Top Free Website Builders with Custom Domains

If you're looking to create a website without breaking the bank, you're in luck because many top free website builders offer custom domains, which can make your website look more professional.

Wix, for example, allows you to register a custom domain for free, and you can even connect your own domain if you already have one.

With Wix, you can choose from a variety of domain extensions, including .com, .net, and .org.

Weebly is another top free website builder that offers custom domains, and it's very easy to set one up.

Weebly's user-friendly interface is a standout feature, making it hard to accidentally delete anything - it verifies twice before allowing changes. This is a huge relief for those who are new to website building.

SITE123 is another great option, known for its hand-holding approach. It provides font pairings, color suggestions, and even creates a basic homepage for you. If you're a complete beginner, SITE123 is definitely worth checking out.

Here are some top free website builders that are worth exploring:

We've got a lot to cover when it comes to the best free website builders, so let's dive right in.

Weebly is an excellent choice for those on a tight budget, offering a drag-and-drop builder that's easy to use and comes with SEO features and a free semi-professional domain name.

Jimdo's interface is simple and straightforward, making it perfect for creating a basic website or online storefront.

Webnode is another great option, offering a free website builder with 1GB of memory capacity and the ability to create an online storefront with up to 10 free items.

Constant Contact's website builder is simple and easy to use, with a focus on creating a professional-looking website without the need for extensive customization.

SITE123 is a user-friendly website builder that guides you through the process of creating a website, with features like font pairings and color suggestions to help you get started.

Ucraft is a great choice for those who want to focus on the user experience, with a drag-and-drop builder and a huge library of website templates.

SimpleSite is a free website builder that's perfect for creating simple, stylish one-page websites, with a smartphone editor that's great for those on the go.

Here are the top free website builders in a nutshell:

Google Sites is a great option for those who want a simple website, but it's limited in terms of design tools and options.

New Google Sites has a cleaner and more modern design, but it's still limited in terms of features.

Ucraft is a great choice for creating a blog website, business website, personal website, or e-commerce website, with features like drag-and-drop content blocks and a huge library of templates.

SITE123 is a great option for those who want a simple website, with features like font pairings and color suggestions to help you get started.

Mozello is a unique website builder that offers a free bilingual website builder, which is a great option for those who want to reach a bilingual audience.

Here are the top features of each website builder:

I hope this helps you find the perfect free website builder for your needs!

000webhost is available 24/7 for hosting any website. It's a great option for those who need a free hosting solution.

000webhost is owned by the same company that runs Hostinger, a well-known hosting provider. They use 000webhost to offer free hosting to users.

You'll get a free URL in the format of desiredname.000webhostapp.com. This is a convenient option for those who don't need a custom domain name.

000webhost has some limitations, including a 1 GB storage limit, 9.99 GB bandwidth limit, and a maximum limit of websites per account.

When choosing a website builder, it's essential to consider the features and capabilities that will help you create a professional-looking site.

A good website builder should offer a range of professional website designs, allowing you to choose a template that aligns with your vision. This can make building your webpage a lot simpler.

Having additional control over the shape and pattern of your writing is also crucial, and it shouldn't require coding. Unfortunately, Weebly's degree of creative flexibility is one aspect that needs improvement.

To avoid problems in the future, it's vital to think about the various features you'll need in the short and long term. This might include a plugin store with features like pop-ups, mapping, subscriptions boxes, surveys, and more.

If you plan to sell products online, look for a website builder that offers e-commerce capabilities. Some sites have restrictions on how many products you can sell, so be sure to check this before committing to a particular provider.

Component-Based Architecture is a game-changer for website building. It allows you to use pre-made elements like banners, text blocks, and image sections to build your website.

These components give you great flexibility, enabling you to arrange them however you want. You can customize them by adding content, graphics, and icons, as well as modifying colors and styles.

The pre-built blocks are not assigned to specific types of pages, so you can use them anywhere on your website. This saves time when building new landing pages.

Changing the design of a component's template automatically applies the adjustments to all subpages that include it. This makes it easy to maintain consistency across your website.

When testing a website builder, it's essential to check its multimedia capabilities. You want to ensure you can add visual content like images and videos to make your website more engaging.

