With website builders, creating a site is cheaper than ever — if not free. However, even the best free website builders won’t cut it for a professional website as you won’t be able to connect your own domain (e.g., yourbusiness.com), and most display third-party ads. What makes these free forever plans great for budget-strapped businesses, though, is that they provide a way to build a website without paying anything until going live.
In this article, we compared the top free website builders to discover the best option for small businesses.
Best Free Website Builders for Business at a Glance
Wix | Weebly | Square | Webnode | IM Creator |
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Most customizable free website builder | Best for growing businesses that want a site that can scale | Best free website builder for those selling online | Most robust, yet beginner-friendly site builder with a free plan | Best free site builder for nonprofits, students, and artists |
Standout features: | Standout features: | Standout features: | Standout features: | Standout features: |
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Expert Score: | Expert Score: | Expert Score: | Expert Score: | Expert Score: |
4.36 out of 5 stars | 4.34 out of 5 stars | 4.23 out of 5 stars | 4.20 out of 5 stars | 4.04 out of 5 stars |
Looking for something else? Try one of these…
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- Budget-conscious businesses should consider one of the best cheap website builders.
How We Evaluated the Best Free Website Builders
So many site builders claim to be free, but what is available for free (and for how long) varies greatly. To cut through the marketing noise, and to even be considered for our list, all providers have to offer a free forever plan. To determine which are the best of the best, we also consider what you get within the free plans and the affordability of entry-level plans, as well as features and inclusions, ease of use, and our own first-hand expertise.
Learn more about each of our evaluation criteria by clicking the tabs below.
70% of Overall Score
When searching for a free website builder, affordability is on the forefront. So, to make our list, we required that providers not only offer free forever plans, but also low-cost entry-level plans so that as your business grows and your website needs change, you’re able to move into a premium plan that won’t break the bank.
10% of Overall Score
It’s one thing to get a free website, but what matters is what you get for free. We compared providers in terms of what you get for free, such as storage and bandwidth limits as well as extras and inclusions such as a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, free built-in search engine optimization (SEO) tools, and free built-in site analytics.
5% of Overall Score
Website builders were designed to make creating websites easy, and part of what makes site builders so easy to use is the ability of well-built templates and themes. The best providers not only offer high-quality templates, but templates crafted to meet the needs of specific business types and industries. In other words, the more comprehensive the template is, the fewer customizations it will require, making it faster and easier to launch a new website.
5% of Overall Score
Great support can make a huge difference when you’re in need. So we considered which providers not only offer the most helpful and responsive support, but which support channels are available to customers (e.g., live chat, phone, email) and the availability of support (e.g., standard business hours, 24/7) to help ensure that the provider you choose will be there for you should you ever need them.
10% of Overall Score
It’s one thing to look at each provider and see what they claim to be, and it’s another to have first-hand experience using each of the providers to build a website. To determine which really offer the best set of features, are the easiest to use, and provide the best value, we weighed in our own expertise.
Wix: Best for Businesses That Need Maximum Design Freedom
Wix
What We Like
- Free forever plan
- Full access to the template library
- True drag-and-drop site editor
What's Missing
- Storage is fairly limited
- Premium plans start at $14 per month
- Cannot sell online with the free plan
What You Get for Free
- Free website with a Wix subdomain
- Storage limit: Up to 500MB
- Web pages: Unlimited
Wix is hands-down one of the overall best website builders on the market that gives users an easy way of building a highly customizable website. And though its premium plans are not the cheapest available, it does offer a free forever plan, which uses the Wix subdomain. This option makes it a great choice for businesses that want to take their time building a site without having to pay anything. Once your site is built, you can launch with the subdomain or update to a paid plan.
Tiered Pricing & Features
Ease of Use
Wix stands out for design freedom thanks to its true drag-and-drop site editor. In other words, you can literally drag elements around on the live editor, so you’re not limited to content blocks. There are over 300 templates available across all major industries and business types—and all are included for free. One downside with Wix is that once you’ve built a site with one template, you can’t swap out templates. Instead, you’d have to rebuild your site.
