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Pixabay

Pixabay

Overview

What is Pixabay?

Pixabay headquartered in Germany offers a digital content platform, which they present as a community for sharing copyright-free images and videos. All contents are released under Creative Commons.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Pixabay is a widely appreciated platform that has successfully addressed the need for free stock photography and images without royalties. …
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Perfect for photos

9 out of 10
October 26, 2023
Our company was building a learning app for mobiles that required a lot of illustrative graphics, gifs, and videos. We had to make sure it …
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Great Free resource.

8 out of 10
July 19, 2022
Incentivized
I use Pixabay primarily when working with blogging. We strive to have at least 1 image in every blog, but that can get extremely taxing on …
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What is Pixabay?

Pixabay headquartered in Germany offers a digital content platform, which they present as a community for sharing copyright-free images and videos. All contents are released under Creative Commons.

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Product Demos

Pixabay Sampler Demo

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web digital demo 4/28/20 - Pixabay & video

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Pixabay Sampler demo

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watch Indian Army surgical strike demo video #Pixabay#Army#India#Shorts

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Pixabay Demo

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Pixabay demo

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Product Details

What is Pixabay?

Pixabay Technical Details

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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(60)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Pixabay is a widely appreciated platform that has successfully addressed the need for free stock photography and images without royalties. Users find exactly what they need 95% of the time when searching for free images on Pixabay, making it a go-to source for finding high-quality royalty-free stock images and videos for various projects. The platform offers a wide range of copyright-free music as well, which users can utilize for podcast advertising and other promotional materials.

Pixabay's extensive collection of free, high-quality imagery makes it an excellent resource for creating composites and mockups for client presentations. It is also a great alternative for clients with limited budgets who are looking to create social media posts and ads without compromising on the visual appeal. Moreover, Pixabay offers illustrations that cater to various use cases, including e-commerce and the medical field, ensuring that users can find relevant content to meet their specific needs.

The platform's versatility extends to design projects as well, with Pixabay providing 4K videos that can be used for designing UI, apps, and websites. Users appreciate the convenience of being able to download images in different resolutions, ensuring the right size and quality for their specific requirements. Whether it is complementing blog content and articles or sourcing stock footage for short projects or references, Pixabay has proven to be incredibly useful for various types of content creation.

One of the standout features of Pixabay is its ability to provide unique and brand-specific content by offering photos, videos, and illustrations that are not copyrighted. This allows users to craft personalized messages on networking sites or maintain consistency across their marketing materials without worrying about crediting the author or making payments.

The user-friendly nature of Pixabay is another aspect that sets it apart from other platforms. With an easy-to-use search function and downloads that seamlessly integrate with design software like Adobe Photoshop, users find Pixabay to be a convenient way to search for images, videos, and photos for different projects and content creation. The platform's licensing capabilities are also appreciated by users as they can use the images without concerns about copyright or specific permissions.

In summary, Pixabay's extensive collection of free, high-quality imagery has made it a valuable resource for users from various industries. Its ability to solve the issue of finding imagery that doesn't require crediting the author or payment, coupled with its user-friendly interface and versatile content options, makes it a go-to platform for content creators, marketers, and designers seeking visual assets for their projects.

Wide variety of images: Users appreciate the wide range of images, illustrations, and vectors available on Pixabay. Many reviewers have stated that unlike many competitors who lump them all together, Pixabay makes it easy for users to find what they are looking for.

High-quality content: The quality of images and music provided by Pixabay is highly praised by users. They appreciate the professional and high-resolution content available on the platform. Several reviewers have mentioned that this high-quality content enhances their projects.

Free for commercial use: Users highly value the fact that Pixabay provides free images, videos, and music for both commercial and personal use. This advantage has been mentioned by a significant number of reviewers who appreciate being able to access a wide range of assets without worrying about copyright issues.

Difficult Differentiation: Some users have found it challenging to differentiate between Pixabay content and sponsored ad content, making it harder for them to identify which images are free and which ones require payment. This can be frustrating for users who rely on the platform's free offerings.

