Published February 23, 2026 · 20 min read
You should not need to spend money to have a website. Not in 2026. Not when free tools have reached a level of quality that makes paid hosting unnecessary for most people. Whether you want a portfolio, a blog, a landing page, a small business site, or an online store — there is a free website builder that can handle it without you writing a single line of code.
But "free" comes with asterisks. Some builders plaster their branding all over your site. Some lock you into a subdomain you cannot change. Some limit you to a single page or a handful of visitors. Some call themselves "free" but require a paid upgrade the moment you try to do anything useful. We tested every one of them so you do not have to guess.
This guide compares 9 free website builders available in 2026: GitHub Pages, Carrd, Google Sites, WordPress.com, Wix, Weebly, Notion Sites, Framer, and Webflow. For each one, we cover exactly what you get for free, what the limitations are, who it is best for, and our honest verdict. We also built spunk.codes and all our sites on some of these platforms, so we are speaking from direct experience.
Here is the full picture at a glance. Scroll right on mobile to see all columns.
| Builder | Custom Domain | Ads/Branding | Pages | Storage | Bandwidth | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Pages | Free | None | Unlimited | 1 GB | 100 GB/mo | Developers, portfolios |
| Carrd | Paid only | Small badge | 1 page | Limited | Generous | Landing pages, links |
| Google Sites | Paid only | None | Unlimited | 15 GB (shared) | Unlimited | Team pages, simple sites |
| WordPress.com | Paid only | WP ads shown | Unlimited | 1 GB | Unmetered | Blogs, content sites |
| Wix | Paid only | Wix banner | Unlimited | 500 MB | 500 MB/mo | Visual design, portfolios |
| Weebly | Paid only | Weebly badge | Unlimited | 500 MB | Unmetered | Small business, beginners |
| Notion Sites | Paid only | None | Unlimited | 5 MB/file | Unlimited | Wikis, docs, simple pages |
| Framer | Paid only | Framer badge | 1,000 | 5 MB/file | 100 MB/mo | Design portfolios |
| Webflow | Paid only | Webflow badge | 2 | Limited | 1 GB/mo | Professional design |
GitHub Pages is the only free builder that offers a custom domain, zero ads, zero branding, unlimited pages, and 100 GB of monthly bandwidth — all completely free. The tradeoff is that it requires some technical comfort with Git and static files. If you are willing to learn (or use a template), it is unbeatable. We built spunk.codes on GitHub Pages, and it costs us exactly $0/month to host.
What you get for free: GitHub Pages lets you host static websites directly from a GitHub repository. You get free HTTPS, a free username.github.io subdomain, the ability to connect a custom domain at no cost, 1 GB of storage per repository, 100 GB of monthly bandwidth, and 10 builds per hour (unlimited with custom GitHub Actions workflows). It supports HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Jekyll (a static site generator) natively.
Who it is for: Developers, designers with HTML/CSS knowledge, anyone comfortable with Git, and anyone who wants maximum control over their website with zero cost. If you are building a portfolio, blog, documentation site, landing page, or even a full web application front-end, GitHub Pages handles it.
Our Verdict: GitHub Pages is the best free website builder for anyone willing to invest a few hours learning the basics. The combination of free custom domain, zero ads, generous bandwidth, and full code control is unmatched by any other free platform. We wrote a complete walkthrough: How to Build a Free Website with GitHub Pages. If you want to start a blog, a portfolio, or even an affiliate marketing site, GitHub Pages is our top recommendation.
What you get for free: Carrd gives you up to 3 sites, each limited to a single page. You get access to dozens of customizable templates, a simple visual editor, responsive design, and SSL included. Your site lives on a yourname.carrd.co subdomain. The free plan displays a small "Made with Carrd" text at the bottom of each page — far less intrusive than the banners other builders show.
