If you want people to find you online, you need a website. However, most small businesses don’t have the budget to hire a professional developer. That’s where free website builders come in: these tools make it easy to create a website for free.
You don’t need to know what CSS is or how to tinker with HTML: these Apps perform heavy work. And with the advent of AI, website building has become even faster.
The Best Free Website Builders
- Best for beginners top: WordPress com
- Google Sites for basic websites (no SEO needed)
- Yola for simple, straightforward websites
- GetResponse for email-focused businesses
- Wix for complete website builders
- Dorik for businesses with more experienced designers
- HubSpot CMS for growing businesses
- Webflow for advanced designers
- Web code for the best AI features
- Weebly for Ecommerce Websites
WordPress.com (Free Version)
2.6 million websites use the WordPress.com website builder.
WordPress.com is a hosted version of the world’s most popular Content Management System (CMS), WordPress. The free plan makes it easy to get into the WordPress ecosystem.
Pros
Blogging focus: WordPress.com shines with intuitive blogging tools. Creating and publishing posts with text, images, and embedded media is straightforward.
WordPress Familiarity: The free version introduces you to the core WordPress interface, a valuable skill if you plan to scale up to self-hosted WordPress later.
Customization Options: While limited compared to self-hosted WordPress that allows you to choose from best free WordPress themes, you still get a decent selection of themes and basic site design controls.
Community and Support: WordPress benefits from vast community resources, tutorials, and forums. While some help is geared towards self-hosted versions, much is still applicable.
Global Reach: WordPress powers a significant portion of the web, indicating widespread recognition and potential compatibility benefits.
Considerations
Advertisements: The free plan includes WordPress.com ads on your site.
Storage Limits: File uploads and overall site size have a cap.
No Custom Plugins: The ability to extend functionality with plugins, a cornerstone of WordPress’s power, is restricted on the free plan.
Limited Monetization: Options for directly monetizing your site are constrained.
Who is WordPress.com (Free Version) Best For?
New Bloggers: Ideal for those who want a simple platform to start writing and sharing content without technical setup worries.
Learners: A good way to test out the WordPress basics before investing in a self-hosted website.
Limited-Need Personal Sites: These sites are suitable for hobby projects or simple online profiles where control and complex features aren’t top priorities.
WordPress.com’s free version is a decent entry point into blogging and the WordPress world. If you want to experiment, start a simple blog, or get acquainted with the WordPress dashboard, it’s a convenient option. However, be aware of the limitations if you anticipate needing advanced features, plugins, or greater control over your website. If compared with the complicated WordPress website design process, it is very easy for you to create a free website on WordPress.com.
Best Free Website Builder for Basic Sites (without SEO)
Google Sites
Google Sites pros:
- Easy to use (like Google Docs)
- Great for collaboration
Google Sites Cons:
- No SEO tools
Google Sites is a basic website builder with Limited customization options and no SEO tools. It’s fine if you’re a beginner or just want to give it a try, but don’t expect to win search engine results. This is also a solid alternative if you need to move on from Google Business Pages sites that are now deprecated.
You can choose from dozens of templates or a blank canvas to get started. Then, fine-tune the look (style, colors, and fonts) with a choice of six themes, or even create your own. If you choose a standard theme, you will be limited in what you can modify. For example, if you want an orange button, you’ll need to change the theme color, which may affect other color settings. And you cannot change the size of the button: everything is predetermined. If you want to bypass the restrictions, you’ll need to create a custom theme.
- Google Sites Pricing: 100% free; There are no paid plans.
- Easy to use: Easy to use. Similar to using Google Docs.
- Customization options: limited. Choose from 12 templates and 6 themes for the look of your website. Great for people who don’t have much experience with websites.
- SEO tools: Non-existent, surprisingly.
- Value of free plan: Limited. Suitable for beginners, amateurs, or hobbyists, but not as good as Yola or Wix.
Best Free Website Builder for Simple, no-fuss Websites
Yola
Yola pros:
- Easy to use
- Extensive and consistent block library
Yola Cons:
- Limited SEO settings
Yola fully deserves its tag as a simple website builder. The setup process walks you through choosing the type of website you want (personal, business, store, or community) and then offers a selection of templates. The good thing here is that you can always swap templates later without losing the content you create. (This may seem insignificant, but when faced with multiple templates, it’s not always clear which one will work best for your site.)
Professional templates I tried experiences are meaningful, i.e.- they contain the elements you are looking for. I would expect to see it on a business website. For example, a marketing agency template has a strong header, client logo, services offered, client testimonials, about us snippet, and a call to action before the footer.
- Yola Price: Free plan available; Paid plans start at $6/month (billed annually).
- Easy to use: The editor is intuitive and easy to use.
- Customization options: Choose templates and edit elements with simple explanations immediately on the screen. what you are changing.
- SEO tools: limited but sufficient. You can add standard meta descriptions and titles, but you’ll need to upgrade to add custom code.
- Value of free plan: Good. You can upgrade to remove the Yola branding and customize it completely.