Search Function Needs Improvement: The search function of Pixabay needs improvement as mentioned by users who often have to try multiple keywords before finding the desired image, causing frustration and wasting time. Enhancing the search algorithm could enhance user experience.

Confusing User Interface: Users have expressed that the user interface of Pixabay is confusing, making it difficult for them to navigate the platform and perform tasks efficiently. Simplifying the UI design and improving organization could help address this concern.

Users commonly recommend the following:

  1. Try Pixabay for free images and videos. Many users consider Pixabay as one of the best sources for free images and suggest exploring it until finding the desired images. It is recommended for beginners or low-budget startups, and users often prioritize it for free images, only going to other websites if necessary.

  2. Utilize the filter feature and try additional keywords. Users find Pixabay great for accenting or background images and suggest using the filter feature to find specific file types. They also recommend trying additional keywords to find desired images.

  3. Consider Pixabay for commercial needs. Pixabay is highly recommended for commercial requirements and is considered a great tool for low-budget graphics designers or startups. Users have found it to be a valuable resource for business use, especially for finding pictures and videos.

These recommendations indicate that users appreciate Pixabay as an accessible source for a wide variety of types and styles of photos, videos, and other creative resources. They also highlight its usefulness for beginners, low-budget startups, commercial needs, and its high-quality customer support.

Reviews

(1-17 of 17)
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October 26, 2023

Perfect for photos

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Our company was building a learning app for mobiles that required a lot of illustrative graphics, gifs, and videos. We had to make sure it was cleared for usage in a way that was appropriate for our needs when sending the content out worldwide, and Pixabay gave us some great options of stock images to use.
  • Range
  • Cost
  • Quality
  • Searching
Pixabay is the perfect budget option for people needing stock images, they have a great range of content on their site that can be used for a variety of stuff. Their rules on licensing are clearly laid out in layman's terms rather than being buried in a paragraph which I also massively appreciated!
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In my company, Pixabay is used for a variety of visual needs. Additionally, I utilize it for my own projects. I discovered Pixabay to be highly effective and dependable for all of my material needs. It helps with marketing purposes with the help of crafting my own personalized message on networking sites with the use of HD Images.

Pixabay is what I needed to find high-quality and royalty-free images, videos, audio, and illustrations.
  • High Definition Images
  • User Dashboard/interface is very easy to use
  • High Quality Videos
  • Free of charge images
  • Lack of stock images/videos to use as compared to other ventors
  • Personalization/Category labels would help in finding what we're looking for
  • Search engine could be optimized to do better search
  • Userbase is limited
It is a great platform to use and I would recommend it as it provides you with high-quality images and videos plus it serves as a place to find audio/content for marketing purposes. The community/creators show great support for one another and everyone is capable of uploading their own media for others to use.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Pixabay addresses the need for free stock photography and images that do not need royalties. The best uses within my organization are for sharing photos, graphics, videos, and illustrations. In the companies I have worked for this has been food related. The other great thing about Pixabay is the minimal restrictions within it.
  • Videos
  • Music
  • Vector graphics
  • Sometimes it does not have too many pics.
  • Lack of diverse music
  • Ethical restrictions
On Pixabay there are around a million unique users each day. sometimes the support is not what it could be, sometimes, however, it is great. They also have a great FAQ page and interesting blog posts that are easy to digest. Tools are easy to use. Great accessibility. Good content, with good results.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use Pixaby when I want to find free good quality images. We use them to create scientific divulgation videos and help our YouTube channel to get more views. We also use the images to make divulgation posts in our Social Medias.
This product is addressed to the problem that we sometimes have of finding images without Copyright.
  • Provides excellent quality images
  • Provides free images for all purposes
  • The website is good translated for Portuguese
  • It could have more free images.
  • The prices for paid images could be better in Brazilian currency.
  • Users without sign in should be able to leave comments to review the images too.
Pixaby is excellent to provide beautiful free images. It's awesome to use if you want to make a commercial product with low costs. Pixaby is not so good in providing specific free images for some areas, for example, if you want a very specific image for something that involves some machines used in Molecular Biology or Med School.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
As a designer and marketer that serves several small businesses and nonprofits, I often have a limited budget when it comes to stock assets. Pixabay has been absolutely AMAZING for this.

