how-to
Advertiser Disclosure
Loading up a website is kind of like entering a room: you know within a few minutes whether you want to be there or not. The aesthetics and usability of a virtual space make all the difference in how much time a visitor will spend there. A 2015 study by Adobe found that 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.
If you don’t know anything about web design, don’t worry — you can still have an appealing site that makes visitors want to stick around. The best website builders are tools that allow you to make beautiful websites without needing to code. Even if you’re pretty good with web design, website builders can be a quick and effective solution when you’re pressed for time.
Even better, many hosting providers offer website builders for free as part of their services. Our top picks have everything you need to get a good-looking, navigable site up and running quickly. With 15 different hosts to choose from, there’s no shortage of options. We’ve broken them down into categories to help you pick the best site builder based on your specific goals and budget.
Best Overall: Free Website Builder & Hosting Plans
You shouldn’t feel like using a website builder is taking the easy way out. Website builders can create sites that are just as good as hand-coded ones, in a fraction of the time. The same goes for having misgivings over using a free website builder — there’s no shame in taking a handout when it’s a good option!
A quality website builder is simplicity and flexibility wrapped into one. The best options offer plenty of storage, along with a drag-and-drop experience that allows you to easily add text, images, and buttons. Considering that more people now access the web via mobile devices instead of desktops, your chosen site builder should also offer responsive design for mobile web browsing.
Wix and Weebly are industry staples that excel in helping even the most inexperienced users get online. Lightened-up versions of each tool are available for free, enabling users to get a sense of which platform to use long term. Take a look at our reviews below to get a sense of which direction might be best for you:
1.
Wix.com
- Start designing for FREE
- FREE domain with most plans
- Drag-and-drop templates, specific to industry or design need
- Help Center with exhaustive knowledge base of articles
- Huge App Market available
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 500 MB - 20 GB | Transfer | www.wix.com/site-builder |
2.
Weebly.com
- All-in-one hosting and industry-leading drag-and-drop website builder
- Start designing for FREE, upgrade to an affordable plan whenever
- Easily build a blog, personal site, online store, or business portfolio
- 100s of FREE templates for websites and online marketplaces
- $100 credit toward Google advertising
- Get started on Weebly now.
Weebly: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 500 MB - Unlimited | FREE (w/ paid plans) | www.weebly.com/site-builder |
See other site builder and hosting plans »
Best Free Site Builder & Hosting for “eCommerce”
If you’re going to host an online store, eCommerce functionality on your website is a must. Online retailers will want to choose a website builder that has a variety of template designs, and the ability to collect payments through a variety of means: major credit cards, checking accounts, and online payment systems like PayPal and Google Pay. The best website builders with eCommerce have all this and more.
Volusion provides a free shared hosting environment for people in the retail space. It’s our top pick for eCommerce because of the sheer number of features for displaying, advertising, and selling products. On top of that, Volusion offers integrations with social media platforms and major retailers like Amazon.
3.
Volusion.com
- Comprehensive tools for inventory, orders, payments, and shipping
- Integrations allow store owners to sell on Amazon, Facebook, and eBay
- PCI compliance comes standard — but you'll need to buy an SSL certificate
- Collect payments through a variety of channels with NO fees
- Built-in SEO controls keep your store in search results
- Get started on Volusion now.
Volusion: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-day FREE trial | Unlimited | New or Transfer | www.volusion.com/shared |
See other eCommerce site builders »
Best Free Site Builder & Hosting for “Small Business”
Ideally, you should be able to move your mom-and-pop shop online without having to hire any new staff, learn a new skill, or wait too long to get your website up. Whether you own a restaurant, bed-and-breakfast, repair shop, or jewelry store, keeping costs down is the name of the game.
The best thing about choosing a free website builder for your small business is that it greatly reduces your overhead costs of getting online. Our winner for best website builder for small businesses is Wix because of its incredible ease of use and fast turnaround times. You can set up a Wix site in as little as four minutes with the drag-and-drop WYSIWYG editor that gives you full control of the look and feel of your website. Customer interactions, like booking appointments and making reservations, are as straightforward as possible and can be customized to fit your brand.
