Best Free Website Builders in 2026 (No Code Required)

GitHub Pages is a free static site hosting service that runs directly from a GitHub repository. Every GitHub account gets one free site at username.github.io, plus unlimited project sites. There are no bandwidth limits for reasonable usage (GitHub's soft limit is approximately 100 GB per month, which is far more than most personal and small business sites will ever need). The service includes free SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt, free custom domain support with HTTPS enforcement, and automatic deployments when you push code to your repository.

The platform supports static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript out of the box. For those who want a blog or content-rich site without writing raw HTML, Jekyll (a static site generator) is natively supported -- push Markdown files and GitHub automatically builds them into a complete website. Hugo, Eleventy, Astro, and Next.js static exports also work well with GitHub Pages when combined with GitHub Actions for automated builds.

The main limitation is that GitHub Pages only serves static content. There is no server-side processing, no database, no PHP, no server-side rendering. For most portfolios, blogs, documentation sites, and marketing pages, this is not a problem. You can add dynamic functionality through JavaScript, third-party APIs, and services like Firebase, Supabase, or Formspree for form handling. GitHub Pages sites consistently score 95+ on Google PageSpeed Insights because static sites are inherently fast -- there is no server processing delay.

Storage is limited to 1 GB per repository and the site size should stay under 1 GB, but this is generous for text-based content and optimized images. GitHub Pages is what powers this very site -- spunk.codes -- and it handles millions of page views without issues or costs.

Cloudflare Pages is a free hosting platform that deploys sites to Cloudflare's global edge network spanning over 300 cities worldwide. The free tier is remarkably generous: unlimited bandwidth, unlimited requests, 500 builds per month, and support for custom domains with automatic SSL. Sites are served from the nearest edge location to each visitor, resulting in extremely fast load times regardless of geography.

Unlike GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages supports serverless functions through Cloudflare Workers integration. This means you can build dynamic features like form processing, API endpoints, authentication, and database queries directly within your Cloudflare Pages project at no additional cost on the free tier (100,000 Worker requests per day). This makes it possible to build full-stack web applications -- not just static sites -- for free.

The platform connects directly to GitHub or GitLab repositories for automatic deployments. Push code, and Cloudflare builds and deploys it globally within seconds. It supports all major frameworks: Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, Remix, React, Vue, and plain HTML. Each deployment gets a unique preview URL, making it easy to test changes before going live.

For developers, Cloudflare Pages is arguably the most powerful free hosting option available in 2026. The combination of edge hosting, serverless functions, unlimited bandwidth, and framework support makes it competitive with paid platforms costing $20+ per month. The tradeoff is that it requires technical knowledge -- there is no drag-and-drop builder. You write code, push to Git, and Cloudflare handles the rest. The Cloudflare dashboard provides analytics, deployment logs, and environment variable management.

Carrd is a one-page website builder that focuses on simplicity and speed. You can build a clean, responsive single-page site in under 30 minutes with zero coding knowledge. The free tier allows up to three sites, each on a .carrd.co subdomain, with access to all design elements including text, images, buttons, icons, embeds, forms, and containers. The drag-and-drop editor is intuitive enough that someone who has never built a website can produce a professional-looking result on their first attempt.

Carrd has become the default link-in-bio and personal landing page builder for creators, freelancers, and small business owners who need a web presence without the complexity of a full website. It is used by over 4 million people and the sites consistently load in under one second because Carrd's infrastructure is optimized for lightweight pages. The design templates are modern and minimal, which works well for most personal and professional use cases.

The free tier has meaningful limitations: no custom domains, Carrd branding in the footer, limited form submissions (100 per site per month), and no Google Analytics or custom code injection. The Pro plan at $19 per year (not per month) removes all of these limitations and is one of the best values in web hosting. For $19 per year, you get custom domains, no branding, unlimited forms, custom code, and up to 10 sites. That said, the free tier is genuinely useful for a basic web presence.

The biggest limitation of Carrd is that it only builds single-page sites. There is no multi-page support, no blog functionality, and no CMS. If you need more than a landing page, Carrd is not the right tool. But for its intended use case -- a fast, beautiful one-page site -- it is the best free option available.

WordPress.com's free tier gives you a full-featured blog and website on a yourname.wordpress.com subdomain with 1 GB of storage. WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet according to W3Techs data from early 2026, and the .com hosted version provides the easiest entry point into the WordPress ecosystem. The block editor (Gutenberg) is a visual page builder that works without any coding knowledge -- you add content blocks for text, images, galleries, videos, buttons, and layouts, and the editor handles the responsive design.

The free tier includes dozens of free themes, built-in SEO basics (meta descriptions, XML sitemaps), social media sharing buttons, comment systems, basic analytics (Jetpack Stats), and automatic backups. For bloggers, the writing and publishing experience is excellent -- WordPress was built for content, and it shows in the editor's refinement and the CMS capabilities. You can schedule posts, organize content with categories and tags, and the built-in reader provides some organic discovery from other WordPress.com users.

The limitations of the free tier are significant for business use. WordPress.com displays ads on your free site that you do not control and do not earn revenue from. Custom domain support requires the Personal plan ($4/month billed annually). You cannot install plugins or upload custom themes on the free tier. Storage is limited to 1 GB, which fills up quickly with images. CSS customization is locked behind the Premium plan. Despite these restrictions, the free tier is functional for personal blogs and basic informational sites where you want a multi-page site with a real CMS -- something that GitHub Pages and Carrd do not provide without additional setup.