Honestly, I would say that I find exactly what I need 95% of the time searching for free images on Pixabay. And their images have full commercial licenses, which eliminates all the extra work of determining how many times the image will be reproduced and how that affects the licensing tier.
  • Cost - as images are free and in the public domain
  • Premium recommendations for commercial stock photos
  • VERY easy license terms
  • Would like to see more premium options when there are few free results
  • Search function could be improved; I often have to try multiple keywords to find the perfect image
  • Would like more visible tags to see the geographic location images, as I often use these for locally-focused flyers for events around the country.
This is perfect for any individual or organization that's working on a budget. You'll get stock photos that, while there's a more limited selection than the usual paid sites (Getty, iStock, etc.), are often just as high-quality. For smaller businesses and nonprofits where every dollar counts, I've found myself leaning on Pixabay quite a bit for stock images and, from time to time, will end up buying one of the linked commercial images when Pixabay doesn't have what I need. However, if you have a large budget for stock images, Pixabay will likely not be your best choice, as the paid services offer generous discounts for bulk credit purchases.
Shelby Bass | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
As a creative in the advertising and marketing world, I often need to create composites and mockups for client presentations, helping them imagine what a final ad, product, or website will look like. Pixabay is an excellent resource for free, high-quality imagery for use in these mockups. Additionally, I often create social media posts and other ads for clients with limited budgets who cannot afford to pay top dollar for videos, images, and sound effects; Pixabay is an incredible resource for those clients.
  • Separate photos, illustrations, and vectors—Many competitors have these images all lumped together with a limited ability to sort through them, while Pixabay has a robust library of all of these, making it easy to find what you're looking for.
  • Free, high-quality images and easy-to-understand licensing rules—Often a new client will have bad image usage habits, freely snagging any image off of google. Pixabay is an excellent resource to give clients a huge range of photos without the fear of getting into copyright trouble.
  • Sound effects—Free, good-quality sound effects are surprisingly difficult to find amongst competitors, but Pixabay has them in their lineup as well.
  • People search—I'd love to be able to search images based on whether the photo contains people or not.
  • Sometimes filtering images by "editor's choice" results in no images being shown.
  • The comments on images are not particularly helpful, usually full of people commenting "thank you" — maybe have users submit suggested image tags instead?
  • Compared to some competitors, Pixabay's images can feel less contemporary.
Pixabay is excellent for those trying to create content on a budget, whether for yourself or for a client. It has a huge library of high-quality images and videos for use in creative applications. Beyond that, Pixabay also has a library of free music and sound effects, which is enormously helpful for people trying to create content on a budget without worrying about getting in copyright trouble. Also, due to the fact that you can sort images by "transparent," it's easy to find cut-out images to use in composites.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Pixabay's free stock photos complement the content we publish on our blog. Each new article can require several images that match the theme and topic, and we turn to Pixabay to source these images. Almost all blogs rely on stock photos at least some of the time, and Pixabay has been our go-to source for a decade.
  • Fast image search
  • Wide variety of images
  • Decent quality photos
  • Increase threshold of image quality submitted by photographers.
  • Provide downloads in several preset dimensions.
  • Filter images by photographer experience (to reduce lower quality results).
  • Wider range of images on some themes.
We receive content from various contributors and must find matching images that have appropriate licenses. Photography copyright is a significant risk for online publishers with potentially harsh penalties. Pixabay is a reliable partner, as well knows the specific licensing requirements which are easy to follow. Pixabay reduces the risk significantly. While the range and quality of images are very good, they do not compare to paid stock photo libraries, as one would expect. If you need a highly specific image, then there is a chance it might not be on Pixabay, but it's always worth a check.
James Miller | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use Pixabay to populate images on slide decks for internal presentations, company videos, and self-paced e-learning courses. If I do not have a corresponding image to a concept, then Pixabay is where I go to find high-quality images that I am confident can be used both internally and externally.
  • Provides a library of high resolution images.
  • Tags images with a number of words and phrases.
  • Very simple user interface.
  • The images can often feel "too corporate" or "too on the nose".
  • Many of the camera angles are constantly repeated. This is not an issue of the angle is "straight on," but the more creative angles are bizarrely repetitive.
  • The emotional spectrum of the images is limited. Not much nuance. Every emotion is depicted at full force.
Pixabay is great when you need to quickly get a presentation or a visual element completed and you are lacking imagery. The images are almost always safe for any work environment, they are high quality, and downloading is very simple. Pixabay is not great when a visual representation requires great specificity. The image offering can be very generic.
Winona Harrod | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I use Pixabay to search for free imagery on any design projects I have for multiple clients.
  • Good search tool
  • Need to improve its library of stock imagery
  • More natural and dynamic shots
  • More professional and modern illustration and vectors
Pixabay is a very user-friendly searching system and filter tool. However, the imagery has not improved, expanded, or developed to include more diverse, energetic, or natural photography. Many of the imagery available are images I can already find on other paying images sites and can be quite posed. I have found I use Pixabay less and less over the years due to this and use other sites more as they have a more extensive image library on a more diverse range of topics and industries.
July 12, 2022

