Best for: bloggers, YouTubers, students, small business owners, educators and content creators who need free, commercially usable photos, videos, music, vectors and illustrations with no attribution required.
Pricing: Completely free. No subscription required. No attribution required. No account needed to download (though an account removes CAPTCHA).
Library: 5.6M+ assets including photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, music tracks, sound effects and 3D models. All under the Pixabay Content License (April 2023 onwards).
Biggest strength: the only major free platform that covers all six media types (photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, music, sound effects) in one place, all without attribution and all free for commercial use.
Main weakness: zero legal indemnification on all content. Quality is variable and the library contains AI-generated content mixed with human-created assets since April 2023. Not suitable for high-stakes commercial campaigns where legal protection matters.
Bottom line: the best all-in-one free stock platform available. For professional commercial use requiring legal protection, paid platforms are necessary. For everyone else, Pixabay is a genuine first stop.
Pixabay is a free stock media platform founded in 2010 by Hans Braxmeier and Simon Steinberger in Munich, Germany. It was acquired by Canva in November 2018</cite>, with the acquisition publicly announced in May 2019. As confirmed by PicDefense’s March 2026 compliance analysis, Pixabay now hosts over 5.6 million assets covering photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, music tracks, sound effects and 3D models.
Canva maintained Pixabay as a separate brand after acquisition</cite>, operating it independently while integrating an “Edit in Canva” button directly into Pixabay’s interface. This means Pixabay users can find a free image and edit it in Canva with a single click, without leaving the workflow. The platforms drive combined monthly organic traffic in the tens of millions.
Table of Contents
How We Researched This Review
Library count: 5.6M+ assets confirmed from PicDefense’s March 2026 independent compliance analysis.
Canva acquisition: November 2018 acquisition and May 2019 public announcement confirmed from Canva newsroom, Wikipedia and PitchBook.
Three license eras: CC0 (pre-January 2019), Pixabay License (January 2019 to April 2023), and Content License (April 17, 2023 onwards) confirmed from PicDefense’s March 2026 analysis and Wikipedia.
AI content policy: AI-generated content allowed in the library from April 2023 onwards, confirmed from PicDefense’s March 2026 analysis.
Zero indemnification: confirmed from PicDefense’s March 2026 compliance analysis.
Music and SFX counts: current figures from the official Pixabay platform.
Pixabay at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010, Munich, Germany. Founders: Hans Braxmeier and Simon Steinberger. |
| Parent company | Canva (acquired November 2018, publicly announced May 2019) |
| Total assets | 5.6M+ assets |
| Cost | Completely free. No subscription, no account required to browse or download. |
| Attribution | Not required. Always appreciated but never mandatory. |
| Photos | Millions of free photos in JPG format, multiple resolutions |
| Illustrations and vectors | Hundreds of thousands. PNG, JPG, SVG formats available. |
| Videos | Hundreds of thousands of clips. HD and 4K in MP4 format. |
| Music | 200,000+ royalty-free music tracks. MP3 format. |
| Sound effects | 120,000+ sound effects. MP3 format. |
| Current license | Content License (effective April 17, 2023). Content uploaded before January 9, 2019 is under CC0. |
| AI content | AI-generated assets allowed in the library from April 2023 onwards. Mixed with human-created content. |
| Legal indemnification | Zero. No legal protection is provided under any license tier. |
| Canva integration | “Edit in Canva” button on all assets. Direct workflow link between platforms. |
| API | Available for developers. Attribution required for API integrations per API terms. |
| Account requirement | Optional. Without account: CAPTCHA per download. With free account: no CAPTCHA, download history saved. |
The License: Three Eras, One Important Update
Understanding which Pixabay license covers the content you use matters more than most free platform reviews explain. As confirmed by PicDefense’s March 2026 compliance analysis, Pixabay has operated under three distinct license regimes since its founding:
Era 1 CC0 (before January 9, 2019): content uploaded before this date is under Creative Commons Zero (public domain). These images can be used for any purpose with no restrictions whatsoever. In 2023, Pixabay reinstated CC0 status for all pre-2019 content.
Era 2 Pixabay License (January 9, 2019 to April 16, 2023): custom license replacing CC0. Allowed free commercial use without attribution but with specific restrictions on resale, merchandise and trademark use.
Era 3 Content License (April 17, 2023 onwards): the current license. Similar commercial use permissions, but now explicitly allows AI-generated content in the library. All three eras prohibit resale of unmodified content and use on physical merchandise for resale. All three provide zero legal indemnification.
