8 best free website builders for small businesses in 2024

The catch is finding a tool that has everything you need. While plenty of website builders have a free plan, many are too restrictive to be useful, which is why we created this list of the 8 best free website builders. 

Each tool we’ve included has all you need to create a site for free. And we’ve highlighted the pros, cons, and features of each platform to help you choose the best one for you. Read on to find out more about building a free website, or click here to jump straight to the top tools list. 👇 

All the tools on our list let you build a website for free, but you have to make some compromises if you don’t want to pay. 

The biggest compromise is that you can’t publish the website to your own URL because it always costs money to buy a domain name. Instead, you’ll publish the website to a free domain provided by the tool you choose. 

Even if you register a custom domain, which typically costs between $10 and $60 per year, most free site builders require you to upgrade to a paid plan to connect it. The only exception to this at the time of publishing is Ycode (number 4 on our list), which allows you to use a custom domain on its free plan. 

Other compromises will depend on the tool you choose, but they typically include some of the following:

• The number of pages you can add to your website

• The amount of traffic your website can handle in a month

• Access to advanced features like e-commerce, forms, or blogs

• The requirement to show the website-building platform’s branding on your website

• The requirement to show display ads on your website

• A limited number of user seats

With this in mind, the key to choosing a free website builder is to identify which compromises you are willing to accept and then choose a tool that meets these criteria. 

Most free website builders offer similar functionality, but they aren’t all exactly the same. Here are 8 questions to answer to ensure you choose a tool that works for your business.

Does it have the right blend of usability vs. customization?

Some of the tools on our list are super easy to use, while others have more features and customization options. The right blend of ease of use and customization for you will typically depend on what you want from your website, your web design skills, and the time you can put into building your site.

Read this article to learn more about how to build a website.

How much bandwidth (traffic) can the site handle?

Many website builders limit the amount of bandwidth free users can access, meaning sites can only handle a limited number of visitors each month. 

Can you add forms to the site?

Forms are an essential feature for almost all business websites as they enable visitors to contact you, join your email list, and convert into prospects. Without forms, using your website to generate customers will be much harder.  

Are there limits to what you can build?

Many free website builders restrict the storage, pages or content blocks you can add to the website. This can be a problem if you want to make a large site.

Does the free plan include advanced blocks?

All the tools on our list have similar base features and design options. Some also have extras that help you create more advanced websites, such as quizzes, surveys, animations, and more. 

Can you add e-commerce features?

You need e-commerce store functionality if you want to sell products on your website. Types of e-commerce features include integration with an e-commerce platform, integration with payment gateways like Stripe, or built-in payment features. 

What features do paid plans offer (and are they affordable)?

Many businesses start with a free website and then switch to a paid one as they become more established. If you think you’ll need to upgrade at some point, look at the pricing and features available on paid plans to ensure the tool will grow with you. 

Are there any extras that make the tool a good fit?

Many of the platforms on our list have extras that can’t be compared to other tools. For example, MailerLite provides advanced email marketing features, Weebly links with Square for on and offline commerce, and Super.so is designed to turn Notion pages into websites.

Here is our list of the best free website builders for your business. We’ve highlighted the features of each tool and summarized what we like and dislike about one. Each listing also includes what you get when you upgrade to a paid plan, so you can see what you’re missing out on. 

MailerLite is the easiest way to build and publish a beautiful multi-page website. The visual website builder has over 25 pre-designed and customizable blocks which helps beginners build a professional site while giving pros enough customization options to create a design that meets their needs. The platform stands out thanks to the included email marketing toolkit which you can use for up to 1,000 subscribers and includes forms, automation, and newsletters. 

Free plan features

• Build one multi-page website

• Create up to 10 landing pages

• Publish to a free MailerLite domain

• Drag & drop builder with pre-built block layouts

• Sign-up forms and pop-ups

• Search engine optimization tools

• E-commerce integrations

• Advanced blocks like surveys, quizzes, timers, and columns

• Email marketing features for up to 1,000 contacts and 12,000 monthly emails

Pros

• Easy to use: The visual builder is a beginner-friendly way to create a professional website 

• Built-in marketing tools: Grow your business with built-in email marketing 

Cons

• No templates: You need a paid plan to access website templates which can slow down the time it takes to go live. Although, you can access templates during a 30-day free trial of Advanced features when you sign up

Mmm.page is a digital canvas you can use to build websites. It stands out thanks to the (almost) complete freedom you get to drag and drop elements around the page which is a huge benefit if you want to create a unique design. The downside to this freedom is that creating a professional-looking website can be difficult if you aren’t a skilled designer.

Free plan features

• Digital paper-style website builder 

• Create up to 3 pages

• Add up to 30 blocks per page

• Up to 1,000 visitors per month

• All design options other than premium fonts

Pros

• Intuitive design: The drag-and-drop builder is super user-friendly, it’s like a digital scrapbook that you can add content to 

• Creative: You can build almost any design you want, making it a good option for expressing your creativity

Cons

• Limited features: It lacks advanced functionality like payments, signup forms, templates, and other tools necessary for most small business websites

Super.so lets you turn Notion pages into websites. Just paste your Notion page link into Super.so to publish your site and once live all edits made in Notion are reflected on the page. The free version allows you to create a site and publish it on a super.site domain with Super.so branding. The tool isn’t for everyone, but entrepreneurs who already use Notion will find it to be an easy way to create their own website. 

