Guide
Best free b-roll footage sites: Pexels first, then Pixabay and Mixkit
Pexels is the best free b-roll site for most people: free 4K and HD clips, and you never need to credit anyone. All five sites here let you use their clips in ads.
In short
- The best free b-roll footage sites are Pexels, Pixabay, Mixkit, Coverr and Vecteezy. All five allow their clips in ads.
- Pexels has free 4K and HD clips under the simplest licence, and it never asks for a credit.
- Pixabay has over 240,000 free clips, plus music and sound effects under the same licence.
- Mixkit needs no account and has a section of vertical clips. Coverr has a moody, film-like look.
- Vecteezy is the only one of the five that asks you to credit the creator on free clips.
- free video clips on Pixabay
- 240,000+
- sites that need no credit line
- 4 of 5
- to use every site on this page
- $0
The best free b-roll footage sites at a glance
A free footage site is a library of video clips you can download and use in your own videos without paying. Cutroom is listed too, because it searches two of these sites for you.
The five free footage sites, and the editor that searches two of them
Licences and prices as published on each site on the day shown. Licences change, so read the page before you publish.
| Tool | Best for | Editing approach | Platform | Pricing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pexels | Free 4K and HD b-roll with no credit needed | You search, preview and download clips one by one | Web; API | Free; no paid plan |
| Pixabay | Free clips plus music and sound effects in one place | You search, preview and download clips one by one | Web; API | Free; no paid plan |
| Mixkit | Hand-picked free 4K clips, no account needed | You search, preview and download clips one by one | Web | Free; no paid plan |
| Coverr | Free HD b-roll with a film-like look | You search and download clips; paid plans add AI video generation | Web | Free; Basic $4.20/month, annual |
| Vecteezy | A big free library, if you credit the creator | You search, preview and download clips one by one | Web | Free with a credit; Pro price not listed on its free-videos page |
| Cutroom | Pexels and Pixabay clips placed on your words for you | A video editor that searches for clips and puts them over what you say | Browser | First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month |
Pexels
- Best for
- Free 4K and HD b-roll with no credit needed
- Approach
- You search, preview and download clips one by one
- Platform
- Web; API
- Pricing from
- Free; no paid plan
Pixabay
- Best for
- Free clips plus music and sound effects in one place
- Approach
- You search, preview and download clips one by one
- Platform
- Web; API
- Pricing from
- Free; no paid plan
Mixkit
- Best for
- Hand-picked free 4K clips, no account needed
- Approach
- You search, preview and download clips one by one
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free; no paid plan
Coverr
- Best for
- Free HD b-roll with a film-like look
- Approach
- You search and download clips; paid plans add AI video generation
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free; Basic $4.20/month, annual
Vecteezy
- Best for
- A big free library, if you credit the creator
- Approach
- You search, preview and download clips one by one
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free with a credit; Pro price not listed on its free-videos page
Cutroom
- Best for
- Pexels and Pixabay clips placed on your words for you
- Approach
- A video editor that searches for clips and puts them over what you say
- Platform
- Browser
- Pricing from
- First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month
Prices and plans read from each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026.
Can you use free b-roll in ads, and do you have to credit it?
Yes, all five sites allow commercial use, including ads. Only Vecteezy asks for a credit on its free clips.
- Pexels does not allow selling unaltered copies, showing people in a bad light, or suggesting that people or brands endorse you.
- Pixabay does not allow clips with recognisable logos or brands in commercial work.
- Mixkit marks some clips with a Restricted License, so check the licence on each clip.
- Coverr does not allow using its clips to train AI models or to build a competing library.
Free footage licences side by side
Read from each site's own licence page. Check again before you publish.
| Site | Credit needed | Use in ads | 4K | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pexels | No | Yes | Yes | No selling unaltered copies |
| Pixabay | No, optional | Yes | Many clips | No recognisable logos or brands |
| Mixkit | No | Yes | Yes | Some clips have a Restricted License |
| Coverr | No | Yes | On paid plans | No AI training, no competing library |
| Vecteezy | Yes, on free clips | Yes | Yes | A credit line on every free clip |
Site: Pexels
- Credit needed
- No
- Use in ads
- Yes
- 4K
- Yes
- Main limit
- No selling unaltered copies
Site: Pixabay
- Credit needed
- No, optional
- Use in ads
- Yes
- 4K
- Many clips
- Main limit
- No recognisable logos or brands
Site: Mixkit
- Credit needed
- No
- Use in ads
- Yes
- 4K
- Yes
- Main limit
- Some clips have a Restricted License
Site: Coverr
- Credit needed
- No
- Use in ads
- Yes
- 4K
- On paid plans
- Main limit
- No AI training, no competing library
Site: Vecteezy
- Credit needed
- Yes, on free clips
- Use in ads
- Yes
- 4K
- Yes
- Main limit
- A credit line on every free clip
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Pexels
Pexels is a free library of photos and videos shared by its community. It has the plainest licence of the five.
