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You don’t have to rely on huge corporate platforms like Facebook and Twitter to have an online presence: you can create a website instead. And while companies spend good money on top-notch website builders to create online destinations customers can’t resist, you don’t have to follow in their footsteps. There are many website builders that you can use to create a website without spending a penny.
We’ve tested many website builders, some of which offer a free tier. Read on for our top tips followed by what to look for when choosing a free website builder.
Dive deeper: Our top tested tips
Website Builder by Wix
Best for building free websites
Why we chose it
Wix has almost everything you could want in a website builder. An intuitive interface lets you create beautiful pages from hundreds of available templates. Widgets and mobile-specific tools provide more flexibility and functionality. Robust ecommerce tools enable businesses to sell memberships and digital downloads. And excellent uptime ensures that your website is online.
who it is for
All. In addition to all of its powerful, business-friendly paid features, Wix’s free tier is our Editors’ Choice in this category. You’ll have to give up some premium features and tolerate on-site ads, but Wix is by far the best option for anyone who wants to build great websites without paying monthly fees.
ADVANTAGES
- Remarkably intuitive Editor X interface
- Numerous widgets
- Hundreds of templates for specific businesses and other purposes
- Good tools for building mobile websites
- Rich web shop functions
- Excellent availability and customer service support
- Lots of trading options including the ability to sell digital downloads
- Cool AI-powered website design tools
- Free option
DISADVANTAGES
- Third-party apps provide better analytics
- You cannot switch templates
Weebly Website Builder
Best for basic page editing
Why we chose it
Some users are happy to forgo certain advanced features if it means they have a simpler overall experience. Weebly doesn’t have the most customization options, but you can still create quality websites with its many attractive themes. The website builder allows you to monitor stats to see how your website is performing and sell physical and digital goods. With a free Weebly hosting account, you get a generous unlimited monthly data plan and the ability to switch themes without rebuilding your site.
who it is for
Weebly appeals to people who value convenience. You don’t have to tinker with themes to create a great looking website. It’s one of the few builders that lets you switch themes without rebuilding the site, which is a huge plus. And it offers unlimited monthly data transfers across the board. The free tier has ups and downs. Without paying, your website has ads, a Weebly domain, a maximum file size of 10 MB and 500 MB of storage space. For more, including the ability to sell digital goods, you’ll need to upgrade to one of Weebly’s paid tiers.
ADVANTAGES
- Attractive, responsive design themes
- Full trading options including the ability to sell digital goods
- Site stats included
- Lets you switch themes without rebuilding your site
- Unlimited data transfers with all plans
- Excellent uptime
- Free level
DISADVANTAGES
- Limited theme customization
- It lacks reusable photo storage
- No interface-wide undo function
- Slow responding customer service when testing
Striking website builder
Best for previewing sample pages
Why we chose it
Striking is a bit limited, even below the free tiers. It doesn’t offer many templates and lacks robust site customization, but what is there is responsive and attractive. You get a flashy branded website with 5GB of data throughput per month, but you’ll have to peel the plastic to create multi-page websites, sell products, or even integrate third-party widgets. However, if you choose Strikingly, you can at least have peace of mind that your website is online thanks to the service’s excellent uptime.
who it is for
Despite its limitations, Strikingly has a surprising flexibility. With its easy-to-use tools and the ability to switch templates as you design, you can preview your site and make changes quickly without doing a lot of extra work. With its free tier, you don’t even have to commit to paying before you can see if the website builder is right for you. Consider strikingly more than a paid website builder with a robust free trial, which alone makes it more useful than the free tiers of some competing services.
ADVANTAGES
- Easy-to-use website building tools
- Attractive themes with responsive designs
- Allows you to switch templates without rebuilding your site
- Excellent uptime
- Free level
DISADVANTAGES
- Less customization than competing website builders
- Many standard features require a premium account
- Free and cheap plans are limited to five pages per site
Buying Guide: Best Free Website Builders for 2023
Which free website builder is the best?
A free website builder is mostly the free tier of a larger paid website builder. Not all website builders offer free tiers; Some instead opt for affordable basic tiers that cost a few dollars a month. Other services let you access some features for free while locking more powerful features behind premium paywalls. However, if you don’t need those extra benefits, the free tier might be more than enough.
What can you expect from a free website builder? Some common restrictions include only being able to build a website with a handful of pages, limiting your storage options, and forcing you to use the builder’s domain instead of a custom one. Some free tiers are more like free trials, they let you test the tools as many times as you want, but you have to spend money to actually release them. However, other free services are respectable hosting plans, even if the paid tiers are “better.”
Which Free Website Builder Is Best For Ecommerce?
A website is a must for small businesses. The Internet is a huge marketplace that you just have to tap into. A free website builder is an easy way to start building your web presence. However, truly professional users should opt for a paid plan sooner rather than later. Customers will trust a company with their own domain, it looks legit. More importantly, free website builders usually lock their ecommerce capabilities, the ability to sell products on an online store, behind paywalls. spend money to make money.
Which Free Website Builder Is Best For Photographers?
Photo editing is a godsend for website builders, even paid ones. Some offer robust ways to tweak photos on your site, while others let you crop, and that’s about it. When it comes to free website builders, Wix offers full photo editing options and GoDaddy has upped their offerings as well. Weebly’s editor is fine, but Strikingly’s is fairly basic, consistent with its overall limited customization capabilities.
Recommended by our editors
For a more robust experience building your online presence, you need a traditional web hosting service. If you’re on a budget, check out the best cheap web hosting services.
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