Where to find free stock photos?

One of the most expensive and troublesome jobs for designers and writers is obtaining photographs for their work - whether it be web sites, articles, designs, advertisements, etc. Some professional stock agencies may charge as much as $50.00 to use just one single image! Other microstock sites advertise online for free images, only to realize they charge $1-$5 per image. 

Another problem searching for "free stock photos" is that many sites show up that list their images as "royalty-free". Royalty-free is does not mean that the photos are free to use. It just means that you do not have to pay additional royalties for the use of the photo, but you may still need to pay to use it in the first place! 

Luckily, today there are many great resources online where you can find millions of free stock photos, ready to use. Below is a comprehensive list with descriptions of some great sites to find free stock photos. Although we've included some of the license information for the sites below, be sure to check the terms of use at each site, as useage terms may vary.

A large collection of images released under a custom license that allows many uses, including commercial. Photos by over 30,000 photographers.

Total Images: 400,000+
License Type: Custom

Many are surprised to learn that this large photo-sharing website has a collection of CC licensed images that are free to use, even commercially! Use the advanced search to select CC only licenses.

Total Images: 134,000,000+
License Type: Creative Commons