The Best Free Website-Building Sites in 2025: A Complete Comparison

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Having a website these days is no longer a luxury. Although having a digital home is a must for brands and freelancers, it’s also good for regular people to have one. They can create a blog, show off their work, share their hobby, or showcase their resume.

Still, whether you’re a big brand or just a regular person, you will need to build your digital home. That’s why we’ve gathered and tested the best free website-building sites so you don’t have to wonder which one is for you.

Now, you might be wondering, “Why not build one on my own?”. Well, that’s a good point. Here is a detailed explanation of what to expect if you go for building a website from scratch.

But today, we are focusing on what 2025 offers in terms of website builders. We will discuss the good and the bad, what we love and hate about the best free website-building sites this year.

HostArmada’s Choice

We know a thing or two about website building. After all, you need to understand the ins and outs of the product you’re supporting. So, our team took the time to check all the best websites in various independent rankings and share our views on the matter.

Here is our final verdict:

  1. The best overall – WordPress
  2. Best all-in-one solution – Hostarmada Website Builder
  3. Best for beginners – Wix
  4. The best for e-commerce – Shopify
  5. The best for advanced users – Webflow

Now that we have our winners let’s get into the details.

WordPress ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wordpress logo, the best free website-building sites

Overall Best Among Free Website-Building Sites

WordPress is the ultimate free website-building site, powering over 43.6%. This accounts for over 500 million websites worldwide. There is literally no better social proof than that.

Just like most people on this planet, we also tested what it’s like to build a website on WordPress.

To put it mildly, it was effortless. Whether you’re building an affiliate marketing website, a portfolio, a brand website, or a retail store, WordPress has got you covered. You can use ample themes and templates for everything – from an entire website to a specific landing page. But even if you don’t find something you like, dozens of website-building plugins exist.

You can also use the ever-evolving out-of-the-box builder, though it’s not ideal. At least it’s not as advanced as Elementor, for example. Still, with these plugins, you can build your own unique website by dragging and dropping elements.

When it comes to added functionality, WordPress is the king. With over a quadrillion (the number might be a bit exaggerated) plugins to choose from, you can add even extremely niched functionalities to your website.

WordPress is genuinely the best free website-building site out there. It’s effortless to use and easy to integrate, and the CMS is simply unparalleled.  

What We Like:

✅ Extensive Customization: With thousands of themes and plugins, WordPress enables users to tailor their websites to any needs. There is no need for development, coding, and extensive IT knowledge.

✅ Strong Community Support: A vast community of developers and users provides a wealth of tutorials, forums, and resources. Support is not needed when thousands of people are ready to jump in and fix your problem at a moment’s notice.

✅ SEO-Friendly: Built-in features and plugins like Yoast SEO facilitate search engine optimization. This is a goldmine for users trying to score organic traffic.

✅ Regular Updates – WordPress has at least 3 major releases each year. Along with new features, they also regularly fix bugs and update their security. This makes them one of the most secure platforms as well.

✅ Unparalleled scalability – Building new pages, getting new functionalities, or entirely rebranding your business within a day shows how scalable this platform is. There is literally no industry that can’t benefit from using WordPress.  

What We Don’t Like:

❌The new Gutenberg blogging system: The new Gutenberg blogging system is a bit stiff. It’s definitely done with some ideas. However, it’s obvious the idea didn’t come from a writer. Otherwise, they’d tell the developers to use Google Docs as a reference point. Though it offers many opportunities, it’s needlessly complex.

❌Maintenance Requirements: Regular updates for themes, plugins, and the core system are necessary to ensure security and functionality. Thus, you need to stay on top of all updates, or your website may crash if it becomes too outdated.

❌It’s not the easiest builder to use – WordPress is effortless to use, there’s no doubt about that. However, if you are a complete beginner getting there for the first time, you will be overwhelmed. Sure, you have all the tools you can imagine and more. But which one should you use? Which theme is good for you? How do you make a specific change? Sure, you can build a website in a few hours if you are familiar with WordPress. However, if you’re a newbie, you will spend at least a few days learning what’s what. My first website, for example, took me about a month to perfect.

Who is it for:

WordPress’s versatility and scalability make it a preferred choice for bloggers, businesses, and developers. Its ability to grow with the user’s needs, alongside its unparalleled ecosystem of plugins and themes, makes it ideal for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a multi-million dollar brand or a single mom, creating a fancy carpool website for your school mom group.

Verdict:

WordPress is king. There is no doubt about that. It’s beloved across the globe, and it’s widely recognized as the best of the best free website-building sites on the planet. Although in our expert opinion, it does have some minor drawbacks, it’s the best free website-building site on the market.

