Free Website Builder Software: What's Actually Free (And What's Not)

Let's cut through the marketing. Every website builder claims to be "free," but what you actually get for $0 varies wildly. Some free plans are genuinely useful for launching a basic site. Others are glorified demos designed to frustrate you into upgrading.

I've tested the major free website builders to help you figure out which one-if any-actually fits your needs without pulling out your credit card.

The Reality of "Free" Website Builders

Here's what you need to understand upfront: every free website builder makes money somehow. Usually that means:

None of this is necessarily bad-you get what you pay for. But you should know what you're getting into before you invest hours building a site.

Types of Free Website Builders

Before we dive into specific options, understand that "free website builder" covers three distinct categories:

1. Hosted Platform Builders (Freemium Model)

These are cloud-based platforms like Wix, Weebly, and WordPress.com that host your site for you. They offer limited free plans with their branding and ads, hoping you'll upgrade to paid tiers. The advantage is zero technical setup-just sign up and start building. The downside is you're locked into their ecosystem with significant limitations.

2. Open Source Static Site Generators

Tools like Hugo, Jekyll, and Eleventy are completely free and open source. You build your site locally, then deploy the HTML files anywhere. No monthly fees, no ads, no artificial limitations. The catch? They require technical knowledge-command line comfort, understanding of Git, and often some coding. These aren't for beginners, but they're truly free for those willing to learn.

3. Downloadable Desktop Software

Programs like Mobirise and Nicepage let you build sites offline on your computer, then export and upload the files to any hosting service. Free versions typically include watermarks and limited features, but you own the output files. These bridge the gap between beginner-friendly and technically flexible.

Best Free Website Builders Compared

Wix - Most Templates, Most Limitations

Wix markets itself aggressively as a free website builder, and technically it is. But their free plan is more of a sandbox than a real solution.

You get access to their drag-and-drop editor and over 2,000 templates covering nearly every industry imaginable. The editor is genuinely powerful-more flexible than Weebly, with advanced design freedom that lets you place elements precisely where you want them.

What the free plan includes:

What you don't get:

The free plan caps your storage and bandwidth, displays Wix ads prominently on your site, and forces you to use a wix.com subdomain. For a personal hobby site or testing Wix's interface, it works. For anything you want people to take seriously, you'll need to upgrade.

Wix's paid plans start at $17/month for their Light plan, which removes ads and connects a custom domain. But that tier still has limited storage (2GB). For small businesses, the $27/month Core plan makes more sense with better features.

Best for: Testing Wix's powerful editor before committing to a paid plan. Not recommended for actually launching a site you want people to take seriously. The prominent ads and Wix-branded URL undermine credibility.

Weebly/Square Online - Best Free E-commerce Features

Weebly (now owned by Square) has one of the most generous free plans if you want to sell stuff online. Their free plan includes a shopping cart, unlimited product listings, inventory management, and an automatic tax calculator. That's impressive when competitors like Shopify start at $29/month.

The free plan also includes free SSL security, basic SEO tools, lead capture forms, and an Instagram feed integration. You get 500MB of storage, which is enough for a small site with a handful of product photos. Importantly, you get unlimited bandwidth-no traffic caps that could crash your site during a busy period.

E-commerce features on free plan:

The catch: Your site displays Square ads, and you're stuck with a weebly.com subdomain. The templates feel dated compared to Wix or Squarespace-functional but not modern. And while you can sell physical products for free, digital downloads require a paid plan. You also can't access shipping labels or advanced e-commerce analytics on the free tier.

Another consideration: Since Square acquired Weebly in 2018, development has slowed. Square has focused more on their Square Online platform (built on Weebly technology), leaving the standalone Weebly product with fewer updates. The site builder works, but don't expect cutting-edge features.

Paid plans start at $10/month (Personal) to connect a custom domain, but you'll need the $12/month Professional plan to remove ads and get a free domain for the first year. The $26/month Performance plan unlocks advanced e-commerce features like shipping labels and abandoned cart recovery.

Best for: Small local businesses testing online sales, like a bakery taking pre-orders for pickup, or crafters selling on Instagram who need a simple checkout solution. The free e-commerce features are unmatched among truly free builders.

WordPress.com - Best for Blogging

WordPress.com (not to be confused with self-hosted WordPress.org) offers a free plan that's solid for simple blogs and content-focused sites. You get WordPress's powerful content editor, reliable hosting, and access to basic themes.

