Do I need to credit Unsplash photos on Instagram?

Unsplash's license does not require attribution, though they ask for a credit when you can. Instagram captions are a fine place for a photographer credit. A missing credit on Unsplash is not the same as using a Getty photo without a license.

Can I use Pexels photos in ads?

Pexels allows free use including commercial use under its license, with limits on trademarks, identifiable people in sensitive contexts, and selling the photo itself. Confirm the live Pexels license before you run paid ads on a face-heavy image.

Is Freepik actually free for client work?

Freepik has a free tier and a Premium tier. Many free files require attribution. Some uses are Premium-only. I treat Freepik free as 'read the file license' and I do not tell a client it is the same as Unsplash.

Can I put a stock photo of a person on a medical or finance ad?

Not without checking model release and context. Even a license that allows commercial use can still bar implying a person endorses a treatment, loan, or political cause. When the post is sensitive, I commission a shoot or use objects, not faces.

10 Best Free Stock Image Sites for Social Media in 2026

I’ve had one client almost ship a Getty watermark crop as a “free vibe photo.” That’s the whole job in 2026: free stock is real only when the commercial-use license on the file page says you can run it on a client post, including ads. Buffer’s 21+ list still mixes iStock and Depositphotos. Snappa’s 22 is a longer photo dump. These 10 are the free-with-a-license set I actually open for Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube thumbs.

TL;DR

Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay cover most feed posts when the commercial-use license on the file matches the job. Read each license page before you run ads.
Wikimedia Commons is the sleeper for historical and public-domain work. Check the file page, not the search thumbnail.
Freepik and Vecteezy free files often need attribution. Unsplash-style “no credit required” doesn’t apply there.

Which free stock sites can I use for client posts without a lawsuit?

Use a site with a written license, download from that site, and keep the file page URL in the client folder. Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, Burst, Wikimedia Commons, StockSnap, Nappy, and Kaboompics are my default free set. Freepik and Vecteezy are free-with-rules.

A lawsuit risk is almost never “I used Unsplash.” It’s “I used a screenshot of a screenshot,” “I used a celebrity face,” or “I implied this nurse recommends this supplement.”

I keep the license URL next to the export. If the client later asks “can we run this as an ad,” I can answer from the file, not from memory.

How did I pick these 10 stock sites?

I kept a site if I’ve used it on paid social work, it publishes a license page, and it still has usable 1080-wide verticals in 2026. I cut anything that’s a scrape of other CDNs.

Criteria:

Written license I can link.
Enough lifestyle and object photos for feed, stories, and LinkedIn.
Clear commercial vs editorial line.
Attribution rules I can explain to a founder in one sentence.
Not a “free” trap that watermarks the paid file.

Last checked: October 2026.

What is the difference between free-to-use and safe-to-run-as-an-ad?

Free-to-use means the photographer licensed the file. Safe-to-run-as-an-ad also means no trademark in the frame, no sensitive endorsement, and a model release that matches the claim you’re making.

I’ll put an Unsplash desk photo on a SaaS carousel. I won’t put a stock “doctor” on a clinic ad that says “our patients trust us” unless counsel says the release covers it.

If you need generated images instead of photos, that’s a different roundup: 9 best AI image generators for social media. For prompts I already keep a swipe file in AI image prompts for viral social media.

Which free stock sites should I compare side by side?

Compare license, attribution, and whether faces are even a good idea for your niche.

Site	Best for	Attribution	License page
Unsplash	Lifestyle, travel, desks	Not required, appreciated	unsplash.com/license
Pexels	Portraits, office, food	Not required, appreciated	pexels.com/license
Pixabay	Objects, textures, illustrations	Not required under their content license	pixabay.com/service/license-summary
Burst	Ecommerce, product lifestyle	Free from Shopify, check page terms	shopify.com/stock-photos
Wikimedia Commons	History, maps, public domain	Depends on the file	File page on Commons
Freepik	Vectors, mockups	Often required on free files	freepik.com/pricing
Vecteezy	Vectors, icons	Free vs Pro split	vecteezy.com
StockSnap	High-res CC0-style photos	Generally no credit required, confirm per file	stocksnap.io
Nappy	Black and brown lifestyle photos	Check Nappy license on site	nappy.co
Kaboompics	Styled flats, food, fashion	Check their license page	kaboompics.com

Verified October 2026 against those homepages and license URLs. I don’t treat a blog summary as the license.

Can I use Unsplash photos on Instagram for a paying client?

Yes, under the Unsplash License, with the usual limits on selling the photo itself and on using trademarks or identifiable people in a misleading way. Read unsplash.com/license.

I use Unsplash for founder-mode desks, travel, and abstract textures. I avoid Unsplash faces for medical, legal, and “this is our team” posts.

Credit isn’t required. I still credit in the caption when the photo is the whole post, because photographers notice, and clients look more careful.

When Unsplash is the wrong folder

If you need a specific product in hand, Unsplash will give you a pretty lie. Shoot the product.

Pexels’ license allows free commercial use of their photos and videos, with restrictions. The live text is on pexels.com/license. I click that page every time a client says “just run it.”

I still skip identifiable people in ads that claim results. A smiling stock person isn’t a testimonial.

When is Pixabay better than Unsplash?

Pixabay is better when I need objects, textures, isolated icons, and illustrations that don’t look like every SaaS hero. Their content license summary is at pixabay.com/service/license-summary.