About Pixabay

Nina Ritchie | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is easy to search for images and videos, you have access to images of different sizes, it does not impose excessive regulations, and it offers the option of adding a filter to your search according to the image, orientation, size, color, and categories, it is not necessary to have a user. The visual quality of the free, high-resolution images is remarkable.
  • Perfect images to upload on social platforms and even for your own project
  • It is enough that you meet their quality guidelines and you will have a pleasant welcome.
  • Everything will be fine in the use of any of the images, as long as you pay attention to the rules.
  • Keep in mind that the resolution of the images can be a problem, it depends on the use you require to give it.
It allows you to select the images by background color, and even transparent. they help us many times when we need to illustrate. It offers public domain graphics to manipulate without further complications, you can choose what type of image you want, whether they are photos, vectors, or illustrations. You can like an image and add it to favorites, to locate it later.
Philippa Schwarzkopf | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In my role at a small startup, I used Pixabay to find high-quality royalty-free stock images and video to supplement the material we produced in-house. Our product is short-form video content for professional education, and Pixabay helped us find images, icons, and video to further illustrate and add engagement to our speakers' videos at low cost and without needing extensive or confusing licenses.
  • High-quality images & video
  • Clear communication of how the material can be used and the proper attribution
  • Integrates into Canva & Adobe Spark
  • Easy to use
  • The tagging and filters could use refinement and sometimes return content that is not related to the search terms
  • Since the images come from a community of uploaders, certain categories of photography or videography are extremely well-populated whereas others have hardly any material
Pixabay is ideal for anyone looking for high-quality images, video, and even illustrations that could serve as 'b-roll' or filler material with no worry about complicated licensing and usage terms. It works best in scenarios where the user is looking for broad topics and using general search terms- the more niche or specific the topic, the less likely one is to find relevant results. All the material on Pixabay is high-quality and free to use, even for commercial use, making it ideal for startups or other companies that do not have the resources for either royalties or in-house production.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use Pixabay for stock images for content on my web, social media, and presentations. It's easy to use and find, I've found (almost) every concept I've been searching for and I love that the images are not the typical ones that the rest of the world is also using.
  • User friendly
  • Filters help you find what you are looking for
  • Original images
  • Vectors section has plenty of room for improvement
It's perfect for content creators that want to include images in their content without worrying about copyrights at free cost. Sometimes I don't find what I was looking for, but the suggested related images give me an idea of what concept should I be looking for instead. It's not for you if you need vectors or flat icons.
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use Pixabay to search for relevant, compelling images to use in design presentations such as posters or digital pdf files. The images found on Pixabay can be used to convey different moods and feelings to achieve the desired effect within presentations whether they be in a digital or printed format. Additionally, I used Pixabay to search for flat icons to use in infographics to visually display research findings or design principles in a graphic format.
  • Pixabay makes it easy to filter your search to the format you are looking for, whether that be photos, illustrations, graphics, or something else.
  • Pixabay provides many different options of free as well as paid content and makes it clear what falls into which category through the way the website is designed.
  • Pixabay includes various tags on each image, expanding search results based on similar keywords.
  • I would like to see Pixabay get even more specific with the different categories of media that they offer. For example, within "Illustrations", having subcategories of "Line Illustrations", or "Cartoon Illustrations" so users can get even more exact about what they are looking for.
