18 Best Free Website Builders in 2024

Do you want to create a website for your brand, but don't know where to start? It can be easier than you think, and it's possible to develop it using a free website builder.You don't need to be an expert on coding or design to do that, many website builders already offer an intuitive interface.

You can use free pre-built templates, which gives you the necessary structure to start designing your pages. Use the website builder editor to customize details, like adding images and changing the colors and fonts. 

It's possible to find free website builders that offer many features and enable you to take the first step towards expanding your business online. Enjoy that opportunity.

What Is a Website Builder?

A website builder is a service offered by many software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies that enable people to create their own pages online without having code or design skills. It usually offers multiple tools in a single platform, where the website will be hosted and you can have access to a page editor to customize every piece of your website and, and update it regularly.

Many website builders provide pre-made templates with different themes, for example, for online stores, restaurants, hotels, businesses, portfolios, and blogs. You choose the template that suits you better and personalize the page according to your needs by adding text, choosing the color palette, placing and sizing images, and much more.

To start using a website builder, you need to access the platform of your choice, create an account, and choose the plan that fits your needs. If you don't have a budget to enjoy a paid plan, it's possible to create websites for free, as many of those platforms offer free plan options.

What to Look for in a Free Website Builder

Easy-to-use Interface

If you are looking for a free website builder that doesn't require coding or design skills, it needs to have an intuitive interface, so you can easily navigate through it to enjoy the platform's features. 

As it's for free, you can try more than one website builder and see which one suits you and your team better. Another tip is to look for customer reviews, so you can make your decision with more accuracy and without having to spend time testing more than one software. 

Customization Tools

Pay attention if the free website builder of your choice gives you autonomy to personalize the pages as you wish. It should provide edition tools, such as a drag-and-drop editor where you can add content, and modify the page design elements.

Security 

Free website builders must follow security protocols to guarantee your website data is protected. Having an SSL certificate, and HTTPS built-in makes a huge difference, also pay attention if the software offers the option to make a backup of your website. Security measures help with search engine optimization as well. 

Storage Space

Usually, when you opt for a free website builder plan, the storage space and bandwidth are more limited, but it can be enough to begin. Besides, most of the platforms allow you to easily expand by choosing a premium plan when you feel the need. 

Minimal Advertising 

Commonly, free website builders put ads on your website, for example, Wix and WordPress do that, although Weebly and Strikingly don't. The most important thing is to avoid platforms that place an excessive amount of ads on your pages, in an intrusive way.

WordPress and Wix ads tend to be more subtle, and that helps to provide a better user experience. After all, it can be annoying to read a page where the content is full of ads, It can be very distracting and prevent the users from seeing the main content. 

Ecommerce Functionality

Some free website builders don't offer the ecommerce functionality, and if you don't intend to sell online that won't be a problem, but if you do, pay attention to choosing a platform that allows you to build your store without having to pay for it. 

Best Free Website Builders

1. Wix

With Wix, you can create your website, manage and develop content to keep enhancing it. You will find hundreds of pre-built templates to choose from, which can be customized using the drag-and-drop editor. 

You can resize, rotate, align, and add new graphic elements. It's possible to have a website with different sections, like a blog, online store, portfolio, and online scheduling. Wix also helps you to make sure your website looks great on desktop and mobile devices by using responsive design. 

To keep your website protected, the website builder offers a free SSL certificate, 2-step verification, and 24/7 website security monitoring.

As your website grows, if you feel the need to have more storage and bandwidth, you can easily opt for one of the premium plans. Then, you will have the opportunity to enjoy other features, including marketing integrations and email marketing. 

Key features: 

• Pre-built website templates
• Drag-and-drop editor
• SSL certificate
• SEO tools
• Analytics
• Responsive design

2. WordPress

WordPress is one of the most popular website builders around the world and it also offers a free plan. To start, you can choose among thousands of customizable themes, and have different types of pages, a blog, portfolio, and an ecommerce, for example.

It's very easy to publish content, and you can count on a fast and intuitive editor, which saves your work every few seconds. Use the drag-and-drop tool to add images and other graphic elements on each page.

You can create photo galleries, and upload audio and videos too, using your desktop computer or mobile devices. Share your blog posts on social media by automatically sending them to Facebook, and Twitter, so your followers can check them out when there is new content.

WordPress also helps you to have a search engine optimized website, by providing many SEO tools. Use the analytics features to keep track of your website performance, and get to know more about your customers' behavior. 

