[2026 Edition] 45 Recommended Free Stock Material Sites [Commercial Use Allowed]
When you are editing videos,
"I can't find any usable materials"
"It says it's free, but is it okay for commercial use?"
I think you have felt such anxiety at least once.
In fact, there are countless free material sites, but
✔ Low quality
✔ Hard to find
✔ Terms of service are difficult to understand
For reasons like these,aren't there many people who end up using the same sites all the time?
Therefore, in this article,we have carefully selected only the "truly usable free material sites" for video editors.From photos, illustrations, footage, and effects to BGM and sound effects,we have covered all the materials necessary for video production.
"I don't want to spend time looking for materials"
"I don't want to compromise on quality even if it's free"
If you are like that, please bookmark this and make use of it✨
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A free giftis also prepared, so
I would be happy if you read to the end!🎁
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*In this article, we mainly introduce material sites that can be usedfor freeand areavailable for commercial use.Please note that terms of service are subject to change, so please be sure to check the latest information on each site when you actually use them.
🟦 Points to note when using material sites
Free material sites are very convenient, but
if you use them incorrectly, there is a possibility of trouble.
Especially for YouTube or promotional videos,
video editing that generates revenue,be sure to check the following points.
◎ Whether commercial use is possible
The first thing you want to check with top priority iswhether commercial use is OK.
YouTube monetized videos
Corporate projects/advertising videos
Promotional videos on SNS
These all fall under "commercial use."
Since "free = OK to use for anything" is not true,
be sure to check if "commercial use allowed" is clearly stated in the terms of service.
◎ Whether it is okay to edit or process it
In video editing,
cutting
color adjustment
Adding text overlays or effects
and other such cases mean you rarely use the materials exactly as they are.
Therefore, you must also be sure to check if editing or modifying the materials is permitted.
Some sites have restrictions such as
"Only use without modification is OK"
or "Redistribution after modification is prohibited," so you need to be careful.
◎ Is credit attribution required?
Some free material sites
require credit attribution in the video description or within the work itself.
"Credit attribution not required"
"Optional"
"Required"
Conditions vary by site and material, so it is safer to check in advance, especially if you are uploading to YouTube.
◎ Redistribution or use as a material collection is often prohibited
On many free material sites,
the act of redistributing the materials themselves is prohibited.
For example,
distributing materials in bulk on another site
selling or publishing them as a material collection
are almost always prohibited uses.
Always use them under the premise of
"using them as part of a video work."
🟨 Photos (9 sites in total)
◎ photoAC
This site offers a wide variety of Japanese photo materials. They can be used for free for both personal and commercial use, and no credit attribution is required. However, the free version limits downloads to
9 items per day. If you are using them professionally, you might want to consider a paid plan.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ PAKUTASO
This site offers a wide variety of Japanese stock photos.
It is free to use, with no usage fees or licensing costs.
Commercial use is also permitted.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ pexels
This site features a wide range of photos, from Japanese to international images.
Both photos and videos are available for free.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ pixabay
This site offers a rich collection of international stock photos.
You can download over 40,000 photos for free.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ Unsplash
This site has a vast collection of international photos.
Some materials have a 'key icon' and require payment to download, but there are many photos available for free, making it a very useful site.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ O-DAN
This is a service that allows you to search for free stock photos across 32 different material sites at once.
It saves you the trouble of searching through various sites individually, so it is recommended for those who want to find materials efficiently.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ GIRLYDROP
A site with many stylish, cute, and feminine photos.
Credit is not required, and commercial use is permitted.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ food.foto
A site with a rich collection of food-related photos.
It features a wide range of items including vegetables, fruits, dishes, drinks, and desserts.
It is free to use, and commercial use is permitted.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ GAHAG
A site with a wide variety of photo materials from Japan and overseas.
You can use photos and illustrations that are permitted for commercial use for free.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
🟨 Illustrations (12 sites in total)
◎ Irasutoya
A classic illustration material site.
It is basically free to use, but please note that it becomes paid if you use21 or more illustrationsfor a single commercial work (video, design, etc.).
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ illustAC
This is a classic illustration material site.
It can be used for free for both personal and commercial purposes, and no credit attribution is required. However, since the free version only allows downloading up to 9 items per day, you might want to consider a paid plan if you intend to use it professionally.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ SOCOST
A site with a wealth of simple and cute illustrations.
You can freely change the colors of the illustrations and download them as they are.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ Loose Drawing
A site with a wealth of simple and cute illustrations.
It can be used for free regardless of whether it is for commercial or non-commercial, personal or corporate use, and editing or processing is also permitted.
The default color scheme is yellow, but you can freely change the colors from the color panel at the bottom left of the screen before downloading.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ shigureni free illust
A site with a wealth of pop and cute illustrations.
Within the scope of the terms of use, it can be used for free regardless of whether it is for personal, corporate, commercial, or non-commercial use. However, if you use 5 or more materials for commercial purposes, you must purchase a license.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ linustock
A site with a wealth of simple illustrations.
In addition to line art, colored versions are also available for each illustration.
Another point I personally like is that you can download files in EPS format, making them easy to edit in Illustrator.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ oishiso
A site with a wide variety of food illustrations.
They can be used for free for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ Business Sozai
A site with a wide variety of business-related illustrations.
They are available for commercial use and can also be downloaded as vector data compatible with Illustrator.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ Tech Pic
A site with a wide variety of business-related illustrations.
They are available for free and can also be used for commercial purposes.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ Girly Sozai
A site with many soft and cute illustrations.