  • It would be helpful if there were a simple way to locate images with transparent backgrounds.
  • It could be interesting if Pixabay included sets/groupings of similar images already rounded up for easy use.
Pixabay is an adequate database for searching for images, including vectors and illustrations. It is well suited for locating images to be used in infographics, mood boards, and design presentations. However, it would not be my first choice for this as it can be difficult to locate images of specific styles.
Todd Betzold | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I create content daily for the company, so I am using Pixabay to help add images to what I write on the daily. Since we are not always able to get photos ourselves to use for articles or social media posts, Pixabay is a great alternative for royalty-free images and they have a wide selection to choose from.
  • Great selection and variety of photos.
  • Easy to search for photos
  • Love the ability to switch sizes for downloads so easily.
  • Could always use more photos in certain areas.
  • I feel like some of the more popular topics always have fees associated with the photo when more should be free.
  • Maybe adding videos as an option?
I think Pixabay is perfect for what people are using it for: royalty-free images. It has a wide variety of photo options to choose from, so makes it easy for the user to find what they are looking for. The ability to search and find the images and then download them to the size you are needing is perfect too. Sometimes you may be looking for a more common or popular image type, which often has a fee attached when it is more popular.
Misty Kearns | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use Pixabay for stock images for content on my website, blog posts I write, social media content, quotes, blog post titles, creating custom images for social media and other things.
  • easy to search and find what you need
  • lots of options
  • user friendly
  • making sure terms of use for the images is very clear
  • having more graphics instead of just photos
Pixabay is great for any online content creator, marketer, blogger, social media influencer, anyone creating any kind of written or visual content who needs stock photos for their content. Pixabay offers a large selection of images in various genres and styles. You can easily search for what you need, download and then use them for your content. Best of all, it's free!
Puneet Pandey | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
Pixabay is really an awesome platform for all my image requirement in any content, It also provides me with free high resolution images which is the great part. It is very easy to use and have a great mobile application, great time and money saver. It provides really very convenient way to integrate with Adobe photoshop.
  • High resolution image
  • No copyright issue
  • Easy to integrate
  • Search optimization can be done better
  • Keywords can be used more efficiently
  • Sometime it is time taking while displaying the right result
It is the one-stop solution for Images, videos or we can say graphics content with no copyright issue and in best resolution in free of cost. Many times it does a great job really feels in a single search that my search is over. Sometimes I feel like filters can be improved further for complicated keywords.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I'm a daily user of Pixabay. It's become my go-to platform for finding and downloading photography and graphics. I haven't had the need to search for videos. I'm pleased with the variety of the content and rarely go to another platform to find what I'm looking for. I've used this site for image solutions for several different types of clients and I'm confident that I'm free to use the image safely.
  • easy to narrow my searches
  • easy to understand copyright
  • material is current
  • material is varied
  • While the site is amazing with photography, a few more graphic options would be appreciated
  • Some categories are more robust than others
  • As a US user, there does seem to be a lot of photos that I can't use because they capture other parts of the world
I'd say that for most of my work scenarios, Pixabay is well suited for finding just the right photo to capture what my client is looking for. There is enough variety within the platform that I don't usually have to refine my search too many times to narrow my choices down.
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