Make sure the tool allows you to upload images in different formats, such as PNG, JPEG, and SVG. This flexibility will give you more creative freedom.

Creating image galleries is another feature to look out for. They can enrich the look of your pages and make your content more interactive.

Embedded videos are also a must-have. Check if you can run a video on your webpage using third-party video hosting platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, without slowing down your website. This will help you add dynamic content without compromising your site's performance.

When you're looking to connect with your online audience, forms are a crucial feature to have on your website. Collecting contact information on your webpage is necessary for reaching the people interested in your offer.

A website builder should allow easy creation of forms, which is essential for effective communication with your target audience. This feature should also enable you to select the fields that meet your needs, such as name, email, industry, and company size.

SEO is a crucial aspect of having a successful website. With SEO-optimized content, your website is better visible for search engines and can rank higher on the result pages.

A built-in SEO tool can make a big difference, allowing you to add relevant meta tags, keywords, and alt texts to your website. This helps search engines understand what your website is about and rank it accordingly.

SEO optimization is a must-have for any website that wants to attract organic traffic. By optimizing your website's content, you can improve its visibility and reach a wider audience.

Analytics is a crucial feature to help you understand your website's performance and make data-driven decisions. By analyzing user behavior, you can identify areas for improvement.

You can check if a website builder offers a built-in analytics solution or integrates with third-party tools like Google Analytics. This will give you a better understanding of your website's traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.

You can choose from 100s of elegant templates with Hostinger Website Builder, but keep in mind you can't change the fonts on any of them.

The templates are diverse and well-thought-out, making it easier to find one that suits your website's theme.

You can connect the templates you choose to your main domain and integrations like Google Tag Manager, which is a convenient feature.

The available templates are well-designed for several niches or themes, such as art or fashion, giving you a good starting point for your website.

Wix offers a drag-and-drop editor that's perfect for beginners.

With Wix, you can create a professional-looking website without needing to know how to code. It has over 500 customizable templates to choose from.

Wix offers a free plan that includes a Wix domain and 500MB of storage.

Wix is a popular website builder that's easy to use and packed with features. It offers complete creative control over the appearance of your site, thanks to its editor.

Wix's free-of-cost domain may not be very memorable, but you can tweak it to fit your company's identity. This gives Wix an edge over competitor builders like SITE123.

Wix is the industry leader when it comes to website builders, and it offers a free version of its service. The free plan includes automatic website backups and a plethora of help features.

Here's a breakdown of Wix's free plan features:

Wix's free plan is perfect for testing the waters and seeing if you need the premium features in the future. If you decide you need more, you'll already know if the website is what you actually want.

Wix has an awesome functionality called Artificial Design Intelligence, which creates a site for you based on your preferences and questions asked. This is a timesaving and decision mitigating feature that's ideal for editing that prioritizes speed and ease of use.

Webflow is a powerful tool for creating custom websites, allowing you to design, build, and launch responsive websites from scratch without needing to code.

With Webflow, you can go from idea conception to a ready-to-use product with just a few clicks, thanks to its in-browser design tool that writes clean, semantic code for you.

You can build a wide range of websites with Webflow, including blogs, e-commerce websites, and even upmarket animations and interactions.

Webflow's CMS platform allows you to create a fully customized eCommerce experience, and its Ecommerce feature lets you create a fully customized eCommerce experience from any Webflow project.

Here are the top 5 features of Webflow:

However, Webflow does have some limitations, including not being able to build web applications with user-generated content, and having a slight learning curve due to its code-based structure.

Adobe Spark is a freemium solution created by Adobe, the same company behind Photoshop. It's a great option for those who want a simple website builder without the complexity of Adobe Dreamweaver.

Spark is incredibly easy to use, which is a departure from Dreamweaver's more feature-rich approach. However, this ease of use comes at the cost of limited features.

One of the main limitations of Spark is that it allows you to create a single web page, rather than a full-fledged website. This means you won't have features like blogs, stores, or other business-related tools.

Despite this, Spark has some great design options and allows you to create stunning galleries. However, be aware that Adobe places its logo at the top or bottom of the page.

If you want to get rid of these ads, you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan for around $10 per month. However, for the same price, you can get more comprehensive website builders like Wix or Ucraft.