It is important to distinguish WordPress.com (the hosted platform, discussed here) from WordPress.org (the self-hosted open-source software). WordPress.org gives you full control but requires your own hosting. WordPress.com trades control for convenience. For true beginners who want a blog online today with zero technical knowledge, WordPress.com free is a solid starting point.

Wix is the most feature-rich drag-and-drop website builder available on a free tier. The editor provides pixel-level control over every element on the page -- you can place text, images, buttons, videos, forms, galleries, and interactive elements anywhere you want. Wix also offers an AI-powered builder called Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) that generates a complete website based on your answers to a few questions about your business type, style preferences, and desired features. For people who want maximum design flexibility without coding, Wix is the strongest option.

The free tier includes 500 MB of storage, 500 MB of bandwidth, access to hundreds of templates, the Wix App Market (limited functionality on free tier), basic SEO tools, and the full drag-and-drop editor. Wix has over 250 million users worldwide and hosts sites in categories from restaurants and retail to photography, fitness, music, and professional services. The template library is extensive and well-designed, covering virtually every industry and style preference.

Wix's free tier comes with notable limitations that affect professional use. A Wix banner ad appears at the top of every free site. You cannot use a custom domain -- your URL will be username.wixsite.com/sitename. Bandwidth and storage are both capped at 500 MB, which is restrictive for image-heavy sites. You cannot accept online payments or run an e-commerce store on the free tier. Google Analytics integration requires a paid plan. Removing the Wix branding requires the Combo plan ($16/month) or higher.

Despite these limitations, Wix free is useful for testing designs, building prototype sites, and creating basic web presences where the subdomain URL is acceptable. The visual editor is genuinely the most powerful free option for non-coders. Many users start on the free tier, build their site, and then upgrade to a paid plan when they are ready to go live with a custom domain. Wix's paid plans start at $16/month for the ad-free Combo plan and go up to $159/month for the Business Elite plan with full e-commerce capabilities.

Google Sites is the most underrated free website builder in 2026. It is entirely free with a Google account -- no paid tier even exists for the core product. The builder creates multi-page responsive websites using a simple drag-and-drop editor that is less powerful than Wix but significantly easier to learn. Google Sites integrates natively with every Google product: embed Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Maps, Calendar, and YouTube videos directly into your pages. This deep integration makes it particularly useful for teams already in the Google ecosystem.

The free tier has no storage limits tied to the site builder itself (storage counts against your Google Drive quota, which is 15 GB for free accounts). There are no ads, no branding watermarks, and no artificial limitations. Sites are hosted on Google's infrastructure and load reliably fast. Custom domains are supported through Google Workspace, though most free users publish on the sites.google.com/view/yoursite URL format.

Google Sites is not going to win any design awards. The templates are clean but basic, and the customization options are limited compared to Wix or Carrd. You cannot add custom CSS, JavaScript, or HTML (beyond iframe embeds). There is no blog functionality, no CMS, no e-commerce, and no plugin system. SEO controls are minimal -- you can set page titles and descriptions but lack advanced controls. The platform is intentionally simple, which is both its greatest strength and its most significant limitation.

For its intended use cases -- team wikis, project documentation, school sites, club pages, simple business info sites, and event pages -- Google Sites is the fastest path from nothing to a functional website. A complete multi-page site can be built in 15 to 30 minutes. The collaborative editing features (multiple people can edit simultaneously, just like Google Docs) make it particularly useful for team projects. If you need a basic website today and you have a Google account, Google Sites will have you live within the hour.

Notion was not built as a website builder, but its public page sharing feature has made it one of the most popular free alternatives. Any Notion page can be published to the web with a single toggle, creating a shareable URL at yourname.notion.site. The content renders as a clean, readable webpage that works well on mobile and desktop. For people already using Notion for notes, project management, or documentation, turning existing content into a public website requires zero additional effort.

The appeal of Notion as a website is the CMS-like content management experience. You edit content in Notion's familiar block editor -- the same editor used by over 100 million users worldwide. Changes are published instantly. You can create databases that display as galleries, tables, lists, or boards, making it easy to build portfolio showcases, resource directories, and structured content libraries. Notion's nested page structure naturally creates multi-page sites with sidebar navigation.

Third-party tools have emerged to enhance Notion as a website platform. Super.so and Potion.so are the most popular, transforming Notion pages into professional-looking websites with custom domains, custom CSS, fast loading, SEO optimization, and analytics. Super.so starts at $16/month, and Potion.so starts at $10/month. These tools use Notion as the backend CMS while providing a polished frontend experience. Without these tools, Notion's native publishing has meaningful limitations: you cannot use a custom domain, the pages load slowly (2 to 4 seconds is typical), SEO is limited, there is no custom styling, and the notion.site URL looks unprofessional for business use.

Notion's free plan (for individuals) includes unlimited pages and blocks, making it genuinely free for content creation. The published pages support text, images, embedded videos, code blocks, toggles, callouts, tables, databases, and file attachments. For knowledge bases, personal portfolios, and project documentation where Notion is already your content tool, publishing to the web is the simplest possible workflow.