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Few things are as terrifying as the thought of losing endless hours of work. A lost backpack or a broken laptop can take with them so much of your hard work and memories. Luckily, free hosting sites offer a secure way to save your photos at no cost. By saving your content on external servers, aka the cloud, you have reliable backup.
Moreover, uploading your work to these free image hosting sites means that you can save space on your phone and computer, allowing them to work faster, and your images will be available anytime, from anywhere and any device – so that you can share them more easily with clients or friends. And while nothing will ever replace your own online portfolio, these platforms can complement your website with interesting add-ons such as integrated editing tools, online stores or access to a community of shutterbugs.
10 Best free image hosting sites:
01. Wix: Showcase your work online
You can compromise on many things in life, but not on your morning coffee and certainly not on having your own photography website. Think about it, what’s the first thing you do when you hear about someone? That’s right, you ‘google’ them. The same goes for potential clients who want to know more about you, or look for a photographer like you.
When they enter your name or practice on the Internet, they expect to find your own branded outlet. Today, it’s considered a paramount indicator of credibility and professionalism. And unlike all other free image hosting options, you have full authority over every element of your portfolio, from the design to the content. This way, you’re sure to get a result that is truly unique.
Wix gives you the ability to easily create a complete website. Moreover, the Wix Pro Gallery preserves the quality of every picture you upload so your visitors can enjoy your images, whether its JPEG or PNG, in a fast and optimal way on desktop and mobile. Last but not least, you enjoy free web hosting, which means that you can store, share and sell as many images as you’d like – at no cost! So, ready to start? This step-by-step guide will show you how to create the photography website of your dreams.
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Get found on Google and other search engines.
Fully and easily customizable.
The best quality for your photos, both on desktop and mobile.
Sell photos online, both in print and digital form (100% commission free).
Create and share private photo albums.
Max free image storage: Unlimited.
02. Google Photos: Automatically categorized albums
With 15 GB of free storage to share with Gmail and Drive, Google Photos isn’t the most generous hosting site. That said, it shouldn’t be discarded just yet. First, it automatically syncs with your other Google accounts, saving you a lot of time (and clicks) when accessing or sharing your images.
Second, the platform comes with a very cute tool to create your own collages and animations, based on the photos that you’ve uploaded. Lastly, Google Photos might be the smartest solution when it comes to organizing your pics – by location, date or even people appearing.
Even more stunning: the more you upload, the more the algorithms will learn about your habits, and end up sorting your content automatically for you!
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An intelligent tool that organizes your images for you.
Synced with your other Google accounts.
Integrated free photo editing software features.
Max free image storage: 15 GB to use across Google Photos, Gmail and Google Drive.
03. Imgur: Share gif files
Feel like you have a picture that could take the Internet by a storm? Share it on Imgur, where every day thousands of web addicts post their most hilarious, cutest or silliest images, hoping to win the votes of the assembly. All shots are allowed, including memes, baby kittens, and memes of baby kittens. Not surprisingly, it’s the favorite free image hosting site for Redditors.
If you don’t want to participate in this competition of best (or worst) of the Internet, simply upload your content without clicking the “Share to Community” button. Your photos will be stored for as long as you wish, and you can always share them privately using their URL.
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Your photos are uploaded in a click.
Possibility to share with the community.
GIFs. Puppies!
Max free image storage: Unlimited.
04. Flickr: Engage with like-minded photographers
Flickr is one of the oldest and most appreciated free image hosting sites, with billions of photos shared on millions of groups. The exposure for photographers is huge. If you share the right picture in the right group, you really might get your 15 minutes of online fame. Want to keep your work more intimate? You can publish it for your eyes only and use the platform purely as an image hosting site, or for a limited pool of friends. More interested in getting the most exposure possible? Make your account accessible to the world for virtually everyone to see it.
While you’re busy showing off your stunning work, don’t forget to take advantage and browse other’s works, photographers and using Flickr as a true source of photography inspiration. We’ve spent endless hours admiring the images posted by our favorite photographers, and discovering the profiles of talents we’d never heard of. For convenience you can download the Flickr application, one of the best photo apps to have on your smartphone.
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Millions of professional and inspiring users.
