28 Mar The 12+ Best Places For Free Stock Images

Confusion related to legal aspects of image usage is the one which is very common, particularly in blogging the industry. If you wish to have complete knowledge on legal aspects then, to be honest, I’m the last person to ask. No one better than a Copyright expert lawyer can explain those related aspects, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have any options left.

There are many websites available over the internet which works as a source for royalty free images i.e. images with no restrictions (or limited one). The one with no restriction can be used directly while the one with limited restriction should be used only if you’re offering a credit to the sole user.

It is confusing, right? I Understand!

It is confusing for me as well. So the simple solution I look forward in this situation is to use a picture from any of the sources as I’m adding below and then provide a credit to the owner of that picture.

Adding a link towards user’s profile at the bottom of post can be a better way and you can find many bloggers following the same.

Now you just need a list of sources you can trust upon.

Top Sources of Free and Legal Images

Down here is a compilation of top sources you can trust upon when you wish to have free stock photos for any of your next blog post.

1. Pixabay

If Creative Commons is a common term for you and understand its true meaning then this source offers free images under that license. You can find thousands of media content and that too of different niches. Also, the user interface of this website is truly awesome and simple as well. I won’t surprise if you get addicted to using it for the rest of your life.

1. Every Stock Photo

A wide collection of pictures which are accessible after you create an account (it’s free). A search tool is there on top to let you search for any specific kind of pictures. Also, you are allowed to improve the search results further. It offers pictures from different sources with a clear indication of their license terms and conditions. So, a best source to grab a cool picture and know whether you’re allowed to use it legally or not.

2. Historical Stock Photos

With the growing use of digital products for photography, it is getting very hard to snap or find a unique picture but this isn’t the case if you get a chance to use historical pictures. They are still worth grabbing reader’s attention any day and this is the best source of getting stock photos from historical times. Most of the pictures are from developed nations of our time. I hope you understand the reason for this. It also got a list of categories to help you in searching the right one.

3. Free Digital Photos

From real object pictures to animated one, this website got all of them. You’re going to get addicted to the simple user interface it got which allows readers to browse through the collection pretty comfortably.

4. Free Pixels

Getting a legal picture is made easy by this website. You can find thousands of pictures over here and no need to worry about paying for them. Also, you’ll get them in a better quality.

5. Dreamstime

Once you’ve a free account ready over this website, you can browse through free image collection and easily get them to use on any of your blog post, even without worrying about offering some credits. It got a clean and simple looking UI too.

6. IM Free

You can not just find pictures here, but you can also find icons, templates and a wide range of media content. The quality of them are truly awesome and as per the stock standards. And the best part is that you can use them without paying anything. Jump to the free section on their website and select the industry niche for which you’re looking images for.

7. Free Range Stock

Once you’re register with this website, you can access to hundreds of free high-quality images in its catalog. The registration doesn’t cost a dime, but its UI is a bit confusing.

8. Free Images

If you’re looking only for stock photographs then this is foremost the best source for that. The UI of the website is simple and the search tool is powerful enough to let you search the right one among thousands in its collection.

9. Morgue File

This is mine favorite option and I mostly find myself using it. You can easily find amazingly looking pictures over there and use them without worrying for anything. Also the library is being updated regularly. You can even find license agreement details so if a picture isn’t completely free then you can use it by offering a credit.

10. BigFoto

With options like ‘Pictures of the Month’, ‘Pictures of the Day’, this source is one of the best station if you’re looking for big size images. The photographers over here aren’t any popular one but still you can find dozens of cool options in every kind.

12. Public Domain Photos

National Parks and other nature related pictures are all in here. If this is the niche or theme of your website or next article, then you should be checking out this public source for free pictures. There is a huge collection of images, countable in thousands of numbers but it also offers some paid images, which you probably have to simply ignore.

13. [NEW!] Pikwizard

Pikwizard is a newcomer to the scene. They’ve got a huge library of both CC0 and Free to use images, which don’t require attribution. We noticed they have lots of high quality images of people, which tend to be hard to find on a lot of free image sites.

Conclusion

Do let me know which one you finally liked and ready to use. I hope this compilation gave you a sigh of relief. And sorry for not offering clear information on related legal aspects here but seriously, that’s not my domain. I hope the solution I offered was good enough to get work done. Peace.