When you think of stock photos, you probably picture generic images of smiling people wearing business suits or a perfect bowl of salad.
Yes, those exist. No, they don't have to be cheesy.
Whether you're a designer, marketer, or content creator, stock photos are an essential part of your job. And while the internet is flooded with stock photo websites, you definitely won't find everything you need on one or the other.
Unfortunately, the best stock images are scattered across the web, and it's your job to find them. But as an agency owner, that’s exactly what you need to do — stock photo sites save you the hassle of scouring the web while you’re working on client projects. They help you get work done more efficiently, and at scale. It's one thing to have original images for just one website; it's another when working on many websites. That’s where stock images come in handy.
I've compiled a list of over 55 stock photo sites that are perfect for agencies. From free options to paid subscriptions, this guide has something for everyone.
Broadly, there are three reasons images are such a crucial element of UX:
When you see a boring website full of text, what do you think? You assume it's...well...boring. And while that might not be entirely true, you've already made up your mind.
Images are often the first elements that catch a visitor's eye on a website.
They set the tone and can make a website look professional, inviting, and engaging.
Websites with high-quality images appear more professional, trustworthy, and engaging. That means you'll leave a strong first impression on potential customers.
They help you convey complex ideas quickly and effectively (often more so than text alone). In marketing, images illustrate points, showcase products, and demonstrate a brand's personality, values, and ethos.
Photos also break up blocks of text and make content more digestible. So, adding images to your clients’ websites and marketing materials increases engagement, retention (time spent on the page), and comprehension.
A big part of your SEO checklist is ensuring your clients' websites loads fast, is mobile-friendly, and engages users. Images can help you with all three.
Furthermore, images that are properly optimized (file size, alt tags, etc.) allow search engines to index the image and show it in Google Image Searches. This leads to more organic traffic since people will find your clients' websites through image searches in addition to standard Google searches.
AI is the technology of the future, and image generation is no different. There are plenty of apps out there that marketers and agency owners use to generate unique images for their clients’ blog posts, landing pages, and marketing collateral.
Eventually, it’s going to disrupt the stock photo industry.
As AI-generated photos and videos become more realistic and affordable, they’re becoming more attractive for people who need a way to break up text, add visual features, and make their content more engaging.
And some of them are fantastic! For a simple header image, AI-generated artwork saves you from using the same generic one millions of others have used.
Eventually, stock photo sites will have to collaborate with AI companies to keep up with the times. AI-powered image search and edit tools, for example, make it easier to find and alter stock photos while lowering their overall cost.
This is a huge benefit for stock photo companies and agencies like yours. You have a better experience on the platform while receiving high-quality images. And you can turn an image you've seen all over the web into one that's unique to your brand.
Some platforms already have built-in editors and filters, making it even easier to personalize your chosen stock photos. AI will continue to automate this process, which will help you deliver a better service to your clients overall.
Royalty-free images are a popular option for agencies because they're cost-effective, easy to use, and risk-free for your clients.
They're licensed so that you or your clients can use the image multiple times without paying additional fees (not royalty-free meaning "free," but rather free of recurring costs).
This is perfect for both online and print materials and all types of web pages.
Most paid stock photo sites offer royalty-free images as part of their subscription plans as well.
Creative Commons (CC) refers to various copyright licenses that allow digital content authors or creators to specify which rights they reserve and which ones they waive. Essentially, CC lets you share your images with others without having to grant all the rights that copyright law automatically grants.
Most CC licenses let others use your work for free, as long as they give you credit and follow the other terms and conditions you set. You can license images with any of six Creative Commons licenses:
Some licenses require the person using your images to use them in the same way you allow, like CC BY-SA. Others may not permit commercial use or require someone who uses your work to credit you as the source.
Public domain images are free for anyone to use and don't require attribution. For example, NASA's images are all public domain, meaning they don't require permission or payment to use.
Some stock photo sites offer public domain images, though it's not as common as creative commons licenses.
Though they're free to use, you can still face legal issues if you use a public domain image that depicts identifiable people (unless the person has given their consent) or trademarked products.
Rights-managed images come with more restrictions than royalty-free. You license these images for a one-time fee based on usage and other factors like exclusivity.
With these images, you need to be careful about how you use them (including your usage rights and the length of time you can use the image).
This can be time-consuming for agencies who frequently publish online content or update website designs. But, for certain clients (e.g., a B2B client you're preparing a byline for), this might be the best choice. They may even have their own rights-managed images already.
Besides legal considerations, there are some best practices to follow when using stock images.
Different stock photo sites have different usage guidelines, so it's essential to read and understand these before downloading and using any images.
