Is Pixabay Safe To Use? Here’s What You Must Know

When you are starting a blog or a website, you must know what type of photos and videos you can use for it. 

Many people make a mistake by downloading random content and reusing it without realizing they are infringing on someone else. 

With Pixabay and similar sites, you get a collection of photos and videos that you can use entirely free! 

Now, that might sound too good to be true so that you might be wondering, is Pixabay safe to use? 

Before we answer that question, I think we should cover a couple of other things to get a clear picture of what Pixabay is and how it functions. After that, I believe you will be able to decide for yourself. 

What Is Pixabay? 

Pixabay is just one of many platforms that allows you to use their stock photography for free. A couple of others that are worth mentioning are UnsplashPexels, Vecteezy and Stock Snap.

Considering that any website out there needs some form of imagery, sites like Pixabay have grown a lot in popularity, and now you have millions of people using it. 

That is usually the social proof you need that a website is safe to use. 

At this very moment, you can also find millions of stock photos and videos on Pixabay. They are uploaded by members all over the world. 

How To Use Pixabay?

Using Pixabay is quite simple. All you have to do is visit the website and search for the photos using relevant key phrases. 

Even though Pixabay is quite rich in graphic content, it may not have all of the photos you need or the kind you want.

If you are in a very narrow niche that uses particular imagery, Pixabay may not have what you need. 

A great thing about this platform is that it not only offers images, but also has a selection of illustrations, vector graphics, and videos, and that can be extremely helpful for any business out there. 

(A featured image you see on this post is taken from Pixabay). 

One other thing I specifically liked about Pixabay is that all of the content is high quality. Therefore, it can have its use in a lot of cases. 

You don’t need to register to download any content, which makes it easy and effective. However, for specific resolutions, they will require you to sign up. 

Since there’s no payment involved, all you are leaving is your email. That should never be taken lightly, however, considering the content and quality that you are getting, it’s quite an even trade. 

Before downloading a photo, you will be met with a small captcha they use as a layer of protection. If you register, this layer won’t be there. 

Where To Use Them? 

Pixabay photos are entirely free to use, but there are certain limitations and rules you should be familiar with.

None of these rules will stop you from downloading and uploading that same content on your website but can get you in trouble later down the road. 

Firstly, you should know that all of the content is under the Creative Commons CC0 license, which allows you to use it for any purpose (commercial, too) without giving attribution to the author.

The print format also works. 

There are a few exceptions that you should be familiar with.

You can’t resell this content.

None of the Pixabay content can and should be resold in any way. You do not own the rights to do that and can face legal trouble if you do it. 

As I’ve mentioned above, you can print out photos, but you can’t resell them.

No Negative Manipulations

As you would assume, no known characters or objects can and should be manipulated negatively.

So if you find an animated image of Facebook and decide to edit it and present it in a wrong way, you could be facing legal consequences. 

As long as you follow these rules, you are safe, and you can use this type of content for as long as you want on any project you have, be it your website, your YouTube channel, or your social media. 

Is Pixabay Safe? 

We are circling back to this question and the premise of this article and whether Pixabay and similar websites are safe. 

They are 100% safe to use. If you don’t register, Pixabay won’t even know you were there to download the photo. If you follow their rules, you will never get in any trouble whatsoever. 

And that’s a great thing about the Internet these days. There are many great resources available at your hand that will bring you one step closer to your goal. 

One thing you may be wondering is who checks photos before they are uploaded to the website and how? 

You should know that Pixabay has a powerful team of moderators and reviewers, making sure that all photos uploaded are unique, and that whoever uploads the content has the rights to it. 

Based on the response we have received on the inquiry, they do a Google Reverse image search, a TinEye.com reverse image search, as well as a few other tests to determine where the image is coming from.

You can rest assured that you will not be breaking any copyright laws by downloading images from Pixabay. 

How Does Pixabay Make Money? 

If everything is free, how do they make money?

I am not entirely sure of all of their income streams, but I have noticed they are affiliated with professional and paid stock websites that they actively promote on the site and offer their paid images. 

Websites like Shutterstock have a database more massive than Pixabay or any other free stock photography website.

So in cases when you can’t find a photo or a video you need on Pixabay, you are being offered some of the options from Shutterstock. 

I’ve also noticed that Pixabay has a donations program, and I assume a lot of people choose to donate to this platform, considering the amount of help they are getting.

When you are downloading someone’s photo or a video, you are offered an option to buy a coffee to the content creator. 

To Sum It Up

By now, you are probably already hooked on Pixabay or any of its high-quality alternatives. And that’s natural; they are legit platforms that you should take advantage of. 

Pixabay is a fantastic option if you are starting, and you are low on budget.

Once you start growing your business, you will probably realize that a paid option might fit your business better.

Why?

Paid images are seen less often than all of the free ones you can find, as naturally, they cost money, and most people are not willing to pay the licensing fee to use them. 

The selection of paid photos is significantly more extensive, as well, which gives you a variety of options that you can use. 

But by then, you should enjoy what Pixabay has to offer!