Best Free Website Builder for Email-Focused Businesses
GetResponse
GetResponse pros:
- Perfect integration with email marketing
- Many templates and customization options are available
GetResponse cons:
- AI website builder is not as powerful as other tools
Most page builders The free websites on this List are all platform-independent. That’s because all the tools seem to offer free website builders, but most of them are terrible. You can build a pretty good website, but it won’t scale for you and may not have the features you need.
But GetResponse, a more general marketing tool focused on email, offers an impressive free website builder. Start by telling it how you want to build your website, by choosing a template or using the AI-powered builder.
- GetResponse Pricing: Free plan available fee; Paid plans start at $15.58/month (billed annually).
- Ease of use: Very intuitive, especially for what you can adjust.
- Customization options: GetResponse offers hundreds of templates and easy drag-and-drop functionality on the templates.
- SEO tools: limited but sufficient. You can edit meta and alt tags and optimize for mobile devices.
- Value of free plan: Great. You can create and launch a website, add your domain, and manage up to 1,000 newsletter contacts, all for free.
Wix (Free Version)
11 million websites use the WIX website builder.
Wix is a leading cloud-based website building platform known for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and numerous templates. Let’s take a look at its features, pros and cons, and see who it might be best for.
Pros
Ease of use: Wix’s main selling point is its user-friendliness. especially user-friendly. The drag-and-drop editor makes designing a website a breeze, even for those who need more technical experience.
Design Flexibility: Offering hundreds of visually appealing templates across categories like business, eCommerce, portfolios, and blogs, Wix ensures plentiful starting points for customization.
Features & Apps: Wix boasts a robust set of built-in features and an extensive app market (Wix App Market). Enhance your site with booking systems, contact forms, image galleries, video integration, and much more.
E-commerce Capabilities: Wix provides solid tools for setting up an online store. Features like inventory management, payment gateways, and shipping options make it suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.
Popularity: Wix is the most popular website builder globally, suggesting strong community support and user confidence.
Considerations
Template Lock-in: Switching templates after you’ve built much of your website can be a hassle, as content sometimes transfers seamlessly.
Pricing: The free plan has limitations (Wix ads, no custom domain). Paid plans offer more storage, bandwidth, and features, which can increase the cost.
Who is Wix Best Suited For?
Beginners: Individuals or small businesses seeking to establish an online presence quickly and easily.
Creatives: Artists, photographers, etc., who prioritize showcasing their work in visually appealing ways.
Small to medium-sized eCommerce businesses: Those with straightforward online store needs.
Wix is a powerful and popular website builder that excels in usability and design. Its rich template library and intuitive editor make it a great choice for beginners and those looking for a visually appealing website. While there may be some limitations in terms of advanced scalability, Wix is still an attractive choice for a variety of use cases.
Best Free Website Builder for More Experienced Creators
Dorik
Dorik pros:
- Intuitive drag-and-drop editor with extensive customization options
- Fast and impressive AI generator
Dorik cons:
Dorik allows you to create an official website or a single landing page for free and includes premium options if you want to add a blog or a paid subscription.
Based on my experience using the WordPress page builder, I found it to be both intuitive and refreshing to use. Beginners may find it more challenging, but accessing the excellent online documentation is easy.
You can start from scratch, import JSON, try the AI generator, or preview and choose one of over 80 website templates. The AI generator only asks for a website name and a description of what you want. If you don’t like the final design, you can recreate individual blocks or entire page settings, such as colors. Dorik also allows you to create images. For example, I asked for “a photo of a man with a smiling face, desk and laptop facing another person” and it produced this photo.
Calculation The AI capabilities are impressive: it’s fast and gives you a good start. indicate. He understands the “site brief” better than Wix and creates a layout that fits the expected sections.
- Dorik Price: Free plan available; Paid plans start at $15/month (billed annually).
- Easy to use: Easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor. It can be overwhelming for beginners, but there is helpful online material right at your fingertips.
- Customization options: endless choices. Choose from 39 templates, 250+ UI blocks, and 20+ components to build your website.
- SEO tools: Full page title and description included, no tracking/index meta parameters, canonical URLs, schema, and personalized header/footer code.
- Value of free plan: Great. Includes unlimited page views, storage, premium templates and blocks, free SSL certificate (HTTPS), global CDN (for faster image loading), image optimization, settings and integrations SEO compatible.
Best Free Website Builder for Growing Businesses
HubSpot CMS Hub
HubSpot pros:
- Planning step by step to get started
- Fast and easy to use AI generator
HubSpot cons:
- Need to replace the ugly default URL with your domain name on your own
HubSpot is a popular enterprise software platform for marketing, sales, and service teams, and its free website builder continues a trend similar. I like the step-by-step plan that guides you through building your site with percentages based on your progress.
Start by choosing a theme for your site: You want a template for your site, modules, and styles. settings that match your brand. The marketplace offers hundreds of products (free and premium); I chose the theme of growth.
