Finding quality free images that you can actually use commercially is harder than it sounds. This is a working list we keep updated, with honest notes on what each source is best for.
Images matter more than most small business owners realise. A website with strong, relevant imagery gets significantly more engagement than one with weak or generic photos. The problem is that sourcing good images takes time, and the licensing rules are confusing.
This list focuses on sources that are genuinely free for commercial use, no watermarks, no registration requirements, and no hidden payment step at the end. We use many of these ourselves when building client websites and we keep this list updated as sources change.
A word on licensing: Most of the images on these sites are released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0), which means you can use them for any purpose including commercial use, without attribution. Some sites use their own licenses with slightly different terms. We've noted where this applies. Always check the license for specific images before use, particularly for print materials.
Our top picks for general web use
Unsplash
Our go-to source for high-quality photography across almost any category. The collection is enormous and the quality is consistently high. Search is good, download is instant, and the Unsplash license allows commercial use without attribution.
Particularly strong for: architecture, interiors, nature, food, people, and technology.
Site: unsplash.com
Pexels
A strong alternative to Unsplash with a similarly large library. Pexels also includes free stock video, which is useful if you're building a homepage with a video background. The license is permissive and no account is required.
Particularly strong for: business settings, lifestyle, and Australian/international diversity.
Site: pexels.com
Pixabay
Pixabay has a very large library that includes illustrations and vector graphics in addition to photography, which makes it useful when you need an icon or simple graphic rather than a photograph. Quality varies more than Unsplash but the volume is hard to beat.
Site: pixabay.com
Stocksnap.io
A curated collection of high-resolution photos released under CC0. The library is smaller than Unsplash or Pexels but the curation means a higher proportion of genuinely usable images. Good for lifestyle and people photography.
Site: stocksnap.io
Burst by Shopify
Shopify's free stock photo platform, designed specifically with small business use in mind. The images are organised by business category, which makes finding relevant photos much faster than searching a general library. Particularly useful for retail, food, and service businesses.
Site: burst.shopify.com
Specialist sources
FoodiesFeed
Free high-resolution food photography. If you're building a website for a restaurant, cafe, catering business, or food producer, this is worth bookmarking. Quality is high and the subject matter is far more specific than what you'd find in a general library.
Site: foodiesfeed.com
Gratisography
Known for unusual, creative, and often quirky photography. Not suitable for every business but useful when you want imagery that stands out from the typical corporate stock photo look.
Site: gratisography.com
Picjumbo
A good source for business and lifestyle photography. The free tier has a solid collection without registration. A premium tier exists but is not required for the core library.
Site: picjumbo.com
Reshot
A curated collection with a focus on authentic, non-staged photography. Useful for businesses that want imagery that feels more real and less produced than typical stock photos.
Site: reshot.com
Life of Pix
A smaller but high-quality collection of photography with a consistent aesthetic. Good for architecture, nature, and lifestyle content.
Site: lifeofpix.com
ISO Republic
Free high-resolution photos and videos. The library is smaller than the major platforms but the quality is consistent and the categories are well-organised.
Site: isorepublic.com
SplitShire
A personal photography collection from designer Daniel Nanescu, released for free commercial use. Quality is high and the aesthetic is distinctive. Good for creative and professional services businesses.
Site: splitshire.com
Kaboompics
A curated photography collection with a clean, modern aesthetic. Particularly strong for interiors, flat lays, and workspace imagery. Useful for consultants, coaches, and creative businesses.
Site: kaboompics.com
New Old Stock
Vintage photography from public archives. If your business has a heritage angle or you want imagery with a historical character, this is a useful resource.
Site: nos.twnsnd.co
FOCA
Free commercial-use photography with a focus on lifestyle and business content. Requires email signup but the library is genuinely free to use.
Site: focastock.com
Icon and vector sources
Noun Project
The largest collection of icons and pictograms available anywhere. The free tier requires attribution. A paid subscription removes the attribution requirement. Useful for diagrams, infographics, and feature icons on service pages.
