Photography & Image APIs Terms Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of free tiers, rate limits, and usage restrictions for 4 photography & image apis.
Terms of service may change. Always verify with the official API documentation before building production applications.
| API | Free Tier | Rate Limit | Commercial | Attribution | Auth | CORS | Caching | Notable Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screenshotlayer | 100 calls/month | 100 calls/month (free) | ✕ | Req | API Key (query parameter) | Yes | Yes | Free plan: HTTP only, no full-page captures, no custom viewport |
| Unsplash | 50 calls/hour | 50 calls/hour (demo), 5,000 calls/hour (production) | ✓ | Req | API Key (header) or OAuth2 | Yes | Yes | Must use Unsplash image URLs (no re-hosting); must trigger download endpoint for tracking |
| Flickr API | Unlimited (with API key) | 3,600 calls/hour | ✓ | Req | API Key (query parameter) or OAuth | Yes | Yes | Photo usage depends on individual photo license; not all photos are free to use |
| Imgur API | 12,500 calls/day | 12,500 calls/day, 500 uploads/day | ✓ | No | Client ID (header) or OAuth2 | Yes | Yes | Commercial API access may require approval; no NSFW content allowed in commercial use |
Attribution Details
Screenshotlayer: Screenshotlayer attribution required on free plan
Unsplash: Must credit photographer and Unsplash with links
Flickr API: Must respect individual photo licenses (Creative Commons or All Rights Reserved)
Last updated: 2026-04