Previously, I shared a list of the best free stock photography sites, but what if you are looking for illustrations? Many of the pro’s and con’s of using free vs. fee royalty free illustrations are the same as for stock photography, so I won’t mention them again here. However, one main difference that I see is that crediting the site and designer is often required and there are more limitations on what you can do with the illustrations. This is why I still generally use VectorStock.com, as it is still very reasonably priced and I don’t have to worry how I’m using the artwork.

That being said, here is a list of the best, free stock photography websites.

Best Free Stock Illustration Websites

Pixabay is the new favorite for stock illustration. Starting out primarily as a free stock photography site, it does not currently require crediting the artist. While crediting the artist is preferable, this sometimes limits design options. (Featured illustration by Ranjith Siji) 

Always check the site for credit and usage details.

Best Cost Effective Stock  Illustration Sites:

I have used VectorStock.com a lot for illustrations and since they do not require site or designer credit, it works out much better for my purposes especially for my site, Babadoodle.com.