Take a look at the step-by-step instructions to get a better idea of what it takes to build a Wix website.
Our Expert Opinion
Wix is the best website builder for those who want maximum design freedom without the headache of WordPress. Thus, it’s the ideal solution for businesses that want to get creative and are looking for a free way to stage a website, and whose budgets can handle $14 per month upon upgrading, which will be required in order to connect your own domain.
Weebly: Best Free Site Builder to Grow With
Weebly
What We Like
- Ultra-easy-to-use site editor
- Swap out your template at any time
- Low-cost premiums starting at $6 per month
What's Missing
- Displays a fairly large Weebly ad in the footer
What You Get for Free
- Free website with a Weebly subdomain
- Storage limit: Up to 500MB
- Web pages: Up to 10
- Displays ads: Yes
Weebly is a high-quality website builder that offers a free plan as well as low-cost paid plans that won’t break the bank. The free plan gives you complete access to the user-friendly site editor and all of its free templates. However, it does limit you to a maximum of 10 webpages and has a storage limit of 500MB. Another downside is that it will display Weebly ads and your site will be on a subdomain, so businesses will need to upgrade when they’re ready to launch.
Tiered Pricing & Features
Ease of Use
Weebly is widely considered to be a very easy website builder. It uses a live site editing interface, so you can see what your site will look like live. It also allows you to swap out your theme any time without losing all of your previous work. It doesn’t offer as much design freedom as Wix, but for those that want a simple site, it may be a fast way to build a site.
Check out the step-by-step instructions on how to build a Weebly website to see how easy it is.
Our Expert Opinion
The best thing about Weebly for price-sensitive businesses is that it’s a great platform to grow with. Unlike other site builders, it offers very affordable premium plans, so it’s designed to scale as your business scales. It’s also very robust, so no matter what type of business you’re building or site features you need, Weebly likely has what you’re looking for. Keep in mind that Weebly has been acquired by Square, so don’t be surprised if you notice branding other than Weebly’s.
Square: Best Free Site Website Builder for Selling Online
Square
What We Like
- Process payments online for free
- In-store point-of-sale (POS) options for omnichannel selling
- Tons of ecommerce features
What's Missing
- You need to input your SSN or ITIN to create an account
- Uses the Weebly site editor
- Premium plans jump up to $12 per month
What You Get for Free
- Free website with a Square subdomain
- Storage limit: Unlimited
- Web pages: Unlimited
- Displays ads: No
Square offers a robust set of retail payment solutions as well as a free website builder where you can sell products online at no cost (beyond standard payment processing transaction fees). Square has acquired Weebly, so you’ll actually use the Weebly site editor to build your site. What’s nice about this is that you get the best of both worlds—you get the retail solutions of Square and the ease of use of Weebly.
Tiered Pricing & Features
Ease of Use
What may be confusing at first is that Square uses the Weebly website editor. It’s because Square acquired Weebly in order to further its retail solutions and help further enable businesses to sell online easily, as well as in-store. One thing that is different about choosing Square over Weebly is not just pricing, but Square requires you to provide your Social Security number or business tax identification number in order to create an account.
Learn more about what’s involved with setting a free online store with Square.
Our Expert Opinion
Square is one of the few platforms where you can create an online store and process payments without having a paid plan. Thus, it’s the best free website builder for those selling online, and with its array of retail payment solutions, it’s also a great option for businesses that also sell in-person with a physical location. On the other hand, if you can handle a plan for around $12 per month, and you’re not selling in-store, Squarespace is likely a better option.
