Magnific
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | Alejandro Sánchez, Pablo Blanes, Joaquín Cuenca |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 2 |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | EQT |
| Website | magnific |
Magnific, formerly known as Freepik, is a Spanish technology company that operates a freemium platform for stock visual content and AI-assisted design tools.[1][2] The company is headquartered in Málaga and has an office in San Francisco.[3]
In 2020, the private equity firm EQT agreed to acquire a majority stake in the company.[4][1]
History
[edit]Freepik was founded in 2010 by brothers Alejandro Sánchez and Pablo Blanes together with Joaquín Cuenca.[2][5] It began as a search engine for design resources and later expanded into producing and distributing its own stock content and subscription offerings.[2]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Freepik temporarily offered free access to resources for groups including healthcare workers and educators.[6]
In June 2022, Freepik acquired the UK-based stock video and audio platform Videvo.[7] In October 2022, Freepik acquired Iconfinder and Original Mockups.[8]
By 2023, Freepik had opened an office in San Francisco.[3] In October 2023, Freepik acquired the stock photography marketplace EyeEm after it filed for bankruptcy.[9]
In May 2024, Freepik acquired the Spanish AI image upscaling startup Magnific.[10]
Operations
[edit]Freepik offers stock images and other design assets alongside AI-based tools for generating and editing content.[1][3]
In April 2025, Freepik released F Lite, an openly available text-to-image model developed with Fal.ai, which the company said was trained on commercially licensed, "safe-for-work" images.[11]
In May 2025, Freepik launched Freepik Enterprise, a plan aimed at large organizations that includes centralized management and legal-related features for AI-generated content, according to reporting in Spanish and technology media.[12][13]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "EQT acquires Freepik Company, the global leading freemium provider of digital visual content". EQT. 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- 1 2 3 Velasco, Juan Jesús (2017-10-11). "Freepik, la web "made in Málaga" de contenidos para diseñadores que factura 1,2 millones de euros al mes". Xataka (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- 1 2 3 DiFeliciantonio, Chase (2024-04-22). "Vibrant S.F. neighborhood gets a makeover from AI-generated paint jobs". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "Málaga hace historia en el negocio digital: El fondo sueco EQT compra la mayor parte de la malagueña Freepik". Diario Sur (in Spanish). 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "El desconocido 'Google' español de imágenes que se coló entre los que más crecen de Europa". El Español (in Spanish). 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "Firma malagueña Freepik regala acceso a su material gráfico a docentes y sanitarios para campañas frente al coronavirus". Europa Press (in Spanish). 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ Triguero, Nuria (2022-06-21). "Spanish tech company Freepik snaps up a British business to become a major player in the video and audio content market". Sur in English. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "EQT-owned Freepik picks up competitor Iconfinder and Original Mockups". Tech.eu. 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "EyeEm, the photo marketplace, changes hands as Freepik picks it up out of bankruptcy". TechCrunch. 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "Freepik acquires Spanish AI image upscaler Magnific". Tech.eu. 2024-05-07. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ Wiggers, Kyle (2025-04-29). "Freepik releases an 'open' AI image generator trained on licensed data". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ Vázquez, Ana Tere (2025-05-07). "La tecnológica malagueña Freepik lanza un servicio de IA generativa audiovisual para grandes corporaciones". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "Freepik launches new enterprise AI plan - but is it enough to tackle Adobe's dominance in the field?". TechRadar. 2025-05-12. Retrieved 2026-04-27.