The Best Free Website Builder in 2025: My Hands-On Experience
If you’re like me, you’ve probably spent way too much money on websites. I’ve swiped my credit card for web hosting, thrown cash at fancy tools, and bought too many domain names for bad business ideas. But this time, I wanted something different—something free.
I needed a simple one-page website for my popular gardening YouTube channel, Good Harvest. Nothing fancy—just a splashy photo, a spot for a few videos, and a contact section. The catch? I didn’t want to spend a dime.
So, I set out on a mission: to find the best free website builder. After testing seven popular options, I finally found a winner. Here’s my journey.
Testing 7 Free Website Builders
1. Wix – The First Disappointment 
Wix is one of the most recommended free website builders online. So, I gave it a shot.
Design Experience: It took about 30 minutes to design my site, and I was happy with how it looked.
Publishing Issues: The moment I hit publish, I knew it was a dealbreaker.
- Big, intrusive ad that scrolls with the site.
- Ugly URL that I couldn’t change.
Rating: 1/5 – Bad ad placement, bad URL.
2. WordPress.com – Too Many Limitations 
Before you ask—this is WordPress.com, not the open-source WordPress.org. The latter requires hosting, which isn’t free.
- Design Issues: I needed a premium plan just to change fonts and colors.
User Experience: The interface was confusing, constantly changing as I navigated.- Publishing Issues: Like Wix, WordPress.com slapped a huge ad on the free version.
Rating: 1/5 – Hard to use, big ads, and limited customization.
3. Jimdo & Ucraft – The Ad Overload Continues 
I tested both Jimdo and Ucraft, and they had the same problem: intrusive ads that made my site look amateurish.
Jimdo: Ad placement was unprofessional, especially on mobile.
Ucraft: Similar issues, plus limited design freedom.
Rating: 2/5 – Slightly better than Wix and WordPress.com, but still not good enough.
4. Square – A Step in the Right Direction 
Square is known for payment processing, but they offer a free website builder, too.
Ad Placement: A small, hidden ad at the bottom of the page (much better!).- Design Limitations: No full black background option, couldn’t remove the header.
Rating: 3/5 – Decent, but design restrictions hold it back.
5. Canva – Surprisingly Good
I never thought of Canva as a website builder, but it impressed me.
Pros: Clean design, small footer ad.
Cons: Not-so-great free URL, and a weird white bar on mobile I couldn’t remove.
Rating: 4/5 – Almost perfect, just minor annoyances.
6. Carrd – The Ultimate Winner 
And then, I found Carrd.
Pros:
- Perfect design flexibility
- Tiny, unobtrusive ad
- Custom URL option
- Mobile-friendly
- Cons: Honestly? None.
Rating: 5/5 – The best free website builder for my needs.
Final Thoughts: Finding the Right Free Website Builder for You
At the end of my journey, I learned that every free website builder has trade-offs.
If you want an e-commerce site, Square might be better.
If you need graphic-heavy pages, Canva is solid.- But for a simple one-page website, Carrd is unbeatable.
After making seven versions of the same website, I’m proud to say I found the best free solution. Now, my YouTube channel has a sleek, professional website—without costing me a penny.
Best Overall Choice: Carrd
Would I do this again? Probably not. But if you’re looking for a completely free website builder, you now know where to start! 