The best free website builders offer a risk-free way to get to grips with a platform's tools, features, and ease of use. They can also be used as a smart method for testing new ideas before making a financial investment.
Luckily, many of the best website builders offer free plans. Yet in reality, free plans are created to offer you just a taste of a website builder's full power - with the aim to entice you into paying for a premium level plan.
This means free plans always come with limitations such as non-customizable domains, limited storage space and bandwidth, and reduced access to tools and functionality.
Ultimately, if you want a powerful, professional looking website - you’ll need to pay.
However, if you've made up your mind about using a free one - we are here to help. Our experts have extensively tested 140+ website builders and web hosting services - now we have handpicked the best of the best free website builders, compiling them into this list.
Oh, and if you want premium features without the premium price tag, we have a page dedicated to the best website builder deals on the market.
WRITTEN BY:
WRITTEN BY:Owain Williams
Editor - Website BuildersWith a background in business and marketing, Owain has spent over 7 years testing website builders, building his own websites, and writing about business and marketing topics.
Top 3 best free website builders of 2024
Below we list our top 3 picks for the title of best free website builder. Although not all of these are free (for life), they do each offer an outstanding free option that is well worth considering.
The best free website builders of 2024 - chosen by our experts:
We have tested the best free website builders on the market. Below you will find our list, ranked based on who they are best for. So, whether you are looking for a great all rounder, something that gives you great design options, or a simple option that is ideal for small businesses - we have what you are looking for.
Best overall
Excellent overall performance
Reasons to buy
+Very user-friendly ADI editor
+But experts can tweak everything
+Powerful and well-featured
+Supports third party apps
Reasons to avoid
-Cannot change templates without starting from scratch
-Ads on every page
-Limited storage (500MB)
-No custom domain
Wix is a big-name website builder with one of the most impressive website editors in the business, and, surprisingly, a completely free plan.
Wix's Artificial Design Intelligence mode is the simplest way to create a new site. The editor asked us questions about our business, the pages we needed and our design preferences, then automatically creates a website in seconds. We found the site was basic, with few customizations, but the process was straightforward and very fast.
Those who want to get more hands on can step up to the full Wix editor, where a strong set of powerful editing tools allow you to hone your website and get it looking just as you want.
A range of attractive templates are provided, too, though be careful: we noticed that, once you've chosen your favorite, you can't switch later. If you decide your site needs a new look, all you can do is start again from scratch: hardly convenient.
Free Wix sites have some issues and limits. There's only 500MB storage, you'll find Wix ads on every page, and not only is there no support for custom domains, but your free Wix URL will be longer than most (youraccountname.wixsite.com/yoursitename.)
On balance, though, Wix is still a great website builder. The templates are excellent, we loved the intuitive editor, and genuinely helpful support is available, even on the free plan.
Powerful blogging functionality rounds things off nicely, and you’re getting a truly high quality offering with this website builder.
Read our full Wix review.
Best for small business
A simple option for ambitious small businesses
Reasons to buy
+Powerful free solution
+Automatic website building for novices
+Tons of stylish templates
+Ecommerce support
+Free SSL security
Reasons to avoid
-Less customization options than some
-No phone support
-No custom domain
-Unable to remove ads
Weebly's website creation tools start, a little like Wix, with a very simple automated builder. This guides you through a series of questions, then automatically creates your site in a few seconds. There isn't much scope for customization, but it's very easy to use - making it ideal for small businesses.
The standard editor gives you more fine-tuned control of your site design (though not quite as much as the best of the competition), but is still fairly simple to operate. We were amazed by the hundreds of stylish templates - and, yes, they are genuinely impressive – which we were able to tailor to our needs using a WYSIWYG editor.
As usual with a free website builder, Weebly didn't allow us to use our own domain. Instead, you're offered a free Weebly subdomain (yourname.weebly.com.) That's short, but not exactly professional, and not a good look for a business or serious site.
The free plan also limits your support to live chat and a community forum (phone support is reserved for some of the premium plans.) That could be an issue if your website is down and you're looking for immediate assistance, but it's still better than some free services, which don't include support at all.