Who it is for: Anyone who needs a simple one-page site: a personal bio page, a link-in-bio for social media, a landing page for an email list, a coming-soon page, or a simple portfolio. Carrd is the fastest way to go from zero to published — you can have a live site in under 10 minutes.
Our Verdict: Carrd is perfect for what it is: a simple, beautiful one-page site builder. If you need a link-in-bio replacement, a landing page for collecting emails, or a personal card-style website, Carrd does it faster than anything else. But if you need multiple pages, a blog, or any real complexity, you will outgrow it immediately. The Pro plan ($19/year) is worth it if you want custom domains and forms, making it one of the cheapest paid options available.
What you get for free: Google Sites is completely free with any Google account. You get unlimited pages, no ads, no branding, seamless integration with Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Maps, YouTube, and Calendar. Storage is shared with your 15 GB Google Drive quota. Your site lives at sites.google.com/view/yoursite on the free plan. Google Workspace users can connect a custom domain.
Who it is for: Teams, educators, small organizations, and anyone who lives in the Google ecosystem. Google Sites excels at internal wikis, project hubs, class websites, event pages, and simple informational sites. It is the simplest website builder on this list — if you can use Google Docs, you can use Google Sites.
Our Verdict: Google Sites is the easiest website builder on this list. It is genuinely useful for internal team pages, school projects, event information pages, and simple informational sites. But the design limitations are severe — every Google Site looks like a Google Site, and there is no way to change that without a paid Workspace plan and custom domain. For anything public-facing where design matters, look elsewhere.
What you get for free: WordPress.com's free plan gives you a yoursite.wordpress.com subdomain, 1 GB of storage, dozens of free themes, a full blog with categories, tags, and comments, basic SEO tools, site stats, and mobile-responsive design. The platform is backed by the same company behind WordPress (which powers 43% of all websites globally). The free plan includes unmetered bandwidth, meaning there is no traffic cap.
Who it is for: Bloggers, writers, content creators, journalists, and anyone whose primary content type is articles. WordPress.com has the most mature blogging tools of any free builder, including scheduling, drafts, revision history, categories, tags, and a built-in reader community that can drive initial traffic to new blogs.
Do not confuse WordPress.com (the hosted service we are reviewing here) with WordPress.org (the open-source software you host yourself). WordPress.org gives you full control but requires your own hosting. WordPress.com is a managed service with a free tier but significant limitations. If you want the full WordPress experience without the free-plan restrictions, you need self-hosted WordPress on a hosting provider — but that is no longer free.
Our Verdict: WordPress.com is the best free platform for pure blogging. The writing tools, content management, and publishing workflow are unmatched in the free tier. The major downside is that WordPress.com places its own ads on your free site and you earn nothing from them. If you are building a blog for affiliate marketing or content monetization, the ads on your site advertising someone else's products are a real problem. For personal blogs and writing portfolios, it is excellent.
What you get for free: Wix's free plan gives you a username.wixsite.com/sitename subdomain, 500 MB of storage, 500 MB of monthly bandwidth, access to the full visual editor with hundreds of templates, and Wix's ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) that can generate a site based on your answers to a few questions. The free plan displays a Wix banner ad at the top of your site.
Who it is for: Non-technical users who want maximum visual control. Wix's drag-and-drop editor is the most flexible of any free builder — you can place elements anywhere on the page, adjust sizes pixel by pixel, add animations, and create layouts that look genuinely custom. It is ideal for portfolios, small business sites, restaurant pages, and creative projects.
Our Verdict: Wix has the best visual editor of any website builder, free or paid. If design flexibility matters more than anything else, Wix is your best option. The 500 MB bandwidth limit is the most restrictive on this list — it can handle roughly 5,000-10,000 monthly visitors before you hit the cap. For small personal projects and portfolios that do not expect heavy traffic, it works well. For anything growth-oriented, you will need to upgrade quickly. Also, Wix sites tend to be slower than static alternatives, which hurts page speed and SEO rankings.
