Free websites
Free website for small business: every option, and what free costs
A free small business website comes in three forms: a free plan on a DIY builder, a free build where you pay for hosting, or a free trial. None is free to run: you pay for your own domain, card fees, the plan after the trial, or hosting, such as FreeWebGuy's $15 a month after you approve the site.
Free website builder or free website built for you
A free website builder gives you the tools and leaves the work to you. A free website built for you hands the design, writing and setup to someone else and charges for hosting instead. On Wix, your own domain starts with the Light plan at $17 a month billed yearly; the free builds below charge $15 a month for hosting.
| Option | What you get | What you do | First-year cost | The catch | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix free plan | A full website on a Wix address, with Wix branding | Build and edit every page yourself | $0 on the free plan. Your own domain needs a Premium plan: Light is $17 a month billed yearly, $204 for the year | Your own domain means a paid plan, and a Wix site has to run on Wix's servers | wix.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| Canva free website | A one-page site on a free Canva domain | Design the page yourself in Canva | $0 | One page only. Using your own domain means buying it through Canva or paying for Canva Pro | canva.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| Square Online Free | A website and online store from Square | Build it yourself | $0 a month | Square takes 3.3% + 30 cents on each online card payment | squareup.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| Weebly Free | A basic site on a Weebly address | Build it yourself | $0 | Your own domain starts on a paid plan | weebly.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| Durable free plan | An AI-written draft you can preview privately | Check and rewrite the AI draft, then pay to publish | $0 to preview. Going live on Launch costs $264 billed yearly or $300 billed monthly | The free plan is a private preview, not a live site | durable.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| Squarespace free trial | The full builder for 14 days, no card needed | Build it yourself | $0 for 14 days, then from $19 a month billed annually ($228 a year) | The trial ends; there is no permanent free plan | squarespace.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| FreeWebGuy | A site designed, written and built for you, with a private preview first | Send a 3-minute brief and review the preview | $0 to build. $180 hosting for the year, plus a domain if you need one | Hosting is $15 a month once you approve the site, and the site runs on SMBcrm's platform | Our terms, this page |
| Hoot Host | Up to 5 pages, built for you | Send your details and approve the design | $0 to build. $180 hosting for the year | One design option, 2 to 3 weeks for most sites, and the site cannot be moved to another host | hootfreewebsite.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| WebsitesForFree.net | A one-page site built for you, with a preview within 72 hours | Fill in its form and review the preview | $0 to build. $180 hosting for the year | A one-page design, with up to 3 revision rounds | websitesforfree.net, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| The Free Website Guys | A WordPress site built free for accepted applicants | Apply, then buy at least a year of hosting from a partner host | Hosting at less than $50 for the first year, by its own account | Not every application is accepted, and it does not provide long-term support for free | thefreewebsiteguys.com, checked Oct 14, 2026 |
| Google Business Profile website | Nothing now. Google switched the feature off | Nothing to set up | Not available | Google stopped offering these sites in March 2024 | searchenginejournal.com, Feb 29, 2024 |
Each price was read on the provider's own page on October 14, 2026. Prices are in US dollars before tax.
When a free DIY tier is enough
A free builder plan is enough when the site is a stopgap or a side project: a page for an event, a test of a new service, or something to share while you sort out a domain. It also works if you enjoy building pages and don't mind the builder's address and branding on your site.
For a business that lives on calls and quote requests, the free tier runs out sooner. Customers see the builder's name in your address, and your Google Business Profile, invoices and van signage all end up pointing at it. Moving to your own domain later means changing every one of those.
If you go this way, pick the free plan that matches the job. Square Online Free suits a shop that already takes card payments with Square. Canva suits a single page. Wix's free plan lets you build several pages and upgrade the same site later.
When a free build makes sense
A free build with paid hosting makes sense when you want a professional site but don't want to build it, and a small monthly fee suits your cash flow better than a project fee. You give up some control of the editor in exchange for someone else doing the design, the writing and the setup.
On cost, the two routes sit close together. A year of FreeWebGuy hosting is $180, against $204 for Wix Light and $228 for Squarespace Basic, both billed yearly. Squarespace's annual plans include a domain for the first year, as do most of Wix's, so add about $10 to $25 to the FreeWebGuy figure if you need a new domain.
The free-build offers differ more than their prices do. FreeWebGuy sends a first version within 48 hours of your brief. WebsitesForFree.net promises a preview within 72 hours. It also hands over source files if you cancel; FreeWebGuy does not. Hoot Host builds up to 5 pages and takes 2 to 3 weeks for most sites. The Free Website Guys builds on WordPress and you own that site after handover, but you buy the hosting through its partner, and long-term support is not part of the free offer.
For how the model works across every kind of provider, read what a done-for-you website is, or see the monthly plans side by side on the no upfront cost website page.
What happened to free Google Business Profile websites?
Google switched off the free websites built from Business Profiles in March 2024. Visitors were redirected to the Business Profile until June 10, 2024, and after that the old business.site addresses stopped working. Business Profiles themselves still work. Only the website feature ended, so a profile no longer comes with a site.
