There was a time when creating a website required knowing HTML or a bit of coding. But those days are long gone. With modern no-code website builders like these, anyone can create their own site for free without any programming knowledge.
In this article, we focus on ease of use and simplicity more than anything. We still maintain that Aspect is the best free website builder, but that might be overkill for a basic site.
Across the board, the free version includes most of the features to help you build a website to your liking, but you won’t be able to use your custom domain name with it. For that, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium version, which usually comes with a few other perks as well.
1. Daftpage (Web): Simple, Freeform WYSIWYG Website Builder
Daftpage is a WYSIWYG editor, which stands for “What you see is what you get”. Most importantly, it’s a free-form WYSIWYG website builder, which means it acts like an open canvas and you can do whatever you want on the page to turn it into a website. .
You can use some of the Daftpage templates to start or create a website as you wish. Press enter or click the plus icon to add a block. Blocks can be header fonts, bulleted lists, to-do lists, containers, media (images, videos, or GIFs), buttons, or tweets.
All blocks can be moved, resized and customized to your liking. You can also draw anywhere on the page with a brush. Daftpage also includes a library of resources to quickly find and integrate GIFs from Giphy, illustrations from Saly, and icons from Remix Icon and Font Awesome.
In the Pro version, you can add custom code to your Daftpage website, remove ads, and use custom domains. It costs $29 per month, though, which is high by the standards of most modern website builders.
2. Straw.Page (Web): Best Drag-and-Drop Mobile Website Builder
Straw.Page is one of the best (if not the best) mobile website builders we’ve ever come across. Be warned that the first impression is going to look shocking because of the UI design. Straw.Page embraces the brutalist philosophy of web design, which is a counter-cultural way of making the site look unfriendly to use, but don’t believe that for a second. Once you get started with the builder itself, you will see how amazing it is.
In the builder, the app transforms a normal mobile browser page into a grid of squares five columns wide. Click and drag on the squares to select the size of an item you want to add. So you can select an entire line, just the middle, or even put two items on one line. It’s hard to see this kind of customization in free website builders, and it’s so simple to boot.
You can add things like text, images, GIFs, stickers, icons, buttons, links, and shapes. And you can also draw freeform in any selected block as if it were a paint tool. Items and blocks can also be moved or rearranged at any time.
Straw.Page also allows you to add pages within the site. Each site can have up to five subpages, which scroll left and right on mobile screens. Again, creating subpages is a feature not often found in free website builders.
You can continue to use the free version with a custom Straw.Page URL or upgrade to a premium version for $5 per month. This gives you 10 sites, unlimited pages, custom domains, forms, password protection, analytics, a blogging platform, and SEO.
3. Mssg.me (Web): Easiest Way to Create a Mobile Website or Social Links Page
On influencers’ social profile pages, you’ll often see links that take you to places like Linktree or Solo.to, which give the social pages a more professional look. It’s a great way to share links to what you create, sell products, or showcase your portfolio.
Mssg.me is a simple way to create a mobile website or social links page for anyone. Plus, it’s designed to be used on mobile, so you’ll find it a snap to create a website right from your phone or tablet.
Once you have signed up for the free account, you can start building your site by adding different “blocks”. The blocks include a profile page, header, text, links, social profiles (add links to your profiles), messengers (add ways to contact you), and a separator to separate them. You can rearrange all blocks by drag and drop. There are also themes you can apply to customize the look of your site. Once you’re ready, create a custom Mssg.me URL and share it anywhere.
In the paid Pro plan ($29.99 per year), you can add other blocks like product catalog, forms, images and videos, quotes, lists and more. As with all other apps of this type, it also removes Mssg.me branding and lets you choose a custom domain.
4. OnPodium (Web): The Easiest Way to Create a Professional Website for Your Podcast
If you already host a podcast and share it on different networks, it’s a good idea to have your own website for listeners to find more information. Creating a professional website for your existing podcast doesn’t get any easier than OnPodium. It’s almost automatic.
Once you sign up for OnPodium, you can claim a free website. Point it to your podcast’s RSS feed or plug in your YouTube channel ID if you host your podcast on YouTube. Within minutes, OnPodium will turn all that information into a website.
You will have a home page with your logo and your description. The “Episodes” tab will be populated with each episode you downloaded and its description. In fact, OnPodium will check the RSS feed every day to add any new podcast episodes you download. And there’s also an HTML5 audio player, so people can listen to your podcast right from your website.
In the settings dashboard, you will be able to add links to subscribe to the podcast on different platforms and your social media profile pages. There are five free templates to choose from, and you can customize colors, fonts, logos, and header images. You can also configure the About page to say what you want.
With a premium account ($19 per month), OnPodium checks for new episodes every two hours, gives you premium templates, custom domain, and a host of other features like custom pages, blog, reviews, guest forms, etc.
5. Muse (Web): Create a 3D website easily and for free
Whether it’s the Metaverse or Second Life, online 3D spaces are a trend you can no longer ignore. Muse lets you create a 3D website for free, with no tools or coding knowledge required.
Create an account, enter your preferred URL and choose from over 25 templates to start building a website in 3D space. It’s remarkably simple to use, as you press Tab to bring up the toolbar and add text, image, or structure blocks anywhere. You can move the blocks freely and control their appearance. Be warned, Muse can sometimes run a little slow depending on your computer’s processing power.
Muse allows artists to create virtual galleries to showcase their paintings and creations, and can even host their NFTs there. Musicians can create a listening room experience that goes beyond just singing. Creators can display their products in 3D for potential customers to experience. The possibilities are limitless.
keep it simple, silly
No matter where you go, these website builders will give you an easy way to create an online portal you can be proud of. Typically, these sites won’t be as code-efficient as those made by a web developer writing the code from scratch for you. Therefore, it’s ideal to use these website builders for simple projects rather than full-fledged online projects like running a news blog or an e-commerce store.