Free plan features:

The WordPress content editor is excellent-robust formatting, media handling, and built-in SEO fields. If you're primarily publishing written content, WordPress.com's editor beats most competitors. You can also create portfolios easily with certain themes that automatically display portfolio pieces.

The downside: WordPress.com's free plan displays ads on your site (which you don't control or profit from), limits customization significantly, and locks you to a wordpress.com subdomain. You also can't install plugins, which kills much of what makes WordPress powerful. No custom code, no Google Analytics, no advanced SEO plugins-these are all behind the paywall.

The free plan works for personal blogs, writers building an audience, or students creating portfolio sites. But the limited storage (1GB) fills up fast with images, and the inability to monetize (no ads, limited payment options) restricts business use.

If you're serious about WordPress, consider their Personal plan at $4/month (removes ads, connects custom domain) or the $8/month Premium plan (13GB storage, advanced design tools, monetization). Better yet, consider self-hosted WordPress.org for full control-more on that later.

Best for: Personal blogs, writers testing the WordPress ecosystem, and content creators who prioritize the writing experience over design flexibility. The editor is top-notch, but customization is severely limited without upgrading.

Google Sites - Simplest Option

Google Sites is completely free with a Google account-no ads, no upgrade prompts, unlimited pages. It integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Forms, etc.), making it ideal for teams already in the Google ecosystem.

What you get:

The catch? It's extremely basic. Limited templates, minimal customization, and it looks like... well, like a free Google product. You get six main page layouts and a handful of design options. Fine for internal team sites, school projects, or quick landing pages where aesthetics don't matter.

Google Sites lacks any e-commerce capabilities, advanced SEO tools, or design flexibility. You can't add custom code, install extensions, or significantly modify layouts. What you see is what you get-a clean, functional site that screams "I spent zero dollars on this."

That said, for internal use cases-team documentation, event planning pages, resource hubs, project wikis-Google Sites is perfect. The real-time collaboration features (multiple people editing simultaneously) and seamless Google Drive integration make it valuable for organizations already using Google Workspace.

Best for: Internal documentation, school projects, church/community group sites, event pages, or simple landing pages where aesthetics don't matter. Not suitable for customer-facing business sites or anything requiring visual polish.

Carrd - Best for Single-Page Sites

Carrd isn't a full website builder-it specializes in single-page sites. The free plan gives you up to 3 sites with basic features. It's clean, fast, and perfect for simple landing pages, personal profiles, or link-in-bio pages.

Free plan includes:

Carrd's simplicity is its strength. You're not building a multi-page website with complex navigation-you're creating one focused page. Perfect for freelancers showcasing their portfolio, creators needing a link-in-bio hub, or anyone who needs a simple online presence without complexity.

The templates are modern and well-designed. Unlike bloated website builders, Carrd sites load instantly because they're optimized for single-page performance.

Paid plans start at just $19/year (not per month), making it the cheapest upgrade path if you need custom domains, more sites, or features like forms with file uploads. The Pro Standard plan ($19/year) gives you 10 sites, custom domains, widgets, and Google Analytics.

Best for: Creators, freelancers, anyone who needs a simple one-page web presence, link-in-bio pages for Instagram/TikTok, event landing pages, or personal profile sites. Not suitable if you need multiple pages, a blog, or complex functionality.

Canva - Best for Design-Focused Sites

Canva recently entered the website builder space, leveraging their design platform to create visually-focused sites. If you're already using Canva for graphics, their website builder is a natural extension.

Free plan features:

Canva's strength is visual design. If you need a site that looks beautiful with minimal effort, Canva delivers. Access to millions of stock photos, graphics, and fonts (many free, some premium) makes design easy even for non-designers.

The AI tools help generate visuals and copy quickly. The website builder integrates seamlessly with other Canva projects-you can pull in designs you've already created, maintain consistent branding, and manage everything in one ecosystem.

Limitations: The free plan locks you to a Canva subdomain, displays Canva branding, and limits some features. Storage isn't unlimited, though generous for small sites. E-commerce capabilities are minimal-you can link to external stores but can't sell directly on the free plan.

Paid Canva plans start at $120/year, giving you custom domain connection, brand kit features, and removal of Canva branding. For design-conscious users already paying for Canva Pro, adding the website builder makes sense.

Best for: Design-focused creators, visual artists, photographers, designers, and anyone already using Canva who wants a cohesive brand presence. Not ideal for technical users or those needing advanced functionality.

