Top 5 Free Website Builders of 2024: Create a Stunning Site Without Spending a Dime

You’ll get more out of website builders if you choose a paid plan, but unfortunately, not everyone has the budget for that. You will get more from website builders if choose a paid plan. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford that. So how is someone able to create a good website for free without limiting future growth?

Many website builders offer free plans that allow you to create and publish your websites without having to pay any money. However, you get what you pay for. These free plans often come with immovable ads and limited features, meaning you may find you need to upgrade to a premium plan after all.

Of those free builders, Wix is by far the best overall. It offers the best editor and features to build your website, though you’ll have to contend with ads. Each builder has its own merits apart from just being free, and I’ll review them thoroughly below, starting with a helpful comparison table of their key features.

Compare the Top 5 Free Website Builders

BEST IN TEST	Overall Rating	Cheapest Plan	Number of Free Templates	Storage Space on Free Plan	On-site Ad on Free Plan	Limited Ads	Visit
Wix	4.8	$17	900+	500MB	Sticky top banner	Limited Ads	Visit Wix
GoDaddy	4.3	$15.30 with code ‘TAKE10’	200+	500MB	Top banner	Limited Ads	Visit GoDaddy
Square Online	3.6	$9.99	50+	Unlimited	Bottom banner	Limited Ads	Visit Square
Pagecloud	3.5	$29	50+	1GB	Footer disclaimer	Limited Ads	Visit Pagecloud
Webflow	3.2	$20	40+	1GB	Footer disclaimer	Limited Ads	Visit Webflow

If you’re looking to have someone walk you through the highlights, pros and cons, and pricing for each builder, check out our video comparison!

Check out our video!

1. Wix – Best Overall Free Website Builder

Wix is the best free website builder. It offers the best editor and features to build your website, though you’ll have to contend with ads.

Pros

• Plenty of features on the free plan
• 250+ apps to add more power to your site
• Free SEO wizard helps gain more traffic

Cons

• Free plan ads are very noticeable
• Can’t switch templates after publishing
• Cheapest upgrade costs $17/month

Wix Review Visit Site

If you’re looking to make the best website for free, I can’t recommend Wix enough. Wix is the best option for creating a website that’s free. While all the free plans on this list come with some limitations, it’s the versatility of the Wix editor that makes even its free plan head and shoulders above the competition!

What I Like

• Customization options: I could drag anything anywhere, making it easy to line things up exactly how I wanted them! The text options were also incredibly varied, letting me choose between fonts, sizes, colors, shadows, and even letter spacing.
• Template choices & designs: I used Wix’s AI chatbot builder to build my chosen template after answering a few questions. The generated template had great pre-made menu options and features based on my answers, saving me time in the design process.
• SEO options: I’ve seen Wix’s SEO options greatly improve since we last tested the builder, and it now lets users access Google Search Console directly from the dashboard. It also offers video tutorials for website owners.

What I Dislike

• Ads: On the free plan, Wix places a banner ad at the top of your website, urging visitors to go check out Wix. This can be very distracting and could harm the professionalism of your website.
• No custom domain: You can’t use a personal domain (a custom website address) with Wix’s free plan, so your domain will follow this format: yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursite.
• Limited storage: With only 500MB of storage on the free plan, the number of videos and images you can upload is limited. Additionally, you only get 500MB bandwidth, limiting how much traffic you can handle, though Wix will notify you when you’re close to exceeding this limit.

I created a free Wix website for an imaginary business called Lucy’s Cupcakes. Click the image to see it in action!

Click the image to view it in action!

My Experience With Wix

On the free plan, you’ll get a choice of over 900 impeccably designed templates, ranging across a number of varying industries. When testing, I used Wix’s AI website builder which created a custom website template for me.

Wix offers a wide range of free apps including Wix Booking, Wix Menu, and Wix Video. However, the free plan does have some limitations. You’re limited to only 500MB of storage, meaning your site cannot have too many images. Additionally, while you do get a lot of customization options, I found Wix’s editor a little overwhelming with too many creative options at times – even on the free plan! Wix’s Help Center can guide you through its handy search bar directly in the editor.

A banner ad on my Wix demo site takes up a lot of space and distracts from my website’s design.