Site: thenounproject.com
Flaticon
A very large icon library in multiple formats. Free with attribution. The Freepik subscription removes attribution requirements and also gives access to the Freepik illustration library.
Site: flaticon.com
Heroicons
Open-source SVG icons designed for use in web interfaces. Clean, consistent, and free to use without attribution. Particularly useful for WordPress websites that need inline icons.
Site: heroicons.com
Feather Icons
Another open-source icon set with a clean, minimal aesthetic. MIT license, free to use without attribution in any project.
Site: feathericons.com
Texture and background sources
Subtle Patterns
Free tileable background patterns for websites. Useful for adding texture to section backgrounds without using a photograph. All patterns are free to use commercially.
Site: subtlepatterns.com
Transparent Textures
Similar to Subtle Patterns but with a focus on transparent overlays you can apply to coloured or photographic backgrounds.
Site: transparenttextures.com
Additional sources worth bookmarking
- Nappy — diverse photography with a focus on people of colour, free to use
- Skitterphoto — CC0 photography, useful for Australian outdoor and landscape content
- Picography — small curated collection, consistent quality
- IM Free — curated collection across multiple categories
- StockVault — large general library, check licensing per image
- Morguefile — one of the original free stock photo sites, large library
- Public Domain Pictures — older collection, useful for historical and nature content
- Negative Space — small curated collection, consistently high quality
- LibreShot — CC0 photography across general categories
- Barn Images — small collection with a distinctive outdoor and nature focus
- Jay Mantri — landscape and architectural photography, CC0
- Magdeleine — curated single-photo-per-day collection, all CC0
- Good Free Photos — CC0 collection including Australian travel and nature
- Stokpic — lifestyle and business photography, free for commercial use
- FreeImages — large community-contributed library, check individual licenses
- PicOgraphy — small, high-quality curated set
- The Pattern Library — background patterns contributed by designers
- Paper Textures — high-resolution paper texture scans, CC0
- Visual Hunt — CC0 image aggregator that searches across multiple sources
- StockPholio — smaller curated collection, consistent quality
- Foter — aggregates Creative Commons images from Flickr and other sources
- EverPixel — free image search across multiple stock sites simultaneously
- Compfight — searches Creative Commons Flickr content
- Death to Stock — email-delivered curated packs, free tier available
- Cupcake — small high-quality collection from a single photographer
- MMT Stock — free photography from photographer Jeffrey Betts
- Little Visuals — archive of high-resolution CC0 images
- Albumarium — curated photography collections by theme
- Superfamous — atmospheric photography, requires attribution
- Photogenica — free tier available, large library
- Pickup Image — large CC0 library, less curated
- Free Range Stock — free registration required, good range
- RGB Stock — older site with a large free library
- PhotoPin — Creative Commons image search
- Public Domain Archive — historical and nature photography
- Dreamstime Free — free section of a paid stock site
- 123RF Free — free section of a paid stock site
- Shutterstock Free — free section of a paid stock site
Practical tips for choosing images
Avoid the obvious stock photo types: people shaking hands in a generic office, smiling customer service representatives wearing headsets, teams gathered around a table looking at a laptop. These images are used so widely that visitors have learned to ignore them.
Where possible, use images that are specific to your location, your industry, or your type of client. An Australian tradie website with photos that could be anywhere in the world misses an opportunity to build local trust.
If you have any photos of your own work, your team, or your premises, use them. Even a decent smartphone photo of your actual workplace performs better for trust-building than a polished stock image of someone else's.
For image compression before uploading to your website, squoosh.app is a free browser-based tool that can reduce file sizes by 70 to 80% with no visible quality loss. Our Sydney Web Design team utilises all these sources and more to ensure the best quality imagery is sourced for your website.
We source images for every site we build. If you're getting a new website from us, image selection and optimisation is included. If you're managing your own site and need help with image strategy, contact us.