The Best CC0 and CC BY Stock Footage Sites for Video Creators
Not all "free" stock footage is actually free to use in monetised content. Here are the sites with genuinely permissive licenses, what each one is best for, and the one thing to always check before using a clip.
Andy Woods 
"Royalty free" is not the same as "free to use however you want." A royalty free license means you do not pay per use after an initial purchase or registration. It does not mean the footage is public domain or that you can use it commercially without restriction.
For video creators who want footage they can use in monetised YouTube content, TikTok, and ad-supported platforms without copyright strikes or attribution obligations, the licenses to look for are CC0 and CC BY.
CC0 vs CC BY: The Practical Difference
CC0 (Creative Commons Zero, also called public domain dedication): the creator has waived all rights. You can use the footage for anything, including commercial content, without attribution. No credit line needed.
CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution): you can use the footage for any purpose including commercial, but you must credit the creator using the standard attribution format. The CC BY attribution guide covers exactly how to format those credits.
For high-volume content production, CC0 is more practical because there is no attribution overhead. For specific high-quality clips worth using anyway, CC BY is a reasonable trade.
CC0 Stock Footage Sites
Pexels (pexels.com): the largest CC0 video library. Over 40,000 clips, ranging from generic B-roll to high quality cinematic footage. No account required to download. No attribution required. The search function is decent and it is the first place worth checking for most topics.
Pixabay (pixabay.com): over 1.6 million video clips under the Pixabay License, which allows free commercial and personal use with no attribution. Quality varies more than Pexels but the volume means almost any topic has coverage. Particularly strong for nature, landscapes, and abstract footage.
Mixkit (mixkit.co): smaller and more curated than Pexels or Pixabay. Every clip is reviewed before inclusion so quality consistency is higher. Good for footage that needs to look polished. License is free for commercial use without attribution.
Coverr (coverr.co): focused on cinematic and visually interesting clips originally intended as website backgrounds. Smaller library but high visual quality. All footage is free for commercial use, no attribution required. Worth checking when you need something that looks slightly more distinctive than generic stock.
Dareful (dareful.com): a single-creator library of high-resolution nature and landscape footage. Smaller but entirely CC0. Useful for slow-motion nature shots and aerial-style landscape clips.
CC BY Stock Footage Sources
Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org): a large archive of media with diverse licensing. Filter by video, then by license. Many historical footage clips, documentary-style material, and factual content are here under CC BY or CC BY-SA. Worth checking for educational or historical topics where generic stock footage would not fit. Always verify the individual clip's license, as licenses vary across the library.
Internet Archive (archive.org): an enormous collection of public domain and CC-licensed video. Includes historical news footage, old films, educational content, and more. Many clips are CC BY or fully in the public domain. The search is less polished than commercial sites but the content is unique.
The One Thing to Always Check
Even on sites that are primarily CC0, individual clips sometimes have different licensing. A photographer contributing to Pexels might upload a clip under a more restrictive license. A Wikimedia clip might be CC BY-SA, which requires you to share your derivative work under the same terms.
Before using a clip in a monetised video, click through to the individual clip and read the license label. Do not assume the site's general policy applies to every clip without checking.
This is especially important on Wikimedia Commons and Internet Archive, where the licensing is genuinely mixed.
InkSlop's Built-In Library
InkSlop's video library consists of pre-cleared clips that are ready to use in any video you produce on the platform. The attribution, where required, is generated automatically into the video description when you publish to YouTube. You do not have to check individual clip licenses or format credit text.
For clips outside InkSlop's library, the sites above are the most reliable sources for footage you can use in commercial content without license risk. Pexels and Pixabay cover the majority of common use cases. Coverr and Mixkit are worth checking when you need higher visual quality. Wikimedia and Internet Archive are the places to go for historical or factual footage that generic stock sites do not have.
For the broader context on how CC licenses work, the CC BY 4.0 explainer covers the full license family.