Pixabay vs. Unsplash for Brands

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Pixabay
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
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.N/A
Unsplash for Brands
Score 7.2 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
PixabayUnsplash for Brands
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PixabayUnsplash 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
PixabayUnsplash for Brands
Considered Both Products
Pixabay
Chose Pixabay
We selected Pixabay due to its affordability, clear licensing, and vast range of imagery that fit our needs. Unsplash and Pexels were on par for affordability and licensing, but we felt Pixabay had a broader range of content. Shutterstock and Getty were coat prohibitive for our …
Chose Pixabay
In my opinion, stock photos are kind of all over the place, depending on how specific of an image you're looking for. I think Pixaby is on the higher / more positive side of the scale -- there are definitely sites that are not offering as polished of photos or the variety that …
Chose Pixabay
Pixabay is a far more legit and easy-to-use free stock photo platform than the others I have listed above. Before using it I made sure that I was abreast of certain issues within the rules and systems that need to be followed by the letter. If you do not do this you will have …
Chose Pixabay
Pexels is free and fully licensed for commercial use, as is Unsplash to a certain extent. I generally open all 3 to search for free stock images for budget-sensitive clients; that being said, I always find myself searching Pixabay first. They have the best user interface of …
Chose Pixabay
Pixabay gets around the language barrier by being available in more than 20 different languages. The website doesn't have any ads. They do have "sponsored images" from Shutterstock, but I really like that there are no other ads. When I download an image, I can choose from a …
Chose Pixabay
Pixabay has a few key features that stand out. The search results load fast, with an easy user interface and advanced filtering options. I often travel as I work, and at times my internet connection can be slow or unstable. Even on a slower connection, the search results are …
Chose Pixabay
Overall, I really like Pixabay as the quality of images has never let me down. On top of that, I really love the community/creators as they're very supportive. I would say that you will have not many problems or complaints when you use Pixabay and will definitely help in your …
Chose Pixabay
Pixabay is adequate but needs to up its image game in order to compete with other free stock sites, which have more extensive and better quality imagery available. I personally moved from using Pixabay to other free image sites due to the quality and range of images not …
Chose Pixabay
Pixabay provides better images and a variety of search results. The filter options are really good. It's very easy to use and find what you are looking for.
Chose Pixabay
Pixabay has given me the free vectors I need for my whiteboard animation videos, which aren't available on the other sites, in addition to the video and audio clips. They've been around for a long time and have stayed consistent, valuable, and easy to use throughout the years. …
Chose Pixabay
Similar products and a lot of these royalty-free images have very similar photos in their library, so not many differences among them. I did like what Pixabay was offering and their selection when I was using it, which made me sign up for it. It is a very user-friendly platform …
Unsplash for Brands
Chose Unsplash for Brands
It is easy to use, the interface works pretty well and the recommendation of similar pictures is awesome. Also the quality of the algorithm and filter work great.
Best Alternatives
PixabayUnsplash for Brands
Small Businesses
Pexels
Pexels
Score 10.0 out of 10
Pexels
Pexels
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Pexels
Pexels
Score 10.0 out of 10
Pexels
Pexels
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Pexels
Pexels
Score 10.0 out of 10
Pexels
Pexels
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PixabayUnsplash for Brands
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PixabayUnsplash for Brands
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
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If someone is in a specific or super-niche industry, they may not find that Unsplash for Brands is a good option for them. I would say their site and their library of photographic images are a bit more general -- so if you need something stylized, it may not be the place for you.
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Pros
  • Pixabay License: Pixabay has its own license which allows the use of the content for commercial and personal use without any attribution. However, attribution supports the talented creators behind the content.
  • Pricing: Pixabay is completely free for everyone.
  • High-resolution: Photos and videos on Pixabay are of high resolution, especially several videos in 4K, which makes them perfect to use in bigger projects.
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  • Provides beautiful natural and in action photos
  • Provided royalty free imagery which is great for charities who have a budget or not budget for photography
  • Photos are more stylistic and creative than traditional stock sites like Adobe, iStock, Shutterstock
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Cons
  • One thing that kind of sticks out is that with so much to choose from, you can feel overwhelmed.
  • Some of the photos I sometimes can find separately by googling. In the music business, it seems like many photos rotate on the web so there isn't as much to pick from.
  • I didn't see an option for more vertical videos for use in Instagram or TikTok.
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  • The layout and UX is not as friendly as many other similar platforms.
  • Search engine could be improved.
  • Bulk download would be wonderful.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
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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Alternatives Considered
Pexels is free and fully licensed for commercial use, as is Unsplash to a certain extent. I generally open all 3 to search for free stock images for budget-sensitive clients; that being said, I always find myself searching Pixabay first. They have the best user interface of the three and generally have the best image options. Adobe, Shutterstock, and iStock have better images, and I use those for clients who are less budget-sensitive.
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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' photos, you can photoshop words on them, but sometimes you don't want a photo designed for photoshopping, you just want a photo that's ready to use, such as Unsplash.
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Return on Investment
  • We don't lose any money trying to buy images
  • Our videos get more views if we put the good quality images we find in Pixaby
  • The posts we make with their images always get a professional aspect, and get more engagement from a diverse social media users.
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  • Excellent for using photos for content creation, keeps things fresh yet still on brand for our program's needs
  • Ease of use, directly implemented in the program to directly find an image without needing to leave the site
  • Perfect since it's free!
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ScreenShots