What is the difference between Pixabay and Pexels for Commercial Use?

Pixabay (Free): limited. Pexels (Free): yes.

What is the difference between Pixabay and Pexels for Print Use?

Pixabay (Free): limited. Pexels (Free): yes.

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Pixabay vs Pexels

Side-by-side comparison of licensing terms between Pixabay and Pexels.

License Comparison

Hover or tap any field name to see what it means. Highlighted rows indicate differences.

Field	Pixabay Free · Free Visit Pixabay	Pexels Free · Free Visit Pexels
	✓	✓
	~Commercial use is generally allowed, but prohibited if content contains recognisable trademarks, logos or brands used in relation to goods and services. Also cannot use content as part of a trade-mark, design-mark, trade-name, business name or service mark.	✓
	✓	✓
	Not required	Not required
	✗	✗
	~You cannot sell or redistribute unmodified images on competing stock platforms or as standalone digital files.	~You cannot sell unmodified copies or redistribute on competing stock photo platforms.
	~Cannot print content containing recognisable trademarks, logos or brands on merchandise or physical products for sale. General print use without these restrictions appears permitted.	✓
	✓	✓
	✓	✓
	✓Published	✓Published
	✗	✗
	✗	✗

Prices may vary by region and are subject to change.

Pixabay

Free

Visit Platform

Pexels

Free

Visit Platform

Price

Free

Prices may vary by region and are subject to change.

Download

Yes

Commercial Use

Commercial use is generally allowed, but prohibited if content contains recognisable trademarks, logos or brands used in relation to goods and services. Also cannot use content as part of a trade-mark, design-mark, trade-name, business name or service mark.

Yes

Editing

Yes

Attribution

Exclusive Rights

Redistribution

You cannot sell or redistribute unmodified images on competing stock platforms or as standalone digital files.

You cannot sell unmodified copies or redistribute on competing stock photo platforms.

Print Use

Cannot print content containing recognisable trademarks, logos or brands on merchandise or physical products for sale. General print use without these restrictions appears permitted.

Yes

Digital Use

Yes

Client Work

Yes

Survives Cancellation

Forever

Pixabay:

Pixabay changed from CC0 to their own Pixabay Content License in January 2019. Images downloaded before this date may have different (CC0) terms.

Some content on Pixabay is AI-generated. Check individual image details for content origin information.

Pexels:

You cannot sell unmodified Pexels photos as prints, posters, or digital downloads.

Some content on Pexels is sponsored or partner-provided and may carry additional restrictions.

Key Differences

Fields where these platforms differ

Commercial Use

Pixabay:~Commercial use is generally allowed, but prohibited if content contains recognisable trademarks, logos or brands used in relation to goods and services. Also cannot use content as part of a trade-mark, design-mark, trade-name, business name or service mark.

Pexels:✓

Print Use

Pixabay:~Cannot print content containing recognisable trademarks, logos or brands on merchandise or physical products for sale. General print use without these restrictions appears permitted.

Pexels:✓

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Informational Only - Not Legal Advice

LicenseOrg provides informational summaries of platform license terms for educational purposes only. This is not legal advice. Always consult the platform’s official license page and a qualified legal professional.

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