HostArmada Website Builder ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hostarmada logo

Best All-in-One Solution Among Free Website-Building Sites

Though WordPress can easily integrate with most hosting solutions, many users prefer the in-house building platforms. Thus, when it comes to an all-in-one solution, HostArmada’s Website Builder is among the best free website-building sites on the market.

Now, of course, HostArmada Website Builder is nowhere near the capabilities of WordPress. Still, it offers a pretty straightforward solution. There are over 500 themes to choose from and more than 40+ widgets. The design is inherently responsive, and you have a one-click integration with HostAramda.

This is actually the showstopper here. The builder is great for those looking for a simple, straightforward, and fast solution. However, the hosting that comes in the bundle is what makes this free website-building website not just a contender but a winner.

HostArmada’s cloud-based technology allows for lightning-fast website loading time. The clean code of the builder enhances this feature, and your website will be flying.

Moreover, they have top-notch security, with several layers of protection.

But most importantly, downtime is practically impossible. This synergy provides a seamless experience for users seeking an all-encompassing solution.

What We Like:

✅ User-friendly interface: The intuitive drag-and-drop builder simplifies the design process. The dashboard is effortlessly navigable, and building a website is a child’s play. I literally left my 7-year-old niece to build a landing page while testing it. She did it without a hinge.

✅ Outstanding integrated hosting: Hosting is the best part of this deal. You get the best cloud hosting service on the market. Even better, once you outgrow the builder, you can effortlessly switch to WordPress, as there is a one-click integration with the CMS as well.

✅ Responsive templates: There are over 500 fully responsive templates ready to satisfy any business need. Furthermore, they allow extended customization, so you can effortlessly make them your own.

✅ Full-on support – HostArmada is well-known for its impeccable 24/7/365 support through any channel you want. Furthermore, they created an easy-to-follow tutorial on using the HostArmada website builder. Thus, even people who see a computer for the first time can create a stunning website in a matter of minutes.

✅ Premium widgets – To make the customization even greater, the HostArmada website builder offers over 40 widgets. Many of them would be considered premium on other builders, meaning you will have to pay for them. With the HostArmada builder, they come out of the box.

What We Don’t Like:

❌Limited advanced customization: While suitable for most users, customization options won’t suffice for advanced users who want to tailor every aspect of their website.

❌Template variety: Though quality-focused, HostArmada Website Builder’s selection can’t compare with the sheer volume of what the rest on this list offer. Yes, there are literally hundreds of pre-build options, but the variety is comparatively scarce.

❌Highly limited scalability: HostArmada Website Builder is a gateway solution, albeit an excellent one. However, once your business and needs start to grow, the website offers little in terms of scalability.

Why It’s So Popular:

The seamless integration of website building and hosting services appeals to users seeking a hassle-free setup. HostArmada’s reputation for reliable hosting definitely enhances the platform’s appeal. Moreover, the HostArmada website builder is the perfect stepping stone for first-time users. Once they outgrow it, they can easily transfer to WordPress without the need to change website hosts.

Verdict:

HostArmada Website Builder is the perfect all-in-one solution. It offers an end-to-end answer to those seeking a straightforward website builder packaged with a fast, secure, reliable, and highly flexible cloud hosting service.

Wix ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wix logo

The Best For Beginners Among Free Website-Building Sites

Wix is, without a doubt, the most popular among the free website-building sites on the market. Many consider it to be the best website builder, and by testing it, we can see why they’d think so.

Still, while the website builder is undoubtedly outstanding, there are some serious drawbacks that simply can’t allow us to put it as the best free website-building site.

Wix has some impressive features. The website builder is truly powerful and offers a variety of options that you can’t find elsewhere. For example, building my first website with their ADI editor was as easy as answering a few simple questions. They were about the website’s goals, the colors I like, and some design preferences. The website was ready within a few seconds.

So, for beginners who want a website, not to customize their online home to perfection, this is the fastest solution.

Moreover, the Wix editor is also at the top level. With over 800 templates to start from, you can tweak and turn every aspect of your website just like you imagine it.

Then there are the drawbacks.

First and foremost, Wix’s free plan has some significant limitations. Moreover, it’s not truly free, as you must use Wix’s hosting. Now, here is the big problem. They charge 17/mo for what we can best describe as “it’s something.” At the same time, at HostArmada, you can get much better service with the highest tier of shared hosting for more than three times less.

Moreover, the call support is highly limited, as are some features.

Worst of all, we tried changing our template while we tested it. Not a chance. With Wix, you had better find the template you wanted on the first try. There are no takesies-backsies.  

What We Like:

✅ The AI-powered Website creation – A genuine masterpiece. The Wix Artificial Design Intelligence can generate a website in a few seconds. It’s perfect for complete beginners.

