Best Free Website Builders: Are They Worth It?

Based on my experience testing popular free website builders, Wix offers the best overall free website builder plan. It gives users access to an extremely wide variety of premade templates, which I found easy to customize with Wix’s drag-and-drop editor. This means you can create a unique-looking website with limited technical expertise.

It’s important to note, however, that free website builders have limitations, such as displaying ads, so I recommend opting for a paid plan if you’re using your website for professional purposes. But if you’re on a tight budget, or need a website for a short-term project, a free builder gets the job done.

Wix is one of the best website builders out there to offer a free plan, but depending on your skill level and the purpose of your free website, it might not be the best option for you. I’ve tested and reviewed five free website builders in total, so you can make an informed choice.

1. Wix: Best All-round Free Website Builder

Wix is my pick for the best all-round free website builder. Wix’s free plan offers similar functionality to its premium plans, allowing you to create a multi-page website that’s mobile responsive (the layout automatically adapts to vertical screens), and that you can easily customize thanks to its drag-and-drop editor.

My experience with Wix

Wix has been adding more and more AI tools to its kit, including an AI website builder, which is available on the free plan. This sped up the website-building process, since Wix has so many templates, it can be hard to settle on one quickly. I was quite happy with the results since they matched the prompts I’d given, but I do recommend editing the website to make it more unique.

I particularly liked Wix’s tools for making my website mobile-friendly. Wix websites automatically reformat to a mobile-optimized version, and when previewing my website, I could easily switch between a desktop and mobile view to check the results. In an age where more than half of internet searches are made from mobile phones, this is an important feature.

On the Wix free plan, you’ll also get access to basic email marketing and customer management tools, such as contact forms. On the creative side, the free plan also includes a design suite for creating social media posts and brand logos. These extras aren’t offered on all free website builders, with GoDaddy being the only competitor on this page with similar tools. They’re very useful for creating a unified branded image.

The main downsides to Wix’s free website builder are that Wix ads will appear on your website, and your website URL will contain “wixsite.com”, which might seem unprofessional to visitors.

Additionally, although not difficult to use, the Wix editor and backend aren’t as easy to use and navigate as those of competitors GoDaddy and Webador. This is mainly because Wix has packed so many features into its backend that it can be overwhelming when you first start out.

How does Wix’s free plan compare to the paid versions?

Upgrading to a paid version of Wix automatically removes all Wix ads from your website, and allows you to purchase a custom domain, removing “wixsite.com” from your URL.

Paid Wix plans also include more storage space than the free plan – from 2GB to an unlimited amount – and advanced marketing functions, such as automated marketing and website analytics, which can help you track how many customers your site has reached.

On the $29 per month Wix Core plan, you can also start accepting payments, whether that be for services or goods, and allow repeat customers to save their payment information for a faster checkout.

As with most website builders, the more you pay per month, the more features you’ll get access to. You can find out more about Wix’s pricing and what you get for your money in our guide.

2. GoDaddy: Best for Accepting Bookings for Free

GoDaddy’s free website builder is the best free website builder for accepting appointment bookings online and is one of the fastest ways to create a website. This is largely thanks to its AI website builder tool – all I had to do was answer a few questions, and GoDaddy generated a site template for me in seconds.

My experience with GoDaddy

Overall, I found GoDaddy easier to use than Wix, mainly because there weren’t an overwhelming number of options for changing the website design. This does mean that some level of customization is sacrificed in favor of ease of use, but if you’re not technically savvy, this is a good thing.

A standout feature of GoDaddy’s free plan is that it lets you accept one-time appointment bookings from customers (although they won’t be able to pay via your website), something not offered on the other free website builders featured in this list. This makes it a handy tool for service businesses like salons or clinics.

On other fronts, GoDaddy’s free plan is similar to Wix’s in that it has a drag-and-drop editor, and comes with basic marketing and customer engagement tools, such as the GoDaddy Studio, where you can create designs for logos, social media posts and emails, and a contact form.

There are some downsides, however. As I’ve noted, GoDaddy gives you less creative freedom when it comes to design than Wix, and its templates and AI-built websites aren’t as eye-catching as Wix’s. As with Wix, your site will also display a GoDaddy ad banner, and your website URL will contain “godaddysites.com”.