What you get for free: Weebly's free plan gives you a yoursite.weebly.com subdomain, 500 MB of storage, unmetered bandwidth, a drag-and-drop editor with guided setup, a basic blog, basic SEO tools, and limited e-commerce (you can list up to 10 products on the free plan). Weebly is now owned by Square, which means its payment processing and e-commerce features are solid. A small Weebly badge appears in the footer.
Who it is for: Absolute beginners who want a guided experience. Weebly's editor holds your hand through the entire process with prompts, suggestions, and a step-by-step setup wizard. It is also the only free builder on this list that includes basic e-commerce with no monthly fee — you can sell up to 10 products (Square takes a transaction fee per sale).
Our Verdict: Weebly is the most beginner-friendly builder on this list. The guided setup and straightforward editor mean you genuinely cannot get lost. The unmetered bandwidth is a significant advantage over Wix's 500 MB limit. The e-commerce feature (even limited to 10 products) makes it the only free option for selling physical or digital products without third-party integrations. The downside is that Weebly's development pace has slowed considerably since the Square acquisition, and the templates feel dated compared to Framer or Wix.
What you get for free: Notion Sites lets you publish any Notion page directly to the web with a few clicks. Your site lives on a yourworkspace.notion.site subdomain. You get no ads, no branding, unlimited pages, and the full Notion editor for content creation. Storage is limited to 5 MB per file upload on the free plan. The result is a clean, minimal website that looks exactly like a Notion document — because it is one.
Who it is for: People who already use Notion and want to turn their notes, wikis, documentation, or project pages into a public website with zero friction. Writers who want a distraction-free publishing experience. Teams that want public-facing documentation. Anyone who values content over flashy design.
Our Verdict: Notion Sites is brilliant if you already live in Notion. The ability to edit a document and have your website update instantly is genuinely magical. But it is not really a "website builder" — it is a publishing tool for Notion pages. If you want any visual customization, branding, interactive elements, or professional design, Notion Sites will frustrate you. For public documentation, personal knowledge bases, and content-first sites where design does not matter, it is fast and free. Third-party builders like Super.so and Simple.ink add more design options on top of Notion if you want more control.
What you get for free: Framer's free plan gives you full access to the Framer Editor, unlimited projects in your workspace, up to 1,000 pages (shared between CMS and custom pages), up to 10 CMS collections, a yoursite.framer.website subdomain, free SSL, and up to 1,000 visitors per month with 100 MB of bandwidth. A small Framer watermark badge appears on free sites. Individual file uploads are capped at 5 MB.
Who it is for: Designers and creatives who want a website that looks like it was custom-designed by a professional — without writing code. Framer's editor feels like Figma meets a website builder: you design directly on the canvas with pixel-perfect control, animations, interactions, and responsive breakpoints. The result is some of the most beautiful free websites you can build anywhere.
Our Verdict: Framer produces the most visually impressive websites of any free builder on this list. If you have a design background (or strong visual instincts), Framer lets you build sites that look like they cost thousands of dollars. The 1,000 visitor/month limit on the free plan is the major constraint — it is fine for a portfolio you are sharing with potential clients, but useless for anything that needs real traffic. For designers building a personal portfolio or client preview site, Framer is exceptional. For growing a blog or business, the traffic limits kill it.
What you get for free: Webflow's free Starter plan gives you a yoursite.webflow.io subdomain, 2 static pages, 50 CMS items, 50 form submissions, 1 GB of bandwidth, access to Webflow's full visual design tools, and the ability to create 2 Starter sites per workspace. A Webflow branding badge appears on free sites. No custom domain.
Who it is for: Web designers and developers who want to build professional-quality websites with advanced CSS capabilities — flexbox, grid, animations, interactions — all through a visual interface. Webflow is the most powerful visual web design tool available, but its free plan is extremely limited. It is best used for learning the platform, prototyping designs, and building client previews before committing to a paid plan.
