Pixabay vs SuperStock

Pixabay is a community library of royalty-free photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, music, sound effects, and other media. Its About page reports more than 6.3 million assets. Users can browse on the website or Android and iOS apps, choose a download size, and download media; full-resolution photos and videos require sign-up. The content license permits free use without attribution and allows adaptations, subject to limits: media cannot be sold or distributed on its own, and recognizable trademarks cannot be used commercially in relation to goods or services. Pixabay also offers a REST API for searching and retrieving images and videos as JSON. By default, it allows up to 100 requests per 60 seconds, requires 24-hour caching, and prohibits systematic mass downloads. API users are asked to identify Pixabay as the media source when showing search results. Uploading media requires a registered account. Pixabay is a Canva Germany GmbH brand based in Berlin, and says it reviews reported or potentially violating content using automated tools and human moderators.

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.