Pexels vs Unsplash vs Pixabay Licenses: What You Can and Cannot Do

The three sources behind the Free Creative Assets photo search all allow free commercial use without attribution. The differences are in the edges: resale, identifiable people, trademarks and AI training. Here is what each license says in practice.

Side by side

	Pexels	Unsplash	Pixabay
Commercial use	Yes	Yes	Yes
Attribution	Not required	Not required	Not required
Modify	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sell unmodified copies	No	No	No
Sell as prints / merch without changes	No	No	No (needs "significant" changes)
Use in a logo / trademark	No	No	No
Identifiable people endorsing	Not allowed	Not allowed	Not allowed
Redistribute on a competing service	No	No	No
Videos and music	Videos yes	No videos	Videos, music, SFX yes

What "free for commercial use" covers

Websites, apps, ads, social posts, presentations, YouTube videos, printed brochures, book covers, packaging, templates you sell (where the photo is one element). In all three cases the photographer keeps copyright and grants you a broad, non-exclusive license.

The limits everyone forgets

• Model and property releases. None of the three guarantees releases. Do not use recognisable people in sensitive contexts (health, politics, dating) or in a way that implies endorsement.
• Trademarks and brands. A photo of a MacBook is fine as decoration, not fine in an ad that suggests Apple sponsors you.
• Artwork inside photos. Murals, sculptures and logos in the frame may carry their own copyright.
• Reselling. Printing an unmodified photo on a t-shirt or canvas and selling it is prohibited by all three.

Safe-use checklist for client work

1. Save the photo URL and photographer name with the project files (the search results here show both).
2. Prefer photos without recognisable faces for ads and landing pages.
3. Do not use free photos as the core of a brand identity; commission or buy an exclusive image instead.
4. Keep a credits page anyway. It is not required, but it builds goodwill and protects you if a license changes.

What about AI-generated images?

Pexels and Unsplash restrict uploading AI imagery but do not restrict how you use downloaded photos. If you feed downloaded photos into AI tools, review each platform's terms; they changed in 2024 and 2025 and may change again.

Where to find the license text

Every photo in the photo search links to its source page, which links to the license: pexels.com/license, unsplash.com/license and pixabay.com/service/license-summary.