9 Free website builders that let you use your custom domain

Most "free" website builders aren't actually free if you want to use your own custom domain.

Wix, for example, has a free plan but will cost you $17/month to connect a domain you own. Similarly, Webflow lets you build a free site under their webflow.io subdomain but adding a custom domain will set you back $15/month.

I went through over 30 website builders' free plan. These are the ones that actually let you use your custom domain for at no cost.

Let's take a closer look at each of these website builders.

1. Hubspot (Best for small business sites)

Hubspot's free marketing plan includes a website builder, email automation, team inbox, and a host of other tools you can use to power your business.

You get up to 30 website pages, a drag-and-drop editor, blog functionality, an AI content assistant, and a built-in CRM that tracks your visitors.

The free plan let's you connect your site to a custom domain you own with SSL included.

For a deeper look at the editor and setup process, see my review on the HubSpot AI website builder review and step-by-step tutorial.

In my opinion, Hubspot's free plan offers the most value, especially if you're a small business that needs a marketing site :

• You get a free site, and more importantly, you can connect to a custom domain without upgrading to a paid plan.
• They also partnered with Themeforest, one of the largest website theme marketplaces, which means you can find a ton of premium templates for free or for a very reasonable price. Check out these real world examples of business websites built with Hubspot
• It's easy to maintain. HubSpot essentially hosts the website for you, so you don't need to do any backup or management.
• There's also a blog included (unlimited posts) in the free plan.
• The most underrated features on Hubspot are the free marketing and CRM tools to help you get traction: Email automation, sending up to 2000 emails per month, live chats, ad retargeting, and more.
• Bonus: The built-in AI-powered content assistant allows you to easily generate ideas and create content across your Hubspot site.

See what else is included Hubspot's free marketing plan

Limitations you should know:

Hubspot offers a lot of free value, but the free plan does come with limitations:

• Hubspot branding on your site — You'll find a "Built on Hubspot" logo at the corner of your website. You will need to upgrade if you want to remove it.
• Only 1 email automation —
• You get to sign up to 1000 free subscribers and can send up to 2000 emails/month on the free plan.
• Your domain must be under 64 characters total (including subdomain)
• The subdomain you connect to HubSpot can't host pages from other platforms simultaneously
• It can get expensive after you upgrade — If you outgrow the free plan, the jump to a plan that removes branding is manageable at $20/mo (now with a discount). But if you need advance marketing automation (for example: create dynamic landing pages for ads or SEO), you're looking at professional-level pricing, which costs upwards of $500/month.

Hubspot verdict

Small business owners who need a marketing site should take advantage of HubSpot's free website and marketing tools.

2. Google sites (Best for simple website)

This may come as a surprise, but creating a Google Site is as simple as making a Google slide.

It’s 100% free — there isn’t a paid plan, and there’s no plugin to purchase. Google Sites is essentially free website hosting with custom domain support baked in, so you can connect your own domain at no cost.

Part of Google Site’s appeal is that they’ve simplified the website design process as much as possible.

For example, instead of limitless customization, there are only a handful of layouts to use.

And there are only a few page elements for you to add to the site — Image, text, button, table of content, and image carousel.

Every element you add snaps and align neatly like a lego piece.

By placing these limitations, Google ensures your website will work on all screens and devices regardless of how you build it.

Once you’re done, just hit publish, and you have a fully functional website with a link to share with anyone.

Notable Google Sites features

• Unlimited pages
• Set a custom URL for all your pages.
• Integrates with Google workspace apps: Google docs, Maps, Forms, Calendar, Charts
• Edit your site on all devices. You just need the link to edit, just like Google Docs.

Google Sites limitation

• Design themes are basic and kind of dated. You get about 15 layout options with limited customization.
• No blog functionality
• No eCommerce.
• No membership site.

Verdict

Google Site is great for students or businesses who need a simple informational site (hours, location, team bios, contact form) and wants zero monthly cost.

You don’t mind a basic-looking website as long as you get a site with a custom domain and displays all the information you need.

3. Kit (Best for newsletter)

Kit (previously ConvertKit) is an email marketing platform that happens to include landing pages that support custom domains on the free plan.

Their indispensable free landing page builder helps online creators capture leads and interests for their expertise.

