8 Amazing Stock Photo Sites for Graphic Designers in 2024 (Paid + Free)

We live in a digital era where visual content sells the most. Regardless of your platform, images not just make the web pages look attractive but also improve their ranking on search engines. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to obtain pictures. You can take personal photos from your phone/camera or get them from stock photo websites.

This article will discuss fantastic stock photo sites for graphic designers in 2022 that can grab the audience's attention in no time. We will cover paid and free stock websites so you can find something to fit your unique requirements along with your budget.

Paid Stock Photos

If you have a flexible budget without any concerns, opt for paid stock photo websites to receive ultimate benefits. These images add value to your graphic design portfolio. They also eliminate the stress of copyright and licensing.

Let’s discuss some top-rated paid sites.

1. Deposit Photos

DepositPhotos is a royalty-free platform that lets you obtain stock photos, vectors, and editable videos. With such a diverse variety, you can find your desired content effortlessly. This site comes with settings to adjust image orientation, color, and size.

Why Choose Deposit Photos:

• A vast collection of photos, vectors, illustrations, and videos.

• You can also find free pictures in a limited amount.

• It provides a suitable platform to add your personal photos and collection for other users.

• The music and SFX feature helps you add background sounds to videos. There are also sound effects and recordings.

• DepositPhotos has additional tools like background remover, picture editor, and image scaler to adjust according to your requirements.

• It also has a regularly updated blog to stay in touch with the latest trends.

2. Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock is a part of the software giant Adobe. Featured on multiple free sites, Adobe Stock gives you a complete platform for your graphic data requirements. Users can get curated photos, illustrations, vectors, 3D assets, and templates to awaken the creative graphic designer in themselves.

Why Choose Adobe Stock:

• Adobe Stock features trending images from around the world.

• It comes with plug-ins and Adobe app integration for seamless functionality.

• Users can earn money by selling their photography and editorials on the website. It is free to upload content that falls under their criteria.

• Adobe Stock has video templates that can be edited and combined with sound effects already present on the website.

• Adobe software users can synchronize accounts with stock photo assets.

3. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is ranked as the most popular stock photo platform of all time. This is because it is one of the most diverse websites with various types of content. You can download royalty-free vectors, illustrations, videos, music, templates, and up-to-date editorials for your graphic design projects.

Why Choose Shutterstock:

• Shutterstock offers ultimate discounts and deals for its users.

• It showcases images and videos that follow the latest trends, so the designers have the most delinquent content for their web and social pages.

• It has integrated online tools so you can edit, resize and scale your pictures to the requirements of your pages.

• Shutterstock has introduced a new catalog feature with a free login. The user can access and manage the content in one place without worrying about data loss. This is an excellent tool to free up some space in your system.

4. Stockphotos

With over 7 million active users, Stockphotos is a popular and evergreen website to obtain desired images. They have a simple interface that allows users to navigate with ease. Integrated with multiple top-tier stock image platforms, it is one of the best and most affordable sites.

Why Choose Stockphotos:

• Stockphotos is integrated with a fantastic AI image upscaler that can convert the image according to your required resolution.

• It provides users with discounts and deals from multiple platforms like Shutterstock.

• This website is also linked to Canva Pro, the best-rated image editing tool.

• It provides access to free stock photos from popular brands as well.

Free Stock Photos

Not enough budget in the bank? Don't worry because there is a solution for everything. Regardless of the budget, graphic designers are expected to deliver high-end results. You can easily take your creativity up a notch with these free stock photos.

1. Unsplash

Unsplash is among the most well-known and growing platforms of all time. It gives creators full credit for their images and requests the users to do the same. Other than this, the content is free and available whenever you want.

Why Choose Unsplash:

• It features almost 300,000 free images relevant to all the trending topics.

• The website is updated with new pictures every day.

• You can also find content related to current events.

• It provides the users with different categories allowing them to pick something relevant quickly.

2. Pixabay

Pixabay is one of the largest stock photo sites. It comes with regularly updated pictures, illustrations, and vectors building a library of over 2.4 million assets.

Why Choose Pixabay:

• The first thing that makes Pixabaty so desirable is that it comes with graphical content, from pictures and illustrations to music and sound effects.

• Anyone can upload their personal creations and photography under relevant tags to get recognized.

• The images on this free platform are royalty-free, so you don't have to worry about unexpected copyrights.

• The website features a straightforward interface allowing users of all genres to easily navigate.

3. Pexels

Pexels might be slightly low in image volume, but the quality is ranked among the top stock photo sites. It is a highly-interactive platform that lets users grow their portfolio and build recognition.

Why Choose Pexels:

• The artists do not need any attributions and leave that option to the users.

• It comes with an up-to-date blog where famous artists and content creators share their stories and experiences.

• Pexels conducts different challenges and has leaderboards to appreciate the work of their regular users.

4. Pikwizard

Pikwizard is known for nature-oriented and authentic-feeling stock photos. Here you can find pictures that are more emotion-evoking and outdoor-inspired. Using such images will allow the designers to create stunning effects that add value to their modern web design elements.

Why Choose Pikwizard:

• This website mainly focuses on landscapes and city-themed photos.

• It offers a free basic editor that lets you make general tweaks to your work.

• Pikwizard also comes with a premium version that costs way less than any other site for users who want more.

Final Thoughts

Stock images are a necessity if you want to improve the overall look and response to your content. The best part is that acquiring them will cost you way less than investment in original/custom photographs. In this article, we have discussed 8 excellent stock photo sites in both free and paid versions. Check them out and boost your creativity in no time.