Upgrade Cost: $17 per month

Wix’s pricing begins with the Light plan for $17 per month, billed annually. This plan removes any ads from your site, lets you use a custom domain, and increases your storage to 2GB.

If you’re looking to sell, you’ll need to upgrade to the Core plan, which begins at $29 per month. These plans are slightly more expensive than others on this list, so I understand you may not be entirely convinced to upgrade. But with all the features on offer, our research shows that Wix is still great value for money.

If you love getting deals, use the code TAKE10 at checkout to get 10% off your Wix plan.

Read our full Wix Review for more.

2. GoDaddy – For Getting A Free Website Online Quickly

GoDaddy is similar to Wix, in that even the free plan comes with a number of templates and features. GoDaddy also features an AI builder and suggested I use it before looking at its templates.

Pros

• Plenty of features on the free plan
• Switch templates whenever you want
• Improved site performance

Cons

• Lack of creative control
• No mobile editor
• Upgrade for custom domains

GoDaddy Review Visit Site

GoDaddy’s builder is easy to use, and its AI functionality even beats Wix in our research.

What I Like

• Efficiency: The speed at which GoDaddy set me up with a website template and then let me edit and publish it stands out among other free website builders. If you’re looking for the most painless building experience, this is it!
• SEO features: By clicking on “Get Found by Google” under Settings, I was able to optimize my website with just a few mouse clicks. No need to learn SEO before building.
• AI builder: GoDaddy’s AI builder has a very simple interface and is highly effective. I used it during testing and it generated a different template every time, so I knew it was personalized to my answers.

What I Dislike

• Ads: GoDaddy will place a banner “Powered by GoDaddy Marketing + Websites” at the top of your site.
• No custom domain: Your domain name will be automatically tagged with .godaddysites.com.
• SEO locked by upgrade: The full suite of GoDaddy SEO tools is locked until you upgrade, meaning you won’t have access to rank tracking and SEO tips with the free plan.

This is what the final design of my demo website homepage looks like. Click the image to see it in action!

Click the image to see it in action!

My Experience With GoDaddy

With the support of AI and a breezy editor, I could build a polished GoDaddy website in under an hour. But this does reveal a weakness of GoDaddy’s, which is its lack of customization options.

GoDaddy offers a more limited range of options than other builders like Wix and Webflow. This may appeal to beginners who might struggle with creative choices when using a builder such as Wix or Webflow. However, I don’t recommend it if you’re looking for lots of creative freedom.

I was impressed that, on the free plan, I could utilize the basic features of GoDaddy Studio to create visual content for my sites. I was also able to send out marketing emails, albeit using a GoDaddy default domain.

Upgrade Cost: $9.99 per month

GoDaddy’s pricing begins at $9.99 per month, when billed annually with the Basic plan. With this plan, you get access to a custom domain, no ads, plus improved marketing capabilities like advanced SEO and the ability to send 100 emails per month for your business.

If you want to dive into the world of ecommerce, the dedicated Commerce plan is your go-to, setting you back $20.99 per month. It includes everything you need, from connecting with marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy to selling on Facebook and Instagram.

Read our full GoDaddy Review for more.

3. Square Online – For Selling Online For Free

Square Online is the only builder on this list that lets you sell for free. This is a huge advantage for those who want to create an online store without breaking the bank in website costs.

Pros

• Selling for free: Being able to create an online store for free is Square Online’s biggest selling point.
• Dashboard: The editor is limited, but I can quickly switch to the dashboard and add products or change the settings of my store in a more intuitive way.
• Unlimited products on free plan

Cons

• Ads: Square Online, like GoDaddy and Wix, brands your website with its logo.
• No custom domain: The URL of your website will include .square.site/ after your site’s name.
• Lack of customization options: The free plan is lacking in customization and features, which is meant to encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription.

Square Online Review Visit Site

With Square Online, I was able to access basic SEO tools, integrate social media, and choose from a variety of widely accepted payment methods. This builder charges transaction fees on every purchase made on your website. You’ll need to pay 2.9% plus 30¢ for each transaction. However, being able to make a profit without paying transaction fees is a unique feature that no other builder on this list offers.