Key Features: 

• Customizable themes
• Mobile-friendly design
• 24/7 customer support
• Search engine optimized
• SEO tools
• In-depth stats

3. SITE123

SITE123 is one of the best free website builders that offers multiple features such as responsive design, intuitive website editor, SEO tools, and free hosting. You can also create an online store and sell globally. 

With just a few steps, it's possible to have your website running smoothly. Select a pre-built template, edit it to fit your brand, upload the content, review, and publish. If you have any questions or problems, you can count on the 24/7 customer support offered by the platform. 

You will also have the advantage to use a free website builder that creates SEO- friendly pages, so they can be visible and indexed by search engines. 

Key features:

• Intuitive website editor
• Responsive web design
• Free hosting
• SEO tools
• Sell online
• 24/7 customer support

4. HostGator

With a 45-day free trial, HostGator provides solutions not only to create your website as you wish but also allows you to choose the shared hosting plan that suits your company better. It also offers a much more practical way to develop your website's design.

Instead of using a drag and drop editor, you will just need to answer some questions and Gator Builder will automatically make your pages using an optimized layout and industry-specific design. To have your ecommerce all set up, you can count on management tools for inventory, shipping, and taxes. 

HostGator has analytics features as well, which enables you to measure and keep track of important metrics, understanding better your audience's behavior. Enjoy the SEO tools too, so you can enhance your pages to rank better on search engines. 

Key features: 

• Intelligent builder
• Easy analytics
• Image Library
• Mobile responsiveness
• LogoMaker
• Search optimized
• 24/7 customer support

5. Webnode

Webnode has a user-friendly website builder, which will turn the task of developing a website and managing it into a much simpler one. Use the predesigned pages and customize them by adding images and videos, changing colors and fonts, and inserting your brand's identity into it.

It's not necessary to download Webnode to your computer, it's possible to set everything up online, and edit content using your smartphone. You have the option to create a new domain or use an existing one, as you prefer, the Webnode subdomain is for free. 

You will also rely on safe and stable hosting servers, which enables you to get more space and higher bandwidth as your website traffic grows. Use the backup feature to make regular backups of your website and keep your data safe. 

Key features:

• User-friendly website builder
• Reliable hosting
• SEO tools
• HTTPS for safe browsing
• Edit on any device
• Pre-built templates
• Responsive design

6. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a free website builder that allows you to develop your pages by selecting a pre-built template, editing it, then adding your content, in just a few minutes your website is ready to be published. Once it's online, you can manage everything using GoDaddy, including your ecommerce.

You can even integrate your online store with marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, and control it all in a single platform. GoDaddy also provides marketing and SEO tools to help you boost your website traffic and sales. 

To be prevented from any unforeseen problems, you can enjoy the backup feature, so you always have a backup of your site. Monitor your website performance by using GoDaddy web analytics features, you can track your search ranking, email campaigns, and orders, for instance. 

Key features: 

• Customizable themes
• Backup and restore
• Image library
• SEO tools
• Web analytics
• Marketing tools
• Sell on Facebook and Instagram

7. Strikingly

Strikingly is a famous free website builder, which provides an easy-to-use editor that allows you to have your website ready in less than 30 minutes. You can create an online store, and insert tools to cultivate your audience, such as a live chat and sign-up form to register membership.

It's also possible to show your feeds from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter directly on your web pages. To enhance security all websites created by Strikingly get HTTPS automatically for free, and you can also count on SEO and analytics tools. If you have any doubts, 24/7 customer support is at your disposal to help. 

Key features:

• Easy-to-use website editor
• Ecommerce built-in
• Analytics
• HTTPS built-in
• 24/7 customer support

8. Weebly

Customizable web page design and useful tools that enable you to create and maintain your website: Weebly offers this and much more. The free website builder has an intuitive interface, you will just need to create your account, choose the template that has more to do with your brand, edit it, and post your content.

You will count on a step-by-step guide to know how to launch your website, which can include ecommerce as well. It's also possible to integrate your website with other apps to enhance its performance, for example, CRM, live chat, and others.

Your website will be search engine optimized, with a responsive design, and the option to customize URLs, add alt text to images, write page titles and meta descriptions too. Get to know how you may improve the pages by analyzing real-time stats.

Key features:

• Customizable web page designs
• Responsive themes
• SEO tools
• Reliable and free hosting
• Marketing tools

9. Webflow

With Webflow, you have the opportunity to create and manage your website without having coding skills and using a free plan. It offers a web design editor where you can style your website pages the way you wish, and publish them directly from the web. 

