Best Free Website Builders 2026: Top 10 for Beginners
You don’t need coding skills or a big budget to build a professional website. Free website builders make it possible for anyone to get online.
We’ve tested every major platform to bring you the definitive 2026 guide.
Quick Comparison
| Builder | Free Plan | Custom Domain | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | ✅ Limited | Paid only | Beginners |
| WordPress.com | ✅ Yes | Paid only | Bloggers |
| Squarespace | Trial only | N/A | Design |
| Carrd | ✅ 3 sites | Paid only | Simple pages |
| Google Sites | ✅ Free | Paid only | Basic needs |
1. Wix — Best for Beginners
Free Plan: Yes (Wix branding + ads)
Wix is the most popular website builder with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
Free Features
- ✅ Drag-and-drop editor
- ✅ 500+ templates
- ✅ 500 MB storage
- ✅ 1 GB bandwidth
- ✅ Wix subdomain
- ✅ Mobile optimization
- ✅ Basic SEO tools
Limitations
- Wix ads on your site
- No custom domain
- Limited storage
- Can’t remove Wix branding
Paid Plans
| Plan | Price/Month | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Light | $17 | Custom domain, no ads |
| Core | $29 | 50 GB, payments |
| Business | $36 | 100 GB, all features |
Best For: Complete beginners wanting beautiful sites quickly.
2. WordPress.com — Best for Blogging
Free Plan: Yes (WordPress branding)
WordPress powers 40%+ of websites. WordPress.com offers free hosted sites.
Free Features
- ✅ WordPress editor
- ✅ 1 GB storage
- ✅ Free themes
- ✅ Basic customization
- ✅ WordPress.com subdomain
- ✅ Community support
Free vs Self-Hosted
| WordPress.com Free | WordPress.org | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Included | You pay |
| Plugins | No | Yes |
| Custom themes | Limited | Unlimited |
| Monetization | Limited | Full control |
Paid Plans
| Plan | Price/Month | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | $4 | Custom domain |
| Premium | $8 | Monetization, themes |
| Business | $25 | Plugins, SEO tools |
Best For: Bloggers and content-focused sites.
3. Carrd — Best for Simple Sites
Free Plan: 3 sites
Carrd specializes in beautiful one-page websites.
Free Features
- ✅ 3 sites
- ✅ Modern templates
- ✅ Mobile responsive
- ✅ Basic forms
- ✅ Carrd subdomain
Pricing
- Pro Lite: $9/year — Custom domain
- Pro Standard: $19/year — Forms, widgets
- Pro Plus: $49/year — Google Analytics, custom code
Best For: Portfolios, landing pages, and simple sites.
4. Google Sites — Best Free Basic Option
Free Plan: Completely free with Google account
Google Sites is 100% free with no premium upsells.
Features
- ✅ Completely free
- ✅ Simple drag-and-drop
- ✅ Google integration
- ✅ Unlimited pages
- ✅ Collaboration
- ✅ Custom domain possible
Limitations
- Very basic design options
- Limited customization
- No e-commerce
- Simple templates only
Best For: Internal sites, simple projects, Google users.
5. Webflow — Best for Designers
Free Plan: 2 projects (Webflow subdomain)
Webflow offers designer-level control without coding.
Free Features
- ✅ 2 projects
- ✅ Professional design tools
- ✅ CMS included
- ✅ Responsive design
- ✅ Webflow hosting
Pricing
| Plan | Price/Month | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 2 projects, branding |
| Basic | $14 | Custom domain |
| CMS | $23 | 2,000 CMS items |
| Business | $39 | 10,000 items |
Best For: Designers wanting full control.
More Free Options
Weebly
- Owned by Square
- Good free plan
- E-commerce friendly
- Simple drag-and-drop
Strikingly
- One-page focused
- Clean templates
- Limited free plan
- Good for portfolios
Jimdo
- AI-powered builder
- Quick setup
- Limited customization
- Good for local businesses
Feature Comparison
Ease of Use
| Builder | Learning Curve |
|---|---|
| Wix | ⭐ Easy |
| WordPress.com | ⭐⭐ Medium |
| Carrd | ⭐ Easy |
| Google Sites | ⭐ Easy |
| Webflow | ⭐⭐⭐ Hard |
Design Quality
| Builder | Template Quality |
|---|---|
| Wix | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent |
| WordPress.com | ⭐⭐⭐ Good |
| Carrd | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent |
| Google Sites | ⭐⭐ Basic |
| Webflow | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best |
SEO Capabilities
| Builder | SEO Tools |
|---|---|
| Wix | ✅ Good |
| WordPress.com | ✅ Excellent |
| Webflow | ✅ Excellent |
| Google Sites | ⚠️ Limited |
| Carrd | ⚠️ Basic |
When to Upgrade to Paid
Consider upgrading when:
- You want your own domain
- Ads bother you or visitors
- You need more storage
- You want e-commerce
- SEO becomes important
How to Choose
Choose Wix if:
- You’re a complete beginner
- Design variety matters
- You want quick results
Choose WordPress.com if:
- Blogging is your focus
- You might want to migrate later
- Content is king
Choose Carrd if:
- You need a simple one-pager
- Budget is tight
- Speed matters
Choose Google Sites if:
- Free is non-negotiable
- Integration with Google matters
- Basic is good enough
Choose Webflow if:
- Design quality is priority
- You have design experience
- You want to learn
Conclusion
Best for Beginners: Wix — Easy and beautiful Best for Bloggers: WordPress.com — Content-focused Best Completely Free: Google Sites — No upsells Best for Design: Webflow (free tier) — Professional quality
Start with Wix if you’re unsure—it’s the most beginner-friendly.
Last updated: January 2026