If you've ever used Reddit, you'll have heard no doubt of Imgur. The image-sharing site was developed in 2009 by Alan Schaaf and was initially designed to be a gift to the Reddit community.
Imgur became instantly popular, racking up 1,000 hits per day in the first weeks and blossoming to one million hits within the first five months. Today, it is a top-100 website, according to Alexa.
However, Imgur is not without its drawbacks. So, if you're fed up with some of the site's restrictions, here are some Imgur alternatives for uploading and sharing images.
1. Postimage
Postimage is a free service that's primarily aimed at people who want to post images on forums. It also allows you to create permanent links for Facebook, Twitter, and more.
Anonymous uploaders and free accounts have file sizes restricted. Your picture cannot exceed 12MB or 10,000 x 10,000 pixels. If you pay for a premium account, the limit is raised to 24MB. You can upload images individually or in bulk. Bulk uploads are limited to 1,000 at a time.
Best of all, there's no limit to the number of images you can upload to your account. However, Postimage does reserve the right to levy a charge. You'll see the charge if you host thousands of images on the site but never use your content in a way that allows Postimage to earn advertising revenue (for example, images embedded into links leading back to the site).
2. Kek.gg
If you're looking for bells and whistles, Kek.gg is not the site for you. The interface is basic; the homepage is nothing more than a glorified uploading tool.
However, if you value privacy, Kek.gg could be the site you're looking for. You don't need to create an account to upload content.
The site is also committed to free speech; there are virtually no restrictions on the types of images you can store on its servers. As long as the image is legal in the United States, it will be accepted. As such, if you need to post NSFW content, it's an excellent choice.
Luckily, Kek.gg is an ad-free platform. However, uploads are limited to 5 MB, which may only be enough for a small JPG.
3. ImageShack
One of the most popular image-sharing sites like Imgur is ImageShack. The service is more aimed at pro users than casual users; although a 30-day free trial is available, you will need to sign up for a subscription if you want to use the app long-term.
A subscription costs $4/month for the basic plan and goes up to $99/month from the premium plan. All plans offer unlimited uploads, but the more expensive plans add features such as API access and a dynamic image resizer.
ImageShack supports all browsers, permits direct linking, and lets you make your image public or private.
4. ImgBox
ImgBox has some key benefits, including unlimited storage space and infinite storage time. It also supports hotlinking and is faster than some of the other sites we've included in this list.
Like all the sites, ImgBox enforces a maximum file size—in this case, it's 10MB. JPEG, GIF, and PNG files are supported. Once you have finished uploading your content, you can organize it into galleries. Each gallery can contain a maximum of 50 items.
ImgBox is also an excellent TinyPic alternative. The once-popular but now-defunct site used to provide a video uploading service. ImgBox provides the same functionality.
Finally, if you wish, you can upload content without creating an account. Just click on the Upload Images button and choose the file in the popup window.
5. Unsee
Unsee is unique among the sites on the site. It allows the uploader to add an expiration date to the image. You can make the image automatically delete itself after the first viewing, in 10 minutes, in 30 minutes, in one hour, or in one day. Just make your selection from the drop-down menu on the home screen.
To further enhance the security, the IP address of everyone who views the file is watermarked into the image. It means the uploader can check who has seen it, and it is less likely to be reshared.
Each image also has its own unique QR code. It contains the image's unique ID, an upload timestamp, and an encrypted IP of the image uploader. Unsee has access to the AES encryption private key.
6. PicPastePlus
A great Unsee alternative is PicPastePlus; it operates in a similar way to the previously discussed tool.
It is slightly more flexible than its rival. You can individually set both the number of times the image can be viewed (one, two, three, four, five, 10, 20, 50, 100, 1,000, unlimited). You can also set the amount of time for which the image is viewable (one minute, 10, 20, 30 minutes, one hour, six hours, one day, two weeks, one month, one year, unlimited).
And there's even an auto-lock feature. Use it to keep the image on the servers, but prevent more people from looking at it. The settings available are 30 seconds, one minute, 10 minutes, one hour, and never.
7. ImgPile
The final site on our list is ImgPile. It offers free hosting and unlimited storage, meaning the site is an ideal alternative to Imgur for people who want to share images on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, etc. using permanent links.
ImgPile supports hotlinking and lets you upload images up to 100 MB in size. The service supports uploads from your computer and via URL. You do not have to create an account to use the service, but if you do, you will be able to access your upload history and a few other useful features.
Learn More About Sites Like Imgur
The Imgur alternatives we've covered in this article can be split into two types: the general sharing sites and the privacy-focused services. The best service for you will depend on the nature of the content you are uploading.
Of course, these are far from being the only ways to upload photos and images to the web. You could also use a service like Google Drive or OneDrive, both of which let you share images with other users in just a few clicks.