Should you want a web site in your small enterprise, weblog, or different on-line presence however aren’t able to decide to a paid subscription, there are a selection of platforms that may allow you to create and host your web site free of charge. Free web site builders have some limitations, however they’re nice for getting your web site up and working with none up-front value.
Additionally: The perfect web site builders: Skilled examined
What’s the very best free web site builder proper now?
At ZDNET, we have examined a variety of web site builders to search out the very best instruments for creating a web site for free of charge. Wix is our prime choose for placing collectively a fundamental web site, with loads of design choices, whereas GoDaddy is a superb various for individuals utterly new to web site builders, because of its simple interface and buyer help availability. We have put collectively an inventory of free web site builders to fulfill quite a lot of consumer wants.
The perfect free web site builders of 2025
Present much less
Wix is our most advisable web site builder for each free and paid customers. It gives a lot of customization choices, from an in depth assortment of templates and embedded apps to a straightforward drag-and-drop interface with AI instruments that will help you construct or refine your design. Wix additionally makes it simple to add and add media to your web site. You’ll be able to construct as many websites as you need for free of charge, although they are going to have free Wix URLs (siteprefix.wixsite.com/siteaddress) slightly than customized domains, in addition to Wix branding, until you improve to a paid plan beginning at $17 per 30 days when billed yearly. One design draw back: You’ll be able to’t change templates as soon as you have chosen one, until you begin a brand new web site from scratch.
All of Wix’s web sites embrace an SSL certificates at no cost, however people on the free tier get simply 500MB of storage and 1GB bandwidth — a major limitation if you wish to add giant photographs and movies or a number of pages otherwise you anticipate to have plenty of guests. Free websites will not have any e-commerce or buyer advertising and marketing performance both.
Should you want a web site builder that gives nice design choices with stable efficiency and security measures in addition to 24/7 buyer cellphone help, Wix is worthy of consideration.
Wix options: Giant template assortment | SSL certificates included | AI web site builder | 99.99% uptime assure | 24/7 buyer help
Learn Extra
Present Skilled Take Present much less
Present much less
GoDaddy is a stable various to Wix if you wish to get a easy and visually interesting web site revealed rapidly and simply. It isn’t fairly as customizable when it comes to templates and themes, however the setup wizard is simpler to navigate for anybody new to constructing a web site, and GoDaddy’s AI instrument is useful for getting began or refining your web site’s design and content material. Free websites have GoDaddy branding and subdomains (e.g., yoursite.godaddysites.com), and so they’re free eternally until you improve to a paid plan with premium options, beginning at $10 per 30 days when billed yearly.
Evaluation: GoDaddy
Free websites do not have e-commerce performance, however you do get a restricted variety of advertising and marketing e-mail sends per 30 days, in addition to appointment reserving and reminders, and product listings (simply no on-line transactions). GoDaddy has 24/7 buyer help through cellphone, textual content, and chat.
GoDaddy options: 99.9% uptime | SSL certificates included | AI web site builder | Electronic mail advertising and marketing and appointment scheduling | 24/7 buyer help
Learn Extra
Present Skilled Take Present much less
Present much less
If you wish to arrange a web based store with no up-front value, Sq. On-line — from fee processor Sq. — is the very best web site builder for you. Customers on the free plan can settle for funds for services each on-line and in individual, together with with Money App Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Sq. Pay, and even Afterpay. You additionally get delivery reductions, label printing, and a spread of search engine optimisation and advertising and marketing instruments to advertise your choices — a novel suite of options amongst free web site builders.
That stated, you’ll be able to’t customise your web site from the essential design theme and format, nor are you able to join a customized area or take away Sq. branding until you improve to a Plus or Premium plan (billed yearly at $29 per 30 days and $79 per 30 days, respectively). This makes Sq. On-line’s free tier a terrific alternative for small companies that need to begin promoting rapidly on a fundamental web site, nevertheless it’s much less so for these with a particular design imaginative and prescient for his or her model.
Sq. On-line options: SSL certificates included | E-commerce and search engine optimisation instruments | Sq. funds | Cellphone and chat help throughout enterprise hours
Learn Extra
Present Skilled Take Present much less
Present much less
WordPress is a longtime title on the planet of web site creation, and it is nonetheless a stable alternative, particularly for writers and bloggers who need to put up content material with some potential to model their web site and personalize its design. Word that this evaluate refers to WordPress.com, which is much less strong when it comes to customization in contrast with WordPress.org, nevertheless it takes care of internet hosting and safety, so that you need not set up software program or handle your individual server.