Weebly scores elsewhere for its advanced tools, though. We were able to extend our site with all kinds of content types via its capable editor. Weebly is great for online stores, offering basic ecommerce functionality, unlimited items, and inventory management on the free plan - not something you will find on most free website builder plans.
Weebly is a great option for small businesses. Not only does it offer a great free plan, but as your business grows and you need more from your website, Weebly's paid plans are also incredibly affordable. Overall, its power and flexibility make Weebly a good, free website builder to consider.
Read our full Weebly review.
Best for business tool integration
For simple integration with a host of other marketing tools
Reasons to buy
+Integrates easily with HubSpot CRM and other tools
+Great option for microsites
+Unlimited storage and bandwidth
Reasons to avoid
-The free version contains HubSpot branding
-The free version offers a limited number of webpages and subdomains
-Support only via forum on free plan
While HubSpot might be more well-known for its CRM and marketing tools, the brand has also been branching out into website builders. If you’re looking for the best website builder for small to medium-sized businesses, HubSpot certainly makes a strong case.
The HubSpot website builder aims to simplify the experience for business owners, with no coding knowledge required. HubSpot also handles the hosting, so you don’t need to worry about dealing with the backend. Everything is drag-and-drop, so you can pick exactly where things go. We were able to choose from hundreds of themes and templates and customize them with our own logo, typography, and content.
We linked our website to HubSpot CRM right out of the gate, so tracking our customer interactions was incredibly easy. Also, we used HubSpot’s free chatbots, forms, and live chat to help automate our customer service. We created email newsletters, a company logo, and a landing page, all from our HubSpot account. You also get security features like SSL and two-factor authentication. HubSpot allows you to try almost everything on its “forever free” plan. However, you must purchase its CMS Suite Starter plan for $20 per month to remove branding. The Professional plan is priced at $360 per month — quite the jump.
Just note that while some built-in features are gated behind specific plans, it doesn’t mean you can’t access similar functionalities in lower plan tiers. For instance, HubSpot’s SEO analytics are only included in the Professional plan. But you can still access SEO analytics with the Free and Starter plans if you integrate a Google Search Console or Schema account with HubSpot.
HubSpot’s customer support includes email, chat, and phone support — although some support is only available for premium plans. But if you want quick answers, you can search through HubSpot's extensive blog and resource center with thousands of articles and how-tos.
The CRM giants also have an impressive app store, with over 1,000 different integrations available. You can extend your site with SEO tools, email, ads, messaging integrations and more.
Read our full HubSpot website builder review.
Best for design
Customize and create super-detailed websites
Reasons to buy
+Advanced design customization
+User friendly CMS
+Variety of templates
+Wide range of SEO options
+Unlimited storage and generous bandwidth
Reasons to avoid
-Steep learning curve compared to competitors
-No phone support or live chat
-Highly dependent on third-party integrations and user-generated features
Webflow is a popular website builder that excels in its design customization, especially for those who have a decent amount of web design knowledge. We say this because Webflow’s interface is based on the ‘box model’, and needs basic HTML and CSS knowledge for maximum utilization. For starters, you can choose from over 49 free templates available on the platform. Although, you can’t change the template of your site once you’ve selected it. The only way to do so is to build a new website from scratch.
While setting up a site, we found Webflow’s interface quite complex and tricky compared to other options like Wix or Site123. Unsurprisingly, Webflow doesn’t offer any custom domains or CMS support in its free plan. This means that if you build a free website, you’ll have to stick with a .webflow subdomain.
On the bright side, Webflow offers automatic backups and a free SSL certification to make sure your website is safe and secure. While setting up, Webflow lets you create an entry-level site with 2 pages, 50 CMS tools, localization, and up to 50 form submissions. It even offers 1 GB bandwidth and up to one thousand visitors with its free plan. Basically, it offers everything you need to build a website for free without running into any bottlenecks.
Overall, if you want to build a basic website without having any knowledge about website building or design, Webflow might not be the best option for you. However, if you want a super customized site that comes with unique designs and detailed features, this platform can stand out as a strong contender in this list.
