Best free website builders (2026)

Not every “free” label survives a closer look. Below are the website builders with a genuine free tier.

For each pick we show exactly what the free tier covers, who it suits, and the catch (caps, branding or gated features) when the data names one. A free trial is flagged separately from a permanent free plan, because they are not the same thing.

The free tools at a glance

Tool	Free offer	What you get free	Best for
Framer	Free plan	10 CMS collections, Framer branding	Designers
Wix	Free plan	Wix branding/ads	Small business
Carrd	Free plan	3 sites, footer ad, subdomain	One-page sites

The picks, ranked

1. Framer Website builder

Design-native website builder with AI generation and CMS; popular for modern landing pages and startups.

Free plan: 10 CMS collections, Framer branding

Standout feature: CMS 3.0 with table view, bulk actions and a CMS agent that syncs content to the canvas.

Best for: Designers, startups and agencies building polished marketing sites, landing pages and portfolios.

The catch: Free plan offers 10 CMS collections but paid plans drop to 1; steeper learning curve than Wix/Squarespace.

Full Framer overview

Try Framer free →

2. Wix Website builder

Drag-and-drop website builder with templates, AI site generation, and integrated hosting; broad use cases.

Free plan: Wix branding/ads

Standout feature: Drag-and-drop builder with 2,700+ templates.

Best for: Small businesses, beginners and portfolio sites wanting maximum flexibility from one builder.

The catch: Transaction fees on store sales and reported surprise renewal price increases; 50,000-product cap.

Full Wix overview

Try Wix free →

3. Carrd Website builder

Ultra-simple one-page site builder for bios, landing pages and links; very low cost.

Free plan: 3 sites, footer ad, subdomain

Standout feature: Hundreds of templates for bios, portfolios, link-in-bio pages and landing pages.

Best for: Individuals needing a bio, portfolio, link-in-bio or simple landing page on a tiny budget.

The catch: Limited design control and no real e-commerce.

Full Carrd overview

How to pick a free tool

Start with the free plan whose limit you'll hit last for your use case — seats, items or sends — not the longest feature list. Free tiers are for validating fit; upgrade only when a real ceiling, not a nice-to-have, gets in your way.

FAQ

Which of these are genuinely free, and which are just trials?

3 tools here offer a permanent free plan you can keep using at $0 — including Framer, Wix and Carrd. Every tool in the ranked list above offers a standing free plan, not just a trial.

What's the catch with a free plan?

Free tiers trade away scale or polish. The usual limits are usage caps (seats, contacts, sends, storage), a reduced feature set, vendor branding or watermarks, and gated automations. Each pick above lists its specific limit and catch where the data names one.

How were these chosen?

We include a tool only when its own pricing or an independent source confirms a real free plan or trial — no assumed free tiers. Details, limits and facts are drawn from the vendors' plans and the reviews cited in Sources below.

Can you actually run a business on a free plan?

Up to a point. Free plans suit solo users and small volumes; once you need more seats, higher limits or to drop the vendor branding, upgrading is the honest call.

Sources

Free-plan limits and facts above are drawn from these vendor pages and independent reviews: