Pexels vs SuperStock
Pexels
pexels.comSuperStock
superstock.comSide by side
| Figure | Pexels | SuperStock |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Spec score · Stock Photo Websites | 9.1 (#3) | 8.2 (#18) |
| API | The RESTful JSON API provides programmatic access to the full Pexels photo and video library, free of charge. | SuperStock offers a REST API for searching, downloading, and deploying content in a customer's local system; API queries are free and licensed content is paid. |
| Audience | Pexels says hundreds of thousands of photographers and videographers contribute and millions of people use the media, from startups to global brands. | SuperStock describes its customers as creatives, brands, agencies, and publishers, from solo designers to global agencies. |
| Integrations | Pexels identifies Canva, Typeform, Sketch and Airtable as API partners. | The MCP connector page names Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and other MCP-compatible assistants. |
| Product | Pexels is a free stock photo and video website and app for designers, bloggers and anyone seeking downloadable visuals. | SuperStock licenses stock images, illustrations, footage, fine art, vintage, and editorial content for creative, editorial, educational, publishing, and commercial work. |
| Security | Pexels says it uses commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data. | The privacy policy says connections are encrypted, access to personal information is limited to staff and providers who need it, and payment card details do not reach SuperStock’s systems. |
| Support | Pexels directs API users to its Help Center for answers and troubleshooting. | The site lists [email protected] and +1 866 236 0087 for contact. |
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.
SuperStock
SuperStock is a licensing service for stock photography, illustration, vectors, and footage. Its API page describes a catalog of more than 40 million images, footage, fine art, vintage, and editorial assets; its subscription library lets subscribers search more than 10 million assets and receive discounts on SuperStock Premium Collection media. Customers can license assets individually or by subscription, with Royalty-Free, Rights-Managed, and Editorial options. The service is available on the web and through a REST API for searching, downloading, and deploying content in a customer’s local system. API queries are free; licensed content is paid. Its MCP server works with clients including Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, and Gemini CLI, and can search, organize, price, and order assets and retrieve licensed downloads. Orders require approval of the exact total. SuperStock also offers free research assistance, with a team-prepared curated board customers can download. A student license provides 30 images and 10 videos per month for student and personal non-commercial projects, with a valid.edu email.