WordPress.com’s free plan means that you can create limitless pages with limitless contributors, and you’ve got a number of free themes and templates to select from, which you’ll change at any time. The builder is straightforward and easy to make use of. On the free tier, your web site may have a subdomain (e.g., sitename.wordpress.com) and WordPress banners, and also you’re restricted to only 1GB of storage. An improve to the $4-per-month Private plan will get you a customized area and extra themes, however buyer help is accessible solely on the $8-per-month Premium tier and above.
WordPress options: SSL certificates included | Unrestricted bandwidth
Learn Extra
Present Skilled Take Present much less
Present much less
In case your workflow already consists of Google apps, Google Websites is a stable choice for making a fundamental web site for free of charge. The builder makes use of a easy template with choices to customise colours and fonts in addition to drag and drop web page components — plus, you’ll be able to simply combine content material blocks utilizing content material from different Google apps, reminiscent of Docs, Sheets, Varieties, and YouTube. It is also simple so as to add pages and edit textual content.
Word that If you wish to arrange a web based retailer on a Google Web site, you may have to embed a third-party instrument, as Google Websites does not have any paid tiers or add-on options.
If you publish your web site, you’ll be able to choose a subdomain (e.g., websites.google.com/view/sitename) or join a customized area at no cost (apart from buying the area itself), which is a paid improve with most web site builders. Utilizing Google Websites will not get you a very distinctive or superbly designed web site, however it’s simple to make use of if you wish to publish one thing rapidly. Word that buyer help for Google Websites is, nicely, Google’s buyer help.
Google Websites options: SSL certificates included | Integration with Google apps
Learn Extra
Present Skilled Take Present much less
With its extremely customizable templates and themes, Wix is our prime choose for constructing a free web site that displays what you are promoting or model. This is how the very best free web site builders examine:
|
Web site builder |
Custom area on free plan? |
Buyer help |
Key characteristic |
|
Wix |
x |
24/7 cellphone + chat |
Customizable design |
|
GoDaddy |
x |
24/7 cellphone, textual content, chat |
Customer support |
|
Sq. On-line |
x |
Cellphone + chat throughout enterprise hours |
E-commerce options |
|
WordPress |
x |
N/A |
Running a blog instruments |
|
Google Websites |
✓ |
N/A |
Integration with Google apps |
|
Select this web site builder… |
If you’d like… |
|
Wix |
A versatile web site builder with a lot of design choices. |
|
GoDaddy |
A simple-to-use platform with useful AI instruments and good customer support. |
|
Sq. On-line |
A free web site in your on-line store. |
|
WordPress |
An easy builder in your weblog. |
|
Google Websites |
A fundamental builder with the choice to attach a customized area. |
Free web site builders are considerably extra restricted than these which are paid. Most include the platform’s subdomain and show adverts; few (if any) advertising and marketing and e-commerce instruments; and low storage capability. When evaluating choices, take into account the next questions:
- Stay buyer help: Think about whether or not you may want reside buyer help to help you with troubleshooting. Most of our prime picks even have tutorials and assist pages, some extra detailed than others.
- Customization: If you would like a web site with a novel and tailor-made look, you would possibly need to take into account a paid subscription with extra customization choices. Some free web site builders provide restricted design decisions, that means you may have much less management over your web site’s fonts, colours, and format.
- Enterprise wants: Determine what you are promoting wants earlier than selecting a free or paid web site builder. Some free choices do not embrace e-commerce or e-mail advertising and marketing choices, whereas others have restricted bandwidth and storage.
To search out the very best free web site builders, we recognized the platforms which have totally free tiers (not simply restricted free trials) and in contrast their options, limitations, and consumer expertise with hands-on testing.
Sure, there are a handful of platforms that mean you can construct a web site with out ever buying a subscription. Nonetheless, there are important limitations to utilizing a free web site builder: Your web site may have a branded subdomain (e.g., siteprefix.wixsite.com/siteaddress) slightly than a customized handle, and it will have adverts or branding that may’t be eliminated out of your pages. Free instruments may have storage and bandwidth caps, and most lack advertising and marketing and e-commerce options for reaching prospects or promoting items and companies.
There are various causes to pay for a web site builder slightly than depend on a free service — for instance, in case you have a customized area you need to join, which may legitimize what you are promoting, otherwise you run a big on-line retailer. All of the free companies we name out right here even have paid tiers with extra options, at a spread of worth factors, or you’ll be able to try our prime picks for the very best web site builders.
Different free web site builders
Searching for the subsequent greatest product? Get knowledgeable opinions and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.