Pexels vs Stockvault

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.

Stockvault is a community where photographers, designers, and students share photographs, graphics, and vector files. Its catalog includes free photos, textures, and illustrations, with new images added every day. Visitors can search by keyword, photographer, category, shape, date, license, and color, or browse curated collections covering subjects and formats such as nature, people, vectors, and textures. Downloads are available without signing up, and membership is free. Members can comment, message other members, and save photos to favorites. Photographs are JPG files; graphics are PSD, EPS, or AI files supplied in ZIP archives. Stockvault lists Non-Commercial, Commercial, and Public Domain (CC0) licenses, and the applicable image license governs use. The site describes the collection as intended for personal and non-commercial design projects. Non-Commercial and Commercial images may not be distributed as standalone images without alteration. Stockvault moderates submitted photos and checks accepted images for quality. Members may upload any number of files if they comply with submission guidelines, but images smaller than 3 MP (2048×1536 pixels) will not upload.