How does GoDaddy’s free plan compare to the paid versions?

Like Wix, signing up to a paid GoDaddy plan will remove the GoDaddy ad banner from your website and allow you to purchase a custom domain.

You’ll also get access to a wider set of marketing tools, such as automated welcome emails and appointment reminders, and access to a wider range of pre-made designs in the GoDaddy Studio to use in your campaigns.

If you’re accepting bookings through your website, GoDaddy’s two most expensive plans allow you to let your customers book recurring appointments (as well as one-time ones), and sign-up for group events (webinars, classes, etc.).

To start taking payments on GoDaddy, you’ll have to upgrade to at least the $14.99 per month Premium plan, which lets you accept payments from bookings, and to sell products, you need to upgrade to the $20.99 per month Commerce plan.

3. Square Online: Best for Creating a Free Online Store

Square Online is one of the only website builders that lets you create an online store and start selling for free – barring transaction fees. You won’t pay any monthly fees to create and publish your website, however, Square does take a 2.6% + 10¢ transaction fee, applicable to each sale. This is standard across the payment processing industry, so there’s no 100% free way to sell online.

My experience with Square

Square’s free plan is quite different from other website builders I tested. It doesn’t include free templates, instead offering one standard black-and-white website design, and doesn’t allow for layout customisations, or offer free stock images. These features are reserved for paid plans.

The upside to this is that it’s quite easy to use since all you have to do is populate your website with products and your brand name. You can also list an unlimited number of items on Square’s free plan, and accept payments using services such as Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Square’s free plan is truly designed with one purpose, to sell online for cheap, with aspects like website aesthetics and customisation deprioritised. This is reflected in the feature enhancements Square tools out.

For example, last year Square added an AI copy generator to its website builder that can help you write or enhance product descriptions. If you’re a small business looking to set up quickly, this can speed up the process quite a bit. Sadly Square doesn’t yet offer an AI website generator, although if it did, it’s likely to be reserved for paid plans since the free plan only comes with one template.

Square’s free website, like Wix and GoDaddy, includes visible Square ads, and your URL will contain “square.site”.

How does Square Online’s free plan compare to the paid versions?

Upgrading to one of Square’s paid plans will cost $29 or $79 per month, depending on the plan you choose. It’ll first and foremost remove any ads, and allow you to purchase a custom domain. It’ll also give you access to a lot more sales and marketing features.

For example, you’ll be able to send order status alerts to customers, either via email or SMS, allow item preorders, and send abandoned cart recovery emails.

Square’s paid plans also offer better website customization options than its free plan, although nothing near what website builders like Wix offer. On the paid plans, you’ll get access to stock images, a suite or ready-made website templates, and a wider range of page layouts.

If you sell in person as well as online, you might be interested in Square’s POS system. Square is first and foremost a payment processing service provider, and it offers one of the best POS systems on the market.

4. Webador: Best for Total Beginners

Webador’s free website builder is a good option for total beginners who’ve never created a website before. It’s extremely easy to use, even easier than GoDaddy, thanks to its menu bar that lets you flip between the main editor, specific page editors, and the dashboard.

My experience with Webador

Part of what made Webador so easy to use was the simple backend design. When editing my website, all the elements I could add were neatly aligned in the sidebar menu, while the top bar menu allowed for easy access to sections in the main dashboard.

I was able to add page elements such as text blocks and buttons by dragging them from the sidebar onto the page as I was editing. Webador has also recently added a new tool to its sidebar menu that allows users to add new sections to a page by dragging the sections element, making it even easier to edit a page.

This year, Webador also launched its AI website builder. You can create a website using AI with a prompt, or use AI to redesign an existing website. I used this second feature and was pleased to see that the AI tool keeps all the existing copy when it changes the design. The new AI design was also more modern-looking than the pre-built template I was using.

Using the AI website builder is a way to circumvent one of Webador’s key disadvantages, the fact that its pre-made templates look quite dated.

Webador’s website builder also doesn’t come with any fancy design features like logo or social media post creators that you’d find on free website builders such as Wix or GoDaddy. Other popular features such as email templates are also absent from Webador.

