The first question every founder asks us is some version of "do we really need to pay for photography?" The honest answer is: not always. The free stock libraries in 2026 are good enough that a well-curated site can launch without a single commissioned image, provided you treat sourcing as a craft instead of a search bar.
Where we start, almost every time
Unsplash and Pexels are the obvious answers, and there is a reason. Both have moved well past the "person laughing alone with salad" era and now host genuinely cinematic work from photographers who use the platforms as a portfolio. Pixabay rounds out the trio with broader coverage, especially for illustrations, vectors and silent video B-roll.
- Unsplash: the default. Strong for editorial, lifestyle, landscape and abstract texture.
- Pexels: slightly warmer, more inclusive casting, excellent video library at the same URL.
- Pixabay: wide net. Great for the in-between assets nobody else stocks, like isolated objects on white.
When the obvious sources feel too obvious
The downside of Unsplash being the default is that everyone else uses it too. If a client mentions they keep seeing "that one photo" on competitor sites, it is time to go a layer deeper.
- Burst by Shopify: curated for commerce. Product, food, retail and small-business imagery that does not look stock.
- Gratisography: playful, irreverent, occasionally weird. Perfect when a brand needs personality and the safer libraries feel too polite.
- ISO Republic: minimalist, design-led, heavy on muted palettes. A favourite for studios and tech brands.
- Kaboompics: strong on still life, food and interior. Photos come pre-sorted by colour palette which is genuinely useful.
For African and culturally specific imagery
A lot of "diverse stock" still defaults to a single global aesthetic. For our Nigerian and pan-African clients, we lean on libraries that were built specifically to fix that gap.
- Nappy: high-quality images of Black and Brown people. Free, well-categorised, and the casting is contemporary.
- Iwaria: African-focused stock, strong on Nigerian street, market and lifestyle scenes.
- BlackIllustrations: for illustrated assets that actually represent who your users are.
“Stock photography only feels like stock when you grab the first result. Spend ten extra minutes and it looks commissioned.”
Beyond photos: textures, mockups, gradients
Most "stock image" rabbit holes lead to photography, but the real differentiator on a landing page is often the supporting material. A few libraries that quietly punch above their weight:
- Cosmos: Pinterest, but for designers. Less mood board, more reference library.
- Mockuuups Studio: device and product mockups with a free tier that covers most needs.
- Coolors and Hue: for generating and lifting palettes from existing imagery.
- Lummi and Pixeltrue: AI-generated and hand-drawn illustration sets, free for most commercial uses.
The unwritten rule
Free does not mean rules-free. Read the licence even when it says "no attribution required", because some libraries restrict using a photo as the main subject of a product (printed posters, t-shirts, NFT covers). And if you can credit the photographer, do it. The whole ecosystem only works because creators are willing to give work away. Sending one person a thank-you note costs nothing and goes further than you think.
