Freestock vs Pexels
Freestock
freestock.comPexels
pexels.comSide by side
| Figure | Freestock | Pexels |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Stock Photo Websites | 8.0 (#27) | 9.1 (#3) |
| API | The FAQ says Freestock offers an API and invites free stock photo sites to contact it about providing images to their visitors. | The RESTful JSON API provides programmatic access to the full Pexels photo and video library, free of charge. |
| API access | Yes | Anyone with a Pexels account can request an API key and receive it instantly. |
| Curation | The maker says creative-industry leaders with professional design and photography experience curate the collection. | A Pexels review team selects content for featured search placement, and the best featured work is hand-curated to the homepage. |
| Editorial assets | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Illustration assets | Yes | Yes |
| Vector assets | Yes | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
Pexels
Pexels is a free photo and video library available on the web and through apps and add-ons. Its downloadable photos and videos are licensed for personal and commercial use without attribution. The site lists vector, illustration, and editorial assets. Accounts add collections, download history, photographer follows, a personalized homepage, likes, and uploading. Developers can use the free RESTful JSON API to access the photo and video library programmatically. API keys default to 200 requests per hour and 20,000 requests per month; the API may not be used to reproduce Pexels or make wallpaper and image-gallery apps. Official tools include iOS and Android apps, a Chrome extension, Google Slides add-on, and Figma and Sketch plugins. A community MS Office add-in is also listed. Pexels identifies Canva, Typeform, Sketch, and Airtable as API partners. Its listed Free plan costs nothing. Pexels says uploads created with generative AI are not allowed.