- Every clip is free to use, including in ads, and you do not need to credit anyone.
- Clips come in 4K and Full HD.
- There is no paid plan, and no download limit is stated.
- You may not sell unaltered copies, show people in a bad light, or suggest that people or brands in a clip endorse you.
- You may not use a clip in a trademark or business name, or upload it to another stock site.
Pixabay
Pixabay is a free library of videos, images, music and sound effects under one licence. It says it has over 240,000 free video clips.
- Many of the clips are in 4K.
- Credit is optional, and you may edit clips into new work.
- Music and sound effects come under the same licence, from the same account.
- You may not use clips with recognisable logos or brands in commercial work, or sell clips on their own.
- Checking whether a person or building in a clip needs permission is up to you.
Mixkit
Mixkit is a free library of hand-picked videos, music and sound effects, made by Envato. You can download without making an account.
- Clips are free for commercial projects, with no credit and no watermark.
- It has 4K and HD clips and a section of vertical videos.
- Some clips carry a Restricted License instead of the free one, so check each clip.
- The library is smaller than Pexels or Pixabay, so a narrow search can come back with little.
Coverr
Coverr is a free footage library with a moody, film-like look. Its paid plans add AI video generation.
- Clips and music are free to use in commercial work, and you do not need to credit anyone.
- 4K and premium clips sit behind a paid plan.
- Paid plans start at $4.20 a month billed yearly, and they are mostly AI credits.
- You may not use the clips to train AI models, resell them or build a competing library.
Vecteezy
Vecteezy is a large library of vectors, photos, videos and motion graphics. It has a free tier and a Pro tier.
- Free clips are fine for commercial use, but you must credit the creator.
- Pro removes the credit and adds unlimited 4K downloads and legal coverage.
- It has motion graphics and templates next to the footage.
- We could not find the Pro price on the pages we read.
When free footage is not enough
Free libraries cover everyday things well: a laptop, a kitchen, a gym, a city street. They fall short on anything that is yours.
- No free site has clips of your product, your shop or your team, so film those yourself.
- Some product types have few free clips, so a search comes back with little to choose from.
- If a client needs a licence with legal coverage, Vecteezy Pro includes it.
Which free b-roll site should you choose?
Start with Pexels. Go to another site when you need something Pexels does not give you.
Which free b-roll site should you choose
Choose Pexels if you want free 4K and HD clips under the simplest licence, with no credit line.
Choose Pixabay if you also want music and sound effects under the same licence.
Choose Mixkit if you want a hand-picked list, vertical clips and no account.
Choose Coverr if you want moody, film-like clips for a brand video.
Choose Vecteezy if you need motion graphics next to the footage and do not mind adding a credit.
Choose Cutroom if you have a video of you talking and want Pexels and Pixabay clips found and placed for you. Your first video is free.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is not a footage site. It is a video editor that searches Pexels and Pixabay for you and puts the clips in place.
- A 45-second video of you talking can mention several things. On these sites, each one is a search, a preview, a download and a trim.
- In Cutroom you upload one clip of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom finds a clip for each thing you mention and shows it over exactly those words.
- You get a finished 9:16 video with captions in 40 styles and an opening headline, and you can swap any clip.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
Questions people ask
- What is the best free b-roll footage site?
- Pexels, for most people. Its clips are free, in 4K and HD, and you never need to credit anyone. Pixabay is better if you also want music and sound effects, and Mixkit if you want vertical clips without an account.
- Do I have to credit free stock footage?
- Not on Pexels, Pixabay, Mixkit or Coverr. Vecteezy's free licence asks for a credit, and its Pro plan removes that. Licences can change, so read the site's licence page before you publish.
- Can I use free stock footage in ads?
- Yes, on all five sites. The limits are about the clip itself: no one shown in a bad light, no recognisable logo or brand in commercial use, and no reselling the clip on its own.
- Is free stock footage available in 4K?
- Yes. Pexels, Mixkit and Vecteezy have free 4K clips, and many Pixabay clips are 4K. Coverr keeps 4K for its paid plans. For a vertical video watched on a phone, HD is usually enough.
- How do I find b-roll for a talking video quickly?
- Search for the objects you mention, not the topic. A search for productivity brings back vague clips, while laptop, coffee or calendar each bring back usable ones. Cutroom does this search for you and places the clips on your words.
Upload one clip of yourself talking and Cutroom finds the free clips and places them on your words. Your first video is free.