Are stock images royalty-free?
But are stock images free to use? A big and resounding NO. The photographer or author of a stock photo makes it available for licensing, meaning you can pay a fee to get the right to use the stock image in your designs legally.
Where can I get copyrighted stock photos for free?
Free content showing people (even when licensed under Creative Commons Zero) is rarely fully cleared to use for commercial purposes. That's because if a video or photo depicts a recognizable person, most countries legally require the model's consent be obtained before using their image commercially.