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How well does Pexels work on your devices and fit your current creative workflow?
Make sure Pexels works on your devices and fits your current workflow before comparing smaller details that only matter after the basics check out.
Pexels review: free photos and video, with one gap
Free (no paid tier) pricing · Cloud · Web · No free trial listed
Pexels is a free stock library of photos and videos. Its licence page states that all photos and videos on Pexels can be downloaded and used for free, and names no paid tier, subscription or price. Attribution is not required.
The page says crediting the photographer or Pexels is not necessary but always appreciated. Modification is permitted, and the page lists commercial uses explicitly: a template you sell, promoting a product in advertising and banners, and printed marketing material. The restrictions are narrow and specific.
You may not sell unaltered copies as a poster, print or physical product without modifying them first. You may not redistribute or sell Pexels files on other stock photo or wallpaper platforms.
You may not imply that a person or brand shown endorses your product, identifiable people may not appear in a bad light or offensively, and nothing may be used as part of a trademark, trade name or business name.
Scope is the thing to settle before you plan around it. Pexels is photos and video, and its licence page does not mention music, sound effects, illustrations or vectors. A video that needs a cleared music bed needs a second source.
Use this page to judge pricing, tradeoffs, alternatives, and real workflow fit before you ever click through to the vendor site.
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Last updated:
Pricing
Free (no paid tier)
Deployment
Cloud
Supported OS
Web
What is Pexels?
Pexels is a free stock library of photos and videos. Its licence page says all photos and videos can be downloaded and used for free, attribution is not required, and modification is permitted. The restrictions are narrow: no selling unaltered copies as a physical product, no redistributing on other stock platforms, and no implying endorsement by a person or brand shown. It carries no music or sound effects.
Quick snapshot
Pexels has no paid tier. Its licence page states that all photos and videos on Pexels can be downloaded and used for free, and names no subscription, tier or price. Attribution is not required.
Modification is permitted, and the page lists commercial uses explicitly, including a template you sell, advertising and banners, and printed marketing material.
You may not sell unaltered copies as a poster, print or physical product; you may not redistribute or sell the files on other stock photo or wallpaper platforms; and you may not imply endorsement by people or brands shown.
The page covers photos and videos only and does not mention music or sound effects.
Test the free tier or trial if available. The experience in daily use matters more than the feature list on the pricing page. Use our pricing calculator to estimate real costs at your usage level.
Also consider how Pexels feels after the first month: does it save you time or create busywork? Does the pricing still make sense once you're past the trial and using it at full capacity?
Estimate your cost
Contact vendor for pricing
Estimate based on the lowest published plan. Actual cost may vary by tier and usage.
What Pexels actually does (and what it doesn't)
Pexels is the free default for stills and B-roll, and its licence is unusually readable about the commercial use it allows. Pair it with something that actually carries music, because it has none. If the work is a paid client deliverable where exclusivity or a signed release matters, no free library answers that, including this one. For context on how we evaluate tools, see our review methodology.
Quick verdict
Best when: Pexels is a free stock library of photos and videos
Worth it if: Worth it when the pricing lines up with your real usage, not the demo.
Think twice if: Pexels is harder to justify if you need a hands-on trial before spending money
Pexels is best for
Pexels is a free stock library of photos and videos. Its licence page states that all photos and videos on Pexels can be downloaded and used for free, and names no paid tier, subscription or price. Attribution is not required. The page says crediting the photographer or Pexels is not necessary but always appreciated. Modification is permitted, and the page lists commercial uses explicitly: a template you sell, promoting a product in advertising and banners, and printed marketing material. The restrictions are narrow and specific. You may not sell unaltered copies as a poster, print or physical product without modifying them first. You may not redistribute or sell Pexels files on other stock photo or wallpaper platforms. You may not imply that a person or brand shown endorses your product, identifiable people may not appear in a bad light or offensively, and nothing may be used as part of a trademark, trade name or business name. Scope is the thing to settle before you plan around it. Pexels is photos and video, and its licence page does not mention music, sound effects, illustrations or vectors. A video that needs a cleared music bed needs a second source.
Why Pexels stands out
Editorial verdict: Pexels is the free default for stills and B-roll, and its licence is unusually readable about the commercial use it allows. Pair it with something that actually carries music, because it has none. If the work is a paid client deliverable where exclusivity or a signed release matters, this is not the library for that, and no free library is.
Is Pexels worth the price?
Pexels is typically used by solo creators, small teams who need the tool to deliver consistently, not just look good in a demo.