✅ The Effortless Use – Hands down, the easiest builder we’ve tried. Well, the HostArmada Website builder was just as easy, but it lacked the massive customization power Wix offers. Moreover, they have over 800 templates for, as it seems, every industry on the market.

✅ Outstanding App Ecosystem – Wix offers an extensive plugin marketplace where you can enhance your website’s functionalities.

✅ The Media Handling – Wix offers seamless media integration into your website. You can upload videos from local storage spaces, of course, but you can also get them directly from Instagram, Google Photos, Drive, and more. Moreover, you have access to Wix’s Shutterstock library. So, when it comes to visuals, you are covered.

✅ The built-in SEO tools – You don’t need additional plugins to optimize your on-page SEO. Wix got you covered.

What We Don’t Like:

❌Template Lock-In – Once you choose a template, you can’t switch to a new one without destroying everything you worked on.

❌Limited Free Plan – The free plan includes Wix-branded ads and does not allow custom domain names. One can argue why it’s even on the list of the best free website-building sites. Well, it’s one of the most popular website builders and has a free plan.

❌Terrible Hosting Bundle – You can’t use Wix without their terrible hosting. It’s expensive, but it’s neither fast, secure, nor reliable. Some Wix sites experience slower load times, especially those with media-heavy designs.

Who is it for:

Wix’s popularity derives from its effortless use and unlimited customizability. You don’t need any previous development background to create a stunning website. Moreover, if you don’t want to waste any time on customization, just use the AI. Your website will be up and running in seconds.

These features make it the go-to choice for beginners and small businesses.

Verdict:

Wix would have been great had it not pushed its questionable hosting with its excellent builder. Still, we can’t ignore the fact that it’s by far the most popular among free website-building sites for beginners and freelancers.

Shopify ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shopify's logo, one of the best free website-building sites

Best for E-Commerce Among Free Website-Building Sites

If you’re searching for the best ecommerce website-building companies, Shopify will always be there at the top spots. It’s the gold standard for e-commerce website building, as it simplifies store management and provides essential tools to maximize sales and growth.

Shopify powers over 4.6 million online stores. A testament to its capabilities and credibility.

While other builders, like WordPress (through WooCommerce), can help you build a genuinely outstanding website, Shopify will automate the entire selling process. The platform will manage your inventory and payment processing and will offer you marketing tools to sway audiences to become customers.

While testing it, we were pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to set up a store with the free plan. We were expecting to get bombarded by push messages to upgrade.

Within minutes, we had a fully functional online store complete with product listings, payment gateways, and a modern, responsive design. Shopify’s drag-and-drop editor is simple yet powerful, allowing even beginners to create a sleek, professional store.

However, Shopify isn’t just a basic store builder. The Shopify App Store provides thousands of integrations, including dropshipping plugins, automation tools, and marketing features. We also loved Shopify Payments, which eliminates third-party transaction fees. However, if you use external payment gateways, you’ll pay extra fees—a major downside for businesses processing a lot of transactions.

What We Like:

✅Powerful E-Commerce Features – Shopify includes inventory management, multi-channel selling, and abandoned cart recovery. In other words, you’ll be ready to go in a few hours.

✅Shopify Payments – Third-party payments often come with attached strings. Sure, it may be comfortable, but it’s definitely not more profitable. Shopify Payment is a great way to have a cost-efficient payment gateway as an option.

✅Scalability – Scalability is unparalleled if we talk about e-commerce. You can implement it on a small business, just as well as on a multi-million dollar endeavor.

✅Mobile-Optimized Storefronts – More than 2/3ds of your sales will never happen if your store looks terrible on mobile. Thus, having a platform that makes this a non-issue is a must.

✅Extensive App Marketplace – In e-commerce, there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all. However, Shopify’s broad app marketplace will guarantee your online store will have every feature you need, regardless of your industry or niche.

What We Don’t Like:

❌Transaction Fees on Third-Party Payments – Shopify charges extra fees if you use an external payment processor. This can be a huge problem for international users, as Shopify payment is not popular outside the US.

❌Limited Free Customization – If you want to scale, you must pay. That sounds reasonable. But still, the limited customization options are a bit frustrating.

❌You’re stuck with Shopify hosting – While Shopify’s builder is free (mostly), you still have to pay for hosting. Their hosting is a bit better than Wix’s, but it is still a far cry from what HostArmada offers. Moreover, most apps in the store are paid, so prices can start piling up.

Who Is It For?

There is hardly a question of who can benefit most from Shopify. The platform was created for entrepreneurs of all sorts: Ecommerce, dropshipping, and anyone who wants to sell anything.

