Free stock media for commercial use

Quick answer

For commercial use, prefer CC0 and public-domain sources and keep evidence of the license terms. Some sources, such as NASA, apply additional restrictions for logos, identifiable people, endorsements, and merchandising. Always verify the original source terms; this is informational only, not legal advice.

Best sources

• The Met Open Access - CC0 for open access assets
• Smithsonian Open Access - CC0
• Library of Congress Free to Use - public domain / no known restrictions varies by item

Workflow steps

1. Confirm the license allows commercial use
2. Check for source-specific restrictions
3. Save the evidence URL and last-verified date
4. Copy attribution where required
5. Publish with a link back to the original source

AI prompt templates

• Review this asset metadata and flag any commercial-use restrictions I should verify on the original source.

Related topics

• Public-domain stock media
• Attribution rules for free stock media
• Free stock media for AI content creators