12 Best Free Stock Photo Sites To Enhance Your Blog

Do you want to use high-resolution images for your website? Chances are, you’ve considered hiring a professional photographer.

But now that the average rate of photographers in Malaysia can go from 3,430 MYR to 7,110 MYR per month, many content writers and marketing managers resort to using stock photography for their visual content.

But what if you want to create unique images tailored specifically to your content? With hotcopy;, you're not just limited to stock photos. You can harness the power of artificial intelligence to generate custom images that align perfectly with your content.

Imagine having an AI at your fingertips, ready to create visuals based on your specific needs and preferences. No more settling for generic stock photos that everyone else might be using. With hotcopy;, you can craft images that resonate with your brand, message, and audience.

There’s nothing wrong with using stock images though. In fact, small businesses and large corporations alike use stock images for the same reasons - convenience and cost-effectiveness.

Do note that some paid stock photo sites can be expensive, especially for beginners. For content marketers on a budget, there are several websites offering high-quality images at a fraction of the cost of custom images and paid stock photo sites.

What’s more? You can get most of the images for free.

Here, we have done the research for you and list the best free stock photos sites:

1. Pexels

Stock photos are not synonymous with cheap-looking images, and Pexels prove just that. It is one of the best websites, where you can get stunning images for free.

There are instances when it’s hard to find specific photos on Pexels, probably because of the limitations on the search function. But all in all, the website itself is easy to navigate.

You can use all of their photos for free and edit them as you like. Most of the images here are covered by the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, meaning you can copy and modify the images without asking permission.

2. Pixabay

Like Pexels, Pixabay images are completely free of charge for all users. They can be used without attribution, whether they are for websites, blogs, or social media platforms.

With Pixabay, you can choose to download in low or high resolutions. Most of the images are business-friendly, too.

Pixabay also offers free vectors, illustrations, videos, and even music. Signing up is only required when downloading full-sized images.

3. Unsplash

Unsplash has a large collection of photos to choose from, and all of them are quick to download, given their high resolution. The artistic nature of Unsplash is very evident since it’s a community of aspiring photographers from around the globe.

Unsplash has integrated with many web apps (e.g., Notion, Figma, Prezi, WordPress) for a smoother workflow. If you have created a project (like a website or an app) using Unsplash photos, you can showcase them in the "Made with Unsplash" section as well.

4. StockSnap.io

It's one of the most popular websites for finding nature images. But because hundreds of images are uploaded every week, expect a lot more pictures from other categories such as pictures of people, food, and travel.

Their database is not as big as the first three, but their photos are well organized under different categories.

You don’t need to sign up, but by registering to StockSnap, you save all your favorite photos in one place without having to download them all at once.

5. Good Free Photos

They say that if you want to create a great user experience, give them good photos. As the name suggests, the site is a source of good free photos.

The website looks a bit cluttered, but it boasts thousands of free and public domain photos. Aside from pictures, the website also offers a collection of clipart graphics and vectors.

6. Burst

Shopify launched in Malaysia in 2013, and now there are more than 4,000 live Shopify stores throughout the country.

For entrepreneurs who are promoting a product or a service through blogs and social media, Shopify’s Burst can be a useful site. You can take advantage of Burst’s royalty-free photos to create engaging content for businesses in Malaysia.

Why use high-resolution images for your business blog or online store? A marketing insight by MDG Advertising suggests 67% of customers think that the quality of a product’s image is more important than the descriptions, ratings, and reviews.

7. Foodies Feed

For natural-looking food photos, check out Foodies Feed. Whether you’re a food blogger, a business owner, or a professional photographer, you can use the photos to your advantage.

Founded by Jakub Kapusnak in 2017, Foodies Feed is now a worldwide community with over 1,600 free food photos.

8. Styled Stock

Styled Stock is a great resource for feminine stock photography. Aside from the basic categories such as food and lifestyle, they also feature fashion, florals, and beauty sections that cater to female bloggers.

As per Styled Stock’s license agreement, you can use the images for any commercial or non-commercial purpose, online or print.

9. Life of Pix

Life of Pix has a small collection, but its photos are unique, and they also offer free videos. Although the website is optimized for larger devices, it’s still easy to navigate and browse through the pictures using your smartphone.

Unlike other websites that only highlight the best pictures on their homepage, they choose a “photographer of the week” and post some of their best images on the website.

10. Magdeleine

Magdeleine specializes in nature, objects, and abstract images. The photos at Magdeleine have different licenses. While some of the images have a CC0 license, some may require attribution.

By visiting the home page, you will see the editor’s pick, and you can choose to browse between light and dark themes.

11. Ivory Mix

Ivory Mix is a website focused on providing strategies for entrepreneurs and creative experts. Their free stock image library with more than 550 photos is only available after signing up on their website, unlike other platforms.

Every month, they send their subscribers over 70 free images that can be used for all types of blogs and websites but are more suitable for niches like parenting, lifestyle, food, and DIY.

12. Gratisography

Gratisography specializes in quirky photos. As they describe it, these are creative photos you will not find anywhere else. Some of their most viewed collections are their whimsical photos, which have their own category on the website.

You can use Gratisography photos for both personal and commercial projects and download the images without signing up.

Conclusion

There you have it. These are the best sites that could help content writers create more engaging content for their readers. If you’re a social media manager, you can also use images from these sites to get your followers’ attention.

And of course, if you want to produce images from scratch, you can use our integrated AI image creation on our hotcopy; AI platform.

So, the next time you're looking for that perfect image, remember that you have the capability to create it yourself using AI on the hotcopy; platform.

Photo by Patrick Selin on Unsplash

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