Are you on the hunt for free commercial use images? Check out this list of my top five sites to find great images for blogs, ebooks, and more!
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When you’re a serial creative like me, trying a new project every other week, keeping costs down is important. Free commercial use images are great… especially if you want to test out a new potential side hustle.
But finding images on the internet can be daunting. You might find something awesome but have no idea if you can use it legally.
This blog post will break down some of the different terms you might come across on your search—like public domain, royalty-free, personal use, and commercial use—and then dive into a list of five sites with free images you can use commercially. There’s also a bonus honorable mention site at the end of the list which doesn’t generally have free images but is well worth a look.
Copyright and Free Commercial Use Images
When an image is drawn, a photograph is taken, a piece of text is written, or anything else is created, it is automatically protected by copyright. This means the creator has the right to control the image and how it is used. If you take an image that doesn’t belong to you, you open yourself up to the risk of being sued by the person who owns the image. Using art you don’t have the right to is theft, plain and simple.
Back in the early days of the internet, there was this idea that anything posted publicly was fair game for free use. (Some people still think that way.) But the law is catching up. That gorgeous photo on Instagram? It’s protected by copyright. That amazing art on Etsy? Protected by copyright.
As creatives, let’s respect the rights of other creatives. If you’re going to use someone else’s words, art, photography, etc., do it fairly. You would want others to treat you and your art the same way.
Please note that I am not a lawyer, nor am I an expert on copyright/intellectual property law. I have done my best to ensure that what I present is accurate/correct. However, if you have questions about specific or unique circumstances, I recommend you consult a lawyer/expert in this area. This is meant purely as an overview.
Different Types of Images/Creative Resources and Licenses/Permissions
There are a variety of different types of licenses and permissions. You’ve probably seen many phrases tossed around like copyright, public domain, royalty-free, commercial use, personal use, creative commons, etc. I’m going to go over the most common ones below.
Public Domain Images
If a work is in the public domain, it can be used by anyone, for any purpose, with no credit or attribution to the author/artist/creator. (Although it’s generally recommended!) For works published before 1977, the copyright expires 96 years after publication, on the following January 1st. The Great Gatsby, for example, was published in April 1925 and went into the public domain on January 1st, 2021. For works published after 1977, the copyright expires 70 years after the author/artist/creator’s death. Maya Angelou, writer of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (among other things!) died in May 2014. Her works will go into the public domain in May (I presume) of 2084 or possibly January 1st, 2085. I used text as examples but this also applies to art, photography, video, etc.
If something is in the public domain, you can use it for your blog, art, etc. For more on the public domain, click here.
Royalty-Free Images
Creators and/or image owners make royalty-free resources available for public use. These images are not necessarily free; you may have to pay an initial fee to purchase the right to display the image. However, once you have permission to use the image, you can continue to use the image without paying subsequent royalties to the original owner. (Hence royalty-free. No royalties.) Royalty-free licenses are not transferable. Just because you buy the right to use an image doesn’t mean you can share that right with others. Also, they’re non-exclusive. This means that anyone who pays for the license can use it. Popular royalty-free images may appear on hundreds of sites.
Some royalty-free images are, in fact, free. But don’t assume it is just because it’s “royalty-free”.
If something is royalty-free, you can use it for your blog, art, etc., provided you’ve paid the license fee and abide by the stipulations laid out by said license. For more on royalty-free images, click here.
Commercial Use Images
If you’re looking for images to use in a commercial project, use images licensed for commercial use. If the image will be used directly or indirectly to make you money, look for commercial use rights. You may come across images that are free for personal use but require a fee for commercial use. In this case, don’t just assume you can “get away with it”. Either pay the fee or find a new image. Might you get away with it? Maybe. The internet is a big place. But is it worth the risk? I don’t think so.
Personal Use Images
There are lots of images that are free for personal use only. Take this seriously and only use those images for personal use. This can extend to gifts, but not to commercial activities. If you find an image that’s free for personal use, you can use it to make a beautiful piece of art for your best friend’s birthday, but you can’t then start selling that art to other people when you realize how much your friend loved it—unless you can get a commercial use license.
Sometimes there’s an easy option to purchase a commercial license. But if there isn’t, and you’re set on using that particular image, try contacting the artist directly. Many artists are willing to sell you a commercial license if you ask—or might permit you to use it commercially without an official license. (But make sure you’re talking to the actual artist, not a re-seller!)
License Limitations
Some licenses, whether for personal or commercial use, will have limitations and stipulations. Sometimes there will be multiple “levels” or types of commercial licenses—this is very common for fonts. You might buy a license for a font that only allows you to use it on physical products vs. a license that allows you to use the font on your website or in your company’s branding. On this note, be wary of “free” fonts—many of the “free” fonts you download from places like DaFont and Font Squirrel are for personal use only. If you want to use it commercially, you must get a commercial license.
Some creators might sell commercial licenses that allow you to produce up to a set number of products. They might be happy to have an Etsy seller printing their designs on a few hundred t-shirts, but they don’t want a corporation buying up an inexpensive license and then reproducing their art a million times on some mass-produced t-shirt that sells in hundreds of stores.
