Top 15 Free Website Builders

As a web designer, even developer, you’re constantly on top of something, and at the end of the day, those small tasks like setting up a new web server for a tiny website – do add up.

You can for the most part just use a free mockup tool, get a demo going on for your client and call it a day, but unfortunately – sometimes a prototype is not enough, and we need to go that extra mile.

I rely on free website builders, and while not all of them at once, some of them have better features than others, while some offer a little bit more flexibility, but the general idea is that we are able to build a website – in less than a couple of minutes.

Each minute we spend trying to build a new website from scratch, making the new code for it, etc, etc. – it’s just wasted time and money, and I’ve learned that these website builders are perfect for both getting my mockups done, and also avoiding the need to write code.

1. Strikingly

“Don’t lose your visitors under the weight of a heavy, confusing website”- This is a major belief among the team of Strinkingly employees. This belief has been well implemented in their policies. This is why perhaps the website is designed in such a way that you have to put all your content on a single page.

What I mean is that if you want to like to create multiple pages, you need to upgrade to a paid plan. They have many adequate templates to choose from and the website editor is easy to navigate and comprehend. So, if you are a beginner with zero experience in website building, fear not. This website has got your back.

2. Site123

They claim to be the easiest website builders globally. But factually speaking, there are other websites that are easier to use. They have some pretty good looking themes and colors and they are all responsive. Paid plans initiate at $9.80 per month. It also includes a basic online store. The free websites come with the banner of Site123 at the bottom.

3. Edicy

It’s a free 30-day trial, but that’s better than nothing, and there is definitely plenty to explore about these guys. They’re heavily focused on bringing the best of both Worlds, and think about their customers from all around the World, so don’t be surprised to see your own language of choice in the list of options.

Edicy is developer-friendly, and actually offers you the functionality of editing the template files yourself, which is what this post is all about.

4. IM Creator

IM-Creator is all about making a website building a simple and enjoyable experience, accessible for everyone. IM Creator has definitely grown since its initial launch in 2011, I’m highly impressed by their determination to stay on the market, and looks like there is a decent-sized community behind it now, good work!

Other than that, it’s also the perfect tool to use for hosting quick websites and seeing how a layout would look in a real-example format. It’s free to build your websites, but there are pro features available.

5. Jimdo

Jimdo is the easiest way to create a website. With a simple, intuitive interface, Jimdo enables anyone to create a unique website with a blog and online store.

There is a real sense of passion and love that shines from these guys, and they offer such a great and vast amount of features that you might not need to consider another website builder for a long time, especially when you think about the fact that it’s all for free.

6. Ucraft

Ucraft is comparatively more advanced when it comes to website builders. It allows you to fine-tune your style in terms of fonts and colors. Also, compared to other free websites, navigation through the website is a bit more complicated. The editor isn’t very self-explanatory either.

Ucraft only allows you to connect an existing domain name for free. They also have SSL with zero additional costs. The lowest-paid offer they currently have starting from $10 which involves impressive features such as multilingual websites.

7. Webstarts

The employees of Webstarts pride themselves for working with the #1 rated website builder. Interesting enough, they never revealed who gave them the rank though. But in all fairness, Webstarts does include a solid plan for budgeted websites. It also includes giving access to many major features such as blogs and even an online store.

The product can be compared very well with Wix with which it shares so many similarities. But also, you will not find as many varieties of elements as in Wix. Also, it does not give a mobile-optimized website with their free plan. Also, the website being decrypted can pose threats to your website security as well.

8. uCoz

If you don’t know of uCoz, you probably joined the web only recently, as these guys have been around for almost decades. I remember their initial growth stage, so many people from all around the world were using their premium website builder, to build sites that would blow away even professional designers. Great times!

Millions of customers can’t be wrong about the quality of the service, and while this might be more of a content-oriented site builder, it’s still nice to add to your collection, in case a friend ever asks.

9. Webnode

Webnode is all about enabling you to build a website that doesn’t require any prior knowledge of building websites, and this is a great starting point for both beginners and intermediate users, who may be tired of having to read hundreds of manuals to get something done.

It’s their promise that you can get a site up and running in less than five minutes, and there is no catch at all, you can always upgrade to a pro plan as a way of expressing your gratitude for their awesome service.

10. Webs

Webs is another one of the oldies, I still remember their old-school design, pre Web 2.0 era, it was wonderful and it gave everything a much more sophisticated experience, not saying that I don’t like their new design though; it’s just nostalgia!

If you’re looking for a free website builder that will enable you to have a perfect website, with additional features like SEO being taken care of, Webs might be your best choice as they’ve got some really nice integrated SEO features in their ecosystem, making it appealing for anyone who wants to try out their luck with the search giant.