Pexels

Pexels is the free stock photo + video platform founded in 2014 by Bruno Joseph and Ingo Joseph + Daniel Vainsencher in Berlin (acquired by Vimeo in 2018). Positioned alongside Unsplash as one of the two major free stock photo platforms with permissive licensing for commercial use. Pexels' specific differentiation: stronger video library (alongside photos) and a different curatorial style + photographer community vs Unsplash. For founders + designers + content creators needing free stock photos + videos, Pexels is essential alongside Unsplash as primary free stock sources. What makes Pexels distinctive vs Unsplash is the video library focus + curatorial style + photographer ecosystem. Both platforms offer free MIT-style licensing for commercial use without attribution. Unsplash has larger photo library + Getty Images backing post-2021 acquisition. Pexels has stronger video library (10K+ free videos vs Unsplash's more recent video expansion) + different aesthetic curation. The Vimeo acquisition (2018) connected Pexels to video creator ecosystem. For content creators specifically needing video content alongside photos, Pexels often provides better video coverage than Unsplash. The core feature set: • **Free photo library** — millions of high-quality photos • **Free video library** — 10,000+ free stock videos • **Pexels License** — free commercial use, no attribution required, no permission needed • **Multi-resolution downloads** — choose download size (small, medium, large, original) • **Search + filter** — keyword, color, orientation, category filtering • **Photographer + creator pages** — follow specific creators • **Curated collections** — themed photo + video collections • **API access** — programmatic photo + video retrieval for apps • **Mobile apps** — iOS + Android for on-go browsing • **Browser extension** — Chrome extension for quick lookups • **High-resolution previews** — quality for professional use • **No watermarks** — clean downloads ready for any use • **No account required** — download without signup • **Daily uploads** — fresh content added daily by photographer community • **Curated for inspiration** — quality bar maintained vs Pixabay's more permissive approach • **WordPress + framework plugins** — direct integration with WordPress + content tools For founders + designers + content creators + marketers the use cases: • **Landing page hero photos + videos** — free quality assets without stock licensing fees • **Marketing campaign content** — photos + video b-roll for campaigns • **Social media content** — Instagram + LinkedIn + TikTok visual content • **Blog post hero images** — content marketing imagery • **YouTube b-roll** — free stock video footage for video content • **Course + educational content** — lesson imagery + supporting video • **Pitch deck + presentation visuals** — visual interest in business decks • **Email marketing graphics** — branded email visual content • **Mobile app marketing** — App Store + Play Store listing imagery • **Stock alternative for tight budgets** — free vs $20-$200 per stock image purchase The pricing is completely free with no premium tier. All content under Pexels License which permits free commercial use without attribution required. The Vimeo-owned business model relies on Vimeo's broader video creator ecosystem rather than direct Pexels monetization. Compared to Unsplash (also free, similar license), Pixabay (free with looser quality), Adobe Stock (paid premium), Getty Images (premium leader, owns Unsplash), Pexels' free + video-focused positioning is uniquely valuable for video-heavy creators. Where Pexels wins clearly: stronger video library than Unsplash (especially historically — Unsplash added video more recently); free + commercial-use licensing matches creator needs perfectly; curated quality bar maintains content standards (vs Pixabay's looser approach); Vimeo ecosystem connection provides video creator community; daily uploads keep library fresh; API access enables integration into creator tools; no watermarks + no account requirements eliminate friction. Where it loses: photo library smaller than Unsplash + lacks Getty Images backing for premium curation; cliché problem similar to Unsplash (popular photos become widely-used); for ultra-distinctive brand work, custom photography preferred; some categories have thinner coverage than premium stock alternatives. My take: for founders + designers + content creators needing free stock content — Pexels is essential alongside Unsplash as primary sources, and the video library specifically makes Pexels particularly valuable for content creators producing video. Use both Pexels + Unsplash to maximize coverage + find best assets for specific needs. For pure photo needs, Unsplash slightly larger library. For video content, Pexels stronger. For all use cases, both free + commercially usable — no reason to limit yourself to one. For premium custom photography needs, Adobe Stock or Getty Images. For consistent free + creator-quality content, Pexels + Unsplash combination covers virtually all needs at $0.