3 best free website builders for small businesses in 2024 The best things in life aren’t free – but you can still set up a pretty decent website using the free plans offered by these three builders. Written by Emma Ryan Reviewed by Ollie Simpson Updated on 18 September 2024 Our research When reviewing website builders, our expert team of writers and independent researchers focuses in on the most important factors for small business owners. We look at the range of templates and designs available to choose from; how easy it is to get started building your site and customising it; the help and support options available; the range of available plugins, apps and extensions; the ability to customise a mobile design, and above all, the value for money – including any hidden pricing, ongoing fees, and initial setup costs. Written and reviewed by: Emma Ryan Lead Writer Ollie Simpson Senior Research Executive Startups.co.uk is reader supported – we may earn a commission from our recommendations, at no extra cost to you and without impacting our editorial impartiality. If you’re looking to create a business website, cost is going to be one of your key concerns. Fortunately, thanks to website builders, you can make a professional-looking website for very little – or even, for free. Of the platforms we tested in 2024, Wix is the best free website builder for small businesses because it offers high-quality features to non-paying users. Our three best free website builders for 2024 Wix – Best for establishing a businessGoDaddy – Best for beginnersSquare Online – Best for startups looking to sell Whether you’re looking for a low-cost way to get your business online or you want to test your options before committing to a paid plan, I’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each of these free website builders.But first, see how our top three compare in our side-by-side table: Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Wix GoDaddy Square Online Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.8 Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.5 Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 3.7 Cheapest paid plan Light – £9 per month Cheapest paid plan Basic – £7.99 per month Cheapest paid plan Plus – £20 per month This page will cover: 1. Wix: Best for establishing a business 2. GoDaddy: Best for beginners 3. Square Online: Best for startups looking to sell What about free trials? How we test free website builders for small businesses Final thoughts: the best free website builders 1. Wix: Best for establishing a businessWix gave me lots of building and design support, especially with the newly introduced Theme Assistant. Source: Startups.co.ukWix is our highest-ranked website builder overall, offering a feature-rich and user-friendly platform to businesses. You can get your website up and running for free – and you’re never forced to upgrade to a paid plan.Here’s what you can get on Wix’s free plan:900+ customisable templates500MB storage spaceAccess to Wix’s drag-and-drop editorA Wix domain name – this looks like www.accountname.wixsite.com/sitenameAI building support and a new Theme Assistant to help design your pagesUnfortunately, there are some drawbacks to Wix’s free plan. Your website will include branded Wix ads on its pages and you won’t be able to connect a custom domain name. And, if you’re looking to sell online, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Core plan (£16 per month).How much does it cost to upgrade to a paid plan?When you’re ready to upgrade, Wix’s pricing ranges from £9 to £119 per month (billed annually). You won’t need to spend much to leap from Wix’s free plan to its cheapest Light plan, but it’s a worthwhile investment to remove the free plan’s limitations. Should you use Wix's free plan? Wix’s free plan is ideal for freelancers and small businesses looking to make their first mark online. Thanks to the wealth of features and customisation options, Wix really caters to a lot of needs and industries. Plus, you have plenty of premium plans to choose from when you’re ready to upgrade.You can read our Wix review for a detailed look at our top-rated website builder. 2. GoDaddy: Best for beginnersGoDaddy guided me through the building process with these useful starting steps. Source: Startups.co.ukGoDaddy’s free plan offers the quickest website-building experience, and it’s one of the most intuitive builders I’ve tested. GoDaddy keeps things simple – from its templates and page elements to its backend settings.The free plan includes:100+ customisable templatesBasic SEO supportBuilt-in marketing toolsAI website builderGoDaddy’s free plan features the same restrictions as Wix, including adverts across your site, and the lack of a custom domain name and ecommerce functionality.How much does it cost to upgrade to a paid plan?Like Wix, you can stay on GoDaddy’s free plan for as long as you want, but I recommend upgrading as soon as possible to access better features, such as the ability to take appointment bookings.GoDaddy’s pricing ranges from £7.99 to £13.99 per month (billed annually), split across four plans. However, to unlock GoDaddy’s ecommerce functionality, you’ll need to upgrade to the most expensive Ecommerce plan. Should you use GoDaddy's free plan? GoDaddy is fast to set up and easy to use, but its straightforward platform might be too simple for some. Its free plan is more limited than Wix’s, so I’d only recommend it to side hustles or true beginners. And, if you want to upgrade to one of GoDaddy’s premium plans, the paid options are very affordable and good value for money.Check out our GoDaddy review to learn more about this affordable builder. 