To learn more, you can read our full Webflow website builder review.
Best for speedy set-up
Create your free website in minutes
Reasons to buy
+Beginner-friendly interface
+Instant website setup
+Easy editor
Reasons to avoid
-Basic customizations
-Generic design templates
-Very limited features in the free plan
Site123 is a simple and super easy website builder that lets even a complete beginner create a brand new website all by themselves.
As you sign up on the platform, the builder asks for basic information regarding your site, and within moments, the first layout of your website is ready. Surprisingly, we found that it did a pretty good job with the initial layout. Even the images were quite good and accurate to the website's niche.
Site123 offers a very neat and easy-to-use editor. Users can easily click on any element and simply edit it. But, at the same time, you don’t get many customization options with its free plan. This means that you can only get your hands on all the editing tools for your website by subscribing to their paid plans. In fact, small edits, like using custom color schemes or accessing the full font library also need a paid plan to work. This limits your capabilities of building a detailed or unique website for free.
Site123 also doesn’t offer any custom domains with its free plan, and you’ll have to settle with a subdomain that is quite long. This can make your site look a bit unprofessional. Overall, Site123’s free plan is a great option for someone who just wants to create a simple website and doesn’t have any past experience or knowledge about website building. Thanks to its user-friendly interface, creating a website is as easy as it could get with this platform.
Read our full Site123 review now.
Best for ecommerce
Square Online
Start an online store, for free
Reasons to buy
+Perfect for small businesses with big plans
+Great online ordering feature for restaurants
+Integration with Square POS app
Reasons to avoid
-Prebuilt themes only available on paid plans
-No automatic AI builder feature
-No custom domain on free plans
There are a large number of free website builders on the market, but the Square Online website builder for its hard core retail business pedigree. Instead of tacking on ecommerce as an extra, everything about the Square experience is based on powerful ecommerce features you won't find on generic builders. Of course, others such as Shopify and BigCommerce are built with ecommerce in mind - but neither of these platforms offer a free plan.
Square invented the world's first mobile card reader 10 years ago, and four million customers later the company's expertise in retail is clear. The platform offers more than just a web presence. The service includes point of sale tools to sell face-to-face, on social media and via mobile. All using the same platform.
To get started you open an account, choose your business details and store name, and select the layout and design elements you want. You can customize all elements, including colors and fonts, and then select your ordering process. The choice of custom elements is nice, and we like that you get to choose an ordering format. You can pick from a menu style for online restaurants or a conventional web store. Both models offer the chance to connect with point of sale elements, as well as more advanced shift and inventory management if you upgrade to a paid plan.
The free plan is, perhaps unsurprisingly, limited. But it does come with some good features to note including the ability to sell via social media, built in SEO tools, and the ability to accept multiple payment types. Online processing fees for online sales are 2.9% + $0.30.
Best for bloggers
An easy pick for blogging
Reasons to buy
+Easy-to-use online editor
+Lots of free themes
+Hosting is included
+Easy way to learn the WordPress basics
Reasons to avoid
-Limited range of plugins
-Customising pages can be difficult
-Adding plugins and extras can be expensive
-10% transaction fee on sales
WordPress is best known for the free CMS which can be automatically installed on just about any web hosting plan, and allows you to build blogs, business sites, web stores and almost anything else you can imagine.
This is a great solution for demanding or business sites, but you'll probably need to part with some cash for the hosting, and the full-strength WordPress interface can be complicated, even for experienced users.
Fortunately, there's a simpler hosted version of WordPress on WordPress.com. This includes web hosting, so signing up gives you everything you need to build your web presence. There are a number of good-looking templates to choose from, and we were able to create a blog, a photo site and more.
The free plan allows you to take payments for products, and if you can create really compelling content, there's even the option to sign up paid subscribers. Beware, though: WordPress takes 10% of every transaction. If you're hoping to make real money, it may be worth signing up for a paid plan (the $25 a month Business plan doesn't charge any commission at all.)
