Your Guide to the Best Free Website Builders in 2024

Key Features to Look for in a Free Website Builder

Certain features are crucial in any free website builder, and the top options each strike a unique balance of these elements. Key factors include ease of use, design flexibility, available templates, SEO capabilities, integration options, and the ability to scale as your needs grow.

Ease of use: If you lack the knowledge and experience to build your own website, you need tools and features that are easy to understand and use. Some website builders offer drag-and-drop capabilities, allowing you to place your website elements exactly where you want them.

Design flexibility: Ease of use is essential, but it’s equally important that the design tools offer flexibility to help you create the perfect website. Some free website builders fall short in this area, being too rigid to allow for changes or design adaptations. If you’re not content with just the basic offerings and standard templates, you’ll need a free website builder that provides the flexibility to customize your webpage designs to fit your vision.

Templates: Templates simplify your website’s basic design choices by offering pre-made layouts. Designers craft these templates with various structures, allowing you to easily insert your content into designated spaces and create a site that reflects your personal style. Many free website builders offer a vast selection of templates to choose from, making it even easier to find the right fit for your needs.

SEO capabilities: To ensure your website is easily found in internet searches, you need to implement basic SEO strategies. A good free website builder should offer user-friendly SEO tools that make this process both convenient and straightforward.

Integration options: The website builder you choose should be able to integrate with your other tools, like email systems and social media accounts. This means that you can direct visitors to your website from the social media platforms you frequently use

Scalability: As your interests, business, or portfolio expand, you’ll likely want your website to grow with them. That’s why it’s important to choose a website builder that supports organic growth over time. You might begin with a free package and then upgrade as your needs evolve.

Best Free Website Builders of 2024

Although numerous website builders are available, five stand out as the top free options: Wix, Weebly, Webflow, Webnode, and WordPress. The following section explores how each builder compares across various key features, helping you find the best fit for your needs.

Wix

Wix is a well-established leader in the website-building space, empowering over 250 million users worldwide to create, manage, and grow their online presence without the need for coding knowledge. With their drag-and-drop editor and user-friendly interface, Wix makes website creation easy, allowing you to visually customize your site by simply dragging elements like images and textboxes into place.

In addition to its intuitive editor, Wix offers a vast library of over 900 professional website designs that are fully customizable. The platform also provides media gallery options for showcasing photos and videos, helping you create a visually engaging site.

Wix delivers a comprehensive set of features, including a blogging platform, booking and scheduling tools, integrated analytics, SEO tools like keyword research and sitemap creation, and eCommerce integration, catering to a wide range of user needs.

However, while Wix provides an abundance of templates, customization within each template can be somewhat limited. Additionally, their non-free packages tend to be more expensive than competitors, and the free plan comes with limited storage space.

Wix is designed with versatility in mind, appealing to a broad audience that includes entrepreneurs and creatives. Bloggers can also benefit from Wix’s integrated platform, while artists will appreciate their vibrant gallery options.

Weebly

Weebly, founded in 2007 and headquartered in San Francisco, offers a limited free plan with essential website-building features. Now supporting over 50 million websites worldwide, Weebly became part of Square in 2018, further enhancing their capabilities and reach.

Weebly is well-regarded for their user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, making it easy for beginners to create websites. Their eCommerce tools, including an integrated shopping cart and secure checkout, make it a great option for entrepreneurs looking to build an online store. 

With their drag-and-drop editor, creating a website becomes straightforward. Features like video backgrounds add visual appeal and leave a lasting impression. Business owners will also benefit from tools like inventory tracking, coupon codes for promotions, and tax management, which help streamline operations.

On the downside, Weebly lacks full transparency about bandwidth limits, and plans below the professional tier—even paid personal plans—come with ads. Lower-tier plans also offer limited phone support.

Webflow

Founded in 2013 by a trio of innovators, Webflow offers powerful tools like AI personalization and customizable templates, allowing users to create uniquely tailored websites with ease. Its mission is to provide a no-code website builder that makes crafting visually stunning websites accessible to everyone, backed by robust training materials to guide users through the process.

One of Webflow’s standout strengths is its design flexibility. Its responsive, fully customizable templates and drag-and-drop elements streamline the website-building experience. Key features include e-commerce integration, a built-in content management system (CMS), secure hosting, SEO tools, and a versatile form builder. Additionally, Webflow supports a wide range of third-party integrations, including Facebook ads and Google Analytics, enhancing the platform's functionality.

However, a significant drawback is the absence of phone support, requiring users to rely on alternative forms of assistance when encountering issues. Despite this limitation, Webflow remains an excellent choice for creatives with a clear vision, offering unmatched flexibility and customization for building distinctive websites.

Webnode

Since 2008, Webnode has focused on making website creation accessible to everyone, regardless of technical skill. With over 45 million users, it has become a popular choice for building websites with ease and simplicity. Webnode allows users to embed HTML codes easily and offers customization options through widgets. Its responsive templates ensure that websites look great and function smoothly on any device, making them accessible to a wide audience.

Design options include widget integration, a vast royalty-free photo gallery, and modern templates featuring parallax scrolling, giving users the tools to create visually appealing and distinctive websites. Webnode's features include fast, browser-based editing and detailed traffic analytics, along with backup and restore functionality to protect your content.

However, Webnode does come with some limitations. Its storage capacity is relatively low, and once you publish a website, you cannot switch templates. Additionally, it lacks phone support, which may be a drawback for users seeking real-time assistance.

WordPress

WordPress is a free website builder that requires payment for hosting, offering nearly 60,000 free plugins to add functionality and features to your website. With such a vast range of options, the customization possibilities are virtually endless.

However, WordPress is known for having a steep learning curve. It’s not the best option for users seeking a simple, plug-and-play experience without guidance, as many will need to rely on tutorials or other resources to get started.

What sets WordPress apart is their highly customizable and flexible nature, thanks to their free, open-source content management system. They offer thousands of themes—some free, others premium—allowing users to create visually appealing websites.

One of WordPress's standout features is the ability to add nearly any functionality through third-party plugins. Their customizability enables users to modify pre-built themes to their liking, making them a top choice for those looking for a truly personalized website.

However, customizing designs on WordPress may require some coding knowledge. Additionally, Their open-source nature means that personalized support is not available, which can be challenging for users who run into technical issues.

Conclusion

In summary, finding the right free website builder depends on your specific needs, whether it’s ease of use, design flexibility, or scalability. Platforms like Wix, Weebly, Webflow, Webnode, and WordPress offer diverse features that cater to various users, from beginners to experienced web designers. While each platform has its strengths—such as Wix’s drag-and-drop simplicity, Webflow’s design flexibility, or WordPress’s vast customization options—there are also trade-offs to consider, such as limited storage, ads on lower tiers, or the need for coding skills. Ultimately, the best choice comes down to balancing your current requirements with future growth potential.

If you're ready to dive deeper into the world of website builders, take a look at our curated list of top providers. You can also use our comparison tool to find the perfect fit for your needs. Lastly, don’t forget to explore our blog for expert tips and insights on building and optimizing your website.