Pexels API vs Pixabay API
Free API comparison
| Pexels API | Pixabay API | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Image and photo | Image and photo |
| API key | Needed, free | Needed, free |
| Pricing | Free with an API key, limited to 200 requests per hour and 20,000 per month, and apps must show a link to Pexels and credit photographers where possible. | Free with a free API key; results must be cached and hotlinking full images is not allowed. |
| From the browser | Yes (CORS) | Yes (CORS) |
| Formats | JSON | JSON |
| Interface | REST, HTTP-GET | REST, HTTP-GET |
| Provider | pexels.com | pixabay.com |
| MCP server | No | No |
Which one to choose
Pixabay also has illustrations and vector graphics besides photos and videos, with a free key, but results must be cached and full images may not be hotlinked. Pexels has photos and videos with a credit to the photographer, at 200 requests an hour, but new keys cannot be requested at the moment. For a new project, Pixabay.
Each service's own page has its full description, a code example and what visitors report: Pexels API, Pixabay API.