For example, some sites may require you to provide attribution for certain images or specify whether the image is only allowed for personal or commercial use. Failure to follow these guidelines can result in legal action.
Okay...you don't have to avoid them altogether. But try to mix it up if you can.
If you've seen the image used in multiple places before, chances are your client’s audience has too. This could make your client’s website or marketing materials feel generic and unoriginal.
In other words, you aren't doing your best work for your clients.
Stock photos often get a bad rap for being cheesy or staged, but there are plenty of high-quality stock images out there that look natural and genuine.
When selecting images for your client's website or marketing materials, choose ones that reflect their brand and audience accurately.
Avoid overly Photoshopped images or ones that look too perfect, as this can make your client’s brand appear fake or untrustworthy.
If you're using Creative Commons-licensed images, you have to provide proper attribution. This not only gives credit to the original creator but also shows compliance with the usage guidelines.
Depending on the source of the image or how you use it, it's sometimes customary to include attribution even for public domain images.
While stock photos are convenient, don't let them be the sole source of visual
content for your clients' websites or marketing materials.
Integrate original photos like...
...make your client's brand unique and authentic.
Within the Duda site builder, you can access the Pexels library of free stock photos.
This native integration makes it easier to find and use high-quality (free) stock images for your clients' websites without worrying about licensing or attribution.
Plus, you can search for specific themes, such as "fashion" or "food," to find the perfect image that matches your client's brand and messaging.
Pexels is known for providing high-quality, completely free stock photos and videos contributed by talented creators worldwide. It's a go-to resource for high-resolution, royalty-free images and videos, suitable for both personal and commercial use.
Pexels stands out for its commitment to offering high-quality, stylish, and diverse content we can use without attribution (though it's always appreciated). That's why we use it for the Duda site builder!
Price: Free
Shutterstock is the OG stock photo site. They offer high-quality images, videos, and music to use for marketing materials and social media.
The platform's 300 million+ images come from over 1,000,000 different contributors. With 200,000+ photos added every day, it's the one-stop shop for just about any type of stock content you can imagine.
If you're an agency owner without this platform, it's time to change that.
Price: Anywhere from $29 to $499 per month, for between 3 and 750 image credits.
Pixabay is a free stock photography and royalty-free stock media website that offers photos, illustrations, vector graphics, film footage, music, and sound effects.
It's known for its wide range of subjects, though I've personally found the quality of photos is variable.
Originally, Pixabay content was under the CC0 declaration, but they switched to a more restrictive "Pixabay License" in 2019, and in 2023, they made further changes
to their terms of service, including the reinstatement of the CC0 license for content uploaded before January 9, 2019.
Price: Free
Unsplash — now a subsidiary of Getty Images — offers over 5 million high-resolution stock photos from more than 330,000 contributing photographers. Known for its high-quality and diverse photo collection, Unsplash has been recognized by Forbes and other publications as a leading photography website.
The site initially used a CC0 public domain license but shifted to its own Unsplash License in 2017, which allows free use, including for commercial purposes, with some restrictions. It's one of the best sources of high-quality, user-generated photos.
Price: While the platform is entirely free, it also recently launched its Unspash+ plan, which is $12 per month.
Getty Images is a well-known source for high-quality images, offering a vast collection of creative, editorial, video, and music content.
Known for its extensive, exclusive visual archive and partnerships with top news, sports, and entertainment organizations, it provides unique and up-to-date coverage. For agencies working with a lot of big-name brands or clients in the news or entertainment industries, Getty is a must-have resource.
The platform has been at the top of the stock photography industry, acquiring numerous agencies over the years. In 2023, it announced a partnership with Nvidia to launch Generative AI by Getty Images, further enhancing its creative offerings.
Price: Pricing varies; for example, UltraPacks offer savings on bulk purchases with prices ranging from $175 per small image or low-res video to $499 per large image or 4K/HD video.
Canva isn't just a stock photo site; it's an extensive graphic design platform that integrates a library of images, graphics, and fonts. Plus, it has a drag-and-drop interface for creating custom designs.
Canva is renowned for its user-friendly design tools, which make it a popular choice for both professional designers and marketers of all flavors. It offers a wide range of templates, including presentations, social media graphics, agency contracts, and website elements.
Price: Canva operates on a freemium model. The premium agency subscription (Canva for Teams) provides access to an extensive range of resources and advanced design tools, starting at $14/month for up to 5 users.
iStock by Getty Images offers a wide range of stock media, including photos, vector illustrations, audio tracks, and over 8 million video clips. It stands out for providing exclusive content through its Signature collection, as well as more affordable, non-exclusive visuals in the Essentials collection.
