# Pexels Scraper - Free Stock Photos & Videos (No API Key) (`memo23/pexels-scraper`) Actor Scrape free stock photos & videos from Pexels — no API key or account needed. Direct download URLs at every size/quality, plus tags, colour palette, dimensions and the photographer's profile & socials. Search, by ID, by collection, or a photographer's whole portfolio - **URL**: https://apify.com/memo23/pexels-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Muhamed Didovic](https://apify.com/memo23) (community) - **Categories:** AI, Developer tools, Agents - **Stats:** 20 total users, 17 monthly users, 96.3% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Pexels Stock Photo & Video Scraper Pull free stock **photos and videos** from [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com) at scale — **no API key, no account, nothing to sign up for**. Search by keyword, look media up by ID, grab a whole collection, or export a photographer's entire portfolio. Every row comes with direct CDN download URLs at every size and quality, plus rich metadata. Built for content teams, ML/AI dataset builders, digital-asset workflows, and anyone who needs royalty-free imagery in bulk. #### ✨ Why use this scraper? - **Zero setup** — no Pexels API key or login required. Paste a query and run. - **Photos *and* videos** — direct download links for every image size and every video rendition (with a convenience "highest quality" link). - **Rich metadata** — tags, dominant colour + full colour palette, dimensions, aspect ratio, orientation, license, and the photographer's profile including **Instagram, location, avatar and donation link**. - **Four ways in** — keyword search, by photo/video ID, by collection, or a photographer's full portfolio. - **De-duplicated & pay-per-result** — you're charged per media record, nothing else. #### How it works 1. Pick a **mode**: `search`, `curated`, `byPhotoId`, `byCollection`, `byUser`, or `similarPhotos`. 2. Fill the matching field (a query, some IDs, a collection URL, or a photographer handle) — or nothing for `curated`. 3. Set your limits and run. Results stream to the dataset — export as JSON, CSV, Excel, or via the API. #### Modes | Mode | What you give it | What you get | |---|---|---| | **search** | a keyword + media type | matching photos and/or videos | | **curated** | nothing (just media type) | Pexels' discover feed — no query needed | | **byPhotoId** | photo/video IDs or URLs | those exact media records | | **byCollection** | a collection slug or URL | every item in the collection | | **byUser** | a photographer handle/URL | that photographer's full portfolio | | **similarPhotos** | photo IDs or URLs | photos related to each one | **Filters** (search mode): media type, orientation, **number of people** (none / 1 / 2), min width/height, and video duration range. #### Example input ```json { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "coffee", "mediaType": "all", "orientation": "landscape", "maxItems": 100 } ```` #### Example output (one photo row) ```json { "type": "photo", "id": 27860686, "url": "https://www.pexels.com/photo/coffee-cup-27860686/", "title": "coffee cup", "description": "A beautifully crafted cappuccino with intricate latte art…", "width": 2763, "height": 3683, "aspectRatio": 0.75, "orientation": "portrait", "license": "Pexels", "tags": ["barista", "beverage", "cappuccino", "latte art", "..."], "mainColor": "#918c79", "colors": ["#000000", "#696969", "#8b4513", "#a0522d", "#a9a9a9"], "photographer": "FFC Aarman", "photographerUrl": "https://www.pexels.com/@ffc-aarman-22995634/", "photographerLocation": "Jammu", "photographerInstagram": "ffc_aarman", "imageOriginal": "https://images.pexels.com/photos/27860686/pexels-photo-27860686.jpeg", "imageLarge": "https://images.pexels.com/photos/27860686/pexels-photo-27860686.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1440", "downloadUrl": "https://images.pexels.com/photos/27860686/pexels-photo-27860686.jpeg?cs=srgb&dl=...&fm=jpg" } ``` Video rows add `duration`, `fps`, `videoSrc`, a `videoFiles` array (every quality with width/height/fps/link), `highestQualityUrl`, and `thumbnails`. #### Key output fields | Field | Description | |---|---| | `type` | `photo` or `video` | | `id`, `url`, `slug` | Pexels media id, page URL, slug | | `title`, `description`, `alt` | Text metadata | | `width`, `height`, `aspectRatio`, `orientation` | Dimensions | | `tags` | Content tags | | `mainColor`, `colors` | Dominant colour + palette (hex) | | `imageOriginal` / `imageLarge` / `imageMedium` / `imageSmall` | Photo download URLs by size | | `videoFiles`, `videoSrc`, `highestQualityUrl` | Video renditions + best link | | `downloadUrl` | Best single download link | | `photographer`, `photographerUrl`, `photographerLocation`, `photographerInstagram`, `photographerTwitter` | Creator profile & socials | | `license`, `donateUrl` | License and donation link | #### FAQ **Do I need a Pexels API key or account?