Best Pexels Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from stock photo websites ranked against Pexels on the same published basis.
- 1Pexels vs Pixabay
- 3Pexels vs Vecteezy
- 4Pexels vs Adobe Stock
- 5Pexels vs VectorStock
- 6Pexels vs Shutterstock
- 7Pexels vs Depositphotos
- 8Pexels vs Yay Images
- 9Pexels vs iStock
- 10Pexels vs Dreamstime
- 11Pexels vs Bigstock
- 12Pexels vs IMAGO
- 13Pexels vs Unsplash
- 14Pexels vs PIXTA
- 15Pexels vs Reuters Connect
- 16Pexels vs 123RF
- 17Pexels vs Scopio
- 18Pexels vs PeopleImages
- 19Pexels vs Stockvault
- 20Pexels vs Alamy
- 21Pexels vs PhotoSearch (Fotosearch)
Pexels alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pixabay | 9.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, Web |
| 3 | Vecteezy | 8.8 | Free plan | — | API, Web |
| 4 | Adobe Stock | 8.5 | No | — | Android, API, iOS, Web |
| 5 | VectorStock | 8.4 | Free plan | $0.83/mo | Web |
| 6 | Shutterstock | 8.2 | No | — | API, Web |
| 7 | Depositphotos | 8.1 | No | — | API |
| 8 | Yay Images | 8.1 | Free plan | — | Web |
| 9 | iStock | 8.0 | No | $14.99/mo | API, Web |
| 10 | Dreamstime | 7.9 | No | — | API |
| 11 | Bigstock | 7.9 | No | $53.25/mo | API, Web |
| 12 | IMAGO | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | API |
| 13 | Unsplash | 7.8 | No | — | API |
| 14 | PIXTA | 7.8 | No | $15/mo | Web |
| 15 | Reuters Connect | 7.6 | No | — | API, Web |
| 16 | 123RF | 7.4 | No | — | Web |
| 17 | Scopio | 7.4 | No | $29/mo | Web, iOS, Android |
| 18 | PeopleImages | 7.4 | No | — | Web |
| 19 | Stockvault | 7.3 | No | — | API |
| 20 | Alamy | 7.3 | No | $139/mo | API |
| 21 | PhotoSearch (Fotosearch) | 7.3 | No | $19.49/mo | Web |
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Questions about Pexels alternatives
What is the best alternative to Pexels?
Pixabay, number 1 in stock photo websites with a score of 9.0 out of 10. The others here: Vecteezy, Adobe Stock, VectorStock and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Pexels?
Pixabay is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 5 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on.