Webnode: Most Beginner-friendly Site Builder
Webnode
What We Like
- No experience necessary to design a professional website
- Just $3.90 per month to connect a custom domain
- The ads for free plans are quite small and nondescript
What's Missing
- The storage limit is fairly limited
- Bandwidth is very limited—even for a free website builder
What You Get for Free
- Free website with a Webnode subdomain
- Storage limit: Up to 100MB
- Web pages: Unlimited
- Displays ads: Yes
Webnode is one of the new kids on the block in the world of all-in-one site builders, but just because you may not have heard of it doesn’t mean that it may not be the ideal platform for you. In fact, it’s the best free website builder for beginners who want to easily design a high-quality site. It’s ideal for those on a tight budget who need a free way to build a site with the ability to connect a custom domain at an industry-low price, with plans starting at $3.90 per month.
Tiered Pricing & Features
Ease of Use
Even if you don’t have any experience building and designing websites, you can still build a professional website with the help of Webnode. In fact, one of the best things about it is that its templates are so well-built and feature-packed that customizing your site is simple, and requires very little time. For example, a restaurant template comes with everything, from predesigned menus to online ordering and reservations.
Our Expert Opinion
It offers full access to its site builder with the free plan, but it’s also the cheapest site builder to build a site and connect to your own domain (just $3.90 per month). Test drive Webnode to see for yourself.
IM Creator: Best for Nonprofits, Artists & Students
IM Creator
What We Like
- It’s the only free website builder that lets you connect a custom domain
- Free for nonprofits, students, and artists
What's Missing
- Plans start at $8 per month for everyone else
- No free trial for premium plans
What you get for free:
- Free website with your own domain
- Storage limit: Up to 50MB
- Web pages: Unlimited
- Displays ads: No
For the record, IM Creator does not offer a free plan for everyone—just nonprofits, students, and artists. So if you fall into one of those categories, IM Creator is the best free website builder for you. Where it really stands out is that its free offer provides full access to its entry-level paid plan, giving you the ability to connect your own domain name (unheard of for free site builders), as well as ad-free hosting.
Tiered Pricing & Features
Ease of Use
IM Creator offers a number of eye-catching templates to choose from. One unique feature is its built-in live chat to help answer your questions as you have them. However, the average response time is a few hours, so it may not be overly helpful. And though this site editor is generally easy to use, it’s not the most intuitive as it is very streamlined, making elements and settings feel hidden. That said, expect there to be a small learning curve involved in using it.
Our Expert Opinion
Though it’s not the most competitively priced website builder on the market—nor the most beginner-friendly—it is the best free website builder for nonprofits, artists, and students. If you fall into one of these three categories, it’s the best (and arguably the only) way to build a site for free that enables you to connect a custom domain and maintain a professional appearance online.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it OK for a business to use a subdomain?
In order to appear professional online, businesses should use their own top-level domain (TLD) name (i.e., businessname.com). There are many instances where businesses create their own subdomain under their TLD (i.e., app.businessname.com). However, businesses shouldn’t use a free subdomain through, say, a website builder, as it can hurt your ability to get found in search, and can simply make your business appear illegitimate. Get the full breakdown about subdomains.
How do I get a domain name?
If all you need is a domain name, then your best bet is to use a domain name registrar, such as GoDaddy, Google Domains, or Hover. Keep in mind that if you don’t yet have a website and plan to build one, many web hosting providers and all-in-one site builders come with a free domain, so it’s worth checking if you’ll be eligible for a free domain from a provider you plan to use before buying one. For more assistance, check out the best domain name registrars.
Is WordPress a free website builder?
WordPress is a free, open source content management system (CMS). However, while you can use it to build a blog (using a WordPress.com subdomain), don’t assume that means you can build and launch a professional business website with WordPress.org site for free. At a minimum, you’ll need to buy web hosting for around $3 to $10 or more per month, and many businesses also end up purchasing a premium theme ($29 to $79) and premium plugins. See all website costs.
Bottom Line
If you’re looking to build and manage a small business website, chances are free website builders won’t suffice. While free plans are a great way to save money while you’re in the process of building your site, you won’t be able to connect your own domain. If you’re looking for the best free way to stage a site, go with Wix. However, if you’re a cash-strapped business and need a free way to build a site with the most affordable way to connect a domain, try Webnode.
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