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The best free website builder in 2026 is Wix, whose free plan gives you its full drag-and-drop editor, templates and 500 MB of storage on a wixsite.com address. If you want to sell for free, Square Online is the best choice: its free plan includes a website and online ordering, with no monthly fee and 3.3% + 30 cents per online card payment. WordPress.com is the best free option for blogs, and Webflow for designers.
Every free plan uses the builder’s subdomain and branding. We compare what each free plan really includes, and what the cheapest upgrade costs, based on published plan pages in October 2026.
Updated October 2026.
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Best free website builders at a glance
| Builder | Best for | Free plan highlights | Free address | Sell on free plan? | Cheapest upgrade | Our rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Best overall | Full editor, 500 MB storage, 1 GB bandwidth | yourname.wixsite.com | No | Light, $17/mo billed yearly | 4.5/5 |
| Square Online | Selling for free | Website plus online ordering | square.site subdomain | Yes (3.3% + 30 cents online) | Square Plus, $49/mo per location | 4.5/5 |
| WordPress.com | Blogs | 1 GB storage, WordPress editor | Subdomain with ads | No | Personal, $4/mo billed annually | 4.2/5 |
| Webflow | Designers | 2 static pages, 50 CMS items | webflow.io subdomain | No | Basic, $15/mo billed yearly | 4.1/5 |
| GoDaddy Airo | Fast AI setup | 1 published site, 50 AI credits/mo | GoDaddy subdomain | No | Starter, $9.99/mo billed annually | 4.0/5 |
| Carrd | One-page sites | Up to 3 sites | Carrd subdomain | No | Pro Standard, $19/yr (custom domain) | 4.0/5 |
| SITE123 | Simplest setup | 250 MB storage and bandwidth | SITE123 subdomain | Store available | Premium, from $10.80/mo billed annually | 3.9/5 |
| Strikingly | Mobile-friendly one-pagers | Unlimited free sites | Strikingly subdomain | Limited | Limited, $8/mo billed yearly | 3.9/5 |
| Weebly | Simple legacy sites | Free plan with Square ads | weebly.com subdomain | Limited | Check current pricing | 3.6/5 |
| Jimdo | Small European businesses | Free plan available | Jimdo subdomain | Limited | Check current pricing | 3.6/5 |
Our verdict: use Wix to design a site for free, Square Online to sell for free, and WordPress.com to blog for free. Upgrade when you need your own domain, since no free plan in this list lets you connect one.
How we evaluated free website builders
We compared each builder’s published free-plan limits, upgrade prices, e-commerce rules and help documentation as of October 2026. We did not build test sites for this guide. We weighed:
- Free plan generosity: storage, bandwidth, pages, and whether ads or branding appear.
- Ease of use: editor quality, templates and AI setup tools.
- Selling on the free plan: whether you can take payments without a subscription.
- Upgrade path: the price of the cheapest plan that adds a custom domain.
- Transparency: how clearly the builder states its limits and prices.
Ratings are our editorial assessment based on those criteria.
The 10 best free website builders in 2026
1. Wix: best free website builder overall
Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder that lets users design and build sites without any coding skills. It’s easy to use, and any person with basic computer knowledge can use the platform.
Read our full review here.Best for: anyone who wants to design and test a full website before paying.
Free plan: the full Wix editor and templates, 500 MB of storage and 1 GB of bandwidth on a yourname.wixsite.com address, with Wix branding and ads. You cannot connect a custom domain or sell on the free plan.
Upgrade: Light costs $17/mo billed yearly ($24 monthly) and includes a free domain voucher for a year; selling starts on Core at $29/mo. Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first upgrade.
Pros:
- Full-featured editor on the free plan
- Huge template and app library
- Smooth upgrade path with a free first-year domain
Cons:
- Wix branding and ads on free sites
- No custom domain or selling on the free plan
- Paid plans are pricier than some rivals
Read our Wix review or start a free Wix site.
2. Square Online: best free website builder for selling
Square Online builder is an easy-to-use website builder that lets users create attractive online stores. It provides businesses with a simple and straightforward way to get online and start selling. Square Online has grown to include advanced mobile processing solutions like analytics, reporting, payroll, point of sale, recurring payments, invoices, and multiple apps.
Read our full review here.Best for: restaurants, shops and service businesses that want to take orders online without a monthly fee.
Free plan: Square Free includes a website and online ordering on a free square.site address. You pay only processing fees: 3.3% + 30 cents per online card payment.
Upgrade: Square Plus costs $49/mo per location and lowers online card rates to 2.9% + 30 cents; Square Premium costs $149/mo.
Pros:
- Sell online with no monthly fee
- Syncs with Square point of sale
- Pickup, delivery and shipping options
Cons:
- Fewer design options than Wix
- Higher card rate on the free plan
- Free site uses a square.site address
Read our Square Online review or start free with Square Online.
3. WordPress.com: best free website builder for blogs
Best for: writers and bloggers who want WordPress without managing hosting.
