Flickr API vs Pexels API

Two free Photography APIs compared on access, reliability and developer ratings, using data from our daily health checks.

The verdict

Choose Flickr API for its data: The safest and most inclusive global community of photography enthusiasts.
Choose Pexels API if you want to call it from browser JavaScript, faster responses.

	Flickr API	Pexels API
What it does	The safest and most inclusive global community of photography enthusiasts.	Free Stock Photos and Videos.
Provider	Flickr Services	pexels.com
API key	OAuth	Required
HTTPS	Yes	Yes
CORS (browser calls)	Unknown	Yes
Status today	Online · 581 ms	Online · 76 ms
Uptime (30 days)	Up	Up
Developer rating	Not rated yet	Not rated yet
Price	Free / free tier	Free / free tier

The safest and most inclusive global community of photography enthusiasts.

The safest and most inclusive global community of photography enthusiasts. The best place for inspiration, connection, and sharing!

Strengths

Free Stock Photos and Videos.

Strengths

Prototyping or a tutorial? Pick the one that needs no API key (neither does, so compare their free tiers).
Calling from a web page? You need CORS. Otherwise route requests through your own server or a serverless function.
Going to production? Favour HTTPS, a strong uptime record and a provider with clear rate limits and terms. Check each API's docs before you commit.
Still unsure? Both are free to try: send one request to each and compare the data you get back.

Both require authentication (OAuth and apiKey).

Pexels API supports CORS, so front-end JavaScript can call it directly. Call the other from a server.