free best website builder
An honest, practical comparison of the top free website builders in 2025 — what they do well, where they limit you, and which choice fits small businesses.
Free plans are a great way to experiment. But every free plan has trade-offs: branding, limited SEO tools, and missing features that hurt real results. This guide walks through the pros and cons of the leading free builders and when a low-cost, managed subscription can be a smarter investment.
How Free Website Plans Actually Work
Free tiers are marketing tools for builders. They let you publish quickly so you can test layouts and content, but the platform expects you to upgrade once you want a domain, remove branding, accept payments, or get advanced SEO.
- Good for: experiments, portfolios, one-page landing pages, and hobby projects.
- Limits: Free plan sites often show platform ads/branding, have storage or bandwidth caps, and restrict custom domains and commerce.
- Upgrade triggers: custom domain, remove branding, SEO features, analytics, form limits, or e-commerce.
Side-by-side: Best Free Website Builders (2025)
| Platform | Free Plan Highlights | Ease of Use | Best For | Key Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Drag‑and‑drop editor, many templates, Wix ads on free sites | 4/5 — very beginner friendly | Small business landing pages & creatives | Wix branding, limited SEO tools on free plan, cannot connect custom domain |
| WordPress.com (Free) | Simple WP editor, built-in blog, wordpress.com subdomain | 3.5/5 — steeper learning curve for themes/plugins | Bloggers, content-first sites | Restricted plugins, platform ads, limited SEO customisation |
| Weebly (Square) | Easy editor, basic e‑commerce trial, Square integration | 4/5 — fast setup | Simple stores & local services | Weebly branding, e‑commerce features gated to paid tiers |
| Webflow (Starter) | Professional layouts, visual CSS control, webflow.io subdomain | 3/5 — more powerful, steeper learning curve | Designers and agencies prototyping sites | Limited CMS items on free plan, steeper to master |
| Google Sites | Totally free, simple blocks, Google integration | 5/5 — easiest for simple info pages | Internal team pages, quick info sites | Very limited design control, weak SEO features, no commerce |
| Carrd (Free) | One‑page focus, tiny learning curve, lightweight | 5/5 — super fast to deploy single pages | Personal landing pages, link-in-bio | Single page only on free plan, limited integrations |
| Managed Subscription (example) | $30–49/mo — custom design, no platform branding | 1/5 — we do the work for you | Busy small businesses that need enquiries | Not free, but includes domain, hosting, updates and local SEO |
Notes: Ease-of-use scores are relative — higher scores mean faster to publish a usable site on the free plan. The managed subscription row highlights trade-offs: you pay but avoid the typical limits that reduce real-world results.
Builder-by-builder: Pros, Cons, and Typical Use Cases
Wix — Visual builder for fast sites
Pros: easiest drag-and-drop, vast template library, many apps. Cons: free plan shows Wix ads, can't use custom domain, and some SEO features are restricted.
Business landing pages, portfolios
Template lock-in and branded domain that looks less professional
WordPress.com (Free) — Blogging & content first
Pros: powerful content tools, native blog features, familiar editor. Cons: plugins and advanced SEO tools are behind paid plans; free plan uses wordpress.com subdomain and shows ads.
Content-heavy sites and blogs
Limited design control and paid gates for plugins and SEO
Weebly — Simple sites with Square payments
Pros: quick setup, good for small stores when upgraded. Cons: branding on free plan and commerce is limited until you pay.
Local shops and basic e-commerce testing
Transaction features and shipping calculators typically require paid plans
Webflow — Design power, steeper curve
Pros: pixel-perfect visual design and professional animations. Cons: free workspace is limited, learning curve higher than drag-and-drop builders.
Designers prototyping high-fidelity sites
Free plan limits CMS items and hosting features
Google Sites — Free, rigid, and reliable
Pros: entirely free, integrates with Google Workspace, simple to manage. Cons: very limited styling, not suited to competitive businesses that depend on search traffic.
Internal docs, event pages, or quick public info
Not designed for marketing or SEO-driven lead generation
Carrd — Minimal, one-page focus
Pros: fastest for a single landing page, very low learning curve. Cons: free plan limited to one page and few integrations.
Personal landing pages, link pages
Not suitable for full business websites or multi-page SEO needs
Common Limits on Free Plans (and Why They Matter)
A free plan can get you online fast — but these limits will reduce real business impact:
- Branded domain & ads: Platform branding reduces trust and hurts click-through and conversions.
- SEO limitations: No custom meta tags, restricted sitemap control, or blocked schema can reduce organic visibility.
- E-commerce caps: Checkout and payment features are usually gated.
- Storage & bandwidth: Photo galleries and video can quickly hit caps and slow pages.
- Limited integrations & analytics: Tracking pixels or third-party tools may be disabled.
Bottom line: A free site is useful for presence and testing. But if your goal is to get predictable enquiries from local search or run online sales, those limits will cost you conversions — and time.
When a Free Builder Is the Right Choice
- You're experimenting with an idea and need a placeholder site quickly.
- You only need a simple contact/info page and won't rely on search traffic.
- You're learning website design and want somewhere safe to practice.
- You don't care about a custom domain or removing platform branding.
When it's not
If you need predictable local leads, e-commerce, or a professional brand presence — investing in a paid plan or managed service typically pays for itself quickly.
Why Some Businesses Move From Free to Managed (Subtle Comparison)
Many small businesses start with a free site, then discover three recurring costs: lost leads because of branding/SEO limits, time spent wrestling with updates, and surprise fees when they try to add features. That’s where a managed subscription changes the equation.
What a managed service gives you
- No platform branding, custom domain included
- Local SEO setup so you rank for "near me" searches
- Unlimited updates without hourly fees
- Hosting, SSL, backups and analytics bundled
The time-value perspective
If your time is worth $50+/hour, spending 10–40 hours building and maintaining a free site quickly outweighs a modest monthly fee. Managed services convert that time into predictable results.
Example: a $49/month managed plan equals about 1 hour of a $600 design consultation — but with ongoing updates included.
How Congero compares (brief, factual)
Congero is an Australian managed website service that builds professional, mobile-optimised sites quickly and handles local SEO, domain, hosting, SSL and unlimited updates in a single monthly price. Where free plans trade control for zero cost, Congero trades a small monthly fee for no surprises, real search visibility, and ongoing support.
- Live in under 60 seconds via an AI-assisted build (demo available).
- Unlimited text-in updates (no hourly charges).
- Built-in local SEO and analytics to track enquiries.
Not a judgment on free builders — they serve a purpose. But for businesses that need predictable leads and less admin, a managed service often delivers greater return.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are free website builders good enough to start a business?
Which free builder is easiest to use?
Will a free site hurt my SEO permanently?
Can I move from a free builder to a managed subscription later?
Deciding: Free Now, Upgrade Later — or Skip the Headache?
Free builders are great for experimenting. If your focus is predictable enquiries, local visibility and saving time, a managed subscription (with domain, hosting, updates and SEO included) is often the better long-term value.
Try free options to learn — and consider the real cost of time and missed leads when choosing the long-term path.
