Free APIs
Free Images & media APIs
| Free tier | Docs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Free high-resolution photos search
Catch: Production: 5,000/hour after approval; attribution required | Demo apps: 50 requests/hour | API key | docs |
 Free stock photos and videos
Catch: Attribution required | Free: 200 requests/hour, 20,000/month | API key | docs |
Free images, videos and music
Catch: Cache results; no permanent hotlinking | Free: 100 requests per 60 seconds | API key | docs |
| Free beta key with hourly limits | API key | docs | |
| Free, no key | No key | docs | |
Openly licensed images and audio
Catch: Anonymous requests are rate limited | Free; anonymous with low rate, key for more | No key | docs |
Search NASA photos, video and audio
Catch: Some media have usage guidelines | Free, no key | No key | docs |
470,000+ artworks, many public domain
Catch: 80 requests/second cap | Free, no key; limit of 80 requests/second | No key | docs |
Smithsonian collections and images
Catch: Per-object rights vary | Free key via api.data.gov | API key | docs |
 Image and video upload, transform and delivery
Catch: Credits cover storage, bandwidth and transformations | Free plan: 25 monthly credits | API key | docs |
Website screenshot API
Catch: Free plan has watermarks-free but capped | Free plan: 100 screenshots/month | API key | docs |
FAQ
What is the best free images & media API?+
Unsplash API, Pexels API, Pixabay API are good places to start. Compare the free tiers and catches in the table; they differ mostly in limits and whether commercial use is allowed.
Is there a images & media API without an API key?+
Yes: Lorem Picsum, Openverse API, NASA Image and Video Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection API work without a key.
More free APIs: Weather · Maps & geocoding · Finance & crypto · Currency exchange · AI & ML · Email & messaging · IP & geolocation · News & social · Sports · Movies, TV & anime · Music · Books & reference · Space & science · Government & open data · Translation & language · Fake data & testing · Food & recipes · Transportation · Health · Developer tools · Security · Games & fun