Practical impact: for most everyday commercial use (websites, blogs, social media, YouTube), the license era does not change what you can do. The practical restrictions no resale as standalone, no merchandise for resale, no misleading or defamatory use — apply across all three eras.
What the Content License allows:
- Free commercial and non-commercial use without attribution
- Modification and adaptation for your projects
- Use in websites, social media, advertising, YouTube, presentations, editorial content
What the Content License does not allow:
- Selling or distributing unmodified content as a standalone file (selling “Pixabay image packs” is not permitted)
- Printing content on merchandise for resale (t-shirts, mugs, phone cases where the image is the main product value)
- Using images with recognizable people in a misleading or defamatory context
- Using content with recognizable trademarks for commercial promotion without permission
For comparison: Shutterstock provides $10,000 Standard and $250,000 Enhanced indemnification. iStock provides $10,000 Standard. Adobe Stock provides Standard indemnification. None of this is available on Pixabay.
Practical guidance: for low-stakes use (personal projects, blog posts, social media, YouTube), the zero indemnification is not a meaningful practical risk. For high-value commercial advertising campaigns, broadcast media, product packaging or agency client work, a platform with legal indemnification is the appropriate choice.
The Library: What 5.6M+ Assets Covers
Photos are Pixabay’s largest category, covering nature, people, business, travel, food, technology, architecture, abstract and more. Filters include category, orientation, color and size. Downloads are available in JPG format at multiple resolutions. Quality ranges from excellent to generic depending on contributor, but Editor’s Choice and trending filters help surface the best content.
Illustrations and vectors cover graphic art, patterns, backgrounds, icons, clipart and digital artwork in PNG, JPG and SVG formats. SVG format enables scalable editing without quality loss. Category filters include animals, nature, science, technology, business and more.
Videos provide HD and 4K stock footage in MP4 format. Categories cover nature, city, travel, food, business, animals and more. Filters include resolution, orientation and duration. Both cinematic-style footage and simple b-roll are available.
Music covers 200,000+ royalty-free tracks searchable by genre, mood, duration and instruments. Downloads in MP3 format. Suitable for YouTube, podcasts, social media and presentations. A major upgrade from the 40,000-track count in earlier articles about this platform.
Sound effects cover 120,000+ effects in MP3 format, searchable by category (nature, technology, funny, intros, notifications). Suitable for video editing, presentations and app audio. Significantly expanded from the earlier 80,000-track figure.
3D models are available in a smaller selection for use in design and presentation projects.
The Canva Connection
As confirmed by Canva’s official newsroom and PicDefense’s March 2026 analysis, Pixabay operates as a Canva subsidiary but maintains its own brand identity, URL and contributor community. Canva added an “Edit in Canva” button to every asset on Pixabay, creating a one-click workflow from free asset discovery to Canva’s design editor.
This integration is useful for content creators who use both platforms. Find a free vector on Pixabay, click Edit in Canva, and it opens directly in your Canva project without downloading and re-uploading. Pixabay assets sourced this way are also accessible directly inside Canva’s design tool under the free stock section.
Pixabay Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Completely free, no subscription. 5.6M+ assets across photos, videos, vectors, music, sound effects and 3D models under one license. | Zero legal indemnification. No protection against copyright disputes arising from licensed content. |
| No attribution required for web, print or social use. Unlike Pexels and some Unsplash API integrations, attribution is never mandatory. | AI-generated content mixed with human-created assets from April 2023. No way to filter for human-only content. |
| Covers all six media types in one platform: photos, illustrations, vectors, video, music and sound effects. No other free platform matches this breadth. | Cannot use on physical merchandise for resale (t-shirts, mugs, phone cases where the image is the core product value). |
| “Edit in Canva” button on all assets creates a one-click workflow into Canva’s design tool | Quality is variable. The library contains amateur and average-quality content alongside excellent content — requires more filtering effort than curated paid platforms. |
| Pre-January 2019 content is CC0 (public domain), providing the cleanest possible license for historical uploads | CAPTCHA required on every download without an account. An account removes this friction. |
| Music library has grown to 200,000+ tracks. Significantly larger than most free music alternatives. | Attribution required for API integrations. Developers using the Pixabay API must provide attribution per API terms, unlike direct website downloads. |
Pixabay vs the Alternatives
| Pixabay | Unsplash | Pexels | Mixkit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free (Unsplash+) | Free | Free |
| Attribution required | No | Preferred, not required | Preferred, not required | No |
| Music included | Yes (200,000+ tracks) | No | No | Yes (1,000+ tracks) |
| Vector/SVG included | Yes | No | No | No |
| Legal indemnification | None | None (Unsplash+ $10K) | None | None |
| Best for | All-in-one free media | Premium photography | Diverse people photos | Video templates and AE |
For more free stock options see our Unsplash review and Mixkit review. For paid stock with legal protection see our Shutterstock review and Depositphotos review.