My Square Online homepage is simple. Click the image to see it in action!

Click the image to see it in action!

My Experience With Square Online

Square Online allowed me to integrate social media and choose from a variety of widely accepted payment methods. All this was free. However, Square Online’s editor and design customization are some of the weakest I’ve tested.

You won’t be allowed to use custom fonts or connect a domain unless you upgrade. Once I uploaded a handful of products, I could then add sections for featured items or categories to the page.

Upgrade Cost: $29 per month

Square Online’s pricing begins with the Plus plan for $29 per month, when billed annually. This plan is more expensive than others on this list due to the fact Square Online is primarily an ecommerce platform, meaning it needs a wider range of features to accommodate businesses. These features include accepting PayPal, scheduled product drops, subscriptions, and personalized ordering – as well as giving users custom domains and no ads.

Read our full Square Online Review for more.

Square Online Review

4. Pagecloud – For One-Page Sites

Coming in fourth place on our list of the top five free website builders is Pagecloud. Pagecloud is ranked fourth on our list of top five free website builders. When building my demo website with Pagecloud, the editor and dashboard were fairly easy to navigate but it didn’t feel as intuitive or user-friendly as other builders, such as Wix.

Pros

• Unique website elements
• Build with others

Cons

• No auto-save feature
• Difficult navigation

Pagecloud Review Visit Site

If you take the time to learn how everything works, you can create something amazing. The familiar drag-and-drop style made it easy to format the pages to my liking.

What I Like

• Customization: Pagecloud’s detailed editor gave me a lot of creative freedom. If you have the time to figure it all out, you can build something wonderful.
• Drag-and-drop editor: I was able to easily format the pages according to my liking using the familiar drag-and-drop style.

What I Dislike

• Ads: Pagecloud displays a “Powered By Pagecloud” banner on the bottom of every page.
• No custom domain: Pagecloud’s free plan does not include a custom domain. Instead, it will display .mypagecloud.com as the URL.
• Lack of features: The free plan only allows you to create one page and does not include features such as AI tools, redirects, or team members for editing.

Setting up my homepage with Pagecloud was pretty easy with the template it provided. Click the image to see it in action!

Click the image to see it in action!

My Experience With Pagecloud

I faced a lot of slow loading times when editing, and some steps felt unnecessarily complicated. For example, I could edit text directly on the page, but editing an image opened up a separate menu, which was very frustrating.

Pagecloud’s free plan feels more like a free trial; it’s incomplete, and geared towards pushing you to upgrade to a paid plan. You’ll also be limited to 10 blog posts per month and 1,000 website visits – limits that will be problematic for many ecommerce and personal sites. However, Pagecloud’s free plan would be a solid choice for certain types of portfolio websites – such as for a presentation or school project – that work well with the one-page format and won’t require a high volume of site traffic.

Upgrade Cost: $20 per month

Pagecloud’s pricing begins at $20 per month, billed annually on the Launch plan. With this plan, you get 100 pages, no ads, redirects, a custom domain, plus free Google Workplace (priced at $72 value). While the Launch plan is closer in price to an ecommerce plan, it doesn’t have sales features. If you require ecommerce functionality, Pagecloud’s ecommerce pricing begins with the Starter plan for $29 per month.

Read our full Pagecloud Review for more.

Pagecloud Review

5. Webflow – For Having Limited Ads

Webflow is a website builder with advanced customization features and superb-looking templates, plus its free plan has the least amount of ads on it – a small, unintrusive “Powered by Webflow” at the bottom of the page!

Pros

• Virtual design assistant
• Ideal for experienced builders
• No ads on free plan

Cons

• Overwhelming for beginners
• No drag-and-drop editor
• Hardest free builder to use

Webflow Review Visit Site

Webflow has a lot of customization options and beautiful templates. Its free plan also has the least amount of ads – just a small “Powered by Webflow”, at the bottom of each page.

What I Like

• Template choices & designs: Webflow offers a wide range of free themes, compared to other builders.
• Creative freedom: Webflow’s free plan offers a wide range of customizable features as well as the ability to add comments for team collaboration.
• Limited ads: Although it’s a pity that Webflow could not be devoid of any ads, it still gets a special mention because it has the least amount.