Through the Content Management System (CMS), it's easy to manage your pages, publish, edit content, and keep track of performance to know how to improve to make your website grow on organic traffic. Enjoy the SEO tools to conquer more visibility.

Key features:

• Website editor
• SEO tools
• CMS
• Fast and reliable hosting
• Create and manage an ecommerce

10. Shopify

No doubt, Shopify is one of the best website builders for online stores since it was developed focusing on offering the best ecommerce solutions for entrepreneurs. 

With its drag-and-drop store builder, you will easily customize your pages by choosing one template, then inserting images and other graphic elements, such as the brand's logo, to align with your company's visual identity. 

All themes provided are fully responsive, meaning your customers can enjoy a great user experience on your online store whether it's accessed on their desktop computers or mobile devices.  

To facilitate the payment process, Shopify payments enable you to accept credit cards without the need for any third-party account. The system supports over 100 external payment gateways. Besides, the platform offers multiple other benefits, including a comprehensive dashboard where you are going to get a detailed view of your business. 

You can check the number of sales, growth rate, track orders, and have a better understanding of your audience to create more effective sales and marketing campaigns. Sell in different marketplaces and have all your inventory connected to Shopify. 

Key features: 

• Drag-and-drop store builder
• Designed for mobile
• Shopify payments
• Comprehensive dashboard
• Shopify mobile app
• Built-in SEO features
• Inventory management

11. BigCommerce

With BigCommerce website builder for online stores, you can design with freedom, operate with no worry, and enjoy its features to innovate. You will get fully customizable themes with built-in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and be able to edit them using the drag-and-drop editor. 

The platform also allows you to customize the checkout process to make it simpler for your customers, encouraging them to finalize purchases, also you can make your website mobile-friendly. To make sure all the sections are configured properly, use the Stencil CLL tool to test the website. It can be integrated with WordPress as well. 

To boost sales, BigCommerce enables you to provide multiple payment methods and create more than 70 native discounts and promotions, without requiring scripting. The SEO tools, such as creating customizable URLs, enable you to optimize your online store to be found easily on search engines. 

You can also make your products available on multiple sales channels, in marketplaces, and on social media. If you have a B2B company, BigCommerce has specific solutions for that too, including quote management, bulk pricing, and customer groups. 

Key features: 

• Page builder visual editor
• Theme customization
• Checkout customization
• Preview before publishing
• WordPress integration
• SEO tools
• B2B tools 

12. SquareSpace

With SquareSpace, you are going to see how easy it can be to have an outstanding website. You can start by choosing among their industry-leading templates, then choose the color palette, and fonts to make each page aligned to your brand's visual identity.

If you intend to have an online store, you can count on SquareSpace made for that and also add third-party plugins. Besides, the platform offers tools to create email campaigns and use social media to promote your website. You may create different types of pages, such as a blog, portfolio, curriculum vitae, and online store.

Key features:

• Wide range of templates
• Marketing tools
• Ecommerce tools
• Logo maker
• 24/7 customer support
• Free trial

13.  Duda

Duda is a website builder focused on the creation of digital marketing agency websites. There is no need to know how to code to use this platform. Enjoy the drag-and-drop tool to customize each page of your website and leave it with your brand's identity. 

You can choose among the pre-designed templates, so you don't have to design everything from scratch. All the websites built through the Duda platform have a responsive design, which means they will perform well on desktop computers and mobile devices. 

Key features:

• Drag-and-drop tool
• Dudaflex editor
• Responsive design
• Pre-designed templates
• Showcase your portfolio

14. Jimdo

With Jimdo, you can have your own website for free. Use the built-in design features to personalize every detail of your site web pages. Add the images, logo, and text, and position every element to make it easy for users to navigate through. You can choose your domain name through the platform too.

All the websites are developed with a responsive design, so the user can enjoy them whether they are on their mobile devices or a desktop computer. Count on Jimdo's free image bank to use high-quality photos that will make your website more appealing. 

Key features:

• Built-in design features
• Responsive design
• Copyright-free photos
• Connect with social media
• SEO tools

15. Dorik

"Build beautiful websites in minutes, without code", that's what Dorik proposes to its users. You will have a single platform to not only build your pages but also maintain them always up to date. For example, by inserting new articles and features as you see necessary.

The platform offers more than 60 professional templates and over 250 UI blocks. You will have a free SSL certificate, and the website will be hosted on AWS and Digital Ocean. If you plan to build an ecommerce, there is the option to integrate PayPal, Stripe, and Gumroad. You also can add subscription forms to your website.