When Google announced the change, it pointed owners to builders such as Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, Google Sites and Durable. If your profile still links to an old business.site address, replace it with your new site's address so the profile and the website give customers the same details.
The guide to replacing a Google Business Profile website walks through the dates and the options in full.
Source: Search Engine Journal, "Websites created with Google Business Profiles to shut down in March" (February 29, 2024), checked .
How to spot a free offer that costs more later
Read past the word free to the second year. The costs that catch owners out are intro prices that renew higher, a domain that is free for one year only, fees taken from every sale, hosting you must buy from a partner, and a site you cannot move when you leave.
-
An intro price that renews higher
Hostinger's website builder works out to $2.99 a month only if you prepay $143.52 for 48 months; after that it renews at $10.99 a month. Wix's 50% promotion on Core and higher plans covers the first term only.
-
A domain that is free for one year
Squarespace's annual plans and most of Wix's include a domain for the first year, and after that you pay to renew it. Find out the renewal price before you print the address on a van or a business card.
-
A fee on every sale
Square Online's free plan takes 3.3% + 30 cents on each online card payment, and Squarespace's Basic plan adds a 2% fee on online-store sales.
-
Hosting you have to buy somewhere else
The Free Website Guys builds the WordPress site for free, then asks you to buy at least a year of hosting from one of its partner hosts, which it puts at less than $50 for that first year.
-
A site you can't take with you
A Wix site has to run on Wix's servers. Squarespace exports some content as a WordPress-format file but leaves out store, portfolio and several other page types. Hoot Host says its sites cannot be moved to another host.
FreeWebGuy's answers on the same points: the $15 monthly price has no intro rate and no prepay. A new domain is paid to the registrar in your name, at about $10 to $25 a year. Payment processors charge their own fees only if you sell online. The site runs on SMBcrm's hosting, so it goes offline if you cancel. The guide Is a free website really free? covers the questions to ask any offer.
Free website questions
How do I create a business website for free?
Sign up for a free plan on a builder such as Wix, Weebly or Square Online, pick a template and write your pages, or use Canva for a single page. The site goes live on the builder's own address. Putting it on your own domain takes a paid plan or a domain bought through the builder.
What is the best free website builder for small businesses?
It depends on what the site has to do. Square Online Free fits a shop that already takes payments with Square. Canva fits a single page. Wix's free plan fits a multi-page site you expect to upgrade later. If you would rather not build at all, a free build with paid hosting does the work for you.
Can a free website builder help a small business?
Yes, as a starting point. A free plan gets a page online for $0 that you can link from your Google Business Profile and social accounts. It starts to hold you back when you need your own domain, want the builder's branding gone, or no longer have time to keep the pages current yourself.
What is a free business website maker?
A free business website maker is a site builder with a $0 plan, such as Wix, Weebly, Square Online or Canva. You choose a template, add your own text and photos, and publish on the builder's address. The tool costs nothing; your time, your own domain and any paid features are where the cost shows up.
How long does it take to build a free website?
On a free builder it takes as long as you spend writing pages, choosing photos and arranging layouts, because the builder does none of that for you. Durable writes an AI draft in under a minute, which you then check and finish. FreeWebGuy sends a finished first version within 48 hours of your brief.
Do I need my own domain name?
Not to publish on a free plan. You do need one for an address that carries your business name and stays the same if you change providers later. A domain costs about $10 to $25 a year at a registrar, and it should be registered in your name, not the builder's or the designer's.
Rather have it built for you?
Skip the builder. FreeWebGuy designs and writes your site from a 3-minute brief, and you see the whole thing before you pay anything.
- $0 to build
- First version within 48 hours of your brief
- $15 a month for hosting, only after you approve the preview and go live
- Month to month, no contract
When you approve the preview, you set up your SMBcrm account and card for the $15 hosting plan. That is the only time we ask for payment details.
Keep reading
- What is a done-for-you website? How the model works and what every kind of provider charges
- A website with $0 up front Pay-monthly plans compared, with ten questions to ask any of them
- FreeWebGuy pricing What the $15 includes, what costs extra, and one- to three-year totals
- Compare your options Wix, Squarespace, Durable, Hostinger, UENI and Hoot Host side by side
- Replacing a Google Business Profile website What to do now that Google no longer hosts one for you
- Is a free website really free? How free website offers make their money
Sources
- Wix, Plans and pricing,
- Wix Help Center, Exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere,
- Squarespace, Pricing,
- Squarespace Help Center, Export your site content,
- Durable, Pricing,
- Hostinger, Website Builder plans,
- Hoot Host, Homepage and FAQ,
- WebsitesForFree.net, Homepage and FAQ,
- The Free Website Guys, How it works,
- Canva, Business website maker,
- Square, Square Online plans,
- Weebly, Weebly pricing,
- Search Engine Journal, Websites created with Google Business Profiles to shut down in March,
See your website before you pay for it.
About 3 minutes. No credit card. Pay nothing until you approve it.
