Overview

Pixabay is a free community library of photos, illustrations, vectors, editorial assets, video, music, and sound effects, best suited to creators and developers seeking a mix of media without subscription costs. Its breadth and permissive attribution terms are appealing, but license restrictions and download and API rules call for care.

Pixabay reports a collection of more than 6.3 million assets, 6 billion downloads, and 400,000 creators. The service is a Canva Germany GmbH brand founded in 2010 and based in Berlin. Browsing and downloading are available to users, while uploading requires a registered account.

Key features

Media library and license

Having photos, illustrations, vectors, editorial material, video, music, and sound effects together makes Pixabay useful for projects that need more than stock imagery. Its Content License Summary permits free use without attribution and allows modifications, but not every use is permitted: content cannot be sold or distributed on its own, and recognizable trademarks cannot be used commercially in connection with goods or services. Those limits make it a poor fit when a project depends on standalone resale or commercial use of trademark-bearing content.

Media pages offer a choice of download size. Full-resolution photos and videos require sign-up, an extra step for users who need original-size files.

API, apps, and support

The REST API returns JSON results for searches of royalty-free images and videos. Its default allowance is 100 requests per 60 seconds, with a maximum of 500 image or video results per query. Requests must be cached for 24 hours, and systematic mass downloads are not allowed. Pixabay also asks developers to show the media source whenever search results appear. These conditions suit bounded search features better than bulk collection or applications that need frequent uncached requests.

Pixabay's official blog announced Android and iOS apps for image search, browsing, sharing, and downloads. Canva integrates Pixabay audio tracks into its media library. For help, users can turn to the community forum or contact the company directly. Pixabay says automated tools and human moderators review reported or potentially violating media and user content.

Pricing

Pixabay's library and API plans are both 0.00 USD per free, with no free trial. The library plan includes free media downloads, but full-resolution photo and video downloads require sign-up. The API plan is free for developers within its default 100 requests per 60 seconds, 24-hour caching requirement, and 500-result query cap. Neither plan has a paid tier described here, so Pixabay is most attractive when its free access and usage limits fit the project.

Platforms

Pixabay supports web, Android, iOS, and API access. The mobile apps focus on image search, browsing, sharing, and downloads; the API is for image and video search and retrieval.

Who it's for

Pixabay is a strong choice for individuals and teams looking for varied free media, especially when attribution-free use and the ability to adapt assets matter. Developers can use its API for modest search traffic if they can meet the caching and source-display requirements. Look elsewhere when full-resolution access without sign-up, higher API throughput, or uses barred by the license are essential.

Pros and cons

Pro: A broad range of media is available under a free plan, so projects can source more than photos without a subscription.
Pro: The license permits free use without attribution and allows adaptation, reducing friction for many creative uses.
Con: Full-resolution photo and video downloads require an account, which adds a step for users who need original-size files.
Con: Standalone resale or distribution is prohibited, and commercial use of recognizable trademarks in connection with goods or services is restricted.
Con: API caching, query, and request limits constrain frequent or bulk-oriented integrations.

Alternatives

Pexels is another free option for photos and videos, and its API plan allows 200 requests per hour and 20,000 per month; choose it when those stated API quotas better match the integration.

Adobe Stock is a paid service with a free trial; consider it when a paid stock service is preferable. Vecteezy offers freemium plans, while Scopio is paid, with monthly image plans starting at 29.00 USD per month for 30 images.

VectorStock is a freemium option focused on vectors. Shutterstock is a paid alternative, and Depositphotos and Yay Images are freemium alternatives.

For broader browsing, see our Stock Photo Websites, Stock Video Websites, and Stock Illustration Websites lists.

Verdict

Choose Pixabay if you want a wide selection of free media, particularly for projects that benefit from no-attribution use and adaptation rights. Its free library and API are useful within their limits, but sign-up for full-resolution downloads and restrictions on license and API use make it less suitable for workflows that need frictionless original-size files, heavy search volume, or standalone redistribution.

	Pixabay	Scopio
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	$4,029/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, Web	Android, iOS, Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Vector assets	Yes	Yes
Illustration assets	Yes	Yes
Editorial assets	Yes	Yes
API access	Yes	—
Paid from	—	$29/mo
Monthly downloads	—	30 /mo

Pixabay vs Scopio

Pixabay

Scopio