The 6 best Freepik alternatives in 2025

Freepik used to be an awesome stock photo site, but this year, I didn’t renew my subscription—you may ask why.

Its filters and search have always annoyed me because they aren’t as accurate as what I’m used to from other providers. In 2023, Freepik pivoted fully into AI, more than doubling its collection size with fake photos. While there’s a non-AI filter, it doesn’t work, making the entire site useless.

When I was searching for a website like Freepik myself, I reviewed and tested dozens of providers. Here, I’ll present my picks for the best alternatives to Freepik on the market.

The 6 best alternatives to Freepik

• Envato Elements (10% off) for an all-in-one unlimited subscription
• Vecteezy for a cheaper alternative
• Shutterstock for great image selection and quality
• Adobe Stock for integration into Adobe Creative Cloud
• Artlist for 8K footage & video editors
• Google Fonts for a large collection of free fonts

What makes the best Freepik alternative?

I’ve been using stock photo and video sites for almost a decade now. During this time, I got extremely familiar with the ins and outs of all major providers.

I started looking for an alternative to Freepik when my annual Freepik plan was close to renewing, and I decided that it was no longer for me. So, to find the best alternative, I looked for providers with all the features I liked at Freepik while not having the issues that were the dealbreakers for me. Sites like Freepik:

• Offer a wide variety of media files. At around 70 million non-AI files, Freepik has a good selection, but it doesn’t match the size of Shutterstock, which has half a billion files, or the wide variety of Envato Elements.
• Provide a broad royalty-free license. A license should permit commercial and unrestricted use on social media, not require attribution, and be perpetual and worldwide. A good license should also provide some legal coverage ($10K is industry standard).
• Should be affordable. Freepik is relatively cheap, starting at $12 per month for unlimited downloads. A good Freepik alternative is priced up to $30 per month (more if it provides excellent features) and should be available with a subscription plan, ideally with unlimited downloads.

The best Freepik alternatives at a glance

	Best for	Standout features	Pricing
Envato Elements	Creators on a budget	Unlimited downloads; broad stock media variety; numerous integrations	$16.50/month (billed annually)
Vecteezy	Very cheap paid plans	Unlimited downloads	$9/month (billed annually)
Shutterstock	Anyone who needs high-quality photos	The largest selection of royalty-free photos	$24.91/month (billed annually)
Adobe Stock	Creators using Adobe Creative Cloud	Native integration into Adobe Creative Cloud	$29.99/month (billed annually)
Artlist	Freelance video editors	8K footage; built-in video editing software	$29.99/month (billed annually)
Google Fonts	Anyone who needs free fonts	1600 top-tier free fonts	Free

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Freepik alternative for an all-in-one unlimited subscription

Envato Elements ($16.50/month)

Envato Elements pros:

• Unlimited downloads with no daily limits
• Wider variety of media files than Freepik
• 12 free assets each month
• Simple licensing

Envato Elements cons:

• Low indemnity
• Smaller collection of photos than Freepik

While Freepik offers a good variety of media files, Envato Elements offers an even larger one. In addition to everything Freepik offers, Envato Elements offers templates, themes, plugins, and audio. Basically, it’s an all-in-one hub for creators and DIYers.

Envato Elements offers a better variety and quality of assets than Freepik, particularly in areas other than photos and icons. One significant issue with Freepik is that finding fonts can be extremely challenging, as the only available filters are “serif” and “sans-serif,” and these filters often don’t function correctly. Additionally, the non-AI image filter on Freepik is also ineffective.

In contrast, Envato Elements has enhanced its search capabilities with an intuitive AI feature similar to ChatGPT. This allows users to describe in natural language the type of media file they are looking for and the purpose for which they need it.

Envato Elements also has several integrations—WordPress, Premiere Pro, Canva, and Figma—that allow you to browse their entire collection and import files without leaving your workspace. In WordPress, for example, you can easily import photos, while importing video clips, music, SFX, and video templates into Premiere Pro is a neat feature for video editors.