Free plan features

• Turn a Notion page into a website

• Changes in Notion are automatically reflected on the website

• Publish on a super.site domain with Super.so branding

• Use Notion as the content management system (CMS)

• Website themes

Pros

• Good for Notion users: If you already know how to use Notion, there is almost no learning curve

• Very fast setup: Publish a site from a Notion page in seconds

Cons

• Reliant on Notion: If you don’t already use Notion, you’ll have to learn the tool. You’ll also need to sign up for a Notion account

Ycode is a website builder that stands out for two reasons. First, is that it lets you create websites and web apps with virtually any design. Second, is that it’s the only tool on our list with a basic plan that lets you connect a custom domain name (you’ll still need to pay for the domain). The downside is that the tool has a relatively steep learning curve thanks to its advanced features. 

Free plan features

• Powerful website builder with the same design options as premium plans

• 10-page website

• Custom domain

• 100 CMS items

• 2,000 visitors

• Forms 

• Animations

Pros

• Design customization: Create a custom website or web app with advanced features

• Custom domain: Publish to your own domain for free

Cons

• Steep learning curve: Those new to web design will need to learn how to use the tool

WordPress.com is the hosted version of WordPress, the open-source software that runs 43% of the web. The free version lets you create a website with unlimited pages and visitors, 1GB of storage, and publish it on a WordPress.com domain. The downside is that the page builder isn’t as intuitive as some of the other tools on our list. 

Free plan features

• Free themes and patterns

• Unlimited pages and users

• 1GB storage

• Contact form

• SEO tools 

• Huge library of tutorials

Pros

• Easy WordPress setup: Access WordPress without signing up for a web hosting service.

• Grows with you: The $40 per month plan offers access to WordPress.org’s huge library of plugins and themes, which is useful if you think you might need to create a more powerful site when you scale your business

Cons

• Design is difficult: Creating custom designs can be difficult in WordPress as the drag-and-drop editor UI isn’t as intuitive as other tools

• Ads: WordPress shows ads on free plan websites

Wix’s free plan gives access to plenty of website design and customization options and lets you publish the site on a Wix domain. The major downside is that Wix will show ads on your site, which distracts from your business’s message. 

Free plan features

• Powerful visual website builder

• Up to 500MB of storage

• Up to 500MB bandwidth

• Advanced website features like blogs, forms and bookings

Pros

• Support: Free users get access to customer support

• Options: There are tons of design customization options to help you build a Wix website that meets your needs

Cons

• Ads: Wix shows ads on free plans, which could appear unprofessional

Weebly is a website builder with features designed for online stores such as payments, inventory and shopping carts. The platform is owned by the payments company Square, so sites built with the tool have close integration with the company’s suite of on and offline payments solutions.

Free plan features

• Visual website builder

• E-commerce tools like shopping baskets, inventory management, and gift cards

• Forms

• Email support

Pros

• E-commerce features: Add unlimited items, a shopping cart, inventory management and more to your free website

• Square integration: If you use Square’s payments solutions then a Weebly website is an obvious choice

Cons

• Limited web design options: Some of the other tools on our list offer more customization options

Carrd helps you create free one-page websites for your business. The tool stands out thanks to its easy-to-use visual builder which has plenty of customization options to make creating professional websites a breeze. The major downside is that you can’t create multi-page websites and you need a paid plan to access forms, an essential feature for many business sites.

Free plan features

• Publish 3 sites to a Carrd domain

• Easy-to-use visual page builder

• Access all basic blocks

• Free templates

Pros

• Intuitive page builder: Carrd’s page builder makes it easy to create professional websites

• Templates: You can access free templates which makes getting started easy 

Cons

• One-page websites only: You can’t build multi-page websites, which means you’re limited if you ever want to go beyond a landing page

Still unsure about whether to use a free tool to build your business’s website? Here are the answers to some common website-building questions. 

Can you build a website completely free? 

Yes, as long as you don’t mind publishing your website on a subdomain of the website-building platform and accepting the limitations that come with a free plan. 

How much does it cost to build a website for a small business?

Paid plans start at just a few dollars per month, although these plans will typically still be limited. For a serious website, look to spend $10 or more per month plus between $10 and $60 annually to pay for your domain name. 

Is it worth having a website for a small business?

In 2024, we’d say it’s essential. Your website is the center of your online presence and the best place to showcase your brand. Even if you plan to use other online platforms like social media or YouTube to power your business, you’ll still benefit from a website.

Small business owners have a lot to spend their money on. A website doesn’t have to be one of those things. While you will have to make some compromises when choosing a free over a paid tool, it’s possible to create a site that meets your needs while you grow. 

Perhaps the best way to choose a platform is to look at the features you need, sign up for a couple of the tools on this list, then try building a site to see which one you like the most. 

Have you used any of the tools on this list? Let us know what you thought of them in the comments!