People are naturally visual. A picture communicates far more to us than a block of text. When readers of your online publications see a beautiful and relevant photo, they’re more likely to engage with your story, and the message of your e-Zine is more likely to stick. And fortunately, it doesn’t have to cost you anything. The web is full of free images that you can use in your online magazines.

People are naturally visual. A picture communicates far more to us than a block of text. When readers of your online publications see a beautiful and relevant photo, they’re more likely to engage with your story, and the message of your e-Zine is more likely to stick. And fortunately, it doesn’t have to cost you anything. The web is full of free images that you can use in your online magazines.

To save you from being overwhelmed, we’ve put together this blog to present the 12 best stock photo sites where you can find royalty-free images. Additionally, we offer 3 tips for paid stock photo sites.

A small disclaimer: most free stock photo sites pull from the same sources, so it’s likely that you’ll come across the same images on several of these sites. Stock photo sites mainly differ in the types of photos, photo quality, and search functionality. It’s important to pick the sites that best suit your preferences. The links in this blog will guide you to your favorite sites where you can discover hidden gems in the vast selection of images.

One tip before you begin: always filter out low-resolution photos from your search results. They won’t enhance your publications. Many sites offer advanced search options to help you find high-resolution material. Use these.

Our Top 15 Stock Photo Sites

Below, we take you through our 15 favorite sites, with the first 12 offering royalty-free photos. For each site, we briefly describe:

• A short characterization of the site
• The breadth of the photo selection
• The style and nature of the photos
• The quality of the photos

Our 15 Winners:

Sites with royalty-free photos:

1. Pexels
2. Unsplash
3. Libreshot
4. Lifeofpix
5. Picjumbo
6. Gratisography
7. Pixabay
8. Kaboompics
9. Stocksnap
10. Fancycrave
11. Pikwizard
12. Splitshire

Paid stock photo sites:

13. iStock
14. Shutterstock
15. 123RF

1. Pexels – Best free stockfoto’s in one place

Pexels is one of our absolute favorites. The Pexels team expands its collection daily by manually selecting the best photos from other stock photo sites. This results in a consistently high-quality offering, though the selection isn’t as extensive.

• Selection: Around 30,000 photos
• Style: Highly varied, with a focus on quality

2. Unsplash – Beautiful, free photos

Unsplash started as a Tumblr blog and has grown into a large photo community with over 300,000 images and thousands more added daily. The photos are of high quality and more diverse than those on Pexels, especially in specific themes.

• Selection: Over 300,000 photos
• Style: Similar to Pexels but with more options per theme
• Quality: High resolution; 8+

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3. Libreshot – Free fine art photography

Libreshot, curated by Martin Vorel, offers a collection of unique and artistic images, ranging from architectural photos to breathtaking nature shots.

• Selection: Surprisingly wide
• Style: Fine art photography; highly artistic and unique
• Quality: High resolution and vibrant colors; 8+

4. Lifeofpix – Free high resolution photography

Lifeofpix offers fewer than 5,000 photos, but they are professional and natural. You won’t find standard stock images here. Use the filters and search function to find high-quality, natural images.

• Selection: Under 5,000
• Style: Professional, realistic, and serious
• Quality: High resolution and beautiful colors; 8+

5. Picjumbo – Free stock photos

Picjumbo stands out for the high resolution and clarity of its photos, though the selection is narrower compared to other sites. The site is easy to navigate, and search results are presented clearly.

• Selection: Limited, but focused on quality
• Style: Feels like browsing through a professional photographer’s portfolio
• Quality: Clear and sharp; we rate it 8+

6. Gratisography – Quirky, Creative, Always Free Photos

Gratisography specializes in unique, free images with a quirky twist. While the selection isn’t broad, the quality and originality are impressive.