Weebly's drag-and-drop builder is very friendly for users, making it easy to create a website without any coding knowledge.

The platform is particularly great for smaller companies that want to establish an online presence without breaking the bank - Weebly offers a free plan with semi-professional domain name and SEO features.

Weebly's organized patterns help adhere to layout recommended practices, although they can sometimes be a bit restrictive.

Setting up a website on Weebly is a breeze, with pre-made templates to choose from based on the type of website you want to create.

Weebly's user-friendly interface makes it tough to erase something unintentionally, with a double-check feature that verifies everything before making any changes.

WebSelf is actually even easier to use than Weebly. The founders of WebSelf aimed to make web development accessible to all, and they've achieved that with a user-friendly interface that lets you build a website in just a few clicks.

Changing the background, adding custom photos, and writing copy can be done in minutes. This ease of use is a significant advantage over Weebly.

WebSelf's theme customization is limited, just like Weebly's. However, the difference lies in the already built designs that WebSelf offers.

WebSelf keeps things clean and organized, making Weebly look cluttered in comparison. The drag-and-drop functionality is so easy that it's almost effortless to build a website.

The free version of WebSelf offers enough features to get started, with 5 pages and a Webself.net subdomain. Upgrading is easy once you've figured out if you like the platform.

Here's a comparison of WebSelf's features in the free and premium versions:

Online shopping is on the rise, making an e-commerce design crucial for a website builder.

If you plan to sell products online, look for a provider that can help you expand your business in the long term.

Some website builders have a restriction on how many products you can sell, so be sure to check this before signing up.

As you start building your online store, it's essential to consider the electronic commerce capabilities of your website builder. Online shopping is on the rise, so an e-commerce design is crucial to look for in a website builder.

Some website builders, like Wix, offer a free version that allows you to create an online store. This can be a great option if you're just starting out or want to test the waters.

If you plan to sell products online, you'll want a website builder that can handle it. Some sites have a restriction on how many products you can sell, so be sure to check the fine print.

A provider that can help you expand your business in the long term is a must-have, even if you're not selling anything online yet.

Constant Contact Canada is a great option for building an online store. It's actually the best builder for Canada and includes free hosting.

You can try out a free demo to get a feel for how it works. Their team is known for providing good support if you need it.

One of the things that makes Constant Contact stand out is its easy-to-use components. This makes it simple to get started and build a professional-looking store.

You can create a free website with your own domain using website builders such as Shift4Shop, BranchBob, ConvertKit, WordPress, and Ucraft.

If you're a student, you can get a free custom domain with Github, which you can then connect to a website builder that allows custom domains for free.

Yes, you can host a website for free as long as you want, with website builders like WordPress and Google Sites among others.

Shift4Shop, ConvertKit, Ucraft, and WordPress are some of the website builders that allow free custom domains with a Github student account.

With a free website hosting option like WordPress or Google Sites, you don't have to worry about paying for hosting fees.

You can consider website builders like WordPress and Google Sites for free website hosting, and Shift4Shop, ConvertKit, Ucraft, and WordPress for free custom domains with a Github student account.

Ease of use is a top priority when it comes to website builders. SITE123 is a user-friendly option that's perfect for those without technical skills.

The main thing we noticed about SITE123 is how much it tries to help you while you build, from creating your primary site to providing font pairings and colour suggestions.

SITE123 automatically creates a basic homepage for you, making it a great choice for beginners. Its live chat support is also accessible every time, including during the building process.

Webflow provides a virtual designing assistant that walks you through every step of the process before leaving you to it. This makes it a great option for those who want a bit more guidance.

Constant Contact's website builder is incredibly simple to use, with a timer that starts as soon as you click "Create Your Free Site". It's a great choice for those who want a hassle-free website building experience.

WordPress.com is similar to Wix, with a super simple sign-up process that lets you start making your website right away.

Security and Support is crucial for a website's success. Some website builders provide 24/7 live chat and phone help, while others only offer email assistance.

If you want rapid responses and a consistent support team, consider this when choosing a website builder. A reliable support team can help you fix problems as they emerge.