What I Dislike

• No drag-and-drop editor: Webflow is the least user-friendly builder on this list due to its confusing interface and reliance on coding.
• No custom domain: You must upgrade to get a custom domain. On the free plan, Webflow users’ domain names will end with .webflow.io.

A Webflow demo site for Lucy’s Cupcakes. Click the image to see it in action!

Click the image to see it in action!

My Experience With Webflow

Webflow’s advanced customization features are pretty technical, and I had trouble feeling comfortable when using the builder. Webflow is designed with professional web developers in mind. In my experience, I found the lack of a drag-and-drop editor to be a struggle.

Although its editing capabilities are strong, Webflow’s free plan also caps your site at 1,000 monthly visitors, like Pagecloud. You’ll also only have 1GB bandwidth to work with, making it best suited to simple static sites.

Upgrade Cost: $14 per month

Webflow’s pricing is split between two types of paid plans: General and Ecommerce plans. Of the general paid plans, the Basic plan costs $14 per month (billed annually). You’ll get a custom domain, no ads, and an increase in traffic allowance from 1K visitors to 250K.

If you want ecommerce, the Standard plan starts at $29 per month, when billed annually. The plan gives you access to over 500 product slots to sell – this is disappointing when compared to Square Online which, for the same upgrade cost, gives you unlimited items to sell.

Read our full Webflow Review for more.

Webflow Review

How To Choose a Free Website Builder

When choosing a free website builder, you must first accept that you’ll be receiving a lesser product than if you paid for it. Website builders are businesses after all, and they charge subscription fees so they can make a profit where no one else can.

That being said, it doesn’t mean you should lower your standards when looking for a free website builder. You can have it all if you know what to look for. That’s why we’ve come up with three important questions you should consider when looking over the potential candidates for your free website builder:

• Do the limitations outweigh the benefits?
• Will there be any other costs?
• Would you be better off with a paid subscription?

You should consider each of these carefully when choosing. For instance, if you want to build a free online store with Square Online, you have to take into account that its customization is weak and you’ll still have to pay transaction fees. In the end, it may be worth just spending the money for a full ecommerce platform subscription.

Can You Actually Make a Website for Free?

Yes, as long as you’re fine with the limitations. It all depends on the type of website you want to make.

If you want to start a business with a professional website front, then I recommend shelling out a bit to make sure you look like a trustworthy business someone could spend money with. But if you just want a website to journal thoughts, post art, or info-dump on niche topics, a free plan on any of these builders mentioned is absolutely fine for that purpose.

If the website is primarily for you, it doesn’t matter that there are ads, non-customized domains, or limited design options. And if you don’t want to accept the ads, or non-customized domain, builders will direct you to the upgrade option!

How We Test

At Website Builder Expert, we pride ourselves on sharing data-led recommendations with our readers. To bring you the best free website builders on the market, our in-house research team has put over 50 builders through our expert research methodology.

While the most important aspect was whether they had a free plan or not, we also wanted to evaluate each free plan by its own merits. We wanted to consider each free plan individually, and not just based on whether or not they offered a free plan. This involved changing the weighting of our research categories, so that website features and sales features counted the same because being able to sell for free is a significant advantage for a website builder.

Category	Weighting
Website Features	25%
Sales Features	25%
Design Functionality	15%
Help and Support	12%
User Experience	10%
Customer Score	8%
Value for Money	5%

Summary of the 5 Best Free Website Builders

To recap, I recommend Wix as the best free website builder. Although its ads and lack of a custom domain can be annoying, the free plan offers the best features and editing tools of any builder on this list. You can truly build an extremely professional website with Wix, even for free.

It’s possible to create a website for free – as long as you don’t mind the limitations. These limitations may not seem significant at first, but can cause frustration once your website becomes popular. That’s why I suggest you make the most of the free plans by building, playing, and experimenting with the different website builders, but I don’t recommend staying on a free plan forever. There’s no time limit for the free plans, meaning you can have all the practice you need to nail the look and purpose of the website before upgrading to a paid plan.

So enjoy trying out our favorite free builders – come back and let us know which one you liked the most!