Our Verdict: Webflow is the most capable website builder on this list, but its free plan is the most restrictive. Two pages is not a website — it is a demo. Use the free plan to learn Webflow's interface, build prototypes, and preview designs for clients. If you decide Webflow is the right tool, the paid plans start at $14/month and are worth it for professional web design projects. For a genuinely useful free website, look at GitHub Pages, WordPress.com, or Weebly instead.
The "best" free website builder depends entirely on what you are building. Here is a decision framework based on common use cases:
Best option: WordPress.com — The blogging tools are unmatched. Categories, tags, scheduling, drafts, revision history, and a built-in reader community. Second choice: GitHub Pages with Jekyll for technical bloggers who want full control.
Best option: GitHub Pages (if you know HTML/CSS) or Framer (if you want visual design tools). GitHub gives you a custom domain and zero branding. Framer gives you the most beautiful designs but limits traffic to 1,000 visitors/month.
Best option: Carrd — Built for exactly this purpose. Live in 10 minutes. Three free sites per account. The minimal branding is barely noticeable.
Best option: Weebly — Guided setup, unmetered bandwidth, and basic e-commerce built in. Second choice: Wix for more visual flexibility, though the bandwidth limit is lower.
Best option: Weebly — The only free builder with built-in e-commerce (up to 10 products via Square). For more products, you will need a paid plan on any platform. Consider our guide on selling digital products for strategies that work on free platforms.
Best option: Notion Sites — If you already use Notion, publishing docs to the web is instant. Google Sites is a solid alternative for teams in the Google Workspace ecosystem.
Best option: GitHub Pages — Custom domain (important for SEO), zero ads competing with your affiliate links, full SEO control, and enough bandwidth for serious traffic. Read our complete affiliate marketing guide for the full strategy.
Best option: Framer — The design quality is genuinely stunning. Just remember the 1,000 visitor/month free limit. If you need both design quality and traffic capacity, learn HTML/CSS and use GitHub Pages with a well-designed template.
A free website can absolutely rank on Google — but you need to be intentional about SEO. Here are the essentials, no matter which builder you choose. For a deeper dive, check our best free SEO tools guide and 50 SEO tips to rank fast.
Every page needs a unique title tag (under 60 characters) with your target keyword near the beginning, and a compelling meta description (under 155 characters) that makes searchers want to click. Use our Meta Tag Generator to get these right.
Most free builders do not generate sitemaps automatically. Use our Sitemap Generator to create one, then submit it to Google Search Console. This tells Google exactly which pages to index.
Thin pages with 100 words do not rank. Google's Helpful Content guidelines reward comprehensive, genuinely useful content. Aim for 1,500+ words on important pages. Use our Word Counter to track your content length.
Static site builders like GitHub Pages and Carrd are inherently fast. Dynamic builders like Wix and WordPress.com add framework overhead that slows things down. Regardless of your platform, compress images, minimize scripts, and test with our Website Speed Test. Read our full guide on how to speed up your website.
A custom domain builds brand authority and improves click-through rates from search results. GitHub Pages is the only free builder that supports custom domains at no cost. If you use another builder, consider that a $10-$15/year domain investment is worth it for SEO alone. A .com or relevant TLD signals professionalism to both users and search engines.
Link your pages to each other using descriptive anchor text. This helps Google understand your site structure and distributes page authority. Even on a 5-page site, every page should link to at least 2-3 other pages.
Structured data (JSON-LD) helps Google understand your content and can unlock rich results in search. Article, FAQ, HowTo, and Product schemas are the most useful. GitHub Pages gives you full control to add schema. Most other free builders have limited or no schema support.
GitHub Pages is the only free builder that gives you complete SEO control: custom domain, clean URLs, full HTML access for meta tags and schema, no competing ads, fast load times, and the ability to configure robots.txt and sitemaps exactly how you want. If SEO matters to your goals (and it should), this advantage alone makes GitHub Pages worth learning.
