The 7 best free b-roll sites in 2026
The best free b-roll sites right now are Pexels for volume, Mixkit for curation, Coverr for website backgrounds, and Supareels for matching variants of a single scene. Here is the honest comparison, including where each one falls short.
| Site | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Pexels | Sheer volume | Free for commercial use, no attribution required |
| Pixabay | Backup catalog | Free for commercial use, no attribution required |
| Mixkit | Curated general footage | Free license with some restrictions on redistribution |
| Coverr | Website background video | Free for commercial use, no attribution required |
| Videezy | 4K variety with caveats | Mixed: many clips require attribution, some are premium |
| Beachfront B-Roll | Free niche beach and nature clips | Free for commercial use |
| Supareels | Matching variants of one scene | Free during early access, commercial use allowed |
1. Pexels
Best for: Sheer volume · Catalog: Very large, tens of thousands of 4K clips
The biggest free catalog with real 4K footage and a clean search experience. If a common subject exists on video, Pexels probably has fifty versions of it.
Every clip comes from a different shooter, so building a visually consistent sequence means a long hunt. Popular clips appear in thousands of other videos.
2. Pixabay
Best for: Backup catalog · Catalog: Large, quality varies widely
Huge free library with generous licensing and decent filters. Good second stop when Pexels misses.
Quality control is looser than Pexels. Expect to scroll past dated or low-resolution clips to find keepers.
3. Mixkit
Best for: Curated general footage · Catalog: Smaller, curated selection
Hand-picked clips with a consistent quality floor, organized into browsable categories. Faster to search than the giants.
The catalog is thin on niche subjects, and the best clips are widely used because the pool is small.
4. Coverr
Best for: Website background video · Catalog: Moderate, aimed at web use
Strong for hero-section loops and ambient background footage. Clips are chosen to work silently behind text.
Less useful for narrative editing. Coverage of specific scenes and moods is patchy.
5. Videezy
Best for: 4K variety with caveats · Catalog: Large community-uploaded pool
Plenty of 4K and drone footage from a large contributor community.
License varies per clip, so you have to check each one. Quality swings hard, and the site pushes paid content into results.
6. Beachfront B-Roll
Best for: Free niche beach and nature clips · Catalog: A few hundred HD clips
A long-running independent library with genuinely free clips and a loyal following. Good beach and nature coverage for its size.
HD only, dated design, and downloads work by right-clicking video files. The catalog has not grown much in years and the site carries display ads.
7. Supareels
Best for: Matching variants of one scene · Catalog: Small and growing, hand-curated AI clips
That is us, so judge accordingly. The angle is different from every site above: each scene comes as a matching set of variants, so the sunset, storm, and aerial versions of a beach actually cut together. Clips are AI-generated and hand-reviewed.
The catalog is tiny next to Pexels, clips are HD rather than 4K, and only a handful of scenes exist so far. If we do not have your subject, use the sites above.
Which one should you use?
- Filling a long video fast: Pexels first, Pixabay second.
- A website hero background: Coverr.
- A sequence that has to look consistent: Supareels scenes, because the variants of each scene are made to match.
- Not sure what b-roll is? Start with the plain-English guide.
Free curated clips by email
We add a new hand-curated scene to the Supareels library regularly. Join the list and get each drop free.