Free plan: a WordPress.com subdomain, 1 GB of storage and the WordPress block editor, with WordPress.com ads and no plugins or custom domain.
Upgrade: Personal costs $4/mo billed annually ($9 monthly) and includes a free domain for a year on annual billing. Higher plans add plugins and full WooCommerce.
Pros:
- Familiar WordPress editor
- Strong blogging and publishing tools
- Cheap first upgrade
Cons:
- Ads on free sites
- No plugins on the free plan
- Only 1 GB of storage
WordPress.com is a separate service from the free WordPress.org software, which you can install on any web host.
4. Webflow: best free website builder for designers
While Webflow can be used by anyone for a webpage, it’s the web designers who build sites for other people who seem drawn to it. That’s because it’s a no-code builder, meaning it’s a user-friendly way to create a site without knowing a thing about HTML, CSS, or the working knowledge of a web developer.
Read our full review here.Best for: designers and developers who want to prototype a professional site for free.
Free plan: Webflow’s Starter plan includes a webflow.io address, two static pages, 50 CMS items, 1 GB of bandwidth and 50 form submissions, with a “Made in Webflow” badge.
Upgrade: Basic costs $15/mo billed yearly ($25 monthly) and adds a custom domain.
Pros:
- Professional design control
- Powerful CMS
- Clean, fast output
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
- Very limited free plan
- Badge on free sites
Read our Webflow review or try Webflow free.
5. GoDaddy Airo: best free AI website builder
GoDaddy is a great service for those who want professional sites that adapt to mobile views and are easy to pull together. It isn’t for those who want to be super creative regarding appearance and who need extra features and plugins to do that. It has limited phone editing and mobile customization that might annoy some.
Learn moreBest for: small business owners who want an AI-generated site with minimal effort.
Free plan: according to GoDaddy’s published guidance (June 2026), the free tier of the Airo AI Builder includes one published site and 50 AI credits a month, without a custom domain.
Upgrade: Starter costs $9.99/mo billed annually and adds a custom domain; Professional ($24.99/mo) adds e-commerce.
Pros:
- AI builds a first draft for you
- Domain and email in the same GoDaddy account
- Low-cost first upgrade
Cons:
- No custom domain on the free tier
- Fewer design controls than Wix
- Selling requires the Professional tier
Read our GoDaddy Website Builder review or try GoDaddy Airo free.
6. Carrd: best free builder for one-page sites
Best for: personal pages, link-in-bio sites and simple landing pages.
Free plan: up to three one-page sites on a Carrd subdomain with “Made with Carrd” branding; no custom domain, forms or embeds.
Upgrade: Pro Lite costs $9 per year, and Pro Standard $19 per year adds a custom domain, forms (including payment forms) and Stripe or PayPal embeds. There is a 7-day Pro trial.
Pros:
- Very fast to build
- Extremely cheap yearly upgrade
- Clean, mobile-friendly templates
Cons:
- One page per site
- No forms on the free plan
- Not for multi-page businesses
Read our Carrd review or try Carrd free.
7. SITE123: simplest free website builder
Site123 makes the claim that setting up a site with them is “as easy as 1, 2, 3.” Additionally, they also tend to have good SEO abilities, which will benefit your site.
Learn moreBest for: beginners who want a guided, form-based setup instead of a design canvas.
Free plan: 250 MB of storage and 250 MB of bandwidth on a SITE123 subdomain, with a floating SITE123 tag. A basic store is available on every plan with no transaction fee.
Upgrade: Premium starts at $10.80/mo on an annual plan paid upfront, adds a custom domain (free for a year on annual plans) and removes the tag. SITE123 offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Pros:
- Very easy guided setup
- Store on every plan with no transaction fee
- 14-day money-back guarantee
Cons:
- Small storage and bandwidth on the free plan
- Limited design freedom
- Card payment gateways need higher plans
Read our SITE123 review or try SITE123 free.
8. Strikingly: best for mobile-friendly one-page sites
Best for: personal brands and small projects that suit a single scrolling page.
Free plan: Strikingly lets you create unlimited free sites on a Strikingly subdomain. Its official pricing page does not list detailed free-plan limits.
Upgrade: Limited costs $8/mo billed yearly ($12 monthly) for two sites with a 5% transaction fee; Pro costs $16/mo with a 2% fee and removes branding; VIP costs $49/mo with 0% fees. Yearly plans include a free domain for a year.
Pros:
- Quick, mobile-friendly templates
- Unlimited free sites
- Free domain with yearly plans
Cons:
- Free-plan limits not clearly published
- Transaction fees on lower plans
- Branding until Pro
Read our Strikingly review or try Strikingly free.
9. Weebly: simple free sites (now part of Square)
Weebly is a web hosting service that includes a professional website building tool. It has a simple editor and simple pricing to match. Easily build a free website to help get discovered and grow a customer base in style.
Read our full review here.Best for: existing Weebly users and very simple sites.
Free plan: Weebly still offers a free plan on a weebly.com subdomain, with Square ads. Removing ads requires a paid plan.