Editing tools to enhance your images before posting.
Share photos through RSS feeds, emails and more.
Max free image storage: 1,000 photos.
05. 500px: Pro photographer community
Photography can be a very solitary activity. Sometimes, you could use a fellow shutterbug to talk about your last shoot, share tips, or simply cheer you up. 500px might well be the solution. It hosts a community of 12 million photographers, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, connected to one another via this niche social media site. You can follow your favorite members, like or share their pictures, or leave a comment.
Joining this platform is a great way to build a photography network of friends, colleagues and mentors – and learn valuable new skills from the community. Moreover, 500px is browsed by tons of magazines editors, art curators and companies eager to find beautiful images. If you go for the paid monthly package, you’ll be able to sell your pictures, and make some extra money to invest in your photography career.
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Functions as a social media channel, with shares, likes and followers.
Great source of inspiration.
Find new clients to sell photos online.
Max free image storage: 7 photos per week, 2,000 photos in total.
06. Imgbox: Simple image sharing
This is by far the simplest free image hosting site we’ve found. Want to upload an image that will be available online forever? You don’t even have to create an account. Just click ‘upload’, choose the file resolution, and that’s it! For every image uploaded, you get a shareable link, along with HTML and BB codes to embed on any website.
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Your photos are uploaded in a click. Literally.
Extremely fast interface.
Shareable link and embeddable codes for every image.
Max free image storage: Unlimited number of images. 10 MB per image.
07. Dropbox: Share photos and image folders
The name says it all. The best way to understand this platform is imagining a virtual “box” (one per account) where you can “drop” your photos. They are kept safe on the Cloud, waiting for you to access anytime, from any possible device. The nice thing about Dropbox is that you can easily share the link to your folder, for friends or clients to view or add their own files.
For the smartphones addicts, Dropbox’s mobile app is a little gem. It lets you manage your content straight from your phone, and also comes with the option to sync your camera roll with your Dropbox account – so that your latest photos are automatically saved!
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Easy sharing with clients, colleagues and friends.
Stores all types of files (images, texts, videos, etc.).
Synchronization with the camera roll of your smartphone.
Max free image storage: 2 GB.
08. Free Image Hosting: Sharing low-resolution images
The process of uploading photos to Free Image Hosting is as straightforward as the platform’s name. All you need to do is upload an image and share its link anywhere. You don’t need to create an account in order to do so, and your photos will be permanently stored on the site.
US-based photographers can also use this platform to strengthen their photography marketing efforts by listing their business on the site’s Commercial Photographers directory. Users can browse this list by state and city, increasing your chances of being found by local clients.
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US-based photography business directory.
No need to create an account.
Photos are saved permanently.
Max free image storage: 3MB per image.
09. PostImage: Hosting images for forums
PostImage’s user-friendly tools make it an incredibly popular free image hosting site among photography forum users. This easy-to-use platform allows you to upload multiple images at once, and set a size and expiration date for your files.
With just the click of a button (literally,) you’ll be able to resize your images into a series of predetermined dimensions including popular uses such as avatar (100x75), message boards (648x480), 15-inch monitor (800x600) and 21-inch monitor (1600x1200). Furthermore, you can also choose to limit the period of time your images will be available online to anywhere from a day, a week, or a month.
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Resizing tools.
Image expiration date.
Upload images in bulk.
Max free image storage: Unspecified.
10. ImageShack: Photography businesses
Once considered the top free image hosting site, ImageShack discontinued their free services in 2015. “So why are they on a list of the best free image hosting sites, then?,” you may ask. Well, the platform offers a free 30-day trial that will allow you to check all premium features without paying a cent.
The site’s features include image links, image stats, mobile app, sharing tools, private albums, bulk image management and more. And with paid plans starting at just $4 a month for limitless space, photography business owners might very gladly skip a couple of coffees in favor of keeping their work secure.
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Upload large amounts of photos.
Create and share private photo albums.
Offers diverse mobile and web applications.
Max free image storage: One month trial.
Free image hosting sites FAQ
What are image hosting sites?
Image hosting sites are websites that allow you to upload and store images online. They provide you with a direct URL that you can use to share your images on other websites, social media platforms or in emails.