Pros and cons
Strengths
Free with no paid tier, no quota and no subscription to maintain
Attribution is not required
The licence page names commercial uses explicitly, including templates you sell and paid advertising
Modification is permitted, and is also the condition for any physical-product use
Nothing lapses, so files you have downloaded do not stop being covered
Limitations
No music or sound effects at all, so audio has to come from elsewhere
No illustrations or vectors, unlike the broader free libraries
Unaltered files cannot be sold as prints or physical products
The licence page offers no model or property release, and limits how identifiable people and brands may appear
Contributor catalogue, so the popular clips are heavily reused
Visit PexelsWeighed the pros and cons? See it in action. Or browse the full software directory.
Before you subscribe
Before you commit
Answer these questions before you subscribe. A polished landing page isn't the same as a tool that fits your workflow: grab a checklist from our free resources page to structure your evaluation. Browse the full Stock Media & Music Licensing category for more options.
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Will the pricing still make sense as your audience, content volume, or team size grows?
Check how pricing scales. The starter plan might be cheap, but costs can jump quickly as your usage, audience, or team size grows.
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Which integrations do you need right now, and which can wait?
Figure out which integrations you actually need right now vs. ones that can wait. Don't let a missing integration kill an otherwise great fit.
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What are the main limitations, and can you work around them without it slowing you down?
Every tool has tradeoffs. The question isn't whether limitations exist: it's whether you can work around them without it slowing you down.
Ready to keep comparing Pexels?
Visit PexelsUse pricing, tradeoffs, and buyer guides before you make the final click.
Frequently asked questions about Pexels
Is Pexels free for commercial use?
Yes, within the limits the licence page sets out. It lists allowed commercial uses explicitly, naming a template you sell, promoting a product in advertising and banners, and printing marketing material. There is no paid tier mentioned anywhere on the page.
Do I need to credit Pexels?
No. The page says attribution is not required and that giving credit to the photographer or Pexels is not necessary but always appreciated.
Does Pexels have music?
Not on the terms we can read. Its licence page covers photos and videos and does not mention music or sound effects, so we do not assert that a Pexels audio licence exists. A video that needs a cleared music bed needs a second source, which is the practical reason not to treat Pexels as a one-stop media library.
Can I sell a print of a Pexels photo?
Not unaltered. The page says not to sell unaltered copies of a photo or video, giving a poster, a print or a physical product as its examples, and adds the qualifier "without modifying it first". It also prohibits redistributing or selling the files on other stock photo or wallpaper platforms.
Can I use a Pexels photo of a person in an advert?
The licence page sets two limits that bear on this directly: do not imply endorsement of your product by people or brands shown in the imagery, and identifiable people may not appear in a bad light or in a way that is offensive. The page offers no model release, so an endorsement-adjacent advert is where the risk concentrates.
Pexels alternatives worth comparing
If Pexels is close but not quite right, compare it against these alternatives. See which one fits better on pricing, features, ease of use, and daily workflow. You can also browse head-to-head comparisons or check the glossary for key terms.
See the best stock media & music licensing tools for creators, ranked →
| Tool | Best when | Main tradeoff | Pricing | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pexels(this tool) | Fits when the workflow matches how you already work | Pexels is harder to justify if you need a hands-on trial before spending money | Free (no paid tier) | No |
| Epidemic Sound | Epidemic Sound is best for active YouTube creators uploading at least weekly to a... | This is Epidemic Sound's most significant limitation and the one most creators don't discover... | Monthly or yearly subscription with plan eligibility set by company revenue; Enterprise quoted with a 12-month minimum term | Yes |
| Artlist | Artlist is best for filmmakers, documentary creators, professional video producers, and YouTube creators who... | Artlist offers no free trial | Annual subscription only (no monthly billing) | No |
| Storyblocks | Storyblocks is best for video producers, B-roll-heavy YouTubers, documentary creators, and editors who actively... | Storyblocks' music library is serviceable but not the reason to subscribe | Annual subscription | Yes |
| Musicbed | Musicbed is best for professional filmmakers, commercial video producers, brand content agencies, and documentary... | At $49/month Plus for the commercial tier that covers YouTube monetization, Musicbed costs several... | Monthly subscription or per-project license | Yes |
Epidemic Sound
Music licensing for monetized YouTube channels, with ContentID whitelisting that stops copyright claims before they fire.
Artlist
Royalty-free music licensing where every track you download stays licensed for that content forever, even after you cancel.
Storyblocks
One annual subscription bundling millions of stock video clips with music, sound effects, photos and editable templates.
Musicbed
Curated, broadcast-ready music licensing for filmmakers and agencies, with per-project licensing as well as subscriptions.
Pixabay
A free library of photos, illustrations, vectors, video, music and sound effects, with no paid tier and no attribution requirement.
Sources
Pricing and product details referenced on this page were verified from public sources. Confirm final details directly with the vendor before purchasing.
pricing · verified Nov 13, 2026
Official pricing pagePexels pricing reference