where can i get free stock footage?

If you're looking for free, high-quality stock footage for YouTube, social media, or commercial projects, these are some of the best options:

• Pexels – One of the best all-around choices. Offers thousands of HD and 4K clips with a permissive license and no attribution required. Great for lifestyle, nature, business, and travel footage.
• Pixabay Videos – Huge collection of free videos, plus music, sound effects, and images. Many clips are available in 4K.
• Mixkit – Curated library of professional-looking footage, especially good for cinematic B-roll and social media content.
• Coverr – Free videos for websites, ads, and creative projects, with new content added regularly.
• Videvo – Large selection of stock footage, motion graphics, and effects. Some clips require attribution, so check the license on each download.
• Videezy – Offers free HD and 4K clips. Some free downloads require attribution, while others are premium.
• Dareful – Specializes in high-quality 4K nature and landscape footage.
• NASA Image and Video Library – Excellent source for space footage and imagery. Most content is free to use, but review NASA's media usage guidelines first.

For most creators:

• Best overall: Pexels
• Largest free library: Pixabay
• Best cinematic look: Mixkit
• Best for space/science: NASA

One important tip: even on free sites, always check the license for the specific clip. While many videos are free for commercial use, restrictions can still apply to recognizable people, trademarks, logos, or private property.

Several great platforms offer high-quality, royalty-free stock video clips for personal and commercial projects without breaking the bank.

• Pexels : Best overall for volume, modern B-roll, and vertical clips for social media. It requires no sign-up or attribution.
• Pixabay : Great for search breadth with hundreds of thousands of HD and 4K clips available under a simple commercial license requiring no mandatory attribution.
• Mixkit : Offers a stunning, professionally curated library of free clips, including music and video templates, with no sign-up required.
• Coverr : Ideal for website hero backgrounds and looping cinematic video clips.
• Videezy : Features a large community-driven selection of HD and 4K clips (including great drone footage), though some files require attribution.
• Videvo : Offers a wide mix of free stock footage and motion graphics, though you should check individual clip licenses as some require attribution.

If you can tell me what kind of project you are working on (e.g., YouTube video, commercial ad, website background) and your preferred resolution (HD vs. 4K), I can recommend the exact best site from this list for your needs.

If you want free, high-quality stock footage for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, commercials, or client work, these are some of the best options:

For specialized footage, these are also worth checking:

• NASA Image & Video Library — Space footage and launches.
• Internet Archive — Historical and public-domain footage (verify the license on each item).
• NOAA Photo Library — Weather, oceans, and wildlife.

A few tips:

• Even when footage is free, read the license. Some sites prohibit reselling the original clip or using recognizable people or brands in ways that imply endorsement.
• If you're creating YouTube videos, Pexels and Mixkit are often the quickest places to find polished B-roll without attribution requirements. Community recommendations also frequently include Pixabay and Coverr.

If you're looking for a specific type of footage (e.g. cars, gaming, luxury homes, city drone shots, anime-style, or AI-generated B-roll), I can recommend the best sources for that niche.

You can get high-quality, free stock footage for personal and commercial projects from several top-tier websites like Pexels Videos, Pixabay Videos , and Mixkit , which offer vast libraries of HD and 4K clips with no attribution or watermarks required.

Watch this overview of the top websites for free stock video footage to see how their search and download options compare:

15:35 The Best Free Stock Video Websites (Royalty Free Footage)106K views  · 2 years ago YouTube · Aurelius Tjin

Top Free Stock Footage Websites

• Pexels Videos offers thousands of completely free HD and 4K clips in various orientations (horizontal, vertical, and square) with a very lenient license for commercial use requiring no attribution.
• Pixabay Videos features a massive community-driven library spanning multiple resolutions with a straightforward license that allows free personal and commercial use.
• Mixkit provides a curated, high-definition selection of video clips, music, and templates created by professional-level creators, completely free of watermarks (though users should double-check individual file licenses).
• Coverr delivers thousands of gorgeous HD and 4K videos tailored for modern web and filmmaker use requiring no sign-up or attribution.
• Videezy hosts a large community-based collection of free stock footage, animated backgrounds, and digital templates, though some clips require paid credits or explicit creator attribution.
• Dareful (formerly Stock Footage for Free) specializes in pristine, high-resolution 4K nature, abstract, and aerial video clips.

If you let me know what specific theme or topic your video project is about (e.g., tech, nature, cinematic B-roll), I can recommend which of these sites has the best specific clips for you.

If you're looking for free, high-quality stock footage, these are some of the best options:

For niche footage, you can also try:

• NASA Image & Video Library — Space footage (check usage guidelines).
• Internet Archive — Historical and archival videos (licenses vary).

Best choices depending on your project

• YouTube videos: Pexels, Pixabay, Mixkit
• TikTok/Reels: Pexels, Coverr
• Corporate/business videos: Mixkit, Adobe Stock Free
• Drone footage: Videezy
• Motion graphics & VFX: Videvo

One tip: even when a site says "free," always double-check the license for the specific clip. Most free licenses don't allow you to redistribute the raw footage or imply endorsement by people appearing in the video.

You can download completely free, high-quality stock footage for personal and commercial projects from several highly regarded websites.