3. Square Online: Best for startups looking to sellI couldn’t use Square Online’s customisable templates unless I upgraded to its paid plans. Source: Startups.co.ukSquare Online is the exception on this list as it’s the only free website builder that lets you sell products without subscribing to a paid plan. This is pretty unheard of in the website builder community – for example, it’ll cost at least £16 per month (billed annually) to sell online with Wix.Square Online’s free plan includes:Built-in SEO toolsEcommerce functionality, including unlimited products and the ability to sell on socialsSquare POS integration to support in-person sellingWhile you might immediately gravitate towards Square Online because it’s a free ecommerce builder, there are some need-to-knows to consider. Firstly, you will be charged 1.4% + 25p per transaction – so if you’re making sales, the free plan isn’t entirely free. Secondly, Square Online’s free plan only offers basic sales features, so you’ll lack a lot of the features a business needs to thrive online, such as abandoned cart recovery, a custom domain name, website analytics, and product reviews.How much does it cost to upgrade to a paid plan?You can stay on Square Online’s free plan for as long as you’d like. Once you’re ready to upgrade, the builder offers two paid plans:Plus: £20 per month (billed annually)Premium: £64 per month (billed annually) Should you use Square Online's free plan? Square Online’s free plan is unique in that it lets you sell online without needing to upgrade to a paid plan. However, the sales features are limited, which means I’d only recommend the free plan to very small businesses or entrepreneurs with just a handful of products to sell. It’s also a sensible option – at least, as a starting point – if you’ve got a strict budget.Learn more about how you can sell online for free with our expert Square Online review. What about free trials?Free website builders are a great solution for small businesses wanting to get their site live without investing a lot of money or time. That said, a free plan isn’t the wisest choice because of the limitations they tend to come with, such as the website builder name being part of your URL, and a cap on the amount of data you can store.For this reason, I recommend upgrading to a premium plan if you want to give a professional impression to customers. The good news is that many top website builders offer free trials instead of free plans, so you can still try before you buy. For example:Squarespace: 14-day free trialShopify: three-day free trialHostinger: 30-day free trialShopify offers a three-day free trial which doesn’t give you much time to test the platform. Source: Startups.co.uk How we test free website builders for small businessesOur research team regularly tests the top website builders, providing us with the data and experience that informs our recommendations for your small business. We’ve spent over 200 hours testing each builder across six core categories. Each category is then given a unique weighting, based on what’s important to business owners:Website features: 25% – the number and quality of features available.Value for money: 20% – is the builder and its features worth the money?Help and support: 20% – the ways you can get in contact with customer support.Design functionality: 15% – the templates and customisation options.User experience: 15% – is the builder accessible for all skill levels?Customer score: 5% – the builder’s position within the market as a whole. Final thoughts: the best free website buildersFree website builders are a great way to get online quickly and cheaply. Based on our research, Wix is our top free website builder for 2024 because of its impressive features, masses of templates, and creative freedom.That said, free website builders naturally come with limitations – and these are especially noticeable as time goes on and as your business grows online. All of our recommendations place ads on your site, and you can’t connect a custom domain name, among other restrictions.As someone who’s tested website builders for years, my verdict on free plans is that they make for a good starting point but there comes a time when you need to expand. I highly recommend upgrading to a premium plan as soon as possible to unlock advanced features, remove ads, and create a professional-looking site. Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews. Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Written by: Emma Ryan Lead Writer Emma works on Startups’ reviews and recommendations for building a website for your business. She is the Lead Writer at Website Builder Expert, having first joined the team in 2022. She manages Website Builder Expert’s topical content strategy to help website owners navigate the highs and lows of being online. Emma specialises in hands-on testing and research of all the leading website builder platforms, including Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify. Her work and expertise have been featured in Digiday, TechRound, Industry Today, and Digital Information World. Reviewed by: Ollie Simpson Senior Research Executive After three years of refining my skills in data analysis, I transitioned to a role as a researcher to help understand our readers' preferences and needs. My professional journey started as a researcher in law enforcement, where I developed strong analytical abilities. Later, I moved into operations, strengthening my understanding of quantitative data. Now, I blend my quantitative analysis skills with qualitative research to explore both audience preferences and product nuances. Armed with a UX design diploma, I translate research findings into actionable insights that facilitate informed decision-making. Whether enhancing Startups offerings or delivering research presentations, I am driven by a relentless pursuit of improvement and results.