Why I stopped using Freepik
By: Asaad Mahmood
Tags: Vector, SVG, Design, Freepik, Resources

And why you should too!

Freepik has put an unreasonable and a preposterous restriction on the usage of their assets.

As we know, Freepik is one of the most popular resources for Free/Premium Vector assets. I have a premium subscription there, but after talking to their support agent, I have decided to cancel my subscription and stop any future use, and here’s why you should too.

Reasons to stop using Freepik.

New Update!

We can’t even use svg files for clients or on the web from Freepik

2. We can’t use Freepik vector assets with any tool that has live collaboration (i.e. Figma, XD and soon with Sketch).

Even if everyone on the team has Freepik Premium accounts, the editable vector asset (svg) should still not be used.

Using Vector assets in popular design tools that support live collaboration

3. We can’t use Freepik vector assets for our commercial or personal projects in an editable format. We can’t deliver the client the svg of the graphic, or use it on our website.

The reason for that as stated below is, it would be in an editable format, and obviously people would be able to download it.

Can’t use Freepik svgs live or for commercial projects

4. We can’t even use Freepik raster assets in the popular design tools or for personal/commercial projects.

As stated above:

Freepik/Flaticon resources can’t be stored in any kind of online/offline database where they are offered as editable or downloadable contents. Even if you change the format.

If we use any of the files in a commercial project or , we are required in most cases to give the source files to the client, or to upload our assets on the web, either in a raster or vector format. If we download a raster asset (stock image) from Freepik, we would use it in our design files, or on the web, and from there anyone can download that image, and since it would be downloadable, it would be a breach of their terms.

In Short

This has been an epiphany to me, as it may be for a lot of you. I had a long chat with this support agent and I can share other screenshots for your reference, but I’m writing this post to inform against the incorrect usage of Freepik that other designers like myself may be doing unknowingly.

Freepik has very strict and harsh terms, which prohibit us from using their resources for anything useful honestly.

And even though they say:

Use any resource either for commercial or personal use without crediting the author.

However how exactly we can use their resources are buried under their terms of use.

Will you get caught?

I’m sure most of us can get away with a breach of terms and keep using Freepik like we’re doing, because Freepik doesn’t really have a way to track the usage of every single asset anyone downloads and what they do with it afterwards, but I strongly advice against the use of their assets against their terms of use from a moral standpoint.

Share

Please share this as much as you can so we can at least get a response from Freepik about their unreasonable restrictions, and give them an opportunity to relax their stance on the use of their resources.

P.S: The conclusion reached in this post is in reference to the conversation I have had with their support agent. I explicitly asked their support agent to confirm things with their higher-ups.