Can You Build a Website for Free? Yes — Here's How (and the Catch)
Quick answer
Yes, you can build a website for free using the free plan of a website builder such as Wix, WordPress.com, Google Sites or Square Online. The catch is that free sites usually use the builder's web address, may show its ads or branding and have feature limits. A custom domain, the most common upgrade, almost always costs money.
Key takeaways
- Free website builder plans are genuinely free, with no time limit on several of them.
- Free plans usually mean the builder's web address, its ads or branding, and limited features.
- WordPress the software is free, but running it yourself requires paid hosting.
- The real hidden costs are a domain name, business email and your own time.
- A free site is a smart way to test an idea before paying for anything.
In this article
Yes, you can build a website for free, and plenty of small businesses do. Website builders such as Wix, WordPress.com, Google Sites and Square Online all have free plans that let you create and publish a real site without paying anything.
But free has a catch, and it's worth understanding before you start. Here are the straight answers to the questions people ask most.
What do you actually get for free?
A free plan typically gives you a drag-and-drop editor, templates, hosting and the ability to publish a site that anyone can visit. Some go further. Square Online's free plan lets you sell and take orders, charging only processing fees. On Google Sites, a domain registered elsewhere can be pointed at your site.
Several of these free plans don't expire. WordPress.com, for example, says its free plan has no expiration date. That's different from a free trial, which we'll come to.
So what's the catch?
Free plans make money for the builder by nudging you to upgrade. The usual limits are:
- The builder's web address. Your site lives on a subdomain that includes the builder's name, rather than yourbusiness.com.
- Ads or branding. Expect a Wix banner, WordPress.com advertising or a Webflow badge, depending on the platform.
- Feature limits. Selling, bookings, extra pages or plugins are often reserved for paid plans. On Wix, selling is off the table until you upgrade; on WordPress.com, so are plugins.
- Storage limits. Wix's free plan offers 500 MB and WordPress.com's 1 GB, which is fine for a simple site but fills up with lots of photos or video.
None of these stop a free site from working. They mainly affect how established it looks and how far it can grow.
Free plan or free trial?
These sound alike but work very differently.
| Free plan | Free trial | |
|---|---|---|
| How long it lasts | Indefinitely, on many builders | A set number of days |
| Features | Limited | Full paid features, temporarily |
| What happens next | Stay free or upgrade when ready | Pay or lose access to paid features |
| Examples | Wix, WordPress.com, Google Sites, Square Online | Squarespace, Shopify |
If you want a site that stays up at no cost, look for a free plan, not a trial.
Isn't WordPress free?
This causes a lot of confusion. The WordPress software, downloaded from WordPress.org, is free and open source. But you have to install it on web hosting, and hosting costs money. So a self-hosted WordPress site is not free to run.
WordPress.com is a separate hosted service built on the same software. It has a genuinely free plan, with ads, a WordPress.com web address and 1 GB of storage.
What are the hidden costs?
Even with a free builder, three costs tend to appear:
- A domain name. If you want yourbusiness.com, you'll pay a yearly registration fee. On most builders, using it also requires a paid plan.
- Business email. An address like hello@yourbusiness.com usually needs a domain and a paid email service.
- Your time. Building and maintaining the site takes hours. For a simple site that's manageable, but it's still a cost.
Free stock photos, fonts and analytics tools can keep everything else at zero.
How do you get started?
The basic path is short:
- Decide the one main thing your site should help visitors do.
- Pick a free plan that supports it, such as Square Online for orders or Wix for a general business site.
- Sign up, choose a template and replace the sample text and photos with your own.
- Add a contact form, your hours and your location.
- Publish, then share the link on your social profiles and Google Business Profile.
For a detailed walkthrough of each step, see our complete guide to building a website for free.
Is free right for your business?
A free site makes sense when you're testing an idea, just starting out or need a simple online presence fast. It's less suitable once customers rely on it, you want to sell online on a platform that doesn't allow it for free, or the builder's branding starts to look out of place.
The good news is you don't have to decide forever. Start free, see whether the site brings in inquiries, and upgrade only when it's clearly worth it.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free website really free forever?
On several builders, yes. WordPress.com describes its free plan as having no expiration date, and Wix and Google Sites also offer ongoing free options. Free trials are different: Squarespace and Shopify offer trials that end, after which you need a paid plan.
What's the difference between free and a free trial?
A free plan lets you keep a basic site online indefinitely at no cost, with limits. A free trial gives you a paid plan's features for a short time, then asks you to pay or lose access. Read which one you're signing up for.
Is WordPress free?
The WordPress software from WordPress.org is free and open source, but you need web hosting to run it, and hosting costs money. WordPress.com, a separate hosted service, has a genuinely free plan with ads, a WordPress.com address and 1 GB of storage.
Can I get a free domain name?
Not usually on its own. A first-year domain is sometimes bundled with yearly paid plans, but renewal is charged after that. On a free plan, you typically use the builder's subdomain instead of your own domain.
You may also like
The Real Importance of a Small Business Website: You Own It
The real importance of a small business website is ownership. Social media pages, marketplace listings and directory profiles all run on someone else's rules, and those rules can change overnight. A website is the one place online where you control the address, the message and the relationship with your customers.
8 Reasons Why Every Small Business Needs a Website
Every small business needs a website because it does practical jobs nothing else does as well: it answers repeat questions, takes bookings while you work, screens out poor-fit leads, shows proof of your work, makes referrals easy, helps you hire, gives ads a place to land and lets you test new offers cheaply.
Why a Small Business Needs a Website: The Case Made Simple
The simple case for a small business website is math. A basic site on a website builder costs a few hundred dollars a year. For most businesses, one or two extra customers a year cover that cost, and anything beyond is profit. Track where new customers come from to see whether your site is paying for itself.