A SSL certificate is a must-have for any website, and some website builders offer it for free. If your website doesn't have an SSL certificate, viewers will see a "Not secured" warning. You can purchase an SSL certificate independently for around $9.99 per year.

SSL Certification is a must-have for any website. Several website builders come with a free Certification authority as default.

Not having an SSL certificate can be a problem, as viewers would see the website as 'Not secured'. This can harm your website's credibility and trustworthiness.

Fortunately, an SSL certificate can be purchased independently for a relatively low price of $9.99 per year. This is a small price to pay for the security and trust it provides.

Your custom domain, like yoursite.com, is far superior to the default domain provided by your website builder, such as yoursite.yourwebsitebuilder.com. It's also far more recognizable and memorable.

Support is crucial when you need help with your website. Some website builders only provide email assistance, which can be a slow and frustrating process.

You'll need to fill out a form and wait for an email answer, which can take time. This can be a problem if you're trying to fix a critical issue with your website.

Others will provide live chat and phone help 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is a game-changer if you run into problems. This level of support can give you peace of mind and help you resolve issues quickly.

If you want rapid responses and a consistent support team, look for website builders that offer live chat and phone help.

Weebly seemed very novice-friendly and accessible when building a website, with a simple process to get started.

However, it felt much more constrained than Wix, with limited designs and templates to choose from.

This constraint was also reflected in its customization capabilities, which appeared outdated compared to other options.

Ucraft's onboarding process is straightforward, asking you to choose a design and company website before creating your website.

If you're looking for a drag-and-drop designer, you might be disappointed with Ucraft. Moving things around the webpage can be challenging.

Using a free website builder in 2024 is possible, but you'll need to be okay with some tradeoffs.

Free website builders aren't giving away much for free, but with research, you can make it work. Website builders have been testing and reviewing free plans for nearly a decade.

Some of Ucraft's layouts are sleek and trendy, but most appear outdated. Your website would be down for 60 minutes nearly every day with the free version, which is a major drawback.

Weebly's creative freedom is limited, making it difficult to have control over the shape and pattern of your writing.

If you're considering Weebly or Wix for your website, one key difference to keep in mind is how they handle theme customization. Weebly's options are limited, especially when compared to Wix's blank canvas editor.

Weebly makes up for this limitation by keeping everything neat and tidy, which can be a huge stress reliever when building your website.

One area where Weebly excels is in keeping your website organized, whereas Wix can be overwhelming with its numerous options.

Here's a quick comparison of the two platforms in terms of key features:

In terms of storage, Weebly's free plan comes with a 500MB limit, while the premium plan offers unlimited storage.

As for apps and features, Weebly's free plan is missing out, whereas the premium plan provides access to a range of useful tools.

WordPress is a popular choice for building websites, but it's not the only option. It offers a vast library of free themes and plugins, with over 50,000 available.

If you're looking for alternatives to WordPress, you might consider Wix, which has a drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy to build a website without coding. Wix also offers a range of templates and a built-in e-commerce platform.

Weebly is another popular option, with a user-friendly interface and a free plan that includes a custom domain and e-commerce features.

Open source website builders are not completely free, you'll still need to pay for domain and hosting.

Some open source tools offer a limited set of features for free, requiring a premium plan to access the rest of the functions.

The Control Panel is a key feature of many open source website builders, as seen in tools like Joomla.

Keep in mind that even with open source options, you'll need to pay for expenses like domain and hosting.

You don't need to know how to code to use WordPress, thanks to its user-friendly interface and customizable themes.

Themes are the bones of your website, and they come with certain constraints on how your website will look. Each theme has its own functionality and limits customizability, especially the free ones.

Free themes can still allow you to build a beautiful website, but they are more constraining than paid themes.

The free version of WordPress.com is a great option for those who want to create a website without breaking the bank. You'll get an assigned URL in the format of sitename.wordpress.com.

One thing to note is that the free version comes with WordPress.com advertising and banners. If you want to remove these ads, you'll need to upgrade to a premium plan.

The free version also has a limit of 3GB of storage, but you can add more storage if needed.

The free version of WordPress.com has limited design customization options, but you can still make some basic changes to your site.

Here's a comparison of the free and premium versions of WordPress.com:

If you're looking for a free website builder, Wix might be a better option.