Whether you're creating a static site, or a blog-style site with regularly updated content, the online editor is a joy to use, in our opinion, and allows just about anyone to create an impressive, professional-looking site. The only downside is the limited range of plugins and templates compared with the self-hosted version of WordPress, and other free website builders.
Read our full WordPress.com review.
Best for portfolios
Showcase your best work to the world
Reasons to buy
+Free plan has some unusual extras
+Good tech support
+Well-designed editor
+Easy to use
Reasons to avoid
-Less features than some rivals
-Limited tools
Since 2007, more than 25 million websites have been created using Jimdo, with its simplicity receiving plenty of praise. Another area of strength is the way that it looks, with a range of clean, flexible templates on offer.
Jimdo's stylish and modern templates make it a popular website builder for creatives such as designers and photographers - or indeed anyone else who wants to display their portfolio with a stunning website.
The platform even comes with its own Logo Designer to help make your brand recognizable. When testing Jimdo's free service, we were able to enter our business and select a starting point for our logo design. Then, we customize our icon and layout, choose a color and font, and that’s it!
Another useful design feature that Jimdo users will appreciate is the way that website colors automatically harmonize with an uploaded logo or image. This means that garish color clashes become a thing of the past – that's great for businesses where looking good is part of the brand.
Furthermore, Jimdo comes with a host of tips and support documents to help you create the right website for you. This includes examples of the best photography websites created using the platform, along with tips to build a successful site.
Jimdo has a free plan, but this only supports a Jimdo subdomain (youname.jimdosite.com) and inserts ads on your pages. Some Jimdo users have complained about a lack of fancy features (we noticed it too when comparing it to Wix), but if you want a quick, straightforward way of launching a great-looking site, you’ll struggle to find a better website builder than this.
Read our full Jimdo review.
Best for single page websites and landing pages
A powerful tool for building landing pages
Reasons to buy
+Simple and easy-to-use
+Good editor
+No ecommerce transaction fees
+Live chat support
Reasons to avoid
-Not very many templates
-Limited customization options
-Limited pages
-Most features are on the Pro plan
-No custom domain
-Limited storage
-Limited bandwidth
Strikingly is unusual when ranked against the best website builder platforms, as it has a focus on designing mobile-friendly single-page websites. Before you decide a “single-page” site isn’t for you - it's not as limiting as you might think.
Surprisingly, it allows us to add image galleries, a blog, custom forms, even a simple web store (with no transaction fees). There are also a host of other useful features including responsive templates, social media feed integration, password protection, and much more.
Plans start with a basic free account, although you won’t find it unless you click on the “monthly” options. This comes with some impressive features such as unlimited free sites, 24/7 support and the ability to invite collaborators. But, like with most free plans, it has its limitations. These include the use of a Strikingly.com domain, 5GB/mo bandwidth, 500MG total storage, only up to 5 pages per site and only on product per site.
We found that the Strikingly website builder isn't as powerful or customizable as competitors like Wix, but it's very user-friendly. With Strikingly, you can easily build an attractive and functional website that’s complete with a blog. Plus, you can set everything up within just a few minutes.
If simplicity is key, add Strikingly to your shortlist. You can find out more about what Strikingly has to offer in our full Strikingly review.
Best free website builder plans compared
Swipe to scroll horizontally| Header Cell - Column 0 | Wix | Weebly | HubSpot | Webflow | Site123 | WordPress | Jimdo | Strikingly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐½ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ | ⭐⭐⭐½ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐½ | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Add a custom domain | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| On site ads | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | 500MB | 500MB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 250MB | 1GB | 500MB | 500MB |
| Bandwidth | Up to 500MB | Up to 500MB | Unlimited | 1GB | 250MB | Unlimited | 2GB | 5GB |
| Customer support | Yes | Yes | Forum only | Yes | Yes | Forum only | No | Yes |
| Online payments | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Note: 'Our rating' offers an overall assessment of the platform. This doesn't take your individual needs and goals into account. We recommend reading the information above, along with our individual platform reviews to get a true idea of whether a website builder is the right fit for you.
If you want to learn more about what storage and bandwidth limits mean for your website, you can read our guide to web hosting.