I check that I’m downloading Pixabay’s own file, not a lookalike on a random blog. Pixabay also hosts audio and video. This post is photos.

Can a Shopify store use Burst photos on Instagram?

Yes. Burst is Shopify’s free stock library. I use it for ecommerce lifestyle when the brand is already on Shopify and we need extra feed fillers.

Confirm terms on shopify.com/stock-photos. I still don’t use a Burst photo as “our warehouse team” if it isn’t their warehouse team.

How do I use Wikimedia Commons without grabbing a still-copyrighted file?

Open the file page. Read the license line. If it says public domain or a Creative Commons license you can meet, download from Commons, not from Google Images.

Wikimedia Commons is the one I use for historical figures, maps, and museum objects. Attribution can be required. Some files are “no derivatives” or non-commercial. Those are easy to miss in a thumbnail grid.

I keep the file URL in the caption notes. If a platform later asks where the image came from, I’ve the Commons page.

Do Freepik free files belong on a client Instagram grid?

Sometimes. Freepik’s free tier is real, and so is the attribution requirement on many free files. Premium removes a lot of those limits. Pricing is on freepik.com/pricing.

I don’t tell a client “Freepik is like Unsplash.” I tell them “free files often need credit, and mockups can be Premium-only.”

If the post is a vector background with no room for a credit, I either go Premium or I pick Unsplash.

When should I open Vecteezy instead of Freepik?

I open Vecteezy when I need icons and vectors and I already know whether the file is Free or Pro. The split is the whole product.

Free Vecteezy files can require attribution. Pro is a subscription. Confirm the live plan on vecteezy.com. I won’t invent a monthly price.

Is StockSnap still worth it if Unsplash exists?

Yes, because StockSnap is a smaller, high-res set and I hit fewer “I’ve seen this desk on 40 carousels” collisions. Confirm each file’s terms on stocksnap.io.

I use it for backgrounds I’ll add type on. I still run faces through the same endorsement test.

Where do I find free stock photos that don’t default to white office people?

Nappy is the library I open first when the brief is Black and brown lifestyle and I don’t want a token extra in the background of a generic office shot.

Read Nappy’s license on the site before you run ads. Representation isn’t a license waiver. I still skip “this is our patient” claims.

Yes when the photo is in Canva’s own stock library and your plan covers commercial use. Canva Magazines-style lifestyle sets are the ones I grab when I already live in Canva and I don’t want to bounce to Unsplash. Confirm the live plan on canva.com/pricing. A Pro-marked photo is not a free Unsplash substitute.

I still download or export from Canva, not from a screenshot of someone else’s Canva design. That’s the same Getty-crop mistake with extra steps.

Can Kaboompics cover food, fashion, and flat lays?

Yes. Kaboompics is styled flats, food, and fashion textures. I use it when Unsplash feels too reportage and the brand wants a magazine table.

Confirm the license on kaboompics.com. Styled photos still include props and packaging that can show other brands. Crop trademarks.

Downloading from Google Images. Cropping a watermark and calling it “texture.” Using a celebrity paparazzi shot. Putting a stock doctor on a clinic ad. Forgetting Freepik attribution. Using a Commons file that’s non-commercial on a client’s promo.

I also see people grab a screenshot of an Unsplash photo from a random blog. That blog may have added a filter and a new copyright claim you don’t want to test.

How I file a photo so the client can reuse it next year

Folder per campaign. Original filename. License URL in a text file. Photographer name. Where it ran. If legal asks in 2027, I’m not hunting Slack.

How should a personal brand pick stock vs a phone photo?

Use your phone when the product, the room, or the face is yours. Use stock for metaphors, textures, and B-roll you can’t shoot. A personal brand that’s 100% stock looks like a template. A business that’s 100% bathroom selfies looks like nobody packed a kit.

For grid sizes in 2026 I keep Instagram grid sizes open while I export.

How do I brief a client so they stop sending illegal Google Images?

I send a one-page rule: download from a named library, keep the file URL, no celebrity faces, no medical claims on stock people. Then I show them Unsplash, Pexels, and Nappy. Most founders stop after one example of a Getty invoice story.

What I put in the onboarding folder

A shortcuts doc with the 10 homepages. A “don’t use” line for Pinterest, Google Images, and random blogs. A reminder that Canva templates can still include paid stock if someone upgraded once and then exported on Free.

Can an SMM job require paid stock even if free sites exist?

Yes. A luxury hotel, a clinic, and a law firm often need custom photography. Free stock is the filler layer. I budget a shoot or Adobe Stock when the brand can’t look like every other carousel.

When I upgrade a file

If we will run the image as a paid ad for more than two weeks, I check whether a paid license is cheaper than a complaint. Free licenses still have context limits.

How I search so I don’t get the same desk photo

I search objects and verbs, not “business.” “Hands on ceramic mug overhead” beats “office.” I also search vertical and I download the largest size even if Stories will crop it.

What do I do if a photographer asks us to take a photo down?

Take it down the same day. Reply with the URL we downloaded from. If we followed the license, I still remove it to keep the relationship. If we didn’t follow the license, I don’t argue.

How I prevent that email

Keep the source URL. Credit when it’s easy. Don’t run faces on sensitive ads. Don’t sell the photo as a poster.

About the Author

This editorial team writes practical social media workflows for managers, creators, and in-house marketers. We publish on socialbyidm.com. License pages beat memory.