Attribution Requirements
Regardless of your license type—free or commercial—there may be attribution requirements. This means that you may have to acknowledge the individual who created the art/image/creative resource. This is something important to consider. Do you want to have to credit the artist, photographer, etc.? Sometimes, depending on the stipulations, it can be as simple as crediting them in the final product’s description. But sometimes it’s more complicated or requires a more visible attribution. Make sure you’re aware of these requirements before using an image and if you don’t want to have to attribute the artist, look for resources that don’t require you to do so.
Other Stipulations
Most commercial use art will require that you not re-sell it as is/unaltered. You can use it as an image on your blog as is, for example, but you can’t sell it as a standalone digital print. If you’re looking for art/music/etc. to resell as is, make sure you’re reading the license agreements!
You might wonder just how much you need to alter something for it to be considered a “new” piece of art. Take a look at this printable wall art from GraceDigitalArtCo. This is gorgeous and sufficient to count as an alteration. (Granted, she’s using public domain art, so she doesn’t have to alter it, but I thought it was a good example. And also, I love her art.)
What about Disney Characters, Taylor Swift, and (Insert Sports Team Here)’s Logo?
Those are all off-limits. Disney will come after you if you use their characters/intellectual property to make money. Additionally, you can’t use the likeness of someone else to sell products (those unlicensed Taylor Swift t-shirts on Etsy are, you guessed it, illegal). Selling hoodies with your favorite NHL team’s logo is also a no-go.
Do people do it? Yes, absolutely. Is Etsy flooded with products like this? Yes. But just because someone else is doing it doesn’t mean it’s legal, and it’s entirely possible that you will get caught/sued and they don’t. Is that fair? Nope. Does the law care? Also nope.
Okay, but how much does this really matter?
A lot. Using images that you don’t have the right to use (or that aren’t covered under fair use) is illegal. The creator/owner can sue you. Some companies, like Disney and the Dr. Seuss company, have demonstrated that they have no issue pursuing creators making money off their intellectual property. And they have every right to do so, even if creators don’t like it.
But using intellectual property you don’t have the right to is also unethical. As creators, we should support other creators and be as interested in protecting their art as we are in protecting our own. If we don’t respect other artists now, we can’t expect future artists to respect us.
Okay, I’ve put away my soapbox.
Now, without further ado, the moment you’ve been waiting for.
Five Places to Find Free Commercial Use Images
01. Pexels
I love Pexels. I’ve been using this site for several years and new photos are added daily. Regardless of what you’re looking for, I’m confident you’ll find something to meet your needs. (Most of the photos I use in this blog have been/will be sourced from Pexels!) I also learned recently that many of the images you’ll find on Canva are actually from Pexels which explains why Canva has so many gorgeous photos available for use!
You can read Pexels’ license terms for yourself here:
02. Pixabay
Pixabay has been around for a while, although I only stumbled upon it recently when I was looking for music that I could use freely. The site has music, video, photos, vectors, sound effects, and more!
You can read Pixabay’s license terms for yourself here:
03. Vecteezy
Vecteezy has a good variety of resources including photos, PNGs, vectors, and SVGs. Like some of the other sites on this list, Vecteezy’s resources are not all free. There are some great free resources, but there are a lot of images that require payment. Make sure you’re utilizing their search filters to narrow down the list to free images only—and ensure that you’re looking at the attribution requirements and usage stipulations.
You can read Vecteezy’s license terms for yourself here:
04. Morguefile
Morguefile also has photos, as well as some vector images and videos. (Although it looks like those might link to iStock photos, which is a paid stock photo site.) This isn’t a site I personally use, mostly because I’m a creature of habit and stick to Pexels! But it looks like it has some good content, so if you’re looking for something specific/niche and can’t find it elsewhere, it can’t hurt to check here too!
You can read Morguefile’s license terms for yourself here
05. Freepik
Freepik, despite its name, is not all free pictures. There are a lot of premium pictures on here; if you want to get the free ones you’ll need to utilize their search filters and they come with a lot of restrictions. This isn’t a site I would utilize much personally, but it’s worth checking out if you’re looking for something specific.
You can read their terms of use here:
06. Honorable Mention – Creative Fabrica
While Creative Fabrica is not free, the value for what you pay is unmatched. You can get plans for as low as $5/month (if you pay for a year upfront) and these plans include unlimited downloads. You don’t have to ration monthly credits or any other nonsense like that. See it? Want it? Download it! You can also buy individual files but if you’re going to download more than 2 things in a month, go with the plan. I have downloaded hundreds of files from Creative Fabric over the last few years. Fonts, images, book interiors, STL files (for 3D printing), and more. And you can use whatever you download under the membership for commercial use for as long as you’re a member. I’ve had a membership for about three years now, and it has paid for itself.
Sign up for Creative Fabrica here:
What will you create with your free commercial use images?
I want to see what you’ve created with the free commercial use images you’ve found! Are there any great resources that I’ve missed? If so, let me and everyone else know in the comments!
Are you looking for new creative projects to try? Check out my free patterns and resources!
