helping artist around the world with high-quality professional images and PSD mockups for your projects.

You should definitely check him out and support his work.

21. Designerspics

Designerspics offers high-resolution, high-quality free stock photos you can use in your projects without attribution. 

22. Splashbase

Splashbase offers high-resolution free stock photos and videos you can use in your projects. 

23. Jay Mantri

Jay Mantri has a beautiful collection of Landscape, Beach and Cityscape photos all licensed under the creative commons license.

You are free to use the images in your projects.

24. Moveast

As the name suggests, Moveast is a collection of high-quality free stock photos by João Pacheco as he journeys across Asia.

There are lots of beautiful photos to choose from so if you are struggling to find photos for your Asian content, you should definitely check his collection out.

25. Stocksnap

Stocksnap is a collection of beautiful high-quality free stock photos with hundreds of high-resolution photos added each week. 

26. Littlevisuals

This is a sad one. Littlevisuals is a personal free stock photo website designed by Nic who unfortunately passed away November of 2013.

His family has been able to keep the website running in his memory which I really applaud.

You can find high-quality free stock photos to use in your projects but also consider giving a small donation to keep his memory alive.

27. New Old Stock

Are you looking for some vintage photos? This is your one-stop resource for free high-quality vintage photos.

All photos are free from copyright restrictions meaning you have access to a library of high-quality vintage photos to spice up your designs and blog post.

28. Picjumbo

Picjumbo offers a huge collection of beautiful free stock photos for personal and commercial use.

---

There you have it, all the free stock photo websites you will ever need right there.

If you are using these free stock photos for your blog or website, make sure they are optimized and compressed properly in other not to slow down your website.

To see how high-resolution images can affect your website performance, please click here.

Did I miss any free stock photo website that you think should be on this list? Please leave it in the comment section below, thanks.