Who Should Use Pixabay?
Pixabay is the right free stock platform for creators who regularly need assets across multiple media types. As the only major free platform that covers photos, illustrations, vectors, video, music and sound effects under one license without attribution, it saves significant time compared to sourcing each media type from a different free platform.
Bloggers who need images for posts, YouTubers who need b-roll and background music, educators creating presentations, social media managers building content calendars, students working on projects, and small business owners producing marketing materials on a budget are all well-served by Pixabay.
For premium photography quality with stronger curation, Unsplash typically offers better individual photo selection. For video templates and After Effects files specifically, Mixkit is more focused. For free vector icons, Flaticon or Iconscout offer specialist icon libraries.
For professional commercial work requiring legal indemnification, all free platforms fall short. The appropriate platforms for high-value commercial use are Shutterstock, Adobe Stock or iStock, all of which include legal protection in their licenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pixabay completely free? Yes. Pixabay is completely free to use with no subscription, no account required and no attribution required. An account removes the CAPTCHA that appears on each download, which makes bulk downloading more practical, but it is not mandatory.
Do I need to credit Pixabay when I use its images? No. Attribution is not required under the Pixabay Content License for direct website downloads. Giving credit is appreciated by contributors but never mandatory. Note: if you are using the Pixabay API to integrate content into an application or website, attribution is required per the API terms.
Who owns Pixabay? Pixabay is owned by Canva. As confirmed by Wikipedia and Crunchbase, Canva acquired Pixabay in November 2018 with the acquisition publicly announced in May 2019. Pixabay operates as an independent brand with its own URL, contributor community and license.
What is the Pixabay Content License? The Content License has been in effect since April 17, 2023. It replaced the earlier “Pixabay License” which was introduced in January 2019. It allows free commercial use without attribution, modification and adaptation of all content. It does not allow reselling unmodified content, using it on physical merchandise for resale where the image is the core product value, or using it in misleading or defamatory contexts. Content uploaded before January 9, 2019 is under CC0 (public domain) following the 2023 reinstatement.
Does Pixabay have AI-generated content? Yes. As confirmed by PicDefense’s March 2026 compliance analysis, AI-generated images, illustrations and videos have been accepted into the Pixabay library since the April 2023 Content License update. There is no filter to view only human-created content. All AI and human content is licensed identically under the Content License.
Can I use Pixabay images for commercial purposes? Yes. The Content License permits free commercial use including websites, social media, advertising, YouTube, presentations and editorial content. The key restrictions are: no resale of unmodified content as standalone files, no use on merchandise for resale where the image is the primary value, and no misleading use of content featuring recognizable people.
Does Pixabay offer legal protection? No. As confirmed by PicDefense’s March 2026 compliance analysis, Pixabay provides zero legal indemnification under any of its license versions. If a copyright dispute arises, Pixabay will not cover legal costs or damages. For commercial work requiring legal protection, paid platforms with indemnification such as Shutterstock or Adobe Stock are the appropriate choice.
Pixabay Alternatives Worth Considering
Reviewed by our team. Read the full review or head straight to the platform.
Unsplash
Free photo platform with a stronger editorial and lifestyle photography selection. Better for premium-quality individual images. No music or vectors.
Mixkit
Free stock video, After Effects templates, music and SFX from Envato. Best for video templates and motion graphics assets.
Depositphotos
330M+ paid stock assets from $9.99/mo with rollover, AI generator and $10K legal indemnification. Best paid alternative to Pixabay.
Vecteezy
60M+ free and paid vectors, stock photos and video. Free plan includes commercial use with attribution. Best for vector-heavy needs.
5.6M+ free photos, videos, music, vectors and sound effects. No account required. No attribution required.
Visit Pixabay →
Related: Unsplash Review | Mixkit Review | Depositphotos Review | Vecteezy Review | Shutterstock Review | Canva Review
Sources used in this article: Pixabay Official Terms of Service and Content License (pixabay.com/service/terms) PicDefense: Pixabay Content License Commercial Use Risk Profile, March 2026 (picdefense.io) Wikipedia: Pixabay (en.wikipedia.org) Canva Newsroom: Canva Acquires Pexels and Pixabay, May 2019 (canva.com) Daydream: Canva’s Acquisition of Pexels and Pixabay: A Masterful SEO Play (withdaydream.com)