Pexels has built one of the most diverse and high-quality free stock libraries online. With over 1.1 million photos in the landscape category alone, and millions more across every genre, it's the first stop for any creator who needs authentic, professional-grade visuals without a budget.
Millions of Free Photos. Browse by category, trending topic, or search — with popular categories like wallpaper, background, landscape, sunset, beach and hundreds more.
Free Stock Videos. High-quality video clips in 4K and HD across nature, lifestyle, travel, animals, architecture, and more — perfect for B-roll.
No Attribution Required. Under the Pexels license, all photos and videos can be used freely in commercial and personal projects without crediting the photographer.
Curated Leaderboard & Challenges. Pexels runs photography challenges and features a creator leaderboard — making it a community as much as a resource.
Edit in Canva. Direct integration with Canva allows you to edit any Pexels photo in Canva's design tool without downloading first.
4K Video Downloads. Premium-quality video available for download — no paywall, no watermark.
Trending Collections. Stay on top of seasonal and trending topics with curated collections updated regularly by the Pexels editorial team.
Who Is It For?
Creators who need occasional stock photography or video footage for thumbnails, intros, presentations, or social posts. The free, no-attribution licence is particularly valuable for YouTube thumbnails where image sourcing is a recurring need and paid stock photography adds up quickly.
If you need highly specific, niche, or premium quality footage for a particular location or demographic, Pexels may not have what you need and paid libraries like Storyblocks or Shutterstock will have wider selection. For general-purpose media needs, check Pexels first.
Best Niches:
Pros and Cons
- ✅ Completely free with commercial use permitted
- ✅ No attribution required on any download
- ✅ Large and consistently growing library
- ✅ Good search and orientation filtering tools
- ❌ Very niche or specific shots are often missing from the library
- ❌ Some popular categories are heavily represented with similar content
- ❌ User-contributed content means quality varies across the library
Pricing
Pexels is completely free. No sign-up required to download, though an account lets you save collections.
Summary
Pexels is a first stop for stock media before spending money elsewhere. For thumbnails, social graphics, and general B-roll, it covers a surprising amount of ground at no cost. When Pexels does not have what you need specifically, then look at paid alternatives — not before. The zero-cost, no-attribution model is genuinely generous.