HubSpot - Best Free CRM Integration

HubSpot is known for marketing automation and CRM, but they offer a surprisingly capable free website builder. Unlike most free builders, HubSpot's free plan comes with integrated CRM tools, form builders, and marketing features.

Free plan includes:

What sets HubSpot apart is the business tool integration. Your website, CRM, forms, and marketing exist in one ecosystem. When someone fills out a contact form, they're automatically added to your CRM with all their interactions tracked. This level of integration typically costs hundreds per month with other platforms.

The free plan works well for service businesses, consultants, agencies, and B2B companies that need lead capture and CRM functionality more than e-commerce. You're building a business tool, not just a website.

Limitations: Design flexibility is limited compared to Wix or Canva. Templates are professional but not cutting-edge. The free plan includes HubSpot branding on your site. Custom domain connection requires HubSpot hosting (paid plans start at $23/month).

Best for: Service businesses, consultants, B2B companies, sales teams, and anyone prioritizing lead generation and CRM over design flexibility. The integrated marketing tools provide exceptional value for business users.

Open Source Website Builders: The True "Free" Option

If you're willing to get technical, open source static site generators offer genuine freedom-no ads, no limitations, no monthly fees, ever. You own everything. The tradeoff is a steeper learning curve.

Hugo - Blazing Fast Static Site Generator

Hugo bills itself as "the world's fastest framework for building websites," and the claim holds up. Written in Go, Hugo can build sites with thousands of pages in milliseconds.

Why Hugo is truly free:

Hugo excels at content-heavy sites-blogs, documentation, marketing sites, portfolios. You write content in Markdown, choose a theme, and Hugo generates HTML files you can host anywhere. The result is incredibly fast-loading sites with zero backend vulnerabilities (because there is no backend).

The learning curve: Hugo requires command line comfort and understanding of file structures. You'll work with configuration files (TOML, YAML, or JSON), learn Hugo's templating language, and need basic Git knowledge for deployment. Not beginner-friendly, but powerful once you understand it.

Themes are plentiful (over 400 official themes), and customization is unlimited if you know HTML/CSS. Integration with modern tools like Netlify, Vercel, or GitHub Pages makes deployment free and automatic.

Best for: Developers, tech-comfortable bloggers, documentation sites, technical teams, and anyone who values speed and control over ease of use. If you're comfortable with the command line, Hugo offers unmatched performance and zero ongoing costs.

Jekyll - The Original Static Site Generator

Jekyll pioneered the modern static site generator movement and remains popular, especially among GitHub users. Written in Ruby, Jekyll integrates natively with GitHub Pages for free hosting.

Jekyll advantages:

Jekyll's killer feature is GitHub Pages integration. Push your Jekyll site to a GitHub repository, enable GitHub Pages, and your site is live-free hosting, automatic SSL, custom domain support, all at no cost. This makes Jekyll the go-to choice for developers already using GitHub.

The plugin ecosystem is extensive. Need SEO optimization? There's a plugin. Want RSS feeds? Plugin. Contact forms, sitemaps, search-plugins exist for everything.

The learning curve: Jekyll requires Ruby and RubyGems knowledge. Setup is more involved than Hugo (managing gem dependencies, bundler, Ruby versions). Build times are slower, especially for large sites. But if you're already in the Ruby ecosystem or use GitHub, Jekyll is a natural fit.

Best for: Developers (especially Ruby developers), GitHub users, technical bloggers, and anyone wanting free GitHub Pages hosting. The GitHub integration makes deployment trivially easy for technical users.

Eleventy - The JavaScript Alternative

Eleventy is a newer static site generator built on JavaScript and Node.js. If you're comfortable with JavaScript, Eleventy offers excellent performance and flexibility.

Why consider Eleventy:

Eleventy supports multiple template languages-Markdown, HTML, JavaScript, Liquid, Nunjucks, Handlebars, and more. This flexibility lets you choose familiar tools rather than learning new syntax.

Performance is excellent-sites built with Eleventy load fast and rank well. The generated HTML is clean and minimal, no bloat.

Best for: JavaScript developers, front-end developers transitioning from frameworks, and technical users who want static site benefits without learning Go or Ruby. Eleventy bridges the gap between modern JavaScript development and static site generation.

Mobirise - Downloadable Desktop Builder

Mobirise is free desktop software for Windows, Mac, and Linux that lets you build responsive websites offline. It's a middle ground between beginner-friendly builders and technical static generators.

