I have spent years paying thousands of dollars on stock photos only to find out that my friends and colleagues were getting way cooler photos than me, and they didn’t pay a cent.

Last night, because this is what I do on a Sunday night after I put up my Christmas tree, I painstakingly documented the only free stock photos sites I’d ever bother with again.

Whether you’re creating memes for Instagram, needed free stock photos for your company newsletter, or you’re looking to apply some color to your blog or Facebook page, you need these free stock photos sites in your life.

Here’s my list of the best and brightest.

You’re welcome.

The Best Free Stock Photos On The Internet

1. Unsplash

This site is as simple and straightforward as it comes.  Free awesome photos with no ads.  Easy to use, easy to search, easy to download.

Best of all, the photos are of great quality.

2.  PicJumbo

You’re going to find a lot more ads than Unsplash but the variety and quality of these photos is top-rate.

Be careful not to search in the banner ads with search bars – you’ll just waste a bunch of time.

Bonus – Easy to download.  There are a few more bells and whistles

Best of all, the photos are unique and stunning on this site.

3.  LifeofPix

The photos on Life of Pix look a little bit more like your generic stock photos but there is a pretty decent variety and the site is super user-friendly.

There are ads but the site isn’t bogged down with them.

Life of pix has great filter features if you’re not sure how to find what you’re looking for.

4.  Negative Space

If you can find the search bar belonging to Negative Space amidst all the banner ads, you’ve made it through the dragon at the gate and you’re on your way to a fair amount of decent photos.  This by far doesn’t have the greatest selection but if you’re willing to devote some time to searching, you will definitely find some gems.

5.  Gratisography

This is easily one of my favorite stock photos sites on the web.

Ryan McGuire is the photographer who’s work is exhibited on this site and there aren’t a ton of shots, but I love them all.

The site is ridiculously easy to use, photos are easy to download, and there aren’t any ads.

6.  ImCreator.com

Slightly more download options than previously mentioned sites, ImCreator.com/free displays a fair amount of both unique and somewhat generic stock photos.

The site is user friendly with few ads and the option to download in a dozen or more formats is nice.

7.  New/Old

Nos.twnsnd.co isn’t the most user-friendly site but if you’re patient with the search and download process, you’ll find some fascinating vintage photos.

All photos are from public archives.

8.  FreeStocks.org

This site has good variety, ease of search, and super-simple download options.

There are ads but it doesn’t take away from the functionality of the site.

9.  Took A Pic

This site is easy to use, has great variety, simple to download, and the quality of the photos is awesome.  There are no ads, either.  It’s a total package free stock photos site.

10.  Picography

This site has ads but they aren’t overwhelming.

It’s isn’t the easiest to search for what you’re looking for but despite the extremely limited variety, you can a few decent pics.

Downloading isn’t easy – you’ll have to open the photo and then save as.  But again, we’re talking about free stock photos here.  You can’t be too picky!