Envato Elements pricing: The paid individual plan costs $39 per month or $16.50 per month ($198 annually) with a 57% annual discount. While slightly more expensive than Freepik’s $12–$24 per month, Envato Elements is the better choice for most individuals. Students get a 30% discount ($11.50/month), and Photutorial readers can get a flat 10% discount on the next purchase, paying just $14.85 per month.

Cheap Freepik alternative

Vecteezy ($9/month)

Vecteezy Pros:

• Affordable pricing
• Easy-to-use built-in SVG editor

Vecteezy Cons:

• Smaller content library than some competitors
• Poor search and filtering options
• Limited free vectors
• Free plan requires attributions

Vecteezy is similar to Freepik but offers a cheaper option with a smaller collection of assets. It provides millions of photos, vectors, videos, and bundles through a paid subscription.

Unlike Freepik and Envato Elements, Vecteezy allows for on-demand downloads, which is ideal for users who prefer not to commit to a subscription; however, these downloads are more expensive.

There are some downsides to Vecteezy. Its content library is relatively small and often lacks quality and variety. Although the search functionality has improved, it still presents challenges, such as cluttered results and ineffective filters, especially when searching for AI-generated images. This can make it quite frustrating to find the right content.

Vecteezy pricing: Free plan (requires attribution); $14/month (1-mo plan); $9/month (12-mo plan, $108 billed annually). Both plans include a 7-day free trial. From $8/user/month for team plans.

Freepik alternative for great image selection and quality

Shutterstock ($24.91/month)

Shutterstock pros:

• 468 million royalty-free images and 36.6 million videos
• $10,000 indemnification (up to $250K)

Shutterstock cons:

• High cost without bulk purchase

If you’re looking for a better source of photos, videos, and audio than Freepik, Shutterstock should be your go-to option. With 468 million files, Shutterstock is the largest collection of royalty-free photos. But compared to Freepik, it’s quite a bit more expensive.

To download photos from Shutterstock, you need a subscription (from $29.99/month for 10 downloads) or an image pack (from $22 for 2 downloads). But Shutterstock prices per download get much lower (down to $0.22/image) when you buy more upfront.

These prices may be too high for some, but they are a must for high-end marketing campaigns. Besides the higher quality and variety of photos and videos, the Shutterstock license also provides $10K indemnification ($250K with the Enhanced Lic.). Corporate clients typically require this type of insurance, and even if you’re a solopreneur, peace of mind is sometimes worth the extra cost.

The higher prices also include various integrations (Adobe CC, WordPress, DropBox), proprietary tools (their Canva alternative), and dozens of credits for their AI image generator.

Shutterstock pricing: from $29.99/month or $299/year for 10 monthly photos, vectors, illustrations, templates, and fonts; $49/month for unlimited audio downloads; more expensive video plans.

Freepik alternative for Adobe users

Adobe Stock ($29.99 per month)

Adobe Stock pros:

• Integration with Creative Cloud
• The most generous free trial (worth $80)
• Standard and premium visuals
• Great for designers, video editors, marketers, and other creatives

Adobe Stock cons:

• Music selection could be better
• Very poor customer support
• Extended licenses only $10,000 indemnity

Even if you’ve been living under a rock, you must have heard of Adobe—I bet “Photoshop” rings a bell. If you use any Adobe CC apps for your work, be it Illustrator, Premiere Pro, or Photoshop, you can benefit from Adobe Stock.

This stock media provider is, by default, part of most Adobe CC plans, meaning you don’t have to install any plugins for it. The main advantage is that you can browse their collection from within your app and even work with watermarked assets as previews. Ultimately, you can license the files that made it to the final project and just pay for those. Many other providers indeed offer Creative Cloud integrations (Freepik doesn’t), but they don’t work as smoothly and don’t cover every Adobe app.