Free features:

Mobirise works offline-build your site on your computer, then export the HTML/CSS files to upload anywhere. No monthly fees, no platform lock-in. You own the files.

The builder is genuinely no-code with drag-and-drop blocks for content, galleries, forms, pricing tables, and more. Templates cover common needs-business sites, portfolios, landing pages, online stores (with extensions).

Limitations: The free version includes Mobirise branding and limited blocks. Many premium blocks and extensions require payment. E-commerce features need paid extensions (Smart Cart for PayPal/Stripe integration). Some users report the interface feels dated compared to cloud builders.

Best for: Users who want desktop software, prefer working offline, need basic sites without monthly fees, or want to own their website files without platform lock-in. Good bridge option between beginner builders and technical generators.

When Free Actually Works

A free website builder can genuinely work for:

The key is matching expectations to limitations. Free plans work fine when their constraints don't matter to your goals. A personal blog with 100 monthly visitors doesn't need unlimited bandwidth. An internal team site doesn't need custom branding removed.

When You Should Pay

Upgrade to a paid plan when:

For businesses serious about their web presence, check out our guides to best website builder software and website builder for small business.

Free Builders for Specific Use Cases

Best for Bloggers

WordPress.com's free plan wins for pure blogging. The content editor is excellent, you get proper blog features (categories, tags, RSS), and content management is straightforward. If writing is your priority and you don't need design flexibility, WordPress.com delivers.

Alternatives: Medium (technically not a website builder, but free blogging platform) or Ghost (free self-hosted option if technical).

Best for Photographers and Visual Artists

Canva's website builder excels for visual portfolios. Access to professional design tools, templates optimized for image galleries, and seamless integration with your existing Canva designs makes it natural for visual creators.

Alternatives: Format (free trial, then paid) or self-hosted portfolio with Hugo/Jekyll if technical.

Best for Small Online Stores

Weebly/Square Online offers the most robust free e-commerce features. Shopping cart, inventory management, and unlimited products beat competitors. Not suitable for scaling, but perfect for testing product-market fit.

Alternatives: Square Online Free plan (essentially Weebly's e-commerce features) or Ecwid's free plan (which integrates with other builders).

Best for Service Businesses and Consultants

HubSpot's free plan, with integrated CRM and lead capture, works perfectly for service businesses. The website becomes a lead generation tool, not just an online brochure.

Alternatives: Carrd for simple contact pages or WordPress.com with contact forms.

Best for Developers and Technical Users

Hugo or Jekyll give you unlimited power with zero costs. If you're comfortable with command line tools and have basic coding knowledge, static site generators offer vastly more control than any hosted platform.

Alternatives: Eleventy (JavaScript-based) or Gatsby (React-based static sites).

Best for Quick Landing Pages

Carrd specializes in single-page sites and does it better than anyone. Fast, modern, and optimized for focused landing pages.

Alternatives: Google Sites (if aesthetics don't matter) or HTML/CSS custom page hosted on free hosting.

The Squarespace Alternative

Squarespace doesn't have a true free plan, but it does offer a 14-day free trial. If you care about design and professionalism, Squarespace templates are significantly better than what you'll get from free builders.

Their pricing starts at $16/month for the Personal plan-not cheap, but you get a custom domain (free for first year), no ads, and templates that actually look modern. The design quality gap between Squarespace and free builders is substantial.

If you're comparing Squarespace vs Wix, Squarespace wins on design quality; Wix wins on price if you stick with free. But for professional sites, the $16-20/month investment in Squarespace often pays for itself in credibility.

The trial lets you build your entire site risk-free. You only pay when you're ready to publish. This "try before you buy" approach beats limited free plans for users serious about launching.

Try Squarespace free for 14 days

Hidden Costs to Watch

Even "free" plans can cost you:

Be realistic about what free actually costs in frustration and missed opportunities. Sometimes the "free" option ends up costing more in time and lost credibility than a $10/month paid plan.

Technical Considerations for Free Plans

Performance and Speed

Free plans often get lower priority on shared servers, meaning slower load times. Page speed affects SEO rankings and user experience. If speed matters (and it should), test your builder's performance before committing hours to building.

Static site generators (Hugo, Jekyll) generally produce the fastest sites because they serve pre-built HTML with no database queries. Hosted builders vary-Google Sites is fast, older Weebly sites can be slow.