The iStock platform supports a vast community of over 300,000 contributors worldwide, with contributors receiving royalties each time their content is licensed. The platform also offers complimentary weekly stock photos and illustrations and free monthly video clips.
Price: iStock provides various subscription plans to suit different needs and budgets, as well as the option to purchase credit packs. The basic license agreement comes with a $10,000 legal guarantee, with an option to purchase an Extended Legal Guarantee for increased coverage.
PicJumbo is a free stock photo website offering a wide variety of high-quality images. Founded by photographer Viktor Hanacek, it started as a project to offer his own photographs for free.
The site is particularly praised for its collection of unique, natural-looking photos, which are ideal for bloggers, designers, and small businesses. The site adds new photos daily and offers a range of categories.
Price: Free. PicJumbo also offers premium memberships starting at $10 per month with access to additional photos and collections.
Fancycrave is a smaller stock photo website known for offering high-quality, unique images. It focuses on providing images that are more emotionally driven and story-centric, making them ideal for freelance and agency projects needing a more personal touch.
Price: Free
Reshot is a platform that offers unique icons and illustrations you can use for your clients' landing pages, logos, apps, and presentations. They're all made by designers, for designers (and they're all attribution-free).
This site is the best stock photography site for startups, freelancers, and small agencies that want to add bright, whimsical illustrations or create branding packages without having to do it from scratch with Photoshop.
Price: Free
New Old Stock is a unique stock photo website that offers vintage photos from public archives. The site specializes in old, classic images that are free of known copyright restrictions, providing a distinctive and historical touch to your client projects.
Price: Free
NegativeSpace provides beautiful, high-resolution free stock photos for personal or commercial use. The website offers a variety of categories including abstract, animals, business, fashion, landscapes, and more. All images are CC0 licensed, meaning they are completely free to use.
The site features a wide range of images, with specific numbers available in various categories like 262 in 'Animals' and 1142 in 'Landscapes'.
Picography is another free source of high-resolution images. The site features a range of stunning, unique photos suitable for whatever you need — even commercial projects. It also has a blog section where users can read articles on photography, design, and other creative topics.
Price: Free
Envato Elements is a subscription-based service offering a wide range of digital assets including stock videos, graphic templates, website themes, video templates, and high-quality stock photos. It's designed for creatives who need a variety of resources for their projects.
It's perfect if your agency works on a lot of web, email, and landing page design projects and needs fresh UI elements and photos on a regular basis.
Price: Starting at $10.75 per user per month for a team plan
Freepik offers a large collection of free and premium resources, including vectors, photos, PSD files, and icons. It's a platform for discovering and downloading high-quality assets for creative projects.
One thing that sets it apart is its collection of 3D images. This makes it a great resource for agencies specializing in 3D design and animation.
Price: Starting at $9 per user per month
Vecteezy is known for its extensive collection of vector art, illustrations, and stock photos. You can use vectors for social media branding, websites, and just about anything else. It also offers a premium plan for high-quality images.
For creatives looking to add unique elements to their projects or those needing vector-based graphics, Vecteezy is an excellent resource.
Price: $5.60 per month
Life of Pix is a trusted source of high-res photos suitable for both personal and commercial use. Most of its photos are nature- or landscape-focused, making them ideal for eco-friendly brands and projects.
The site also offers a sister site, Life of Vids, which provides free stock videos with no copyright restrictions.
Price: Free
Depositphotos is a stock content marketplace with a huge collection of more than 277 million royalty-free photos, vectors, stock videos, drawings, and even music. The platform offers a variety of thematic collections and is trusted by leading international companies.
Price: Offers subscription and on-demand pricing options. Subscription plans include options for monthly and annual payments, with different download limits.
ISO Republic provides free high-quality stock photos and videos. It is ideal for creatives who need visually appealing imagery for their projects.
I've found ISO republic to have more generic images, like landscapes or objects, rather than specific themes or concepts. Still, it's definitely worth a browse and download.
Price: Free
FreeImages is a solid source for everything from standard pictures to Photoshop design (PSD) files. The site is known for its vast collection of free stock photos and has a user-friendly search function to find what you need quickly.
The platform offers a great library of icons and illustrations, making it a useful resource for designers.
Price: Free
Freerange provides high-quality free stock photos and illustrations.
The site features images licensed for commercial use with no attribution required.
Freerange also welcomes contributions from photographers, allowing them to share their photos while retaining their copyrights.
Price: Free
Adobe Stock is a renowned stock photo platform offering a vast collection of high-quality images, graphics, videos, and more. It integrates seamlessly with Adobe's Creative Cloud applications. If you already use Adobe software, then this would be an excellent option for you.