You can also use the AI generator to create a website based on your description and design choices (e.g. modern, vibrant, or minimalist). He quickly created a super-relevant website with a great layout and great text and image options.
- HubSpot CMS Pricing: Free plan available; Paid plans start at $15/month (billed annually).
- Ease of use: Easy to use. Works smoothly. Guided prompts.
- Customization options: Choose from hundreds of free and premium templates and 47 modules (components) to create a website that matches your brand’s style.
- SEO tools: Get SEO suggestions as you create content on pages. Customize further by adding code snippets to the header/footer and setting canonical URLs.
- Value of free plan: Great free plan to get started. You may want to upgrade to a premium plan to remove the HubSpot logo and use a custom domain with a URL that’s easier to manage and remember.
Best free WordPress alternative for advanced designers
Webflow
Webflow pros:
- Yes tons of customization options
- Extend functionality with integrations and widgets
Webflow cons:
- No AI builder
Some of the free website builders on this list are easy to use with hundreds of templates and drag-and-drop editors. That’s not Webflow. After you create your account, Webflow will ask who you are (marketer, website builder, etc.) and whether you have experience with CSS/HTML. This is a great way for them to create a platform that’s easier to use for everyone, but it seems like it’s failing. I tried creating a second account saying I was building a website for myself with no coding experience…and the integration was the same.
They offer several free templates or you can purchase one that will make it easier for you to create a website (similar to WordPress). Additionally, they offer an optional tour (and email tutorial) to familiarize you with the platform, which is very helpful. If you are comfortable with WordPress and the concept of styles and classes, you will be fine. However, if you’re new to website builders, it can be difficult to navigate.
But there’s a reason for that there are so many features and so many options custom. You can add containers, adjust heights, change fonts, add buttons, etc., stack containers horizontally, and more.
- Webflow Pricing: Free plan available; Paid plans start at $14/month (billed annually).
- Easy to use: Not easy for beginners. They provide step-by-step instructions or you can use a template, but if you’re looking for a simple drag-and-drop builder, Webflow isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you’re comfortable using a WordPress page builder like Elementor then you’ll be fine.
- Customization options: There are a lot of customization options, but you build a website close to like from zero.
- SEO tools: You can access everything you need but they are not very clear. Those unfamiliar with SEO may have difficulty.
- Value of free plan: The free plan gives you access to all features, up to 50 CMS components, 1 GB bandwidth and the Webflow.io domain.
Best Free AI Website Builder
Webnode
Webnode pros:
- AI creates a personalized website tailored to your needs
- The interface is clean, pleasant and easy to use
Webnode cons:
- Lack of detailed title text format
Webnode is now a user-friendly website builder with built-in AI available.
The design process is very simple. You choose from three options: website, online store, or blog, then decide how you want to build your website: with the help of AI or templates. Both options are equally good.
For AI, you answer a few questions about your website, the pages you want, and your business. The AI generator then generates three versions that suit your needs, and you choose one. You can also choose from over 150 templates with stunning designs.
- Webnode Pricing: Free plan available; Paid plans start at $4.50/month.
- Ease of use: Beautiful and easy to use with a clean interface.
- Customization options: Change settings at the site level or for individual sections. Move elements around using the drag-and-drop editor.
- SEO Tools: Great. Parameters for each page include URL, meta title and description, and custom header and footer code.
- Value of free plan: This great free plan with over 150 models and AI features to help you get started. You may want to upgrade to remove the Webnode branding and use your domain.
Weebly (Free Version)
The Weebly website builder is used by 1.6 million websites.
Similar to Wix, Weebly is a standalone website builder. Weebly is a seasoned AJAX-based website builder known for its exceptional ease of use. A simple website can be quickly and easily accessed with its free plan.
Pros
The main attraction of Supreme Simplicity: Weebly is its drag-and-drop interface, which makes the website-building process remarkably beginner-friendly.
Clean designs: To give your website a polished foundation, Weebly offers a collection of contemporary and attractive templates.
Basic eCommerce: Amazingly, the free version gives you the freedom to launch a small online store with the necessary components, such as a shopping cart, and payment processing.
Weebly App Center: The Weebly App Center offers a variety of free and paid apps to enhance the functionality of your website.
Weebly has a well-established user base and support tools to help you start.
Considerations
Weebly Branding: Your website displays Weebly advertisements in the free plan.
Limited Storage and Bandwidth: The free version has a cap on both storage and bandwidth, making it ideal for smaller websites.
Weebly subdomains will remain in use unless you upgrade.
What is the Best Weebly Free Version For?
First-Time Website Builders: Those looking for the simplest way to launch a website without any technical difficulties.
Small-scale projects: Great for small business landing pages, personal portfolios, or hobby blogs.
Testing the Waters: Before making a paid subscription, Weebly can be tried out for free with the free plan.
The free version of Weebly is fantastic for making building a straightforward website so accessible. It’s a great place to start if you want to make your website simple and want to have a basic online presence. The features and scalability provided by Weebly’s paid plans or other builders may be beneficial for larger, more complex websites.