Pexels vs. Unsplash for Brands

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Pexels
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Pexels, headquartered in Berlin, offers stock photos and video under the Creative Commons Zero license, from a global network of creators.N/A
Unsplash for Brands
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Unsplash is an online community hosted by the company of the same name in Montreal, featuring photos and images that are available free. Unsplash for Business is a solution that puts content in the hands of people and add context by sharing visuals with their audiences.N/A
Pricing
PexelsUnsplash for Brands
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PexelsUnsplash for Brands
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PexelsUnsplash for Brands
Considered Both Products
Pexels
Chose Pexels
Pexels is more simple. The alternative options give no good search/selection experience. For example, you are limited to searching just one characteristic or the results are not always accurate. For example, your search for A and get B. Finally, I also note that the user does …
Chose Pexels
I would put Pexels library up against Unsplash. iStock and Shutterstock are both SUPER pricey, and I haven't used either of them in YEARS simply due to the fact that they remain to be cost-prohibitive. Pixabay is fine, but the quality seems far less curated or just like more …
Chose Pexels
Pexels has a great search function behind it and is very compatible with the other leading brands. One of the main benefits in comparison is that it is free to use and promotes creativity with its photographers. It has fewer 'stock looking' images as opposed to Adobe or Shutters…
Chose Pexels
Pexels provides a plethora of videos to choose from and you can get the right size. The platform is free and if you use great keywords you can easily find what you are looking for. Users can also contribute to the community and it has challenges which I think are great …
Chose Pexels
Pexels has video's! That's the main differentiator why I go to Pexels now.
Chose Pexels
I know Pixabay and Unsplash and both are similar to Pexels. All of them have similar features in regards to searching, filtering, or collections. But if I am not wrong, only Pexels has the option to download an image in a customised size.
Chose Pexels
Pexels have by far the biggest database for our needs, 9 out of 10 pictures we find is from Pexels.
Chose Pexels
Pexels has a few unique features that stand out, the most important being a 1-click download from the search results. No need to navigate to another page to find a "download" button. This reduces the time required to find and download an appropriate image. The search results …
Chose Pexels
Pexels is very affordable, and has a decent range of free-to-use options. Images have a wide arrange of people and places represented.
Chose Pexels
Overall, Pexels is a really helpful and easy site to use to get royalty-free imagery. It has been highly beneficial to me in all my design projects obtaining dynamic and natural images that some large-paying stock sites can not provide. Sometimes you can find more variety at …
Chose Pexels
Pexel images are more inspiring, aspiring, creative, and artistic than the usual stock images. We work with Pexels because it is free and we really admire the fact that some photographers or creatives around the world are happy to share their work in such a kind and generous …
Chose Pexels
Pexels is one of my favorite stock image tools. The quality is top-notch and the search capabilities/filters really help you find what you want.
Chose Pexels
Really similar offerings, and we actually use both Unsplash and Pexels. Pexels has a nicer user interface to search through photos, but Unsplash isn't bad, either.
Chose Pexels
If you're looking for a particular type of image or searching for a specific term, you're most likely to find a ton of results with Unsplash. However, Pexels is generally more user-friendly when collaborating with teams or clients. You can find images for your stories using …
Unsplash for Brands
Chose Unsplash for Brands
There is one obvious major advantage to Pexels (and Unsplash really) in that the images are royalty-free. We can use them without fear of being sued afterward, and we don't even have to create an account, just download the image and it's ready to go. When it comes to Pexels' …
Chose Unsplash for Brands
Pexels is my second favourite license-free photo service. However, is easily bettered by Unsplash. This is because of Unsplash’s superior search functionality. When searching for more than one word on Pexels, it usually focuses on the more popular, keyword out of the two. …
Chose Unsplash for Brands
Stacks up well offers another option for finding copyright-free images and is directly a part of our program so I don't need to go to an external site to find other photos. Makes it extremely worthwhile to use! Also easy to teach others how to use which makes my job easier.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
PexelsUnsplash for Brands
Small Businesses
Anchor by Spotify
Anchor by Spotify
Score 9.1 out of 10
Pexels
Pexels
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
Pexels
Pexels
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
Pexels
Pexels
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PexelsUnsplash for Brands
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(34 ratings)
8.4
(10 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PexelsUnsplash for Brands
Likelihood to Recommend
Pexels
1. Small businesses with small or non-existent budgets still need assets to create content 2. Individual content makers or freelancers who need stock assets 3. Corporate eLearning wants to modernize and replace all old-fashioned, outdated, brightly lit studio photos with more realistic and relevant imagery that will resonate with modern audiences and learners.
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Unsplash
I love that I can get real-time and trending content made available on current events. When writing 5-7 articles a day, a good image to support the context of the writing really drives the message home to the reader. Unsplash offers an easy way to search for images that I can use to boot visual engagement, images that are from the field and that resonate with the audience.
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Pros
Pexels
  • High-resolution images – Pexels is full of images that are high enough in resolution to look beautiful on their own, but also high quality enough to be combined with other images without distracting pixelization
  • Stock videos – other free stock sites are often limited to just images, but Pexels has a wide range of videos available as well, which we use to plus up decks
  • Good search functions – while not as robust as some paid sites, Pexels' search functions make it pretty easy to track down what you need
  • Licensing – it's very straightforward to know what you can and can't do with a Pexels photo, which protects my company and our clients
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Unsplash
  • Unsplash consists of a great selection and good variety stock photos.
  • Unsplash offers curated collections.
  • Unsplash offers great advertising options to creators.
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Cons
Pexels
  • I do think that the library should grow. For example, I was looking for an image of a living room with a fireplace and there were only a few options
  • I get tricked sometimes because I see images I want to use but they are from some other company and they are paid
  • Improve search understanding for multi-word searches
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Unsplash
  • Would like to see more variety for commonly searched images
  • Indications if you've used the images before on the site and when (dates, challenges)
  • Information on the photographer/creator
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Likelihood to Renew
Pexels
No answers on this topic
Unsplash
I need to learn a little more about the product and its capabilities before I give a higher review. However, the availability of image trending is far superior to Getty or Getty Enterprise.
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Usability
Pexels
Intuitive and simple interface.
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Unsplash
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Pexels
Pexels has a few unique features that stand out, the most important being a 1-click download from the search results. No need to navigate to another page to find a "download" button. This reduces the time required to find and download an appropriate image. The search results load fast, with lazy loading, so there's no annoying pagination at the bottom. I often travel as I work, and at times my internet connection can be slow or unstable. This kind of feature may seem minor to some users, but when on a slower connection, it makes a big difference. If a search term is too broad, it can recommend related keywords to search for - this helps to find the right image faster.
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Unsplash
I would say that Unsplash for Brands is a lower-end budget and easier option for projects. Again, if you need something very specific - whether it's in industry, pose, subject, or environment, then you'll likely want something a bit more expensive with a larger library available. That being said, we've been able to tackle a number of projects with Unsplash for Brands.
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Return on Investment
Pexels
  • Social media campaigns created with photos from Pexels achieves 40% higher engagement vs others.
  • Thanks to faster and easier content sourcing provided by Pexels, our campaign generation period has dropped to an average of 4 hours, instead of 2 days.
  • Their stock images adorn our offices.... and it's a much lore cheerful space for that reason. Staff are happier, and stay in the office longer.
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Unsplash
  • Massive improvement in engagement of design materials I have created using their assets
  • Improvement in displaying my clients' brands as professional and trust worthy
  • The improvement in a more professional look has led to more revenue and donations
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ScreenShots