19 Best Stock Image Websites
in 2025 [Free & Cheap]

At first, I explored Pexels' extensive collection of free images and videos. The platform is user-friendly, offering categories like nature, people, and business-related visuals. The testing process involved downloading several images for various retouching projects, such as portrait edits, commercial product photography, and lifestyle shots.

Even though the images are free, they are high-quality, well-composed, and often have a professional feel, making them ideal for retouching. The diversity and realism of the portraits was the most impressive aspect for me.

The advanced search option is another considerable plus of this stock photography site. The system filters results based on the following criteria: orientation, color, size, etc. To tell the truth, this is very convenient, especially when looking for a specific pic for a client’s project. Pexel’s integration with Canva was also useful. It allowed importing images into Canva for quick edits, designs, and mockups.

I also liked that Pexels offers both images and videos. My colleagues from FixThePhoto noted that while the images are free for both commercial and non-commercial use, some can appear quite similar, particularly in popular categories like “business” and “lifestyle.”

To assess Adobe Stock, I explored various image types, including portraits, landscapes, product shots, and creative conceptual visuals. What stood out right away was its smooth integration with Photoshop and Lightroom, allowing me to license images directly within my workflow, which saved a lot of time.

The quality of images was consistently high, with professional compositions and excellent resolution. I worked on a few lifestyle portraits, downloading and retouching them to test their quality. Even after applying heavy color grading and adjustments, the details remained clear and sharp. The search filters were another standout feature, making it easy to refine results by criteria like aspect ratio, color, and depth of field.

The latest 2025 update introduced features like Generative Edits and Generate Variations, which greatly improved flexibility when working with stock images. Generative Edits made tasks like background removal or replacement possible before licensing, saving time. Expand Image seamlessly resized pictures by generating natural-looking pics. Meanwhile, Generate Variations offered style and composition adjustments, making stock images feel more tailored and unique.

Tetiana reviewed Adobe Stock as a designer, paying special attention to social media graphics and branding materials. She liked the variety of vector illustrations and templates. While the visuals are high-quality, the pricing is higher than other platforms. Adobe Stock offers a free library, a trial (10 images or 1 video), and plans starting at $29.99/month for 10 assets.

I tried out a few photos from Unsplash for my retouching work, like a couple’s portrait and a landscape for a client’s website. I wanted images that didn’t need much editing but could still be improved for professional use. The quality was great, and even after heavy editing, the pictures stayed clear and sharp. The site is easy to use, with a simple search bar and clear categories to help you find what you need.

This stock image website makes searching and filtering simple, allowing you to find items by keyword or sort them by orientation. However, discovering very specific visuals can sometimes be difficult. All images are free for both commercial and non-commercial use, and no attribution is necessary.

For a new ad campaign, Tetiana downloaded several images and noted that this was a great site with historical stock photo with a unique and authentic feel. However, she found that while the images were high-quality, some appeared slightly less polished compared to those on paid platforms. Additionally, the developers offer Unsplash+ for $12 per month, which includes exclusive premium pics, making it a valuable option for high-end projects.

Pixabay offers a large collection of free stock photos, vectors, and illustrations. The company doesn’t keep its strategies and revenue details confidential. They openly say that they have special sponsored photos in their collections, which are redirected to the owner.

All photos are released under Creative Commons CC0. I like that this stock photo website has a dedicated department that monitors and removes photos that have privacy and property rights.

I was impressed by the range of search filters during my test, including options like photographer, orientation (landscape or portrait), image size, and color. The ability to include or exclude AI-generated images was also a useful feature. The Editor’s Choice section stood out, and the integration with Canva for editing was a big plus. On the downside, Tetiana noted that some vector graphics and videos had lower resolutions compared to the high-quality images.

Burst by Shopify provides a wide range of free, high-resolution images, particularly tailored for business-related themes like retail, eCommerce, money, and products. For instance, the business category includes subcategories such as money, workspaces, and office environments, which is a major advantage for photographers and retouchers handling diverse client needs. However, Tetiana observed that some industries, like tech or healthcare, lacked high-quality photos.

I really appreciated the option to download images in high or low resolution, which was one of my favorite features. Another advantage is that all Burst images are completely free for commercial use. For instance, I found a product shot of sunglasses and used it for a client’s social media ad. The photo was already well-lit and sharp, so it needed minimal editing to make it look polished.

One of the first things I noticed about Shutterstock was its vast variety of categories, with millions of images, illustrations, vectors, and videos. The platform allows filtering by orientation, color, people, and image type (photography, vector, etc.). For example, when searching for a lifestyle shot of a person using a laptop in a coffee shop, I used filters like “people,” “lifestyle,” and “indoor” to find high-quality, relevant images that perfectly suited the campaign.

