Google Photos vs Pexels

Google's Photos APIs let apps read from and write to a user's Google Photos library across three products: the current Picker API lets a user securely choose individual items to share without granting an app full library access, the older Library API supports app-driven uploads and management of app-created content (several of its broader read scopes were removed on April 1, 2025), and the newer Ambient API drives slideshow experiences on photo frames and connected TVs. Every product requires OAuth2 user consent — there is no server-only API-key path — governed by Google's Photos API User Data and Developer Policy. Usage is free, bounded by per-project quotas that vary by product (for example 100,000 requests/minute for the Picker API versus 10,000/day for the Library API).

Pexels' JSON API serves its library of free stock photos and videos for keyword search, curated collections, and per-item lookups, with photo results carrying several pre-generated JPEG sizes ready to use without further processing. A personal key sent via the Authorization header is the only credential required — no OAuth flow — and a live probe of the search endpoint showed a 25,000-request rate-limit window tracked per key rather than per IP. There is no paid tier: under the Pexels License, images and videos are free for personal and commercial use, with attribution appreciated but not required.