Pexels provides one of the largest libraries of free stock photos and videos on the internet. Founded in 2014 by Bruno Joseph and Ingo Joseph in Germany, the platform curates high-quality visual content that anyone can use for free — no account required, no attribution needed.
The site hosts millions of photos and hundreds of thousands of video clips contributed by a global community of photographers and videographers. All content is released under the Pexels License, which allows free use for personal and commercial projects, with some common-sense restrictions like not selling unmodified images or using them in misleading contexts.
Canva acquired Pexels in 2019 as part of a broader push to build out its visual content ecosystem. The acquisition also included Pixabay, another popular free image platform. Under Canva’s ownership, Pexels has maintained its free model while benefiting from Canva’s resources and distribution.
What sets Pexels apart is its curation approach. Rather than accepting everything submitted, the platform reviews uploads to maintain quality standards. The site also aggregates content from other free photo sources, making it a convenient one-stop shop for visual assets.
Pexels Discover offers curated collections around themes and trends, which is helpful for finding cohesive sets of images for projects. Their API is used by numerous apps and services to provide in-app image search. For creators, bloggers, marketers, and developers who need quality visuals without budget constraints, Pexels has become an essential resource alongside Unsplash.