SEO Limitations

Free plans typically restrict SEO capabilities:

If organic search traffic matters to your strategy, free plans will handicap you. Basic SEO features exist, but advanced optimization requires paid tiers.

Security Considerations

Most free builders include basic security (SSL, DDoS protection), but advanced features require payment. Two-factor authentication, malware scanning, security monitoring-these often live behind paywalls.

Static site generators are inherently secure (no backend to hack), but you're responsible for securing your deployment process and hosting environment.

Backup and Recovery

Free plans rarely include automatic backups. If something breaks, you might lose everything. Before building extensively on a free plan, understand the backup situation. Can you export your content? Are there automatic backups? How do you restore if disaster strikes?

Static generators naturally version-controlled through Git, giving you complete history. Hosted builders vary-some offer export tools, others lock you in.

Scalability Path

Consider the upgrade path before choosing a free builder. If your site succeeds, can you scale without rebuilding? What do paid tiers cost? Are there feature gaps that require platform switching later?

Hugo/Jekyll scale infinitely without additional cost (just add hosting if needed). Hosted builders scale through increasingly expensive tiers. Know the roadmap before investing time.

Migration and Exit Strategy

Before committing to a free website builder, understand how you'll leave if needed. Platform lock-in is real.

Content Export

Can you export your content? In what format? WordPress.com provides XML export. Wix and Weebly offer limited export options. Check before building-you don't want your content held hostage.

Design Export

Can you export the actual site design and HTML? Mobirise lets you export everything. Cloud builders typically don't-you can export content but must rebuild the design elsewhere.

Domain Transfer

If you've connected a custom domain, can you transfer it away? Who actually owns it? Understand domain ownership before purchasing through your builder.

Cost of Switching

Rebuilding a site on a new platform costs time and potentially money for professional help. Factor switching costs into your initial platform choice. Sometimes paying for a more flexible platform upfront beats getting locked into a limited free option.

Comparing Free vs Paid Plans

To illustrate the real differences, here's what upgrading typically gets you:

Wix Free vs Wix Light ($17/month)

Free: Wix subdomain, 500MB storage, 1GB bandwidth, Wix ads, no custom domain, community support

Light: Custom domain connection, 2GB storage, limited bandwidth, Wix ads removed, email & chat support

Worth upgrading if: You need custom domain and ad removal for professional appearance. Still limited for growing sites.

Weebly Free vs Professional ($12/month)

Free: Weebly subdomain, 500MB storage, unlimited bandwidth, Square ads, basic e-commerce, no digital products

Professional: Custom domain, no ads, unlimited storage, digital product sales, shipping labels, site search, password protection

Worth upgrading if: You're serious about e-commerce and need to remove branding. Unlimited storage helps content-heavy sites.

WordPress.com Free vs Personal ($4/month)

Free: WordPress.com subdomain, 1GB storage, WordPress ads, basic themes, 7 days of stats, community forums

Personal: Custom domain (free first year), 6GB storage, ads removed, email/chat support, unlimited subscribers, full stats history

Worth upgrading if: You're serious about blogging and want custom domain. Still can't install plugins or themes-need $8/month Premium for that.

Real-World Use Case Examples

Case Study: Freelance Photographer

Need: Visual portfolio showcasing work, contact form, social links

Best free option: Canva website builder for design tools and templates, or Carrd for simple single-page portfolio

When to upgrade: When landing paid clients and needing professional custom domain

Case Study: Local Bakery Testing Online Orders

Need: Product catalog, shopping cart, order management, Instagram integration

Best free option: Weebly/Square Online for e-commerce features

When to upgrade: When weekly order volume justifies the cost, need shipping labels, or want custom domain for marketing materials

Case Study: Tech Blogger

Need: Fast loading blog, good SEO, minimal costs, full control

Best free option: Hugo or Jekyll with GitHub Pages hosting

When to upgrade: Probably never-static generators scale infinitely at near-zero cost

Case Study: Consultant/Coach

Need: Professional presence, lead capture, CRM integration, booking system

Best free option: HubSpot for CRM integration, or Carrd with Calendly integration for simple booking

When to upgrade: When lead volume justifies CRM investment or need advanced marketing automation

Case Study: Nonprofit Organization

Need: Information about mission, donation capability, event calendar, volunteer signup

Best free option: Google Sites for simplicity and collaboration, WordPress.com for content management

When to upgrade: When donations scale and need professional appearance for credibility with donors

Advanced Tips for Maximizing Free Plans

1. Use Custom Domain Through Workarounds

Some free builders let you connect custom domains through DNS tricks, even if it's not officially supported. Research builder-specific workarounds.