Verdict:

Now, considering you will eventually have to pay and the prices aren’t cheap, you mustn’t rush into Shopify if you’re not serious about your ecommerce endeavors. There are better, less expensive alternatives if you’re just testing the waters.

Webflow ⭐⭐⭐

Webflow Logo

Best for Advanced Users Among Free Website-Building Sites

Webflow is one of the most advanced free website-building sites, combining visual website design with developer-level customization. Unlike most website builders, Webflow offers a code-free design interface while allowing advanced users access to the underlying HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you’ve ever wanted Photoshop’s design freedom mixed with WordPress’s functionality, Webflow is your answer.

Now, testing it, we noticed that even we had to freshen up on some concepts. There is a steep learning curve. For beginners, it’s almost impossible to use. They will have to invest a lot of time into learning the ins and outs of the platform. Still, once you get the hang of it, the usability is outstanding, and the design capabilities are unmatched. Unlike the rest on our list, which offer limited customization, Webflow allows pixel-perfect control over every aspect of a website’s design.

We tested Webflow’s CMS capabilities, and they are outstanding. It’s not as good as WordPress, but it’s still amazing. This makes it perfect for blogs, portfolios, and content-heavy websites.

However, Webflow is not ideal for e-commerce. Implementing an online shop is hard, and the platform lacks many Shopify features.

The best thing about Webflow is the ability to export code. This means you are not stuck with Webflow’s hosting. Now, they offer one for those who don’t want to find a better one, but we strongly suggest using a different one. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not in our Top 100.

What We Like:

✅ Complete Design Freedom – The customization power of this website builder is truly unparalleled. Maybe only by Dreamweaver, but Adobe’s solution is nowhere near as user-friendly as Webflow.

✅ Dynamic CMS Integration – Most free website-building sites with such customization freedom allow only stale websites. Not Webflow. Its dynamic CMS is perfect for heavy-content websites.

✅ Code Export Option – This is a winner, in our opinion. We may wonder which free website-building site is the best. However, there is no doubt that HostArmada is the best hosting partner for any website. So, the ability to export your website from such an advanced website builder and use HostArmada’s hosting services is what we call a win-win.

✅ The cleanest code by any builder – Website builders often make messy codes. There are many reasons for that, which we won’t discuss today. This means that using a website builder inherently slows down your website. Not if you use Webflow, though. Its code is as clean as if a programmer wrote it. Thus, your website speed will be much higher.

✅ Built-In animations and interactions – Webflow offers some pretty cool advanced visual effects. The best part is that you don’t need to add a custom code. They are built-in, meaning you can create a stunning animated design without any custom code.

What We Don’t Like:

❌Steep Learning Curve – Webflow is not beginner-friendly. It requires previous knowledge in design and coding. While you don’t have to be professional, the platform is mainly and requires basic design & coding knowledge.

❌Limited Free Features – While enough for creating a beautiful website, the free plan is not what makes WebFlow such a hit. Still, if you are using WebFlow, you are most probably designing. So, you know that the fees are fair and worth it.

❌Ecommerce Limitations – If you are building an e-commerce website, this is not your platform. It is possible, but it’s hard, and it lacks some important functionalities.

Who Is It For?

It’s obvious that beginners won’t feel comfortable using this tool. Webflow was never intended for them anyway. Its advanced customization and flexibility make it perfect for web designers and developers. Moreover, businesses with customers and high-performance websites can also benefit from the clean code.

Finally, bloggers and content creators can also take advantage of the stunning visual aspects combined with a gorgeous CMS.

Verdict:

If you’re a designer or developer looking for total creative freedom, Webflow is one of the best free website-building sites available. However, if you’re a beginner or need a quick, pre-built website, Webflow is definitely not the best place to find a solution.

Let’s recap

Best Free Website-Building Sites
Website Builder Best For Free Plan Ease of Use Customization E-commerce Capabilities
WordPress Best Overall Yes Moderate High Yes (with Woocommerce)
HostArmada Website Builder Best All-in-One Yes Easy Moderate Yes
Wix Best for Beginners Limited Very Easy High Very Limited
Shopify Best for E-commerce Limited Easy Limited Excellent
WebFlow Best for Advanced Users Yes Difficult Almost Unlimited Very Limited

Conclusion

As you can see, the best free website-building site depends on your needs and expectations. Luckily, there is something for everyone on the internet. Just like HostArmada has a hosting plan for every need, desire, and situation.

We offer lightning-fast website speed, top-notch security, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. So, while it’s great to consider where you will be building your website, it’s better to consider where you will host it. After all, whether your website will be up and running and how fast your web pages will open is way more important than being able to twist a box slightly.

So, check out our hosting plans and choose the one that will best fit your needs. Then, you can go ahead and select your website builder. Just like buildings, your website is also only as strong as its foundation.