Pexels review: free stock photos without an account

Pexels is a free stock photo and video library for a website, a slide, a flyer, or a social post. You can download a file without creating an account.⁵ A shared photo can illustrate the page while pictures of your face, home, or family stay unpublished.

Last checked October 28, 2026.

At a glance

• What it is: A free library of stock photos and videos for personal and commercial projects.¹³
• Works on: A web browser, Android, iPhone on iOS 15.1 or later, and iPad on iPadOS 15.1 or later. The App Store listing also includes Macs with an M1 chip or later on macOS 12.0 or later.¹⁶⁷
• Price: Free to download and use. An account is optional. The iOS app is listed as free.²⁵⁷
• Licence: Pexels License, a custom royalty-free licence. Some files are marked CC0, a public-domain dedication.³
• Best for: People who want a free photo or clip and would rather keep their own life off the page.
• Official site: Pexels

What Pexels does (and how it protects your privacy)

Pexels is a free stock photo and video website and app: you search, open a file, and download it.¹ The Android and iOS listings describe over 3 million free, high-resolution photos and videos.⁶⁷ Pexels says the library is searchable in 28 languages, with photographers in 170 countries, and that a curation team selects and tags the files.⁸

Every photo and video can be downloaded and used for free. Credit is appreciated and not required, and you may modify the files.² If you publish your own camera photos, Aves Libre can show the hidden details inside an Android picture before you share it.

Pexels is a Canva Germany GmbH brand.⁴ You can download without an account.⁵

Key features of Pexels

• Free photos and videos for a website, for print, and for social media.²
• Downloads without an account. Collections, download history, follows, likes, and uploads are the reasons to join.⁵
• Two labels. Some files are marked CC0, a public-domain dedication. The others use the Pexels License.³
• Editing is allowed, including a mix of the file with your own text or other media.²³
• Apps and the website. Google Play shows an update on 20 October 2026. The App Store lists version 8.4.5, dated Oct 21, and marks the iOS app Free.⁶⁷
• Upload rules. Generative-AI images are not allowed, and Pexels does not promise every file is human-made.³
• API access. New API key requests are paused.⁸

Pexels pros and cons

Pros

• A business site, a flyer, and a personal project can use the files for free.³
• You can download without creating an account.⁵
• The privacy policy says Pexels does not sell or rent your information to its ad networks for those networks’ own marketing.⁴
• Uploaded work can be excluded from machine learning in account settings.⁴

Cons

• You cannot sell or distribute a file on its own, including as a poster, print, wallpaper, or on another stock site. A filter, colour change, resize, or crop still counts.²³
• Identifiable people may not appear in a bad light or in an offensive way. Content may not be used in a political context, and you may not imply that a person or brand endorses your product. Pexels does not warrant that consent was obtained.²³
• A logo or brand in the picture is outside commercial use on goods and services, and the file cannot be your trade mark.³
• Pexels may change or cancel the licences, and says it will seek reasonable notice when, in its judgment, a change materially and adversely affects your rights.³

Is Pexels safe and private?

The privacy policy and the terms were both updated on 20 October 2026. Pexels, a Canva Germany GmbH brand, is the data controller.⁴³ Google Play names Canva UK Operations Limited. The App Store names Canva Germany GmbH.⁶⁷

An account can collect your name, date of birth, gender, city, country, information about you, a PayPal address, online profiles, uploads, and your email address. The policy says those details are shown on your public profile until you edit or remove them.⁴ Search queries and messages are collected. A Facebook login may send Pexels your email address and anything else you allow Facebook to share.⁴

Pexels records activity, analytics events, and clickstream data, and third-party tools may record pages you open.⁴ Cookies support login, preferences, traffic measurement, and personalised ads. Named ad partners include Facebook, Instagram, Google, and BuySellAds. TikTok is named for ads aimed at potential new users. Location can come from what you provide or confirm, from your IP address, or from partners.⁴ Pexels says it does not sell or rent this information to those ad networks for their own marketing, and that it may share an email address, location, and cookie data so a partner can match you.⁴

Data may be stored in the United States, Australia, Singapore, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, New Zealand, and any other country where Pexels, its group, its service providers, or its partners have facilities, staff, or contractors. The policy describes adequacy decisions and standard contractual clauses for transfers.⁴ Safeguards are called commercially reasonable, and Pexels says it cannot guarantee that information you send stays private.⁴ The Play data-safety section, which the developer supplies, says data is encrypted in transit, that the app may collect personal info, photos and videos, and three other types, that it may share personal info, and that you can request deletion.⁶ The App Store label says usage data and diagnostics may be collected and are not linked to your identity.⁷

Pexels may train models on your activity and content, including picture labels and which search results people open. You can opt uploaded content out of machine learning in account settings.⁴ An upload grants a licence to store, change, and redistribute the file, including by API. Do not upload another person’s personal data without express consent, or a generative-AI image.³⁴ Children may not use the service: under 13, or the local age for data-protection consent, with 16 the minimum in Germany. The App Store rating is 13+.³⁷ A non-CC0 download is irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual for as long as the law allows, and royalty-free, and Pexels may still change licences later. If a picture shows a person, a logo, or a building, you decide whether extra permission is required, because Pexels does not warrant that those consents were obtained.³

How to get started with Pexels

1. Open pexels.com. On a phone, install the app only from Google Play or the App Store.
2. Search in plain words, such as “kitchen window”. Downloading does not need an account.⁵
3. Read the label. A CC0 mark means the public-domain dedication. Other files use the Pexels License.³
4. Publish it on a site, in print, or on social media. Keep the limits on unaltered resale, trade marks, and recognisable people.²³
5. Download the size you need and crop it on your own computer with a local editor such as darktable. Add an account only if you want collections, and skip profile fields you would not show in public.⁴⁵

Who should use Pexels (and who might prefer something else)

Pexels fits students, club editors, and small businesses who need a free photo today. For a search across many Creative Commons collections, use Openverse. Wikimedia Commons is another library to compare. Pexels leaves you to decide whether a stranger’s face or a logo needs extra permission, and it does not warrant that consent was obtained.³

Frequently asked questions

Is Pexels free?

Yes. Photos and videos are free to download and use, an account is optional, and the iOS app is listed as free.²⁵⁷

Do I need an account to download Pexels photos?

You can download without an account. An account adds collections, history, follows, likes, and uploads, and the profile is public.⁵⁴

Can I use Pexels photos on a business website?

Yes, including commercial web, print, and social use, with credit optional. Unaltered resale, trade-mark use, and implied endorsements are outside the licence.²³

Does Pexels work on iPhone?

Yes. The App Store lists a free app for iPhone on iOS 15.1 or later and for iPad on iPadOS 15.1 or later, from Canva Germany GmbH.⁷ Android is on Google Play from Canva UK Operations Limited.⁶

Sources

1. Pexels Help Centre: What is Pexels and how does Pexels work?
2. Pexels: Free Stock Photo and Video License
3. Pexels: Terms of Service
4. Pexels: Privacy Policy
5. Pexels Help Centre: What are the benefits of joining Pexels?
6. Google Play: Pexels: HD+ videos and photos
7. Apple App Store: Pexels
8. Pexels: Free Image and Video API