2. Leverage Free CDN Services

For static exports (like Mobirise), host on free CDNs like Cloudflare Pages or Netlify for better performance and SSL.

3. Combine Multiple Free Tools

Use Carrd for landing page, WordPress.com for blog, and link between them. Each excels at different things.

4. Start with Trial, Downgrade Later

Some builders let you start a free trial, build everything with paid features, then downgrade but keep the content. Test the builder.

5. Use Free Hosting for Static Exports

GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages-all offer free hosting for static sites. Pair with Hugo/Jekyll for zero-cost professional sites.

6. Focus on Content Over Design

With limited design options, focus on content quality. Great content on a basic site beats mediocre content on a beautiful site.

7. Learn Basic HTML/CSS

Even builders with limited customization often allow custom code on paid plans. Learn basics to extend free plan capabilities when you upgrade.

Common Mistakes with Free Website Builders

Mistake 1: Building for Months Before Checking Limitations

Discover what you can't do after investing weeks of work. Check limitations upfront, especially around e-commerce, custom domains, and export options.

Mistake 2: Choosing Builder Based on Templates

Templates look great in demos but remember you're stuck with limited customization on free plans. Choose based on features and flexibility, not initial appearance.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Mobile Responsiveness

Not all free templates are equally mobile-friendly. Test your actual content on mobile devices early-don't assume responsiveness.

Mistake 4: Forgetting About Backups

Build for weeks, lose everything in a glitch with no backup. Export content regularly even on free plans.

Mistake 5: Underestimating Storage Needs

500MB sounds sufficient until you add 50 high-quality product photos. Calculate storage needs realistically before building your entire catalog.

Mistake 6: Overlooking Page Load Speed

Free plans often mean shared servers and slower speeds. Test performance early-it affects user experience and SEO.

Mistake 7: Building Business Site on Clearly Free Platform

Yourcompany.wixsite.com undermines credibility for businesses. If you're professional, look professional from day one or wait until you can afford paid hosting.

The Future of Free Website Builders

The free website builder landscape continues evolving:

AI Integration

More builders integrate AI for design suggestions, content generation, and layout optimization. Wix and Canva already offer AI features, with more coming.

No-Code Movement

Tools become increasingly powerful without requiring code knowledge. The gap between "beginner" and "advanced" builders narrows.

Headless CMS Options

Static generators pair with free headless CMS options (Netlify CMS, Forestry) to give non-technical editors content management without sacrificing performance.

Better Free Tiers

Competition forces improvement. Free plans offer more features than ever as builders compete for user acquisition.

Specialization

Builders increasingly target specific niches. Expect more specialized free options for photographers, restaurants, consultants, etc.

My Recommendation

After testing these platforms extensively, here's my honest take:

If you truly need free and plan to sell products, start with Weebly. Their free e-commerce features are unmatched. Just accept the subdomain and ads until you're making enough revenue to justify upgrading.

If you need free for a simple presence with no commerce, try Carrd for single pages or Google Sites for basic multi-page sites. Both are actually usable without constant upgrade pressure.

If you're technical, skip hosted builders entirely. Hugo or Jekyll with free GitHub Pages hosting gives you unlimited power and zero ongoing costs. The learning curve pays dividends.

If you're building for a business you care about, skip free entirely. The $16-20/month you spend on a real website builder pays for itself in credibility. Check out Squarespace or similar paid platforms.

For the middle ground-you need somewhat professional but have zero budget-use HubSpot's free plan if you're in B2B/services, or WordPress.com if you're focused on content. Both offer legitimate free value without being complete compromises.

Bottom Line

Free website builders work for hobby projects, testing ideas, and learning. They're not professional solutions for serious businesses.

The "free" in free website builders always comes with tradeoffs-your URL, their ads, limited features, restricted storage, or technical complexity. Choose based on which limitations you can live with.

For anything business-related, budget for a paid plan from the start. The professional appearance and features are worth the $10-20/month investment. Your website represents your business-cheap hosting screams "not serious."

If you're ready to invest in your web presence, compare options in our Squarespace pricing breakdown or explore top website builder software to find the right fit.

Remember: free gets you started, but growth requires investment. Choose a builder with a reasonable upgrade path that matches your long-term goals, not just your current budget.