Building a website for free is step one. Making money from it is step two. Here are proven monetization strategies that work on free platforms:
Recommend products you use and earn commissions when readers buy through your links. This works on every platform on this list except those that restrict external links. GitHub Pages and WordPress.com are the best free platforms for affiliate content. Read our complete affiliate marketing beginner's guide for the full strategy.
Create ebooks, templates, courses, printables, or design assets and sell them through platforms like Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, or Payhip. You do not need e-commerce built into your website — just link to your product page on the selling platform. Learn more in our guide on how to make money selling digital products.
Use your website as a portfolio and landing page for freelance services: writing, design, development, consulting, coaching. A simple contact form or email link is all you need. Even a one-page Carrd site can generate leads for a freelance business.
Your email list is your most valuable asset. Collect emails through lead magnets, newsletter signups, and content upgrades. Monetize later through affiliate promotions, product launches, and sponsored content. Free tools like Mailchimp (500 contacts) and MailerLite (1,000 contacts) handle this. Read our guide on how to build an email list from scratch.
Buy white-label tool bundles and resell them under your own brand. Our reseller license lets you resell 55+ web tools with no monthly fees. This is a proven model for generating recurring revenue from a free website — read how in our guide on making money reselling digital products.
For more ideas, check our comprehensive guides on how to make money online in 2026, passive income ideas, and best side hustles for 2026.
It depends on your needs. GitHub Pages is the best overall: free custom domain, zero ads, 100 GB bandwidth, full control. WordPress.com is best for blogging. Carrd is best for simple one-page sites. Wix is best for visual drag-and-drop design. Google Sites is best for absolute simplicity. The right choice depends on your technical comfort, design needs, and growth plans.
GitHub Pages is the only major free builder that allows a custom domain at no cost. All other builders on this list (Wix, WordPress.com, Weebly, Framer, Webflow, Carrd, Notion Sites) require a paid plan to connect a custom domain. Google Sites allows custom domains only through Google Workspace ($7.20/month). You can register a domain for $10-$15/year from providers like Namecheap, Porkbun, or Cloudflare Registrar and connect it to GitHub Pages for free.
GitHub Pages, Google Sites, and Notion Sites display no ads or branding on the free plan. WordPress.com shows its own ads on your free site. Wix displays a prominent banner. Weebly, Framer, and Webflow display platform branding badges. Carrd shows a small "Made with Carrd" text that is relatively unobtrusive.
Absolutely. Wix, Weebly, Carrd, Google Sites, WordPress.com, Notion Sites, and Framer all offer visual editors that require zero coding knowledge. Even GitHub Pages can be used without coding — you can fork a template repository and edit content through GitHub's web interface. The drag-and-drop builders (Wix, Weebly, Framer) are the most intuitive for non-technical users.
GitHub Pages gives you the most SEO control: custom domain, clean URLs, full meta tag access, schema markup, robots.txt, XML sitemaps, fast load times, and zero competing ads. WordPress.com has decent built-in SEO tools but limits advanced customization on the free plan. Wix's SEO has improved with Wix SEO Wiz but still lags behind static sites in page speed. For serious SEO, use our free SEO tools alongside your builder of choice.
For many people, no. A free GitHub Pages site with a $10/year domain can do everything a $15/month Wix plan can do — if you are willing to learn. However, paying makes sense if you need e-commerce functionality, client support, managed backups, or simply do not want to deal with any technical setup. The best approach: start free, validate your idea, and upgrade only when the free plan becomes a bottleneck for growth.
This depends on the platform. GitHub Pages uses standard HTML/CSS/JS that works anywhere. WordPress.com content can be exported. But Wix and Weebly sites cannot be migrated — you would need to rebuild from scratch. Before committing to any platform, consider whether you might want to move later. Starting with GitHub Pages or WordPress.com gives you the most portability.
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