But if you’re a newbie to website creation, and just want a simple informational website, Webador’s a solid choice.

How does Webador’s free plan compare to the paid versions?

Webador’s cheapest paid plan, the $5 per month Lite plan, won’t actually get rid of ads, but it will give you access to a custom domain, so “webadorsite.com” won’t appear in your URL.

To get rid of ads, and benefit from premium features, you’ll have to upgrade to Webador’s $9 per month Pro, or $18 per month Business plans. These give you access to site analytics via Google Analytics and Google Search Console, and allow for slightly better website design options, such as the ability to create custom forms. They also include a website search bar.

The Pro and Business plans also allow you to start taking payments through your website, with the Business plan offering unlimited products. Webador’s sale functions are quite limited, however, so if selling online is your priority, we’d recommend you look at our list of the best ecommerce platforms for small businesses.

5. PageCloud: Best for Creating an Informational Page

PageCloud’s free plan allows you to create a one-page website, making it a useful option for making informational pages with your key business details or showcasing a personal project. It has some truly stunning pre-built templates, making it a good choice for aesthetic-focused businesses like fine-dining restaurants.

My experience with PageCloud

Although the free PageCloud plan only allows you to create a one-page website, I was able to add as many sections as I wanted to that page, so the one-page nature of the site isn’t too limiting. However, the more sections you have, the more your visitors will have to scroll, so I’d recommend you avoid overfilling it.

What most impressed me about PageCloud was how visually appealing its pre-made templates were. Although it has far less than Wix (50 compared to 900), the ones it does have look magazine-worthy.

Like most website builders on this list, PageCloud has a drag-and-drop editor, which meant I could easily move and add elements anywhere on the page. However, it’s not the easiest editor to navigate. Functions aren’t clearly labelled or displayed, so I was never too sure what I was clicking on when I first started out. It’s definitely not a good choice for beginners or people who want to create a website quickly.

I did, however, appreciate that PageCloud had a toggle that let me easily see how my website looked on mobile and desktop, but, I didn’t feel like the website got properly optimized for mobile. The top section didn’t shrink to fit a vertical format for example. This could be a problem if you’re looking to create a business website since a lot of customers find you through a search on their phone.

How does PageCloud’s free plan compare to the paid versions?

A paid PageCloud plan ($20-$69 per month) will remove PageCloud ads from your website, and you’ll be able to purchase a domain, so that “mypagecloud.com” no longer appears in your URL.

Most importantly, you’ll be able to create a website with more than one page – between 100 and 300 pages depending on the plan – and you’ll be able to add features such as pop-ups and banners.

A paid PageCloud website also comes with advanced analytics, so you can monitor your website’s performance, and you’ll get access to SEO tools such as Semrush (a keyword research tool).

On the creative side, paid PageCloud plans have an AI assistant that can help you write engaging copy.

However, none of PageCloud’s paid plans come with an ecommerce function. To sell online, you have to purchase an ecommerce add-on, which start at $9 per month on top of your monthly website subscription. This can add up quickly, so for selling online at no extra cost, you’re better off with Square.

6. Webflow: Best for Advanced Design and Customization

Webflow is a good choice for experienced website creators who are looking for a high degree of creative freedom when designing their website.

My experience with Webflow

Out of all the website builders I tested, it’s probably the most customizable. I was given the option to change anything, from fonts, to spacing, to color scheme, and could even add effects to the website, such as shows or transitions.

Webflow’s free plan also comes with very discreet ads in the form of a small banner at the bottom of each page. This makes it a great option for users concerned about their free website looking unprofessional, and sets Webflow apart from rivals like GoDaddy, whose free website includes top banner ads.

I also appreciated the fact that Webflow’s free website came with 50 free form submissions. This is 50 less than PageCloud, which offers 100 on its free plan, but still more than is offered by the other competitors on this list.

Webflow’s main downside is that a lot of the ease-of-use is sacrificed in favour of design flexibility. It was the most difficult-to-use website builder I tested, even more so than PageCloud. Part of the reason is because Webflow doesn’t have a drag-and-drop editor, which would have made adding new elements to the page much easier.

