Free Website Software Comparison Chart
Strikingly
✓ Ideal for single page websites
✓ eCommerce is available on free accounts
✓ Subtle ads
✓ Multiple websites on free plan
If you are looking to create a simple website that packs a punch in terms of features, Strikingly offers a free plan to get you started. It lets you dabble in different types of websites - blogs, online brochures, portfolios and even online stores without incurring a huge expense. This website builder software grows with you as your site grows in scale. If you want to take advantage of multiple pages as you increase your content, you can upgrade to a Pro plan anytime.
Wix
✓ Easy to use website editor
✓ Template variety
✓ free domain URL is not as SEO friendly: yourname.wixsite.com/yoursite
✓ Intrusive ad scrolls along with the page
If you want to get a good introduction to the Wix platform before committing to a paid plan, a free plan is a good choice to start. You get access to a good amount of website templates on this free website software. The blank canvas website editor may seem intimidating at first but once you get used to the drag-and-drop functions, it’s fairly easy to manipulate. Customizations are limited on free accounts but it will get you a decent looking site to start. The brand ads can be quite intrusive as well as they tend to scroll alongside the page. It’s important to note that the most basic plan this website creation software offers, at $4 a month, does not remove the ads.
Weebly
✓ Ideal for beginners
✓ Limited customization options on free plan
✓ Intrusive ads
Weebly is a well known website building software that is targeted towards small business owners with virtually no design experience. The easy to use platform also features integrated SEO tools to jumpstart digital marketing campaigns. It doesn’t have as many website templates as the other website builders in this list but the ones that are available for free accounts are fairly decent and mobile responsive.
SITE123
✓ Reliable design assistance feature
✓ AI helps you choose a website template if you’re not design savvy
✓ Limited customization and creative freedom
✓ Website templates are a bit dated compared to competitors
If you want a one and done website and you would rather not worry about web design, SITE123’s free website builder software is a viable option. The platform has a design assistance feature that helps you choose a website template depending on your content and the type of website you are building. Editing options are limited under free accounts, however, and the website template designs can look dated compared to other site builders.
Wordpress.com
✓ Ideal for blog sites
✓ Wide variety of templates
✓ Customization is limited if you’re not building a blog
People tend to think that Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org are the same thing. The latter is actually an open source content management system while the former is the website builder software. Wordpress.com is a popular choice among bloggers because of its easy to use blog editor. The template selection is quite decent and mobile responsive. The only downside is that Wordpress.com randomly inserts ads into website content and there is limited design control provided on this platform.
Check out our blog for more tips and advice on how to create successful websites.