Price: Offers subscription and on-demand pricing options. Subscription plans are fairly high-cost and include options for monthly and annual payments with varying download limits.
Stockvault is a community-driven platform that offers free stock photos, textures, and illustrations. It features a diverse range of categories including animals, nature, objects, people, and more.
It's particularly known for its large collection of free textures, and all images are available for both personal and commercial use. Currently, it hosts over 143,000 free photos.
Price: Free
FOCA Stock provides free stock photos, videos, and templates. It is especially known for its collections of nature and city photography, and also offers a selection of tech-related images. FOCA Stock's resources are ideal for print materials, social media templates, and website themes.
Price: Free
MorgueFile is a free photo archive that offers a wide range of high-quality photographs for commercial use. The platform is designed to serve as a free image exchange for creative professionals and educators. It's a valuable resource for those looking for diverse and authentic imagery for their projects.
Price: Free
Pikwizard is a source of generic stock photos, as well as some unique images that you won't find elsewhere. The collection is not as extensive as other sites, but there are plenty of options for a variety of themes and concepts.
Price: Free
Foodiesfeed is a niche stock photo site focusing exclusively on high-quality, realistic food images.
It's a great resource for bloggers, marketers, and food enthusiasts looking for authentic and appetizing food photography to supplement their content.
If your client is building the next DoorDash or OpenTable? You can find great images for that, too.
Price: Free
Skitterphoto is a source of public domain images that are free for commercial use. The site offers a mix of landscape, nature, and still-life photography.
One of the best things about Skitterphoto is you don't have to log in to download images. This makes it easy to access and use their resources without worrying about creating yet another account for your agency's photos.
Price: Free
Little Visuals is a source of high-quality nature and landscape photos. Unfortunately, the founder of Little Visuals passed away in November 2013, but his legacy continues through the website, its 3.4 million users, and its stunning images.
Price: Free
Jay Mantri is an excellent source of high-resolution landscape, nature, and architectural photography. The photographer himself shares his work for free use, any way you'd like.
Although there aren't as many images as other sites, the quality of Jay Mantri's work makes up for it.
Price: Free
LibreShot is a source of free stock photos for commercial use by the Czech photographer Martin Vorel. The images are high-resolution and cover a variety of topics — primarily nature, animals, technology, and cityscapes.
Vorel does offer paid images as well. You can purchase them for your agency projects on a per-package basis. Buy them once, own them forever.
Price: Free
As the name implies, Death to Stock is a stock photo service that prides itself on its unique, artistic, and authentic images. It's known for its creative photos and videos that cater to businesses and individuals looking for non-traditional stock imagery.
Currently, its library of 9,000+ photos is a top source of new, trending images for some of the biggest sites out there — Nike, Apple, LVMH, Shopify, you name it.
Ecommerce brands love this platform because many of their photos feature models.
Price: Agency pricing is $59 per month.
Startup Stock Photos is a stock photo website that's purpose-built for emerging tech companies. Aside from partnering with a website builder, using a site like this is one of the best ways to find unique images that make your SaaS startup stand out.
Price: Free
Rgbstock offers over 120,000 free stock photos, featuring a wide range of categories including backgrounds, textures, landscapes, and more.
It is a community-driven site where photographers can share images and gain exposure for their work. Though attribution isn't normally necessary, it's always appreciated.
Price: Free
Rawpixel is one of the best sources of images and templates for social content, email pages, mockups, and presentations. It's got some of the most unique digital assets in the game, and they're constantly updating their website with new material.
You can also edit each photo using its Remix feature. Since it's a community-driven site, you can browse the entire library, then re-edit a photo to make it entirely your own!
Price: Free, or $8.99 per month for a premium subscription
Alamy is a comprehensive stock image library with over 200 million high-quality stock photos, illustrations, and vectors. It features images from professional photographers and agencies around the world.
Though most of its resources are not free, you can filter your search to display only images that are available for commercial use. Alamy is an excellent choice for those looking for more niche and specific images — for example, news, sports, and entertainment companies that need to feature specific brands.
Price: Image licenses range from $19.99 for personal use to $639.99 for marketing campaign use
Dreamstime is the world's largest community in stock photography, with over 228 million images and videos available for licensing. It features a range of pricing options, including subscription plans and on-demand purchases.
Dreamstime also offers a referral program for photographers to earn additional income by referring new customers.
Price: Free, with paid licensing and download plans for some photos
BigStock is a source of affordable stock images and videos from all around the world. It's got some great vectors and illustrations, too.
If you have to make an explainer video or infographic, BigStock is a great place to find the perfect fit.