** No. The actor is self-contained. **Can I download the actual files?** The actor returns direct CDN URLs for every size/quality — pipe them into your own downloader or asset pipeline. **How many results per query?** Pexels caps a single search/portfolio at roughly a few hundred results; use narrower queries (or by-collection / by-user modes) to target exactly what you need. #### ⚠️ Disclaimer This actor collects publicly available media metadata and links from Pexels. All content is subject to the [Pexels License](https://www.pexels.com/license/) — please credit photographers where appropriate and use the content within Pexels' terms and applicable law. You are responsible for how you use the data. # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): search = keyword search · curated = Pexels' discover feed (no query needed) · byPhotoId = look up exact photos/videos · byCollection = every item in a collection · byUser = a photographer's full portfolio · similarPhotos = photos related to the ones in Photo IDs. ## `searchQuery` (type: `string`): Keyword to search (mode=search). Example: `nature`, `city skyline`, `coffee`. ## `mediaType` (type: `string`): Which kind of media to return. `all` returns both photos and videos (search mode). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of media records to return (each is one paid `result`). Default 30. Free-tier users are capped at 100. Note: Pexels caps a single search/portfolio query at roughly a few hundred results. ## `orientation` (type: `string`): Filter by image/video orientation. ## `peopleCount` (type: `string`): Filter photo search results by how many people appear (mode=search, photos). `all` = no filter. ## `minWidth` (type: `integer`): Only return media at least this wide. 0 disables. ## `minHeight` (type: `integer`): Only return media at least this tall. 0 disables. ## `minDuration` (type: `integer`): Only return videos at least this long (videos only). 0 disables. ## `maxDuration` (type: `integer`): Only return videos at most this long (videos only). 0 disables. ## `photoIds` (type: `array`): Pexels media IDs or full page URLs. For mode=byPhotoId these are looked up directly; for mode=similarPhotos each is used as a seed to find related photos. Example: `27860686` or `https://www.pexels.com/photo/.../27860686/`. ## `collectionSlug` (type: `string`): Pexels collection slug or full collection URL (mode=byCollection). Example: `aquatic-aesthetic-bw7dkse` or a full collection URL. ## `username` (type: `string`): Photographer handle, id, or profile URL (mode=byUser). Example: `@ffc-aarman-22995634`, `22995634`, or `https://www.pexels.com/@ffc-aarman-22995634/`. ## `dedupe` (type: `boolean`): Drop duplicate media (same type + id). Default true. ## `secretKey` (type: `string`): The actor ships with a working built-in key. Only set this if Pexels rotates it and the actor starts returning 0 results — paste a fresh `secret-key` value here. ## `proxy` (type: `object`): Defaults to Apify Proxy (datacenter) for cheap IP rotation. The Pexels API needs no residential proxy. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "nature", "mediaType": "photos", "maxItems": 30, "orientation": "all", "peopleCount": "all", "minWidth": 0, "minHeight": 0, "minDuration": 0, "maxDuration": 0, "photoIds": [ "27860686" ], "dedupe": true, "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true } } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "nature", "mediaType": "photos", "maxItems": 30, "orientation": "all", "peopleCount": "all", "minWidth": 0, "minHeight": 0, "minDuration": 0, "maxDuration": 0, "photoIds": [ "27860686" ], "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("memo23/pexels-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "nature", "mediaType": "photos", "maxItems": 30, "orientation": "all", "peopleCount": "all", "minWidth": 0, "minHeight": 0, "minDuration": 0, "maxDuration": 0, "photoIds": ["27860686"], "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": True }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("memo23/pexels-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "nature", "mediaType": "photos", "maxItems": 30, "orientation": "all", "peopleCount": "all", "minWidth": 0, "minHeight": 0, "minDuration": 0, "maxDuration": 0, "photoIds": [ "27860686" ], "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true } }' | apify call