They can be used for free regardless of whether it is for personal or commercial use.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎ Choudoii Illustration
This site offers many materials that are easy to use in any genre.
They can be used freely by both individuals and corporations.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ SILHOUETTE ILLUST
This site features many monochrome silhouette illustrations.
They are available for commercial use, and you can also download vector data compatible with Illustrator.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
🟨 Video (3 sites in total)
◎ videoAC
This site has a wealth of Japanese video materials.
They can be used for free by both individuals and for commercial purposes, and credit is not required. However, free members have a download limit of 9 items per day, so if you are using them for professional work, you might want to consider a paid plan.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ pexels
This site offers a wide range of photos, from Japanese to international.
All videos can be used for free.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ pixabay
This site gives the impression of having many international videos.
You can download over 210,000 video materials for free.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
🟨 Effects (4 sites in total)
◎ Material Shop for YouTubers
This is a classic material site.
It also offers materials such as transitions, frames, caption boxes, and backgrounds,
and can be used for commercial/non-commercial, personal/corporate purposes.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ f-stock
A site with a wide variety of effects.
It can be used for free regardless of commercial use.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ OKUMONO
A site that gives the impression of having many cute and pop-style effects.
It also has materials like transitions, frames, and backgrounds, and can be used for free regardless of commercial use.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ Mirin's Video Materials
A site with a wide variety of effects.
It also has materials like transitions, frames, and backgrounds, and can be used for free regardless of commercial use, but according to the terms of service, "please provide credit if possible."
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
🟨 Music/BGM (8 sites in total)
◎ DOVA-SYNDROME
A classic BGM material site.
You can use over 18,000 songs for free, regardless of whether it is for commercial or non-commercial use.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ Maoudamashii
A classic BGM material site.
Over 5,000 songs are available for free, for both personal and commercial use.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ NCS (NoCopyrightSounds)
A classic overseas BGM material site.
You can download for free and use commercially, but credit is required.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ Liborio Conti
A site featuring songs by professional composer Liborio Conti.
It is clearly categorized, and you can download for free and use commercially.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ Classix
A site that gives the impression of having many classical songs.
They are completely copyright-free and can be downloaded for free.
I think they are easy to use for the climactic parts of videos.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ moeru music.
This site gives the impression of having many cute and emotional background music tracks.
It is available for commercial use and can be downloaded for free.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ BGMusic
This site gives the impression of having many stylish background music tracks.
They can be downloaded for free regardless of whether they are for commercial or non-commercial use.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎musmus
This is a site with background music in various genres.
They can be downloaded for free regardless of whether they are for commercial or non-commercial use.
It seems that the composer, "watson," composes, produces, and distributes them personally.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
🟨 Sound Effects (9 sites in total)
◎ Sound Effect Lab
This is a classic sound effects site.
Commercial use is allowed, and they can be downloaded for free.
It seems they are actually used on television and other media.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ Let's play with free sound effects!
This is a classic sound effects site.
It is available for commercial use and can be downloaded for free.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎Springin'
This is a material site with over 1,000 sound effects and background music tracks.
It is clearly categorized by genre,
and is available for commercial use and free download.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎pixabay
This is a material site with over 120,000 sound effects.
Anyone can download them for free.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎Sound Effect Dictionary
This is a sound effects site produced by "Sound Effect Lab."
It is clearly categorized by genre, available for commercial use by both individuals and corporations, and can be downloaded for free by anyone.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎VSQplus+
This is a material site with 1,726 types of sound effects and audio sources.
You can download high-quality sound effects created by professional TV production experts,
which are also available for commercial use.
↓ Click the image to visit the site ↓
◎Sparkle Sound Effect Workshop
This is a material site that gives the impression of having many sound effects.
It is available for commercial use and can be downloaded for free.
It seems to be actually used in movies, games, and apps as well.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ Pocket sound
This is a free sound effect site.
It is available for commercial use and can be downloaded for free, but
credit must be given when using it for free.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
◎ ZAPSPLAT
This is an overseas sound effect site.
You can download over 160,000 sound effects for free for both commercial and non-commercial use, but you must register for an account and log in.
↓ Click the image to go to the site ↓
🟦 How to find materials that match your video
I have introduced various material sites so far, but
"I don't know how to choose footage or photos that match the video"
"I don't know what to search for"
Some people may feel this way.
However, this is not a matter of sense.
Anyone can do it just by changing the order of their thinking.
◎ Do not try to "turn text directly into video"
A common mistake istrying to replace the words in the narration or script directly with video.
For example, in a business video,
if you try to find "footage of sales struggling" for the line "sales are sluggish,"
you will almost never find it.
What is needed here is
not to try to express the meaning literally.
◎ Break it down into emotions and situations
Let's break down the previous example.
"Sales are sluggish"
↓
Anxiety
Stagnation
Worried
Dark atmosphere
Once you can break it down this far,
A businessman holding his head
A person deep in thought in front of a computer
A stagnant graph
and other usable video/photo materials will come to mind all at once! If you still can't think of any, it's also recommended to ask ChatGPT.
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Among those who have read this far,
"I want to easily improve the quality of my editing"
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I think there are some who feel this way. For those people, I am distributing
60 text styles
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The [Complete Version] has a total of 1055 telops, but
"I want to try it out and see what it's like for now"
"I want to see if it fits my editing before I decide"
For those who feel this way, the free version is more than enough to use, so please feel free to download and get it✨
In this article, I introduced "material sites that can be used for free."
If you found this article helpful, it would be a great encouragement if you could
"follow" and click "like"😊
I also post useful information about Premiere Pro and video editing every day on X, so I would be happy if you could take a look!
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