Tetiana noted that Shutterstock’s extensive collection of business-related images, including finance, office environments, and technology, made it easy to find exactly what she needed. However, she also observed that while the image quality is excellent, the pricing can be costly for those on tight budgets.

The stock image website offers a subscription plan starting at $29 per month for 10 images, with access to over 200 million royalty-free images. Plus, photographers can make money with stock photos.

Freepik provides a wide range of resources, including images, videos, vectors, AI-generated visuals, icons, fonts, and more, complemented by highly detailed filtering options. I have used the photos from Freepik before in creating the new product launch marketing campaign for one of my clients connected with jewelry. The photos were very clear and they matched well with the brand style of the client’s website. The platform allowed me to filter by asset type (like photo or illustration), orientation, license type (free or premium), and whether the content was AI-generated or not.

Freepik gave me the option to choose between various file sizes and formats once I found the right image, which helped ensure optimal resolution for print. I also tried the built-in editor, where I could easily adjust contrast, saturation, and proportions. Tetiana noted that while this free stock video site provides many free assets, some are only available with a premium subscription starting at $4 per month.

To test Picjumbo, I needed a photo of a woman enjoying a seaside sunset. What stood out to me was the related free images section, which automatically suggested similar photos when I clicked on one I liked. This provided extra options and saved time. After downloading the high-resolution image, I made simple edits like adjusting brightness and contrast, then incorporated it into my project.

Tetiana and I both came to the conclusion that Picjumbo is a user-friendly stock photo website with a well-structured interface packed with advanced search options. You can view it in dark mode to reduce eye strain. On this platform, you will find over 5K free pictures. You can use them in your works without any attribution, however, the authors will be pleased if you indicate their names. There is no need to get an additional license for commercial use. The site lets you download all the pics in 24-megapixel quality.

While there are plenty of free images available, you can gain lifetime access to all of Picjumbo's premium images for $179. PicJumbo also promises to add at least 50+ new stock images every monthly.

I tested iStock by searching for "Smiling girl taking a selfie with a dog" in the lifestyle category. Some results weren’t great, but after refining my search, I found a high-quality image. The composition was strong, and the photo felt genuine and happy - perfect for a social media campaign. Their best feature is "Search by Image", which allows you to use any photo as a search parameter, using image recognition technology to find similar content in your library.

The lack of hover-over descriptions was a frustrating issue, as I had to click into each image to read the details, slowing down my workflow and making browsing less efficient. Tetiana agreed that a better filtering system would make things different. She also liked that the royalty free photos come with full commercial rights, making them ideal for advertising and client projects. The platform provides 5+ million free stock images, with premium plans starting at $15/month for 10 images or $10 per credit.

PikWizard is a user-friendly stock photo website that boasts a rich collection of royalty-free pictures and videos for both personal and business usage. It allows searching for the required material using keywords, tags, or similar content. For example, when I searched for images of a "girl reading," I found many high-quality options that met my requirements. The images were sharp and detailed, making them ideal for thorough editing.

A web editor is a feature I especially appreciate about PikWizard. It allows to add text to images directly on the platform. Tetiana liked that this stock photo website offered a rich library and allowed finding unique visuals with ease. Tetiana found the editable PNGs very useful for her work. It is possible to use text and image links for sharing files when working with your team. However, the site also has many premium images from other platforms like Adobe Stock and Shutterstock.

FreeJPG web resource contains more than 115K images on various topics including animals, architecture, beauty, business, education, emotions, health/medical, landscapes, etc. I like that the search for the desired image is simple, as you can consider the popular subjects, presented after new images on the main page.

While FreeJPG provides free pics, while higher-quality premium assets can be purchased through iStock. Pricing begins at $9.99 per image or $2.49 per image with a one-month subscription, which includes 10 pics per month. I noticed that the free images tend to have a lower resolution compared to the premium ones.

PhotoStockEditor allows you to download images for free and use them for commercial purposes. I found the search function to be efficient, and the automatic suggestions for similar images made exploring different options effortlessly. While the free images were satisfactory, many top-quality selections required payment, and premium photos were also offered through partner platforms.

PhotoStockEditor offers a subscription option for updates, which is great for those looking to save time on image searches. A key highlight is its photo quality enhancement tools. I tried features like adjusting brightness and contrast, applying filters and effects, changing orientation and size, and using the crop tool, all of which performed well for basic editing tasks.

Freerange offers a wide variety of images, textures, and graphics illustrations that can be used by professional and novice designers alike. I can use all the images for commercial purposes as they are licensed under Equalicense. It allows me to use the pictures from the collections without attribution.

