Pixabay review & overview

Completely free photos, illustrations, vectors, video and music under a permissive license with no attribution required, funded by ads and partner placements.

Pixabay sits in the free stock library space and is most often picked for free-no-attribution, hobbyists. Below is a quick, no-fluff overview to help you decide if it fits.

Key facts

Who it's for

Pixabay makes most sense for free-no-attribution.

• free-no-attribution
• hobbyists

Key features

What you actually get with Pixabay, drawn from independent reviews and the vendor's own documentation:

• Completely free photos, illustrations, vectors, video, music, SFX and 3D
• Pixabay Content License with no attribution required
• 6M+ total pieces of content
• Commercial use permitted
• Funded by ads and partner placements, not subscriptions
• Music usable in commercial video as part of a larger work

Integrations

Pixabay connects with API, Canva and design tool integrations and WordPress plugins.

What makes it stand out

A fully free, no-attribution library spanning photos, video, music and 3D under one permissive license.

Who it's best for

Hobbyists and budget creators needing free assets without attribution.

Strengths & trade-offs

The honest balance for Pixabay, from independent reviews rather than its sales page. We go deeper in the full Pixabay review.

Strengths

• + Entirely free with no attribution required
• + Broad media range including music and 3D models
• + Permissive license covering commercial use

Trade-offs

• - License forbids reselling/redistributing content as standalone files
• - No model/property releases or indemnification (riskier for commercial use)
• - Not monetizable via affiliate (content is free)

Notable facts

Concrete, checkable details rather than marketing claims:

• 6M+ items: ~4.3M photos, 1.12M illustrations, 220K videos, 230K music tracks, 120K SFX
• Pixabay License: no attribution, commercial use allowed
• License prohibits selling/redistributing content as standalone digital files
• No buyer-referral affiliate program (content is free)

No public affiliate program at the time of writing; this page links to vendor and comparison resources instead.