Best Free Website Builders in 2026: Honest Guide
Most free website builders are not really free. Subdomains, page limits, paywalls. I compared the major platforms to show what you actually get in 2026.
Free website builder is one of the most searched terms online. It is also one of the most misleading.
Most platforms advertising free plans give you a website with a subdomain nobody can remember and constant nudges to upgrade. That is not free. That is a free trial that never ends.
So what actually makes a website builder free in a meaningful way? And which options in 2026 are worth your time? I reviewed the most popular options to give you an honest answer.
What "Free" Should Actually Mean
Before comparing platforms, let me define what a genuinely free website builder should offer:
Custom domain support. A free plan that forces you to use something like yourname.platformname.com is not helping your credibility. You should be able to connect your own domain.
Enough pages to be useful. A free plan limited to 3 pages is a demo, not a website. You need at least enough pages to build something real.
Core features included. Basic SEO settings, mobile responsiveness, and simple analytics should not require an upgrade.
No sudden paywalls. Nothing worse than building half a site and discovering the feature you need is locked behind a subscription.
With these criteria in mind, let me walk through the major options.
Wix Free Plan
Wix is the biggest name in website builders, and they do offer a free plan.
What you get:
- Access to the editor and templates
- Wix subdomain (yourname.wixsite.com)
- 500MB storage and 500MB bandwidth
What you do not get:
- Custom domain connection
- E-commerce functionality
- Form submissions beyond basics
- Advanced SEO tools
Honest take: Wix's free plan is fine for experimenting with the platform. But it is not viable for a real website. The subdomain makes it unsuitable for anything professional. You are essentially testing the builder until you upgrade.
Best for: Trying Wix before committing to a paid plan.
Beste Free Plan
Beste takes a different approach to free. Instead of limiting what you can build, it limits advanced features.
What you get:
- 200+ pre-designed blocks
- Responsive design built-in
What you do not get:
- AI translation (requires Plus plan)
Honest take: Beste's free plan is designed to be a complete solution, not a trial. Custom domain is rare at this price point. The trade-off is that advanced features like analytics integrations require the paid plan. But for launching a professional-looking website at zero cost, it delivers.
Best for: Small businesses, freelancers, and creators who want a professional site without ongoing costs.
See what free actually looks like
Custom domain, unlimited pages, built-in blog. No credit card, no trial period.
Squarespace Free Plan
Here is a short section: Squarespace does not have a free plan.
They offer a 14-day free trial, but once it ends, your site goes offline. No permanent free option exists.
Honest take: Squarespace makes beautiful websites, but if you need genuinely free, this is not an option.
Best for: People willing to pay for premium design quality.
WordPress.com Free Plan
WordPress powers a huge portion of the web, but there are two versions: WordPress.org (self-hosted) and WordPress.com (hosted). The free plan is on WordPress.com.
What you get:
- WordPress subdomain (yourname.wordpress.com)
- Basic themes and customization
- 1GB storage
- Community support
What you do not get:
- Custom domain (requires paid plan)
- Plugin installation
- Access to premium themes
- Monetization options
Honest take: WordPress.com free is extremely limited compared to what WordPress can do. You cannot install plugins, which removes most of WordPress's power. The subdomain makes it unprofessional for business use.
Best for: Personal blogs where you do not mind the subdomain.
Weebly Free Plan
Weebly, now owned by Square, has been around for years and offers a free tier.
What you get:
- Weebly subdomain
- Basic website features
- 500MB storage
What you do not get:
- Custom domain connection
- Advanced SEO tools
- E-commerce features beyond basics
Honest take: Weebly's free plan is similar to Wix's. Fine for testing, not suitable for a professional presence. The platform also feels somewhat neglected compared to Square's focus on their POS systems.
Best for: Simple projects where professionalism does not matter.
Carrd Free Plan
Carrd is different. It focuses on single-page websites, and it does free better than most.
What you get:
- Up to 3 sites
- Carrd subdomain
- All core features for one-page sites
- Responsive design
What you do not get:
- Custom domain
- Multi-page websites
- Forms (requires Pro)
- Custom code embeds
Honest take: For single-page sites, Carrd's free plan is genuinely useful. The limitation is structural: if you need more than one page, Carrd is not the answer. But for a simple landing page or link-in-bio, it works.
Best for: Single-page sites, personal landing pages, link-in-bio pages.
Framer Free Plan
Framer has become popular among designers for its creative flexibility.
What you get:
- Framer subdomain
- Up to 2 pages
- 1,000 visitors per month
- Basic CMS with 10 items
What you do not get:
- Custom domain
- More than 2 pages
- Reasonable traffic limits for any real site
Honest take: Framer's free plan is essentially a trial. Two pages and 1,000 visitors per month is too restrictive for anything beyond testing. The platform itself is excellent for designers, but the free tier is not where its value lies.
Best for: Designers testing Framer before committing.
Webflow Free Plan
Webflow is a professional-grade website builder with a steep learning curve.
What you get:
- Webflow subdomain
- Up to 2 pages (50 CMS items on Starter)
- Staging environment for unlimited pages
- All design features
What you do not get:
- Custom domain
- More than 2 published pages on free
- Form submissions beyond 50
- CMS beyond starter limits
Honest take: Webflow's free plan is for learning the platform, not launching a real website. The two-page limit on published sites makes it impractical for actual use. But if you want to learn Webflow without paying first, it works for that purpose.
Best for: Learning Webflow, designers testing layouts before client work.
Quick Comparison
| Platform | Custom Domain | Pages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | No | 100 | Testing before paid |
| Beste | YES | Unlimited | Professional free site |
| Squarespace | N/A | N/A | No free plan |
| WordPress.com | No | Unlimited | Personal blogs |
| Weebly | No | Unlimited | Simple experiments |
| Carrd | No | 1 | Single-page sites |
| Framer | No | 2 | Designer testing |
| Webflow | No | 2 | Learning the platform |
What I Would Actually Recommend
Let me be direct about who should use what.
If you need a single-page site: Carrd is genuinely good. The free plan works for what it does.
If you want to learn a complex tool: Webflow or Framer free plans let you experiment without paying. Just know you will pay when you launch for real.
If you want an actual free website with a custom domain: Beste is the only option on this list that includes custom domain on the free plan with unlimited pages.
If you want to test before paying: Wix and Weebly let you explore their platforms, but plan to upgrade if you want something professional.
The Real Cost of "Free"
One more thing worth considering: free plans have costs that do not show up in pricing.
Credibility cost. A subdomain (yourname.wixsite.com) tells visitors you did not invest in your online presence. For businesses, this matters.
Limitation cost. Building on a restricted free plan means rebuilding when you need features. The time you invested is partially wasted.
Migration cost. Starting on one platform and switching later means learning a new tool and recreating your content. Starting right is easier than switching later.
Free is great if it is genuinely free. But free with asterisks often costs more in the long run than just paying for what you need.
The Last Words
Most free website builders in 2026 are not really free. They are demos with limitations designed to push you toward paid plans.
The honest breakdown:
- Wix, Weebly, WordPress.com: Free to try, but subdomain makes them unsuitable for professional use.
- Squarespace: No free plan at all.
- Framer, Webflow: Free plans are for learning, not launching.
- Carrd: Genuinely free for single-page sites.
- Beste: Genuinely free for full websites with custom domain.
Your needs determine the right choice. But now you know what "free" actually means for each option.
"The best free website builder is not the one with the longest feature list. It is the one that lets you launch something professional without paying."
Choose accordingly.
