When it comes to search, no one comes before Google, and that is mainly because it contains the largest amount of indexed items. Google Image search is a great tool to search images with keywords. It also supports some basic attributes such as the size, shape, type etc. You can also search related images based on comparison with an image itself.

Bing is next in line with Google. It might not be as popular as Google but on a number of occasions, I’ve seen it perform better. The image search provided by Bing is a basic one, but it has a good number of relevant results for most of the searches I performed. A nice tool if you are looking for great wallpapers for your PC.

Hoping for a rebirth, the once-popular search engine also has a nice image search in place, and it welcomes you with the trending topics. The image search is equipped with all the basic standards of a image search engine. Related searches and other ancillary options makes the searching interface great.

4. PicSearch

Picsearch is a search engine dedicated for the purpose of searching images only. Picsearch boasts an indexed repository of more than 3 billion images. This is a good place to start if you are looking for something odd.

5. Flickr, Photobucket, 500px

These image sharing services are admittedly the top of the whole lot. The search functionality only makes them better to take advantage of the billions of images shared on them from the beginning of time. One of my personal favorites while looking for anything a tad different or just enjoying awesome snaps. A perfect for any photographer for inspiration or for a digital artist to create stunning illustrations.

6. WebShots

A similar service to Flickr which is mainly a photo sharing network where people shares great images. The site currently publicizes a stock of almost a billion images that you can search from.

One of my most used tool as an online professional. It is strictly a search engine for creative commons materials. The tool helps you search images on popular image sharing websites like Europeana, Flickr, Fotopedia, Google Images, Jamendo, Open Clip Art Library and Pixabay. This is the best pick on this list.

8. TinEye

TinEye is a reverse image search engine. This means you can search with an image to find it’s occurrences on web. Perhaps not the best tool to search for images but any creative professional can use it to track the use of his/her work of art or you can look for a bigger and better version of an image you like.

9. Compfight

If you are looking for creative commons images on Flickr, look no further than Compfight. The tool works better than what Flickr search can do for you. The relevance of the searched images are perfect to an extent you will find excellent.

10. FotoSearch

Fotosearch will do a decent job finding you the best stock photographs and illustrations. There are a list of keywords you can start your search with.

11. Getty Images, Stock.Xchng And Corbis

Getty Images is a leading website where you can search and find great stock photographs and Stock.Xchng which is also a similar site also comes under its banner. Both the services are great at finding the perfect image. If you are looking for more options to choose from, try Corbis.

12. Images on Twitter

Twitter is a great place to find real-time content circulating on the web. There are tons of tools that does a fine job while searching those images. My personal favorites are Twicsy (for trending images), PicFog, TwiCaps (for a live image feed for a certain keyword) and Skylines (for hashtag and location based images).

13. Random Memes

Memes are buzzwords for the social networks, so if your image searching needs are purely for fun and/or having a great piece of mockery to share, Imgur hosts a ton of them and the community is hyper-active in adding more every single second. Try using their search for the best meme pictures you are looking for.

14. Visual.ly

For many, this might seem a little irrelevant, but logically infographics are a popular kind of images that share a lot of information in an entertaining yet comprehensible way. Visual.ly is one such service that hosts one of the largest collections of infographic shared on the web. If you are preparing a data sheet and need an image to complement the data in it, an infographic can be a good fit. A great image search should be the one that can show a lot more things other than Eiffel tower when you search for Paris. That’s how versatile it should be in terms of functionality and variety of indexed content. While few of the above tools passes this test, most doesn’t. If for once I’m compelled to choose three among these, I will say Creative Commons Search, TinEye and Image sharing networks as a whole. I tried to cover some of the bests that I have used or are suggested by most. Are there any tool that you feel I missed? I’m sure I did, since no list is complete until it’s fed from multiple sources. Help us build it, recommend some great tool in the comments section. DISCLAIMER: While these tools guarantee the best image search experience, some of them come with a strict terms of use. Be advised to keep an eye on that and provide proper acknowledgements to the owner and/or abide by all the terms mentioned by the hosts/sharers in exact form whenever necessary. Also some images come at a price, a proper payment will mean your support for the art and the artist.