How to choose the best free website builder for you
With so many website builders on the market, how do you know which one is the right free solution for you? Or, indeed, is a free website builder the best option for meeting your needs? After all, you may find that investing in one of the best small business website builders or the best portfolio website builders gives you the extras you need to really grow your website.
When choosing a free website builder, you need to consider their limitations.
Start by looking at the hosting basics. What are the storage and traffic limits? Will that be enough? If the service doesn't support custom domains (and most don't), what sort of URL will you get? The shorter it is, the more memorable it'll be for your visitors. Plus, a platform-given domain can look unprofessional.
Also think about site design. All free web designers have a range of templates suitable for general sites, but if you're hoping for something very specific - a site for a jewelry store, a florist - then check for suitable templates before you sign up.
Consider features, too. What will really help or impress your visitors? A top-notch image gallery, integration with social media, something else? Make a list of your priorities and ensure the builder delivers.
If you're interested in ecommerce and a free plan seems to deliver, check the small print for catches. Some free builders display products but can't take payments online, for instance, and if a site does include payment support, it might ask a huge transaction fee. Read the plan specs carefully, make sure you're getting what you expect.
And if you've done your research and can't decide between the top two, hey, they're free, just sign up to both and try them side-by-side. There's nothing like real-world experience to help you find the best option, and 30 minutes of drag-and-dropping might tell you all you need to know.
How we test the best free website builder services
When testing website builders we start by signing up to the platform and purchasing a plan. We then go through the same process a beginner would when creating a website for the first time.
For free website builder services, we compare the same features you would expect from a paid website builder with the exception being the price comparison. We look at the features offered, ease-of-use, functionality, support, and other add-ons like blogging and ecommerce capabilities.
Once signed up, our reviewers create websites using the website builder, giving them a chance to get hands on experience with the tools and features on offer. We have tested and reviewed all of the free website builders listed above.
Because nothing is perfect, we made sure to dig out the positives and negatives of each free website builder so that you have a clear understanding of what to expect from each service.
You can find out more about how we test website builders in our full guide.
Our website builder testing ethics
Our goal is to help you find the best free website builder.
We know that if your experience with a website builder doesn’t align with the advice we give - you simply won’t trust again in the future. This means that, although we do occasionally make a commission when you purchase one of the website builders we list above, we do not accept financial incentives to place platforms within our guides.
All our recommendations are based purely on research, hands-on experience, and our expert opinion on which website builders are truly the best on the market.
Best free website builder: Summary
In the end, while considering the best free website builder for your needs, there are some no-brainers that you must keep in mind. Factors such as traffic limits, storage, custom domain support, template options, and specific features aligned to your needs are all a must while hunting for your ideal platform. Remember, free website builders often have restrictions when compared to their paid plans, so it's vital to understand these before making a choice.
After testing all of the above website builders on our list, we have picked Wix and Weebly as our top choices. Wix comes out on top for its user-friendly Artificial Design Intelligence mode and some powerful editing tools, making it the right choice for both experts and beginners. Despite some shortcomings like restricted storage and ads on pages, its quality templates and neat interface make it a solid website builder.
Similarly, Weebly stands out with its simplicity and speed in setting up a website, along with its stylish templates and ecommerce capabilities. In short, it’s best for users who want a fast, straightforward website-building process.
So, go ahead and try building a website for free to see which one aligns best with your website needs and personal preferences.
Free website builder FAQs
Is there really a free website builder?
Wix, Weebly and WordPress are website builder providers that offer their services for free as an option (in addition to a subdomain). Wix has completely free plans as well as paid ones.
We suggest you compared the benefits of each, weigh out your options in order to decide whether a free website builder is the right fit for your needs.
Is it worth upgrading to a paid plan?
In most cases, yes because there are some features that you may be looking for that you just won't get with free website builders.
Let's take ad-free websites as an example, you'll mostly find that paid website builders give you more ownership of your site.
Storage is another feature to consider - if you plan on building a site that needs nots of storage, it would certainly be worth upgrading to a paid plan.
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