Free Stock Photo Libraries

Yum... free-ness. We've rounded up all the great places on the web that offer free photos to use in your design projects. See also: subscription stock photos and cheap stock photos.

Best Sites for Free Stock Photography

The following free stock photo libraries are listed as the "best" as they have the largest free image catalogs, simplest licensing terms and highest quality stock images.

Largest resource for free stock photos. Just be sure to check the license info as some photos need permission before being used. Sxc.hu

All free and can be used in commercial projects without permission or credit. (has nothing to do with death) MorgueFile.com

You can download and use any stock image or texture from this site and use it in your own work, either personal or commercial. ImageAfter.com

Free photo resource with a decent catalog. Really free, no permission or credit needed.
FreePhotosBank.com

The Open Photo Project  is a moderated photo community with the goal of uniting image consumers and producers through Creative Commons licensing. OpenPhoto.net

The images may be used for commercial or personal use in print, film, TV, Internet or other media. Credit for the images is not necessary. FreeMediaGoo.com

This collection of photos is for anyone to use in just about any way they'd like. Nice Imagery!
UnProfound.com

Nice collection of hi quality photos with a very simple terms of use.
ImageBase

Nice site, with great stock... you need to sign up for a free membership before downloading photos.
FreeRangeStock.com

More Free Stock Photo Sites

Below are sites which offer free photos, but have difficult/confusing licensing terms, smaller galleries, lower quality imagery or are a bit of a pain to navigate through:

gl.microsoft.com - Tons of free photos and clipart to use with your MS Office software.

Geek Philosopher - Lots of free photos, but check the licensing page for information on how they can be used.

Pixel Perfect Digital - Over 4000 images in a variety of categories.

Pdphoto.org - Many photos in the public domain, but some are not -- be sure to read the licensing info for each photo.

FreeStockMagic.com - Small but nice collection of free photos.

FreeImages - Free imagery but use of photos requires a link back to the site.

FreeFoto.com - Some decent photos available for non-commercial use.

Aarin Free Photo - About 950 free photos, but require credit / backlinks for use.

Free-StockPhotos.com - Free photos, ok selection...a little bit of a pain to navigate.

Notes

Always remember to read a site's Terms and Conditions / Licensing info before using a free photo.

Need something a little more upmarket? Check out our subscription stock photos and cheap stock photos reviews.