There are tutorials you can watch, and while these are helpful, it does mean that you’ll be spending a lot of time watching them and figuring out how the website builder works before you actually get to designing the website you want. For a beginner’s option, I recommend GoDaddy.

How does Webflow’s free plan compare to the paid versions?

Depending on the paid plan you choose, your static page limit on Webflow will go up from two to between 150 and 300.

The next plan up from the free website costs $14 per month and includes a custom domain, no Webflow ads, increased bandwidth, and an increased static page limit. As you go up in price, page limits, form submission limits, and bandwidth all increase, with the two most expensive plans also allowing for collaborators, and a website search bar.

Webflow also has three seperate plans for ecommerce, ranging from $29 to $212 per month. They come with similar features to Webflow’s website builder plans, with the added benefit of ecommerce management. That said, Webflow imposes product number limits on all its paid ecommerce plans, while Square lets you sell unlimited products for free.

Is a Free Website Builder Right for You?

Whether a free website builder is right for you will really depend on what you’re using it for:

Personal use

If you’re building a website for personal use, such as a school project, or to showcase an event such as a wedding or birthday, a free website builder will probably do the trick. This is especially true if you only plan on using the website temporarily, since you’ll save money on monthly subscription fees by using a free version.

However, if you plan on using the website long-term, it can be worth paying for a premium version. I recommend doing this if you want to create a multi-page website and fill it with a lot of content, since many free website builders come with limited storage.

Business purposes

If you’re creating a website to showcase your business, I don’t recommend using a free website builder in the long-term.

This is mainly because they usually come with ads, and don’t come with a custom domain. This means the website builder’s name will appear it your website’s URL, and it won’t be easy for people to find it using search engines, unless they already know the URL. Because of this, free plans don’t usually supply the level of professionalism needed for, say, architecture, counseling, legal, dentistry, and so on. It can be difficult for a new customer to trust your business if your URL contains another platform’s name.

That being said, a free website builder can work as a temporary solution if you aren’t sure whether to commit to your business idea. They’re also a great opportunity to practice the skills of creating a website from scratch.

If you’re curious about taking the first steps, check out our guide on how to build a business website.

Buying Guide: How To Choose a Free Website Builder

Here’s what you should consider when choosing a free website builder:

• Ease-of-use: If you’re looking for a free website builder, chances are you want something that’s quick and easy to use. This doesn’t mean you need to go with the absolute easiest-to-use website builder out there, just make sure it fits your technical abilities.
• Design and customisation: Free website builders should give you a variety of website design options, and some degree of flexibility when it comes to customisation. A beautifully made website that’s unique will help your business stand out from the crowd, and increase customer confidence.
• Added features: Think about what features you want your free website builder to have, since what’s offered for free varies by website builders. Free website builders should, at the bare minimum, include a contact form, pre-made templates, and free stock images. If they don’t, there should be other features that interest you, such tools to sell online, or a marketing suite.
• Mobile responsiveness: The best website builders (free or not), should automatically reformat your page layout to fit a vertical screen, and if they don’t, they should give you the option to do this yourself in the editor. Over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices, so this isn’t a category to be overlooked.
• Potential costs: Make sure the website builder is actually free, and that there aren’t any hidden costs you’ll have to pay along the way, such as hosting to keep your website live. It’s also a good idea to look at how much the paid plans cost, and assess whether you’re willing to pay that amount should you decide to upgrade.

Are Free Website Builders Secure?

Whether a free website builder is secure or not is determined by the provider, not the free nature of the website.

Different providers have different security measures in place, such as dual-factor authentication, SSL certificates, and encryption tools. If a website builder has these security measures, they’ll apply to all websites made using it, both free and paid, so it’s best to check with individual providers.

How Easy Is it to Switch to a Paid Website Builder Plan?

Website builder providers want you to switch to a paid plan, so they make it easy for you. You can usually do this by going into account settings and clicking on “Subscription” or “Billing”. A lot of website builders will also include links for switching to a paid plan in the editor or backend, usually in front of features that can be unlocked by upgrading to a paid plan.

You’ll typically need to provide your card details and choose whether you want to pay monthly, or upfront for the whole year (most providers offer a discount if you choose this option).

How Did We Compare the Best Free Providers?