Pexels API
Free Stock Photos and Videos.
Strengths
- Fast: 76 ms response
- Callable from the browser (CORS)
- HTTPS
vsPexels API vs Pixabay API
Two free Photography APIs compared on access, reliability and developer ratings, using data from our daily health checks.
The verdict
- Choose Pexels API if you want to call it from browser JavaScript.
- Choose Pixabay API for its data: Photography. A free photography API by pixabay.com.
Side by side
| Pexels API | Pixabay API | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Free Stock Photos and Videos. | Photography. A free photography API by pixabay.com. |
| Provider | pexels.com | pixabay.com |
| API key | Required | Required |
| HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
| CORS (browser calls) | Yes | Unknown |
| Status today | Online · 76 ms | Online · 69 ms |
| Uptime (30 days) | Up | Up |
| Developer rating | Not rated yet | Not rated yet |
| Price | Free / free tier | Free / free tier |
About each API
Pixabay API
Photography. A free photography API by pixabay.com.
Strengths
- Fast: 69 ms response
- HTTPS
How to choose between them
- 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.
Pexels vs Pixabay FAQ
Do Pexels API and Pixabay API need an API key?
Both require authentication (apiKey and apiKey).
Which can I call from the browser?
Pexels API supports CORS, so front-end JavaScript can call it directly. Call the other from a server.
More comparisons
Pexels API alternatives · Pixabay API alternatives · best Photography APIs