The site’s "Browse by Category" feature allowed me to easily filter and find a family picnic photo suitable for social media campaigns. I downloaded a full-size image (3500 x 2333), which had a sharp resolution and minimal noise, making it perfect for professional edits. The availability of multiple download options like Full-size, Medium, and Small was particularly useful. However, Tetiana highlighted that sponsored iStock images are displayed in the search results. Since these are paid images, it could be misleading for users, who expect all content to be free.

To test Depositphotos by searching for a high-quality cat photo for an upcoming design project. The advanced search filters (such as color, viewing angle, orientation, and objects in the frame) came in handy and made it easy to narrow down results.

Using the "Free" filter, I found cat images from the Free Files collection, which are free for both personal and commercial use. One feature I really liked was the option to add images to my Favorites without the need to download them right away.

In Tetiana’s opinion, this stock image website has quite an intuitive interface, so navigation through the library is seamless. In addition, I examined the background removal tool, which is great for processing simple pics, making it easy to isolate the subject. In terms of pricing, Depositphotos allows you to buy photos for as little as $0.22. Their most popular plan is called Flexible and costs $9.99 per month. It gives you 10 downloads per month.

The first thing that attracted my attention to Lummi was its smart filtering system. The platform offers a curated library of royalty free stock photos, illustrations, and 3D visuals, with a particular focus on content from leading AI artists.

For instance, when I was searching for a dynamic photo of someone in a professional environment, I took advantage of the filter to narrow down the results by specifying the number of people in the image. In just a few moments, the system displayed a variety of high-quality options that perfectly matched my needs. The collection was diverse, with a sleek and contemporary style.

Although Lummi's library isn't as voluminous as some of the bigger outlets, the quality of images is different. Sometimes, I needed to adjust the AI suggestions to sound more natural, and the variety of customization options could be bigger. Lumni also has a diverse toolkit for reframing, duotoning, and removing background. In addition, the platform lets you download images in different resolutions.

Freedesignfile is the place for me to be when it comes to all sorts of free vector graphics, PSD files, icons, and more. It is user-friendly when it comes to the layout of the site, and new updates make it always fresh. The good thing is you can download editable Illustrator files to boost your design projects really fast. It is a nice commitment that most resources will be given for free.

I primarily explored the free assets on Freedesignfile, though the platform also offers premium content from partners like Shutterstock, which can be quite costly. Beyond stock images, it provides various design resources such as templates, icons, and illustrations. Tetiana mentioned that adding more detailed filters would be helpful, as she had to sort through numerous images to find the specific style she wanted.

I mainly used the free resources available on Freedesignfile, although the platform also features premium content from partners such as Shutterstock, which can be expensive. In addition to stock images, it offers a variety of design assets, including templates, icons, and illustrations. Tetiana noted that adding more detailed filters would be beneficial, as she often had to sift through a large number of images to find the exact style she was looking for.

Icons8 has a unique database consisting of exclusively studio, high-quality photographs. It is a great choice for fashion designers. Mind that you can order a specific photo through your personal account. A unique feature is the built-in photo editor, which allows you to edit selected pictures, replace the background, and add various objects without violating copyright.

The search experience with this stock photo website was pleasant. I could specify my search based on 40 categories and advanced filters, including activity type, gender, age, body type, race, and other specific attributes. Icons8 provides a free tier for low-resolution JPGs, which is useful for basic needs. The price of paid subscriptions starts at $9 per month for 50 downloads.

Flickr boasts a vast library of images uploaded by photographers worldwide. I like its Creative Commons licensing feature, which clearly outlines how each image can be used, including options for commercial use in some cases. As a social platform, Flickr also allows you to connect directly with photographers, gain insights into their creative processes, and even commission custom work.

For my social media content, I found breathtaking landscapes and outdoor images on Flickr. One standout was a photo of the Bonneville Salt Flats, which had a surreal quality and worked perfectly for my post about engagement photo spots in Utah. The platform’s filtering system was very useful, allowing me to refine my search by image type, license, and size. Flickr follows a freemium model, with a Pro option available for $10.44 plus tax.

I used Getty Images to search for high-quality wedding photos. The platform’s search tools are strong, letting you filter by type (photos, illustrations, videos), orientation, color, and license. The advanced search was particularly useful for narrowing down results and finding the right images for my needs.

After selecting the images, I carefully reviewed the license terms for each one. Getty provides both royalty-free and rights-managed licensing options, and I appreciated how clear and straightforward the licensing information was. Tetiana especially liked how easy it was to find fashion-focused imagery on the platform. However, she noted that while the quality is outstanding, the cost of premium images can be steep, ranging from $199 to $500 per download.

• Customization & Uniqueness

• Quality & Realism

• Cost & Accessibility

• Time & Workflow Efficiency

• Licensing & Usage Rights

• Emotional Impact