4.
Wix.com
- Start designing for FREE
- FREE domain with most plans
- Drag-and-drop templates, specific to industry or design need
- Help Center with exhaustive knowledge base of articles
- Huge App Market available
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 500 MB - 20 GB | Transfer | www.wix.com/site-builder |
See other site builder and hosting plans »
Best Free Site Builder & Hosting With “No Ads”
Advertising has its place in the online market, and free site builders often offset maintenance costs by placing small ads on your site. Increasing evidence has shown that website users don’t really like having to look at ads.
To give your visitors an ad-free experience, look no further than our choice for the best no-ad website builder, Weebly. Free Weebly accounts display only a small link back to Weebly, and the affordable upgrade packages remove even that. Weebly’s simple editing interface means the platform is ideal for beginners, SEO-friendly, and comes with analytics and marketing tools to optimize and monetize your website.
5.
Weebly.com
- All-in-one hosting and industry-leading drag-and-drop website builder
- Start designing for FREE, upgrade to an affordable plan whenever
- Easily build a blog, personal site, online store, or business portfolio
- 100s of FREE templates for websites and online marketplaces
- $100 credit toward Google advertising
- Get started on Weebly now.
Weebly: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 500 MB - Unlimited | FREE (w/ paid plans) | www.weebly.com/site-builder |
See other site builder and hosting plans »
Free Site Builders & Domain Names With Paid Hosting
We always advocate for getting the most from your hosting plan. By investing only a few dollars per month, website owners can unlock a ton of perks and add-on features that can really impress your users and improve the functionality of your website. The hosts in this category have the best deals on the extras that can make a big difference in the quality, look, and feel of your website.
There’s no discounting the value of getting a free domain name thrown into an already sweet package. These hosts not only offer free website builders, but they also have free domain registration. Most registrations are for one year, but HostPapa lets users keep their domain names free for life.
6.
iPage.com
- Choice of Weebly or WebsiteBuilder by iPage
- #1 Pick for WYSIWYG site building with FREE domain
- 100s of professionally designed, customizable themes
- Start your personal blog or business site in minutes
- Get +75% off your first month
- Get started on iPage now.
iPage: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB - Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.ipage.com/site-builder |
7.
Bluehost.com
- Weebly or goMobi site builder
- FREE domain name
- Integrated CloudFlare CDN standard across all plans
- Gain exposure with $200 in FREE advertising credits
- 24/7 customer support
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB - Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.bluehost.com/site-builder |
8.
HostPapa.com
- Drag-and-drop interface — no technical experience required
- Hundreds of mobile-friendly, responsive templates
- 1-click website publishing
- Preview mode for desktop and mobile
- Upgrade for eCommerce store
- Get started on HostPapa now.
HostPapa: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | $14.99 | www.hostpapa.com/site-builder |
9.
GoDaddy.com
- FREE InstantPage website builder included with most hosting plans
- Easy-to-use interface with tons of customization options available
- 24/7 expert support via phone, email, and ticketing system
- 99.9% uptime with an award-winning team monitoring your site and server
- Step-by-step walkthroughs
- Get started on GoDaddy now.
GoDaddy: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 1 GB - 50 GB | FREE (w/ annual plans) | www.godaddy.com/site-builder |
See other site builder and hosting plans »
Free Site Builder for WordPress Hosting
As the top blogging platform and one of the biggest names in web design, WordPress powers around 30% of the world’s websites. It’s no wonder that many hosts offer built-in WordPress with easy one-click installation, plugin functionality, and integrated support. Everyone from beginning bloggers to advanced coders find WordPress an ideal choice for setting up a site.