• Selection: Not extensive
• Style: Humorous and unique, with a distinct style
• Quality: Detailed and colorful; 7.5+

7. Pixabay · Beautiful, Free Images

• Aanbod: ruim 1.500.000
• Karakter foto’s: Doordat het aanbod zo ruim is, is niet elke foto even kwalitatief sterk zoals bijvoorbeeld bij Pexels wel het geval is. Ook hebben sommige foto’s een ‘stocky’ karakter. Denk aan te perfecte foto’s met mooie vrouwen met te witte tanden. Dit wil echter niet zeggen dat Pixabay onbruikbaar is. Als je goed zoekt vind je vaak wel wat moois.
• Kwaliteit foto’s: De meeste foto’s zijn van goede kwaliteit, 7+

Pixabay

Pixabay boasts over 1.5 million images, but the quality varies. Use filters to refine your search for better results. While not every image is high quality, you can usually find gems with some effort.

• Selection: Over 1.5 million
• Style: Varies; some images are overly ‘stocky’
• Quality: Generally good; 7+

8. Kaboompics – Exclusive free photos

Kaboompics offers a consistently high-quality selection, especially in terms of color and resolution. Use the advanced search features to find exactly what you’re looking for.

• Selection: Limited but high-quality
• Style: Serious, nature and culture-focused
• Quality: 7.5+

9. Stocksnap – Beautiful free stock photos

Stocksnap offers a huge selection, though not every image is top-notch. With careful searching, you can find some excellent photos.

• Selection: Extensive
• Style: Varied; some great, some typical ‘stocky’ photos
• Quality: Mostly good; 7+

10. Fancycrave – Fuel for your creative projects

Fancycrave offers themed photopacks that provide a collection of images within specific categories. While the selection is small, the quality is consistently good.

• Selection: Less than 5,000
• Style: Packs have a consistent atmosphere and style
• Quality: Generally good, with some standout images; 7+

11. Pikwizard – Free images library

Pikwizard is a user-friendly site with high-quality images. You can filter by trending, latest, views, favorites, or downloads, and the design wizard allows basic editing like adding text overlays.

• Selection: Surprisingly wide
• Style: Consistent but beautiful
• Quality: Solid; 7+

12. Splitshire – Free Stock Photos For Commercial Use

Splitshire is a smaller site with a high-quality selection. While the range of styles is broad, the overall quality is strong.

• Selection: Around 1,000 photos
• Style: Each photo has a distinct identity
• Quality: Sharp and realistic; 7+

The Rights of Free Stock Photos

You’re probably wondering if you can just use these photos without any restrictions. The answer is yes. You can copy, distribute, modify, and use the free images from the sites mentioned above for commercial purposes without needing the author’s permission. These images are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. This means that the stock photo sites have gifted their images to the public. You can read more about this license on the Creative Commons website.

Our top 3 Paid Stock Photo sites

While there is a vast selection of free images available, for the most extensive collection and consistent quality, you may want to consider using paid stock photo sites. Given the enormous range, it’s helpful to make good use of the search options. The more keywords you enter, the more precise your results will be. Then, use filters to further refine your search results.

Here are our top three paid stock photo sites:

13. iStock
14. Shutterstock
15. 123RF

13. iStock – Easily Find the Right Content

You won’t find better images than on iStock. One advantage of iStock is that you can download individual images as needed.
Bonus: iStock also has an app.

• Selection: Approximately 9 million images
• Style: The images exude professionalism, beauty, and quality. With the right search skills, you can find any image you want.
• Quality: Exceptional quality. The best of the best. We rate iStock 9+.

14. Shutterstock – tock Photos, Images, and Royalty-Free Videos

Shutterstock also offers exceptionally high-quality images. Clear and vibrant colors, but this quality comes at a cost. However, if you plan to download a large number of images monthly, Shutterstock is more cost-effective.
Shutterstock also has an app.

• Selection: More than 90 million images
• Style: Similar to iStock’s collection—professional and breathtaking images.
• Quality: Professional, high-resolution images. We rate Shutterstock 9+.

15. 123RF – Stock Photography, Royalty-Free Images, and Stock Footage

123RF 123RF offers beautiful images and is relatively affordable compared to iStock and Shutterstock.
123RF also has an app.

• Selection: Over 65 million images
• Style: Generally, 123RF images are clear and sharp. However, some images have a ‘stocky’ feel.
• Quality: Most 123RF images are of excellent quality. We rate 123RF 8.5+.

If you want to learn more about the possibilities of Magzmaker or creating an online magazine or digital brochure, feel free to contact us, and we’ll explain everything.