Pexels

Pexels is a stock photo and video library for creators and teams who need visuals for personal or commercial projects. Its no-cost, no-attribution license makes it a practical first stop; developers should check the API quotas and restrictions before building around it.

Overview

Pexels brings photos and video together with vector, illustration, and editorial assets. Photos and videos can be used for personal and commercial purposes without attribution, a useful advantage for publishers and small teams that need to avoid both recurring media costs and crediting work. Hundreds of thousands of photographers and videographers contribute, and the audience spans startups to global brands.

Accounts add collections, download history, photographer follows, a personalized homepage, likes, and uploading. These organizational features suit people returning to the library for ongoing projects, while casual users can access the free media without relying on them. Pexels does not allow uploads created with generative AI, which matters to contributors whose workflow depends on that material.

Key features

Library and account organization

The range of media makes Pexels more versatile than a photo-only source: projects can draw on video, vector, illustration, and editorial assets as well. Collections and download history help users keep track of selected material, while photographer follows and a personalized homepage support repeat browsing. Likes and uploading round out the account tools, although none change the free license for photos and videos.

Apps and integrations

Official tools include iOS and Android apps, a Chrome extension, a Google Slides add-on, and Figma and Sketch plugins. These give mobile users and people working in supported creative tools ways to reach Pexels without limiting access to its website. A community MS Office add-in is also listed, but it is not an official Pexels tool. Pexels identifies Canva, Typeform, Sketch, and Airtable as API partners.

API access and limits

The free RESTful JSON API provides programmatic access to the photo and video library. Default keys allow 200 requests per hour and 20,000 per month, which sets a concrete ceiling for applications that fetch media repeatedly. The API cannot be used to replicate Pexels or to create wallpaper and image-gallery apps, so it is not a general-purpose route to rebuilding the service or powering those products. API users are directed to the Help Center for answers and troubleshooting.

Privacy

Pexels says it uses commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data. Its privacy policy includes rights to access, rectify, delete, restrict, and port personal data, as well as to object to its processing.

Pricing

Pexels has one plan: Free — free. It includes free photos and videos, with API access capped at 200 requests per hour and 20,000 per month by default. There is no paid tier or seat-based price in this plan, so it suits individuals and teams seeking free media rather than a subscription with a higher API quota. Those limits and the API's prohibited uses matter most to developers; the free license does not remove them.

Platforms

Pexels is available on web, Android, and iOS, with an API and extension. Its official tools also include the Google Slides add-on and Figma and Sketch plugins; the MS Office add-in is community-made.

Who it's for

Pexels is a strong choice for designers, bloggers, publishers, and teams that need downloadable visuals for personal or commercial use without attribution or a media budget. Its account tools are useful for recurring work, and its mobile and creative-tool integrations provide more than a website-only workflow. It is a weaker fit for developers whose application needs to exceed the default API quotas or falls into the prohibited wallpaper, gallery, or replication uses, and for contributors seeking to upload generative-AI content.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Free personal and commercial use without attribution removes a licensing fee and crediting requirement for photos and videos.
• Pro: Photos, video, vector, illustration, and editorial assets cover more visual needs than a still-photo library alone.
• Pro: Collections, download history, and photographer follows help users organize and revisit their work.
• Con: The API's default 200 hourly and 20,000 monthly request limits may constrain applications with frequent media requests.
• Con: API rules rule out replication and wallpaper or image-gallery apps, limiting some otherwise plausible integrations.
• Con: Generative-AI-created uploads are barred, excluding that material from contributor workflows.

Alternatives

Pixabay is another free option, with free media downloads and full-resolution photo and video downloads requiring sign-up; its listed platforms include Android, iOS, web, and API. Its API plan is also free, making it worth comparing for a similar no-cost library workflow.

Choose Vecteezy if a freemium service with separate image-only, video-only, and unlimited-all-access plans better matches the type of downloads you need; its listed platforms are web and API.

VectorStock is an alternative for vector-focused purchasing, with web access and both pay-per-image and credit options. Its listed pay-per-image plan is $14.99 a month, billed as a single purchase for each vector, with a Pro license and no ongoing commitment.

Yay Images offers web access and freemium plans including a one-seat option, a lifetime membership capped at five downloads per day, and a 50-credit option for a one-time payment of $50 a month. It is an alternative to compare when those plan structures suit your buying pattern.

IMAGO is an API-accessible paid alternative with rights-managed and royalty-free image options; consider it if those image licensing choices fit your needs better.

Adobe Stock is a paid alternative with a free trial and web, mobile, and API platforms. Its listed plans include standard assets and video, so compare it if you want a paid stock offering rather than Pexels' free library.

Depositphotos is a freemium API-accessible alternative with monthly and annual unlimited-download plans; it may suit users seeking an unlimited-download subscription structure.

iStock is a paid web and API alternative with annual plans billed monthly, including Basic at $29 a month for 10 downloads and Premium at $70 a month for 10 downloads. Compare it if a paid download plan better suits your needs.

For a broader comparison, browse Stock Photo Websites and Stock Video Websites.

Verdict

Pexels is the right starting point for creators and teams that want a broad visual library they can use commercially without paying or adding attribution. Its free API extends that value to integrations, but the quotas and prohibited application types are the clearest reasons to look elsewhere; contributors using generative AI also need another outlet.