# Unsplash — card for AI agents

Free photos with a public API; paid Unsplash+ adds a separately licensed collection.

Category: Stock photos and images · maker Unsplash (Getty Images) · checked 2026-10-10

## Price
- Price: Free tier
- Free tier: Free license and free API (demo and production).
- Usage price: Unsplash+ shown at EUR 48/year (EUR 4/month launch price, viewed from the EU); no USD price shown.
- Pricing page: https://unsplash.com/plus

## License
Unsplash License (free); Unsplash+ License (paid) — https://unsplash.com/license

- commercial: **yes** (Commercial use OK)
  > including for commercial purposes, without permission from or attributing the photographer or Unsplash.
  (https://unsplash.com/license)
- attribution: **api-only** (Credit required by the API terms)
- in app: **conditions** (Ship inside your app with conditions)
- youtube: **conditions** (Monetized YouTube with conditions)

## Rules to follow
- Hotlink the image URLs returned by the API; do not re-host API images.
- Call the download endpoint every time your app downloads a photo.
- Credit the photographer and Unsplash, linking the profile, on every display.
- Contact Unsplash before any ML or AI use of API content.

## How an agent gets files
- Unsplash API: GET https://api.unsplash.com/search/photos?query=<term> with header 'Authorization: Client-ID <ACCESS_KEY>'. Use the returned urls (raw, full, regular, small, thumb) directly; call GET /photos/:id/download whenever your app downloads a photo. (sign-in: api-key)
- Formats: jpg
- Not allowed: Images cannot be sold without significant modification
- Not allowed: Cannot compile Unsplash images to replicate a similar or competing service
- Not allowed: API images must be hotlinked via the returned URLs, and download events must be reported
- Not allowed: ML or AI use of API content is addressed on a separate Unsplash page; ask before use

## How to connect
- Public API
- API docs: https://unsplash.com/documentation (API key needed)
- API limits: Demo 50 requests/hour; production 1,000/hour after approval; images.unsplash.com requests do not count.
- Repository: https://github.com/unsplash/unsplash-js
- Website: https://unsplash.com

## Notes
Images cannot be sold without significant modification; no compiling images into a competing service. Sublicensing API content needs written consent. Also PHP, Ruby, iOS and Android libraries.

## Numbers (AgentGid data)
- Gid Score: 16.4
- GitHub stars: 2,194

## Lines to paste into your prompt or AGENTS.md

```
- Unsplash (Stock photos and images). Free photos with a public API; paid Unsplash+ adds a separately licensed collection. Price: free tier; commercial use OK; credit required by the API terms; ship inside your app with conditions.
  Connect: API docs https://unsplash.com/documentation (API key needed). Limits: Demo 50 requests/hour; production 1,000/hour after approval; images.unsplash.com requests do not count.
  Get files: Unsplash API: GET https://api.unsplash.com/search/photos?query=<term> with header 'Authorization: Client-ID <ACCESS_KEY>'. Use the returned urls (raw, full, regular, small, thumb) directly; call GET /photos/:id/download whenever your app downloads a photo (jpg).
  Not allowed: Images cannot be sold without significant modification
  Not allowed: Cannot compile Unsplash images to replicate a similar or competing service
  Not allowed: API images must be hotlinked via the returned URLs, and download events must be reported
  Not allowed: ML or AI use of API content is addressed on a separate Unsplash page; ask before use
  Rule: Hotlink the image URLs returned by the API; do not re-host API images.
  Rule: Call the download endpoint every time your app downloads a photo.
  Rule: Credit the photographer and Unsplash, linking the profile, on every display.
  Rule: Contact Unsplash before any ML or AI use of API content.
  License: https://unsplash.com/license (checked 2026-10-10; details: https://agentgid.com/assets/unsplash/)
```

Not verified: Rendering photos into a video means embedding rather than hotlinking, which conflicts with API Terms s.6; ask Unsplash first. Whether Unsplash+ is reachable via the API; AI-generated content policy.

## Links
- AgentGid page: https://agentgid.com/assets/unsplash/
- Is it free for commercial use? https://agentgid.com/assets/unsplash/commercial-use/
- Source: https://unsplash.com/documentation
- Source: https://unsplash.com/api-terms
- Source: https://unsplash.com/license
- Source: https://unsplash.com/plus
- Source: https://status.unsplash.com

---
AgentGid's catalog is curated: every entry was checked against the maker's official pages (registry, repository, license and pricing pages) on the date shown; a license value shows the quote it stands on wherever AgentGid has one. Usage numbers come from AgentGid's own scan of public repositories set up for AI coding agents. Claims by makers are reported, not tested by AgentGid.