To find images for a WordPress post, search a reputable library such as Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, or the WordPress Photo Directory. Before using a particular image, check the provider’s current license and the image page for restrictions that apply to your use. “Royalty-free” or “free” does not automatically mean every use is permitted, or that separate rights in people, logos, or artwork shown in the image are cleared.
What “royalty-free” means for a WordPress image
Royalty-free describes a licensing model; it is not a universal permission slip. Each library sets its own terms, including whether commercial use is allowed, whether attribution is required, and what you may do with the image. A free download can still have restrictions, and the image may contain material—such as a recognizable person, logo, or artwork—with rights that are separate from the photo license.
For a blog post, check the license for the specific source and consider how the image will appear: an editorial illustration, a product promotion, and merchandise featuring the image can raise different questions. The summaries below explain the providers’ stated terms, not a legal determination for every jurisdiction or use.
Compare the main image sources
| Source | Commercial use and credit | Important limits or checks | WordPress workflow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsplash | Free commercial and non-commercial use; attribution is not required. | Do not sell images without significant modification or compile them to replicate a competing service. Check separate rights in depicted material. | Use the image through the workflow available in your WordPress setup; the cited source establishes licensing, not an in-editor integration. |
| Pexels | Free personal and commercial use, including blogs and websites; attribution is not required. | Do not imply endorsement by pictured people or brands, use identifiable people in a bad light or offensively, or redistribute or sell unaltered content as stock or wallpaper. Trademarks, logos, brands, and copyrighted works may have separate rights. | WordPress.com documents a Pexels option in its editor; availability is not established for every self-hosted installation. |
| Pixabay | Free use, modification, and adaptation without required attribution, subject to prohibited uses. | Restrictions include standalone redistribution and certain commercial merchandise uses involving recognizable trademarks, logos, or brands. The provider advises checking for additional rights in third-party content; consult the full current license. | No in-editor workflow is established by the cited source. |
| WordPress Photo Directory | Directory photos are described as CC0 and usable without permission, attribution, or payment. | Verify that the particular photo is actually CC0. The directory cautions that moderation may not catch every issue. | Download or use the photo according to the options available in your WordPress setup. |
These are provider descriptions, not guarantees that every depicted person, brand, or work is cleared for your intended use. Read the linked current terms before relying on a summary.
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Find and verify an image before adding it
- Search for the image you need. Start with Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, or the WordPress Photo Directory. Search for both the subject and the composition that will fit your post—for example, a horizontal workspace photo if it needs to sit across the top of an article.
- Open the image’s own page and the provider’s license. Confirm the terms for that source rather than relying on a search result, a repost, or the phrase “free image.”
- Match the license to the planned use. Pay particular attention if the image will promote a product or business, appear on merchandise, or show identifiable people, brands, logos, or artwork. Provider terms can permit use of a photo while other rights in what it depicts remain relevant.
- Keep a simple usage record. Save the image-page URL, the creator’s name if shown, and a copy or note of the license terms as they stood when you selected the image. This is a practical record-keeping step, not a requirement stated by the providers cited here.
- Add credit when required. Follow the license’s instructions. Even when credit is optional, it may be courteous; Unsplash says attribution is appreciated but not required under its license.
Add a Pexels image in the WordPress.com editor
WordPress.com documents this in-editor method in its support guide, last reviewed August 11, 2026. The steps apply to the WordPress.com editor described there; they do not establish that the same option is present on every self-hosted WordPress site.
- Edit the post in WordPress.com.
- Add an image-capable block.
- Select Select Image.
- Choose Pexels Free Photos, then search for an image.
If that choice is not available in your editor, use the provider’s site and add the image to WordPress through the options your installation supports. Check the image’s terms before publishing either way.
What to check when a license is unclear
- The license is missing or ambiguous: Do not assume a photo is free to use. Find the provider’s current terms or choose an image with clear licensing.
- The image contains a person, logo, brand, or artwork: Check the provider’s restrictions and consider whether the depicted material requires separate permission for your particular context.
- You plan to redistribute the image or put it on merchandise: Review the specific restrictions. Several libraries restrict standalone resale or redistribution, and Pixabay identifies certain trademark-related merchandise uses as prohibited.
- You cannot confirm a directory photo’s status: The WordPress Photo Directory recommends verifying that an image is CC0 rather than assuming every photo is covered.
- The terms may have changed: Re-open the official license before use. Provider terms and editor features can change over time.
Sources and scope
License details in this guide come from the providers’ official pages: Unsplash License, Pexels License, Pexels Help Center, Pixabay Content License Summary, and the WordPress Photo Directory. The editor steps come from WordPress.com’s Pexels support guide. This article summarizes those sources and does not provide jurisdiction-specific legal advice.
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