best website for free
The honest guide to free website options, what they do well, where they fall short, and when spending money actually saves you time and gets results.
If you want a no-cost website today, there are several sensible options — website builders' free plans, social and business profiles, and code-first hosting. This guide walks through each approach, compares ease of use, SEO and growth limits, hidden trade-offs, and when a managed paid service is the better value.
Best for testing an idea quickly
Fast presence, limited discoverability
Technical, very low running cost
Predictable, optimised for leads
Free website builders: the easiest quick-start
Popular builders offer no-cost tiers that let you launch a site in minutes. They provide templates, drag-and-drop editors, and hosting — all without a credit card. Examples include free plans from visual builders and hosted WordPress services.
Pros
- No money upfront — great for experiments
- Easy visual editor — no code required
- Hosting included and automatic updates
- Fast to prototype and test messaging
Cons
- Platform branding & ads on free plans
- No custom domain (you get platform subdomain)
- Limited SEO tools and schema support
- Restricted features (e-commerce, forms, analytics)
- Exporting or migrating can be hard
Ease of use: Very high. Non-technical users can build a presentable site in 1–4 hours.
Best when: You need a temporary landing page, a portfolio, or want to test copy quickly.
Watch out for: If you need to be found in local search or collect reliable leads, the restrictions (no domain, ads, limited SEO) often outweigh the zero price.
Code-first hosting: free hosting with technical work
Services like GitHub Pages, Netlify, and Vercel allow you to host static websites for free. If you can write or deploy code (or use a static site generator), you get a fast, ad-free site on your own subdomain or a custom domain (sometimes free).
Pros
- Very fast pages and good for SEO when configured
- Low or no hosting cost for small sites
- Full control over files and structure
Cons
- Technical skills required to build and maintain
- No built-in CMS unless you add one
- Forms, dynamic features and analytics need extra setup
Ease of use: Low for non-developers; excellent for devs and agencies.
Best when: You want performance, control, and you (or a partner) can manage code.
Watch out for: Ongoing maintenance and adding features (SEO tags, structured data, lead capture) require technical work that can become costly in time.
When choosing a free website actually makes sense
- Testing an idea or marketing message. Use a free landing page while you validate demand.
- Portfolio or temporary event pages. Short-lived promos where SEO and lead capture aren't priorities.
- You have technical resources. If a developer maintains a Git-based site, hosting costs can be near zero.
- Budget constraints plus willingness to trade time. If you value time over money, a free plan can work — but expect to invest hours regularly.
If any of the above describes you, a free option is a practical choice. If you need predictable leads, local SEO, or a trusted, professional appearance, the trade-offs become meaningful.
When to move from free to paid or managed
Clear signs you should upgrade
- You're getting regular enquiries but losing them to a poor contact experience
- Your site doesn't appear in local searches
- You need reliable analytics and tracking
- Design and trust affect conversions (service businesses)
What paid / managed gives you
- Custom domain, no ads, consistent brand experience
- Built-for-local SEO & schema so customers find you
- Predictable hosting, backups and security
- Fast updates without technical work — better ROI on owner time
Value note: A low monthly fee that includes hosting, domain, SEO and unlimited updates often pays for itself by converting more visitors into paying customers and saving your time. Free is low price, but paid is predictable performance.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free website good enough for a small local business?
Can I migrate later from free to paid without losing SEO?
Are code-first free hosts better for SEO than builder free plans?
What's the single biggest downside of staying on free plans long-term?
Free is fine for now — but not always best for growth
If you're testing or on a tight budget, free options let you get online fast. If you care about local search, reliable lead capture, or saving dozens of hours every year, a managed, predictable website solution often delivers better value.
No pressure — compare your free option side-by-side with predictable paid plans to decide what saves you time and gets results.
Social & business profiles: instant presence, limited control
A business Facebook page, Instagram profile, or a free business listing (such as a business profile page) is effectively a free website. They are quick to set up and familiar to many customers.
Pros
Cons
Ease of use: Extremely high — familiar interfaces for most business owners.
Best when: You already have a strong social strategy or only need to share updates and photos.
Watch out for: Social profiles complement but rarely replace a discoverable website that ranks in Google for local searches.