The best places to find free stock footage include:

• Pexels Videos: Known for its clean, ad-free interface, Pexels offers thousands of high-quality clips in HD and 4K, all available for free with no attribution required.
• Pixabay: A massive, easy-to-search community library where all videos can be used for commercial and personal purposes without requiring attribution.
• Mixkit: Owned by Envato, this site offers a large, curated collection of free, high-quality video clips that require no sign-up to download.
• Videvo: Offers thousands of free stock videos and motion graphics created by community members. Be sure to filter your search by "Free Clips" and check the license type.
• Coverr: A fantastic resource for 4K video clips, aesthetic B-roll, and Zoom virtual backgrounds that are free and require no watermarks.

If you let me know what specific type of footage or aesthetic you are looking for (e.g., tech, nature, cityscapes), I can help point you to the right platform or specific search terms.

Several websites offer high-quality, free stock footage for personal and commercial use without watermarks. Top resources include Pexels, Mixkit , and Pixabay , which offer large libraries of HD and 4K video clips.

These videos showcase some of the best websites for free stock footage:

Here are the best places to get free stock footage as of 2026:

Top Free Stock Video Sites

• Pexels: Offers a large variety of free, high-quality stock videos that are free for personal and commercial use, often with no attribution required.
• Mixkit: Features a wide selection of free, high-quality 4K and HD footage, including categories like nature, fashion, and technology, with no sign-up or watermark.
• Pixabay: Provides a massive repository of free videos (HD and 4K) covering many topics. All content is royalty-free.
• Coverr: Known for offering free stock videos for marketers and entrepreneurs with no watermarks or required attribution.
• Videezy: A strong source for aerial footage, background videos, and 4K clips.
• Vidsplay: Provides free, high-quality footage with new content added weekly, though attribution is required.

Built-in Free Video Resources

• Canva: You can access free stock videos directly within the Canva editor by using the "Elements" tab and searching for videos.
• Freepik: Offers both free and paid stock videos, including 4K options.

Key Tips for Free Footage

• Attribution: Always check the specific site's license. While many do not require attribution, some, such as Vidsplay, do.
• 4K Availability: Sites like Mixkit and Pixabay are excellent for sourcing free 4K content.
• Sponsored Results: Be aware that some sites, such as Mixkit, may show paid, sponsored results at the top of the page, so ensure you are downloading from the free selection.

Would you like to narrow down these results by genre (e.g., nature, corporate, tech) or orientation (e.g., vertical for TikTok/Reels)?

If you're looking for free, high-quality stock footage for YouTube, social media, presentations, or commercial projects, these are some of the best options:

These are consistently recommended because they offer large libraries of free footage with licenses that allow commercial use, though some platforms mix free and premium content or have clip-specific license terms.

If you're creating:

• YouTube videos: Pexels, Pixabay, and Mixkit are excellent starting points.
• Cinematic edits: Dareful and Mixkit have more polished, film-like shots.
• Drone footage: Videezy has a strong selection.
• Space or science content: NASA's library is hard to beat.

One tip: always check the license on the individual clip before using it. While many platforms don't require attribution, some contributors or specific files do.

Several reputable websites offer high-quality, free stock footage that can be used for personal and commercial projects without watermarks, often with no attribution required.

Top Free Stock Footage Sites

• Pexels : Offers a wide variety of high-quality, free stock videos (including vertical, square, and horizontal formats) that are free for personal and commercial use.
• Pixabay : Features a vast, searchable library of free HD and 4K footage.
• Mixkit : Provides over 41,000 high-quality video clips, covering categories like nature, technology, and lifestyle, mostly without requiring attribution.
• Coverr : A great resource for filmmakers and marketers, providing free, high-quality videos without watermarks.
• Videezy : Good for diverse stock footage, including aerial shots and, in some cases, motion graphics.
• Freepik : Includes a selection of over 20,000 free HD and 4K videos, though attribution is usually required for free, non-premium content.
• Life of Vids : Known for high-quality, authentic-looking footage.

Key Tips for Free Footage

• License Check: Always double-check the license for each clip (e.g., Creative Commons Zero or specific site licenses) to see if attribution is needed.
• 4K Availability: Sites like Mixkit and Videezy offer specialized filters to find 4K footage easily.
• Search Filters: Use filters for orientation (vertical for social media, landscape for video) to save time.

Would you like to know the best websites specifically for 4K, aerial, or vertical/social media footage?

If you're looking for free, high-quality stock footage, these are some of the best options:

Most creators use Pexels, Pixabay, and Mixkit as their first stops because they offer high-quality footage with straightforward licensing. Pexels allows free personal and commercial use without requiring attribution, though credit is appreciated. Mixkit also has many clips that can be used commercially, but some videos are under a more restrictive license, so it's worth checking each clip's license before downloading.

If you're creating specific types of content:

• YouTube videos: Pexels, Pixabay, Mixkit
• TikTok/Reels: Mixkit, Coverr
• Nature & travel: Pexels, Pixabay
• Drone footage: Videvo, Pixabay
• Abstract backgrounds: Mixkit, Coverr

One tip: even when a site says "free," always verify the license on the individual asset if you're using it in a commercial project or for a client, since some platforms (especially Videvo and Mixkit) include assets with different license terms.

If you're looking for footage in a particular niche (e.g. business, gaming, medical, anime-style, city skylines, or vintage film), I can recommend sites that specialize in those categories.