Price: Monthly subscriptions range from $79 to $99 per month
123RF offers millions of stock photos, vectors, footage, and audio clips for licensing. It's got a diverse collection of images, including lifestyle, business, sports, and more.
But what sets 123RF apart is its feature called "Search by Photo." Upload an image and the site will show you similar images available for licensing. This can be a great time-saver, especially if you need to find specific images in large digital collections.
Price: Subscriptions range from $35 to $95 per month, and credit packs start at $0.80 per credit (going down with volume)
Nappy is a unique platform that offers high-quality, free stock photos of Black and Brown people. It's ideal for projects requiring culturally diverse and authentic imagery. The site focuses on making it easy for companies to be purposeful about representation of diversity in their designs and advertisements.
Price: Free
Gratisography offers a quirky and whimsical collection of 700+ free high-resolution stock photos. It's known for its unique and artistic images that are different from typical stock photos, making it suitable for creative and unconventional projects.
Price: Free, but some stock photo packages are available for a premium price (this varies).
Canva's Natural Women Collection focuses on providing stock photos that represent women in a natural and unfiltered way. It aims to offer more realistic and relatable images of women, diverging from the often idealized portrayals in typical stock photography.
Price: Free
Icons 8 is perfect for downloadable icons, backgrounds, and illustrations for websites and digital products. Like Reshot, it's a must-have for digital agencies working with software or ecommerce companies.
Price: Free, with paid options for additional features and designs
The Noun Project is full of free icons and UI elements you can use as PNG or SVG. It's also got tons of apps and plugins (plus API), so you can drag and drop your icons straight from the platform into Sketch, Creative Cloud, Google, Office, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and tons of other tools.
Price: $3.33 per month
Coverr is one of the only sites dedicated to stock video footage. It's completely free, and all videos are licensed under the Creative Commons: no attribution required.
The Coverr+ membership does come with a few perks, though. These include members-only premium content, access to 4K video footage and WAV music, and an ad-free experience.
Price: Free, or $10 per month
Styled Stock is your go-to for feminine and chic stock photos and flat-lay images. Its collection is perfect for bloggers, creatives, and businesses targeting a female audience. It's also good for lifestyle and fitness brands (and their Instagram feeds) going for a sophisticated look.
Price: Free
Shotstash is yet another totally free site for royalty-free images. They're ready for commercial use and you don't need to attribute the photos. Their library is smaller than some of these other sites, but if you're searching for nature or business images, it's a great stock image site to check out.
Price: Free
Not to be confused with Canva, Cavan Images sources premium high-res stock photos for everything from pride and diversity to architecture, food, and more. It's an excellent resource for digital agencies looking for high-quality imagery with diverse representation.
Price: Free
Kaboompics offers an authentic and consistent collection of images curated with creatives and professionals in mind. The site features photos from carefully planned photoshoots, ideal for a variety of projects.
On the site, there are over 32,000 images from more than 1,800 photoshoots. Most of them are aesthetically pleasing interior design and product photos that pair well with women's brands, lifestyle bloggers, and interior design companies.
Price: Free
WestEnd61 has some of the most unique stock photos of people. They're especially good for lifestyle and business shots, as well as photos from remote locations around the world. Everything on WestEnd61 has a very editorial feel, so you get the sense you're using purposed shots rather than staged stock photos.
Price: Paid licensing fees based on usage and type of image
Stocksy is an artist-owned cooperative that offers high-quality stock photos and video footage. It prides itself on its diverse and creative collection, with a focus on authenticity and representation.
The Stocksy blog and curator set this site apart from other stock photo sites. You can read articles for inspiration, or find lists of the "best of" content for specific client projects you're working on.
Price: Paid fees based on the creator, image package, and use case
Flickr is a web-based community where people share and store their photos online. It is a great resource for finding unique and diverse images from talented photographers around the world.
Though not specifically a stock photo website, many of the images on Flickr are available for licensing under Creative Commons licenses. It's also a great place to meet potential video and photo collaborators for your agency.
Price: Free
Splitshire is an excellent source of free-to-use, copyright-free stock photos. You can use them for anything from blog posts to social media graphics, without any need for attribution.
Splitshire is perfect for digital agencies because you can also access a huge library of stock videos. There are quite a few hidden gems on this site.
Price: Free
The most important thing to remember when you're using stock photos is to choose images that accurately represent each client's brand and message. Don't just pick the first image you see — take the time to find ones that align with their values and aesthetics.
When you're using photos that feature brands and businesses, carefully look over the license restrictions to make sure you're allowed to use the image for commercial purposes. And remember, it's sometimes nice to give credit and attribute the creator of the photo, even if you don't have to.
