What are royalty free images?
Royalty free images are exactly as the name suggests – they are images that are ‘free of royalties’, meaning that rights to the image are sold at a flat-rate, for a one-time fee.
Not all royalty free images have the same usage rights. Some will be available for private use only, while others will be available for commercial use. Here’s a quick rundown of terms to look out for:
Rights Managed (RM) – the image is licensed for exclusive use by one client for a specific period of time
Rights Ready (RR) – like ‘rights managed’ but the license can be extended further
Creative Commons (CC) – the image can be distributed freely
Royalty Free (RF) – as mentioned above, royalty free images can be used freely, but usage conditions vary
Extended License – usually offers more uses than royalty free for a higher cost
There are hundreds of royalty free image sites out there, and not all of them are created equally. To save you some precious time, we’ve collated the 20 best sites for royalty free images in 2021, complete with pros and cons, pricing structures, and more so that you can find the best one(s) for your use.
1. Shutterstock
Shutterstock boasts millions of royalty free images, and they don’t stock any other type of license so you don’t have to worry about possible restrictions or added costs.
Their images are split into easy to browse categories, such as Animals & Wildlife and Fashion, and there is also a search bar at the top of the homepage that allows you to search by keyword.
You can filter images in a variety of ways, including by size, orientation, and even image type. It’s worth noting that Shutterstock offers royalty free vector illustrations in addition to photographs.
When you find an image you like, you will need to create an account to download it. The catch here is that you need to choose a pre-paid plan before you can access the images you want. The minimum number of images you can order is 5.
For library size and ease of use, Shutterstock is one of the best royalty free images out there. But if you’re just looking for a one-off image, then there are other sites that require less user commitment.
2. Unsplash
Unsplash is a photo-only image directory with an intuitive search bar that offers lots of related suggestions to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
They have over 550,000 free high-resolution photos available to download and use for commercial and non-commercial use. In their own words, you can ‘do whatever you want’ with Unsplash images.
When you find an image you like, all you have to do is click ‘download’ and the image is yours–no strings attached. You can credit the photographer if you want to spread the love, but it is not a requirement.
3. Image Source
Image Source offers both royalty free and rights managed images, so you need to be sure that you uncheck the little ‘RM’ box under the search bar before you get started:
Their library boasts 1.25 million authentic images and searches can be refined by brand, setting, viewpoint, composition, and more. It can be a little daunting for a photography novice!
The images are pretty costly, starting from £45 (approx $57) for the smallest size and reaching £460 (approx $583) for the largest, so this site is definitely only for those with the budget to spare.
