Free versus paid: what the licences say
Free libraries. The Pexels licence lets you use photos and videos for free, commercially, with no attribution required, and modify them. It does not allow:
- showing identifiable people in a bad light or an offensive way;
- selling unaltered copies, for example as posters or printed products;
- implying that people or brands in the image endorse your product;
- redistributing the files on other stock platforms;
- using the images as part of a trademark, design mark, trade name, business name or service mark.
(This journal uses some Pexels images too, credited on the pages where they appear, although the licence doesn't require it.)
Paid libraries. Adobe Stock's licence page is a good example of how paid tiers work:
| Use | Standard | Enhanced | Extended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website and social media posts, unlimited views | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email, mobile ads, broadcast with fewer than 500,000 expected viewers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Print or products up to 500,000 copies | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Above 500,000 copies or viewers | No | Yes | Yes |
| Merchandise or templates where the image is the main value (mugs, T-shirts) | No | No | Yes |
| Distributing the standalone file | No | No | No |
A Standard licence can be transferred to one client or employer; using it for several clients needs separate licences. Enhanced licences apply to Adobe's videos, templates, 3D and Premium Collection.
Editorial use only. Assets marked editorial are for news and commentary, not advertising. Typical examples are crowds at events, visible brand logos, and people who didn't sign a model release.
Which licence for which UAE use
| Your use in the UAE | Free (Pexels-type) | Paid Standard | Need more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram or TikTok organic post | OK | OK | |
| Meta or Google paid ads | OK, no implied endorsement | OK | |
| Website hero image | OK | OK | |
| Flyers or brochures, 5,000 copies | OK | OK | |
| Billboard or mall screen | OK; check people in the image | OK for up to 500,000 viewers | Enhanced above that |
| TV or cinema ad | Check terms | OK under 500,000 viewers | Enhanced or Extended |
| Product packaging | Check terms; don't sell the image itself | Up to 500,000 units | Enhanced above |
| T-shirts, mugs, prints for sale | No, unless modified | No | Extended |
| Logo or trade name | No | Not recommended | Commission original work |
| "Editorial use only" asset in any ad | No | No | No |
UAE rules the licence doesn't cover
A stock licence answers the copyright question. It doesn't make the image legal to publish in the UAE:
- Article 33 of the Media Law's Executive Regulation bans promoting alcohol, tobacco or smoking, directly or indirectly. A stock "rooftop sundowner" with wine glasses in the background is a problem.
- The content standards cover public morals and UAE values. Stock made for European or US campaigns often shows dress or situations that need to be swapped for this market; see our content standards checklist.
- Misleading ads. A stock photo of a spacious modern clinic used for a smaller real clinic, or a stock "team" presented as your staff, can breach Article 33's ban on misleading content.
- Sector rules. Property ads need Trakheesi in Dubai, clinic ads need health-regulator approval; stock doesn't change that.
What nobody tells you
- Your competitor can use the same picture. Popular stock images are reused widely, and nothing stops a rival running the same face next to yours. That costs more in trust than the licence saves.
- "Free" doesn't mean released. Free libraries rely on contributors; if a person in the photo never agreed to commercial use, the risk can land on you. Prefer images where the person isn't the main subject, or buy from a library that holds model releases.
- Licences are per client. Agencies that reuse one Standard licence across several clients are outside the terms.
- Keep the receipt. Save the licence certificate or download record with the campaign files. If a claim arrives two years later, it's your only proof.
Vladimir Chernyshev, GM: stock is fine for a blog header or a background. For anything that is meant to sell, a half day of your own photos usually outperforms it, because the customer recognises your real space and people when they walk in.
Related: who owns content made by an agency or freelancer, AI-generated content rules, music in reels and ads.