memo23/pexels-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=memo23/pexels-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Pexels Scraper - Free Stock Photos & Videos (No API Key)", "description": "Scrape free stock photos & videos from Pexels — no API key or account needed. Direct download URLs at every size/quality, plus tags, colour palette, dimensions and the photographer's profile & socials. Search, by ID, by collection, or a photographer's whole portfolio", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "m3jhY3fc9dK9H9ByR" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/memo23~pexels-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-memo23-pexels-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/memo23~pexels-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-memo23-pexels-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/memo23~pexels-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-memo23-pexels-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "mode" ], "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "search", "curated", "byPhotoId", "byCollection", "byUser", "similarPhotos" ], "type": "string", "description": "search = keyword search · curated = Pexels' discover feed (no query needed) · byPhotoId = look up exact photos/videos · byCollection = every item in a collection · byUser = a photographer's full portfolio · similarPhotos = photos related to the ones in Photo IDs.", "default": "search" }, "searchQuery": { "title": "Search query", "type": "string", "description": "Keyword to search (mode=search). Example: `nature`, `city skyline`, `coffee`." }, "mediaType": { "title": "Media type", "enum": [ "photos", "videos", "all" ], "type": "string", "description": "Which kind of media to return. `all` returns both photos and videos (search mode).", "default": "photos" }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max items", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of media records to return (each is one paid `result`). Default 30. Free-tier users are capped at 100. Note: Pexels caps a single search/portfolio query at roughly a few hundred results.", "default": 30 }, "orientation": { "title": "Orientation", "enum": [ "all", "landscape", "portrait", "square" ], "type": "string", "description": "Filter by image/video orientation.", "default": "all" }, "peopleCount": { "title": "Number of people", "enum": [ "all", "0", "1", "2" ], "type": "string", "description": "Filter photo search results by how many people appear (mode=search, photos). `all` = no filter.", "default": "all" }, "minWidth": { "title": "Minimum width (px)", "type": "integer", "description": "Only return media at least this wide. 0 disables.", "default": 0 }, "minHeight": { "title": "Minimum height (px)", "type": "integer", "description": "Only return media at least this tall. 0 disables.", "default": 0 }, "minDuration": { "title": "Minimum video duration (s)", "type": "integer", "description": "Only return videos at least this long (videos only). 0 disables.", "default": 0 }, "maxDuration": { "title": "Maximum video duration (s)", "type": "integer", "description": "Only return videos at most this long (videos only). 0 disables.", "default": 0 }, "photoIds": { "title": "Photo / video IDs or URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Pexels media IDs or full page URLs. For mode=byPhotoId these are looked up directly; for mode=similarPhotos each is used as a seed to find related photos. Example: `27860686` or `https://www.pexels.com/photo/.../27860686/`.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "collectionSlug": { "title": "Collection slug or URL", "type": "string", "description": "Pexels collection slug or full collection URL (mode=byCollection). Example: `aquatic-aesthetic-bw7dkse` or a full collection URL." }, "username": { "title": "Photographer handle / URL", "type": "string", "description": "Photographer handle, id, or profile URL (mode=byUser). Example: `@ffc-aarman-22995634`, `22995634`, or `https://www.pexels.com/@ffc-aarman-22995634/`." }, "dedupe": { "title": "De-duplicate", "type": "boolean", "description": "Drop duplicate media (same type + id). Default true.", "default": true }, "secretKey": { "title": "Secret-key override (rarely needed)", "type": "string", "description": "The actor ships with a working built-in key. Only set this if Pexels rotates it and the actor starts returning 0 results — paste a fresh `secret-key` value here." }, "proxy": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Defaults to Apify Proxy (datacenter) for cheap IP rotation. The Pexels API needs no residential proxy.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```