Upgrade: Weebly’s paid plans (Personal, Professional and Performance) add a custom domain and remove ads. Its pricing page appears not to have been updated recently, so confirm the current price before buying. New sellers are usually better served by Square Online, which Square actively develops.
Pros:
- Simple drag-and-drop editor
- Free plan still available
Cons:
- Product appears to receive few updates
- Square ads on free sites
- Pricing page looks outdated
Read our Weebly review or visit Weebly.
10. Jimdo: free builder for small European businesses
Best for: small businesses, especially in Europe, that want a simple site and store.
Free plan: Jimdo offers a free plan on a Jimdo subdomain. Paid plans are billed monthly or upfront for 12 or 24 months, and Jimdo’s online store charges no commission and is designed for up to about 100 products.
Upgrade: Jimdo’s prices load dynamically by region, so check the current price on its site.
Pros:
- Simple editor
- No commission on store sales
- Flexible billing terms
Cons:
- Free-plan limits not clearly published
- Store suited to small catalogs only
Read our Jimdo review or visit Jimdo.
Other free options worth knowing
- Google Sites: a simple builder from Google that can connect up to five custom domains per site. It suits internal pages, school projects and basic information sites.
- Framer: its free plan is for non-commercial use on a Framer domain; paid plans start at $10/mo billed yearly.
- Big Cartel: the free Gold plan lets artists sell up to five products.
- GitHub Pages: free hosting for static sites at username.github.io, popular with developers.
Is a free website builder enough?
A free plan is enough for a hobby site, a portfolio draft or testing a builder before you pay. For a business, it usually is not, because:
- You cannot use your own domain. A subdomain such as yourname.wixsite.com looks less professional and is harder to remember.
- The builder’s branding or ads appear on your pages.
- Limits are tight: storage, bandwidth, pages and form submissions are capped.
- Selling is restricted on most free plans, with Square Online the main exception.
If you are ready to upgrade, the cheapest route to a professional site is Hostinger Website Builder at $2.49/mo on a 48-month term (renewing at $10.99/mo), which includes hosting and a free domain for a year. See our list of the best website builders for paid options, and how to get a free domain name with an annual plan.
What features should you look for in a free website builder?
Ease of use
A clear editor and good onboarding matter most when you are building alone.
Premade templates
Look for mobile-friendly templates for your type of site.
Affordable upgrades
Check the price of the cheapest plan that adds a custom domain, and whether it includes a free domain for the first year.
SEO assistance
Editable page titles, descriptions and URLs, plus an automatic sitemap.
Website analytics
Basic visitor stats, or the option to add Google Analytics.
Form builder
Contact forms are essential for most sites. Some free plans cap submissions.
Integration with other sites
Social media links, maps, video embeds and email marketing connections.
E-commerce tools
If you plan to sell, check whether the free plan allows it and what fees apply.
Effective customer support
Support on free plans can be limited, so check the quality of the help center and community forums.
Before you publish, check that your site name is available as a domain and on social media with Namechk.
FAQs
What is the best free website builder in 2026?
Wix is the best free website builder for most people in 2026 because its free plan includes the full drag-and-drop editor, templates and 500 MB of storage. Square Online is best if you want to sell for free, since its free plan includes online ordering. WordPress.com is best for free blogs, and Webflow for designers who want professional control.
Can I build a website completely free?
Yes. Wix, Square Online, WordPress.com, Webflow, GoDaddy Airo, Carrd, SITE123, Strikingly, Weebly and Jimdo all let you publish a site for free. The trade-offs are a subdomain instead of your own domain, the builder’s branding or ads, and tight limits on storage, pages or bandwidth. Upgrading to use your own domain starts at a few dollars a month.
How do I get a custom domain name for a free website?
None of the ten free plans ranked here let you connect your own domain (Google Sites is an exception), so you usually need to upgrade. The cheapest upgrades are Carrd Pro Standard at $19 per year, WordPress.com Personal at $4/mo billed annually and GoDaddy Airo Starter at $9.99/mo billed annually. Many annual plans include a free domain for the first year.
Which free website builder lets you sell products?
Square Online is the best free option for selling: its free plan includes a website and online ordering, and you pay only 3.3% + 30 cents per online card payment. SITE123 includes a basic store on every plan, and Big Cartel’s free plan lets you sell up to five products. Wix, Webflow and WordPress.com require a paid plan to sell.
What is an open-source website builder?
An open-source website builder is software whose code is publicly available and free to use, modify and host anywhere. WordPress.org is the best-known example: it is free to download, but you pay for web hosting and a domain. Hosted builders such as Wix and Squarespace are proprietary, so you cannot move their sites to another host.
How long does it take to create a website with a free website builder?
A simple site can be published in an hour or two with a free builder, especially with AI setup tools from Wix or GoDaddy Airo that generate a first draft. A complete small business site with your own text and photos usually takes a weekend. One-page sites on Carrd or Strikingly can be done in under an hour.
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