Freepik license & terms of use

Freepik is a popular online platform for finding stock photos, vectors, videos, and other creative assets. It offers both free and paid subscription plans that provide royalty-free licensing for anything you download from the site. The key differences between the two plans are as follows:

• Freepik review
• Freepik pricing explained

The free plan allows you to use Freepik’s assets for both personal and commercial projects. However, you must attribute Freepik and the specific creator of any asset you use by including a credit line. This is essential for complying with the free license. The paid Premium subscription provides more flexible, unrestricted use of Freepik’s content without the need for attribution. This allows you to use assets in commercial projects without crediting Freepik or creators. However, the Premium license prohibits certain use cases, such as resale of assets or distribution in templates/mockups.

The do’s and don’t’s

To understand the Freepik license, you first must understand the difference between a main and secondary element. A Freepik resource is considered the main element if it is the primary focus and has not been significantly altered. It is secondary if other major non-Freepik elements have been added such that the Freepik resource is no longer the primary visual focus.

Attribution: How, when, and where?

How? Attribution should be clearly visible and easy to find, displayed as “Designed by Freepik” along with a link to Freepik. You don’t have to (can’t) link from physical products.

When? You can provide attribution whenever you want, but it’s obligatory when you download an asset with a free plan.

Where? The location of attribution depends on the type of product. For digital products like websites, blogs, e-books, and newsletters, place it next to the asset or in the footer. In social media posts, include it in the image/video or post description. For printed products, it can be placed next to the image or elsewhere on the product if not possible. In videos, add it to the credits or video description. For mobile apps/games, include it in the credits section or app/game description on the store or website.

Is Freepik free?

Yes, Freepik does offer free resources which are available to all users. You can find them by using the “Free” filter located at the top left corner of the screen after you make a search on the site.

When using free resources, you need to credit the author with the attribution line “Designed by Freepik” in a clear and visible way. This can be on the printed product, the digital image you create, or on the website where you use the Freepik resource, with a link to Freepik.com.

Freepik also offers Premium resources which are accessible only to users with an active subscription. To gain access to these resources, you need to purchase a subscription.

Please note that around 1% of the content on Freepik is from third parties, and for these resources, you will be redirected to a third-party site when you click the download button. In such cases, you should check their licenses to understand how to use the images and if attribution is required.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Meet your guide

Matic Broz

Matic Broz is stock media licensing expert and a photographer. He promotes proper and responsible licensing of stock photography, footage, and audio, and his writing has reached millions of creatives.