Adobe Stock pricing: The 30-day free trial that lets you download 10, 25, or 40 standard assets or 1, 3, or 6 videos (HD and 4K); 29.99/month (annual) for 10 downloads; 49.99/month (annual) for 25 downloads; 79.99/month (annual) for 40 downloads; 199.99/month (annual) for 750 downloads.

Freepik alternative for video editors with 8K footage

Artlist ($29.99 per month)

Artlist pros:

• Affordable access to high-quality 8K footage
• Comprehensive commercial licenses with unlimited downloads
• Includes music, sound effects, footage, video templates, plugins, and editing software

Artlist cons:

• Smaller collection size compared to competitors like Envato Elements
• Most plans require an annual commitment

If you focus on video editing, Artlist is a much better choice than Freepik. Its collection of videos is about the same size as Freepik’s, but Artlist’s footage looks way more professional. And it’s available in up to 8K resolution, while only up to 4K at Freepik. You can also get RAW footage for an extra $18 per month.

Beyond videos, Artlist also includes audio, SFX, and video templates for most major video editors. With the highest tier plan, for $39.99 per month, you get Artlist’s proprietary image and video editing software, which, while not as powerful as Premiere Pro, does all the basic things you’d expect. As a bonus, you don’t have to pay the expensive Adobe subscription.

For video editors working on YouTube and other social media and streaming channels, Artlist released Clearlist—a tool that helps with copyright issues. All you do is add your accounts to the tool (up to 5 per user), and if you get a copyright strike, Artlist will be able to resolve it for you within an hour.

Artlist pricing: From $9.99 per month for Music & SFX – Social, $24.92 per month for Music & SFX – Pro, $29.99 per month for Footage & Templates, and $39.99 per month for Max – Everything. All plans include 2 extra months when subscribed annually.

Freepik alternative for a large collection of free fonts

Google Fonts (free)

Google Fonts pros:

• Free access to a vast library of fonts
• Easy integration with websites and applications
• Extensive customization options

Google Fonts cons:

• Limited advanced typography features
• May require additional licensing for the commercial use of some fonts

Google Fonts is a free, web-based collection of fonts for web and print projects. It provides easy access to high-quality fonts, making it an excellent choice for designers and developers looking for a Freepik alternative for typography needs. Here, you can get popular fonts such as Open Sans, Roboto, DM Sans, and others for free.

Google Fonts is incredibly user-friendly, allowing you to browse, preview, and customize fonts directly on their website. You can see how different fonts will look in your project by typing in your text and adjusting the size, weight, and spacing. Integration is straightforward, with easy-to-use embed code and API options for adding fonts to your website or application.

However, there are some limitations to consider. While Google Fonts provides a large library of popular fonts, it doesn’t contain more unique fonts that would set your design apart. Also, because it’s free, everyone uses these fonts, so they can feel overused (I am looking at you, Roboto and Open Sans).

Google Fonts pricing: Free

Other Freepik alternatives

There are plenty of Freepik alternatives on the market—more than I could possibly list here. If none of the providers listed above quite satisfy your must-haves, here are some other popular and free options that are worth exploring.

• Free stock photo and video providers like Unsplash and Pexels.
• SVG Repo for free SVGs and icons.
• Professional and enterprise-level photos and videos at Pond5 and Getty Images.
• DIY hubs for on-demand purchases like Creative Market and CreativeFabrica.

Which Freepik alternative should you use?

I’m going to give you the answer that, if I were hearing it, would make me flop on the floor: it depends.

It does, though, because one person may be looking for free options and someone else for a better license. For example, if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, Shutterstock and Adobe Stock aren’t for you. But if you want higher-quality photos and a more comprehensive license, they are exactly what you should consider.

My advice: pick a provider that sounds the most promising and take it for a spin. Many of the providers on this list offer generous enough free plans (or affordable monthly plans) for you to test the waters so you can decide for yourself if it’s worth making the switch. 

Related reading:

• What is a royalty-free license?
• Are AI images going to replace stock photos?
• The best stock photo free trials
• Envato Elements pricing, explained in simple terms