Key features:

• More than 60 templates
• Over 250 blocks
• Free SSL
• Payment integration
• Custom domain
• Export code

16. Simvoly

Simvoly allows you to create your own customized website using the drag-and-drop tool. It offers several assets to become even simpler to design the pages the way you wish, which includes more than 200 templates, custom blocks, and elements. Choose the fonts, color palette, add images, and make A/B tests too. The design is fully responsive.

If you intend to make an ecommerce, tools like sales funnels and custom checkout will be very useful. You have the option to customize the buyer journey. Besides, you will have access to detailed analytics to get to know your target audience better and understand how to improve the website.

Key features:

• Page builder
• Drag-and-drop tool
• More than 200 templates
• A/B test
• Responsive design
• Sales funnels
• Custom checkouts
• AI assistant

17. Volusion

Volusion is a platform focused on enabling you to create your own ecommerce website. You will find beautiful themes for different types of stores. All you have to do is choose the one that suits you best and start customizing it. 

To help you make your website stand out, you can count on a team of experts, including SEO experts, web designers, and marketing professionals. To enhance the user experience when browsing through your website, Volusion offers several options to personalize the layout, you have different types of displays to showcase your products. 

Key features:

• Ecommerce website themes
• Responsive design
• Customize layout
• Product display options
• Home page slideshow
• SEO tools
• Fast loading

18. HubSpot Website Builder

With HubSpot, you count on a free drag-and-drop website builder. You can create your website without any coding or technical skills.  The editor is easy-to-use and enables you to personalize all the pages. 

To facilitate this task, you can choose a pre-built template. As you build every page, enjoy the preview tool to make sure the website is exactly as you want it to be. HubSpot also provides you with a free SSL certificate.

Key features: 

• Drag-and-drop website builder
• Intuitive editor
• Pre-built themes
• SSL certificate
• Free blog maker

How to Create a Free Website?

The free website builders listed in this article follow a very similar process on how to create a website. First, you need to create an account. After that, you are going to select a pre-built template that fits the type of website and sections you wish to have, but you can develop a template in some cases, as well.

Once you have decided which template to use, it's time to customize it, for example, by adding text, images, videos, changing colors, resizing, and repositioning graphic elements. When finished, review the details, to make sure everything is set as you expected, then click to publish. 

If your website also has an ecommerce, it takes more steps to make it available. You are going to need to set prices, payment, and shipping methods, among other things. But, usually, the website builders provide tools that will help you with that. 

Don't forget to consider the SEO settings, for example, to create customized URLs according to the main keyword for each page, adding meta descriptions to your blog posts, and alt text to images. 

Free Subdomain x Pay for a Domain

The domain name influences how easy it is for people to find your website, and remember its address. Free website builders usually offer the option to have a subdomain, for example, "www.yourcompany'sname.weebly.com". If you want a shorter address such as "www.yourcomany'sname.com", it's necessary to pay for it.

But, paying for a domain name can be worth it since you will be able to customize it as you wish, and register it, so no one uses the same domain. A good domain name helps to keep your brand website in the users' minds, the tip is to avoid using words that are hard to spell, and special characters. 

If you aren't prepared to pay for a domain yet,  you can start using a subdomain, and change it as your business and online presence grows. 

Free Website Builders: FAQ

1. What is the best free website builder?

There isn't one best free website builder for everyone, it depends on your criteria and necessities. It's importatn to take into consideration what you value most about a website builder. Each case neeeds to be analyzed individually.

2. Are free website builders secure?

Yes, they are. The best free website builders follow security measures and offer tools to assure user data is stored securely, and that people can browse through your website and provide personal information without risks.

3. How long does it take to build a website?

It depends on the website builder you choose, and the type of website you want to create. If you wish to have a more personalized design or need to install several plugins before launching it, for example. But, in some cases, it's possible to have a website in 30 minutes.

4. Is it worth it to use a free website builder?

Using a free website builder may be worth depending on your needs or if you want to just make the website to test and then invest in a paid plan as it grows, for instance. The free plans have some limitations, but they are an interesting alternative if you don't have money to invest on a paid plan.

Selecting the Best Free Website Builder 

Enjoy the opportunity of using a free website builder to have a website for your business. Nowadays, it's fundamental to cultivate a presence online, even if you don't plan to sell on the internet.

When a company has a well-constructed website, full of relevant content, it helps to build brand awareness, and authority, and expand its audience.

But, before starting to use the free website builder of your choice, make a plan of how to develop the looks and content of your pages. Study your target audience and define what you aim to achieve with your website.