WordPress does have somewhat of a steep learning curve compared to site builders, however. InMotion Hosting saw this and created BoldGrid, a website builder that lay over the WordPress environment. BoldGrid provides drag-and-drop elements that simplify the WordPress editor for a seamless website building experience. Even if you have years of coding under your belt, BoldGrid can help you make the most of WordPress.
10.
BoldGrid.com
- Drag-and-drop editor with free themes
- SSD storage & 20x faster page loads
- FREE marketing content and stock photos for inspiration
- SSL certificates and automated backups included
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- Get started on BoldGrid now.
BoldGrid: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.inmotionhosting.com/boldgrid |
11.
InMotionHosting.com
- WordPress pre-installed with NGINX server caching
- FREE SSL certificate and unlimited bandwidth
- Optional automatic plugin, theme, and core updates
- Host unlimited WordPress sites on one account
- Premium themes and plugin subscriptions
- Get started on InMotion now.
InMotion: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | WordPress Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.inmotionhosting.com/wordpress |
Other Free Site Builders With Paid Hosting
So far, we’ve shown you the best web hosting options that come with specific features. We also want to share this final list of additional hosts we think are worth checking out. We don’t want you to miss out on an opportunity to find your ideal host with a free website builder, so we’re putting it all out there.
SiteGround offers Weebly as its website builder and provides live setup assistance to get you started quickly. The other hosts listed below have their own proprietary website builder platforms. DreamHost is one of the best-known names in the web hosting industry and is a recommended choice for websites that expect a lot of growth and traffic. HostGator has robust support and comes with a lot of freebies, like $100 for Google Adwords and more than 4,000 site templates. For a powerful cloud server with rapid deployment, check out 1&1, which also sports robust SEO and marketing tools.
12.
DreamHost.com
- Beta of Remixer site builder available to current customers
- Preview themes for desktop, tablet, and mobile (portrait and landscape)
- Responsive, professional themes
- Royalty-free images from Pixabay
- HTML access for fine-grained control
- Get started on DreamHost now.
DreamHost: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.dreamhost.com/website-builder |
13.
SiteGround.com
- FREE Weebly site builder and unmetered traffic
- WordPress auto-updates and intuitive staging area
- Easy CMS install and setup wizard
- In-house-built ticketing/chat system
- SuperCacher with static/dynamic caching options available
- Get started on SiteGround now.
SiteGround: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB - 30 GB | New or Transfer | www.siteground.com/site-builder |
14.
1and1.com
- No coding skills necessary with 1&1 MyWebsite
- Free domain name included, or transfer your existing site
- Quickly build a site equipped for online sales with PayPal
- $50-worth of free paid ad credits and 1&1 SEO Spotlight
- Measure and track your success with 1&1 SiteAnalytics
- Get started on 1&1 now.
1&1: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 50 GB | FREE for life! | www.1and1.com/site-builder |
15.
HostGator.com
- FREE Weebly site builder
- Easy-to-use control panel
- Unlimited disk, emails, and bandwidth
- 24/7/365 premium support
- 50% off your first month, plus domains starting at $5!
- Get started on HostGator now.
HostGator: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 days | Unlimited | New or Transfer | www.hostgator.com/shared |
See more of this year’s best hosts »
Totally Free & Low-Cost Ways to Create a Site From Scratch
An eye-catching website can be yours regardless of your experience (or lack of) in design. As you can see, there are a plethora of options for web hosting that come with built-in website builder functionality and support. There’s no need to take expensive web and graphic design courses — a website builder has everything you need to set up a custom-branded, user-friendly online presence.
Choosing a web host is as much about value as it is about finding the host with the features that are most important to you. Getting a good price is important, but you also want to select a host that has what you need to succeed — whether it’s reliable 24/7 customer service or the largest selection of templates. Web hosts are priced competitively, so take your time perusing the many hosts on our site to find the best one for you. The website of your dreams is within your reach!
Was this helpful? Tell Us Thanks.
About the Author
Questions or Comments? Ask Jennifer!
Ask a question and Jennifer will respond to you. We strive to provide the best advice on the net and we are here to help you in any way we can.