You can create all sorts of landing pages with Kit, including but not limited to:

• Newsletter sign-up page
• Webinar sign-up page
• Waitlist for your product launch
• Ebook landing page
• Personal profile page
• Product sales page

and more...

When you sign up for Kit on their free Newsletter plan, you also get to:

• Sell digital products with their customizable sales page.
• Send unlimited emails to a maximum of 10,000 subscribers (the most generous free plan among email platforms currently available).
• Run a paid newsletter and charge a monthly access fee.
• Create unlimited landing pages (or use their professionally designed templates) to promote your projects
• Join their creator community, where they run monthly challenges and offer accountability to help you succeed.
• Free courses to help you build a thriving online business.

The free newsletter plan (with 10,000 free subscribers) is the most generous in the industry.

What to look out for on Kit's free plan:

• You can't build a multi-page website.
• Limited landing page themes (basic, not customizable beyond content). They're primarily designed for collecting email addresses for your newsletter or waitlist.
• When you need to upgrade (after exceeding the free subscriber limit), it is generally more costly than its competitors. For example, after 10,000 subscribers, Kit starts charging you $139/month, whereas a similar email marketing platform, like Mailerlite, costs just $89/month. You can estimate your cost with their calculator here.
• No blog functionality.

Should you use Kit?

Kit is great for anyone who needs a landing page on their own domain to grow an email list.

4. GetResponse (Best for general site + email marketing)

GetResponse was one of the pioneers in email marketing for small businesses back in the early 2000s, but they've had multiple rebrands and expansions ever since.

Their latest product release includes a website builder that allows you to connect to a custom domain on the free plan. You get access to about 100+ templates and a drag-and-drop editor, plus email marketing tools.

How GetResponse Website Builder works:

1. You start with a pre-made template (~130 templates as of this writing) from a variety of industries, such as Auto, Beauty & Fitness, Business, Finance, IT, NGO, Sports, Travel, and many more.
2. You will then get sent to their drag-and-drop website builder, where you customize the site. In my experience, the intuitiveness of the editor is comparable to Wix.
3. Once you're done, you'll be asked to set up the URL of your new website. It uses the GetResponse (gr.site) URL by default, but you have the option to connect your own custom domain (at no cost). You can even purchase a new custom domain right from GetResponse, though that's not free.

What you should know before building a website using GetResponse

• Limited to basic website features (no ecommerce, no membership areas).
• You can connect to a custom domain on the free plan, but you have to set it up in the beginning when you publish the site, otherwise you need to upgrade to change the domain name.
• Your website will have the GetResponse branding at the bottom unless you upgrade to a paid plan.
• On the free plan, you can't add custom code to your site, but you can connect Facebook pixel, Google Analytics, and Google Ads tracking code.
• Email limits to 500 contacts

Should you use GetResponse?

GetResponse is good for small businesses that just need a simple branded website or landing page that collect leads.

The website builder is simple enough for beginners to set up, and you get to set up an email list leveraging GetResponse's existing email marketing tools.

Learn more about GetResponse's free website builder

5. Systeme (Best for sales funnels and digital products)

Systeme.io free plan gives you free site with sales funnels, email marketing, blog, online courses, and membership sites, all with custom domain support.

Their website builder that allows you to design a site with their drag-and-drop builder and pre-designed templates.

And yes, Systeme.io also offers the ability to connect a custom domain on their free plan.

What you get on the free plan:

• Build a website with your own custom domain
• Set up your first sales funnel (up to 3 for free)
• Send unlimited emails to 2,000 contacts
• Create and manage your blog
• Start your membership site
• Use PayPal and Stripe to sell your products (with no transaction fees)
• Run your own affiliate program
• And run a few  tests (A/B test, automation, workflow, tag)

What's limited:

• You won't be able to export your website to another platform in the future (unlike other platforms like Hubspot, which have the export feature)
• It doesn’t offer enough integrations with third-party tools, and while the automation features are good for basic tasks, it kind of falls short for more complex workflows.

Should you use Systeme?

Systeme is great for course creators, coaches, and digital product sellers who want funnels + email + course hosting on one free platform.

Just be mindful that you will eventually need to upgrade once you hit the 2000 subscribers/customers cap.

Learn more about Systeme

6. FourthWall (Best for eCommerce)

Fourthwall was made for artists, YouTubers, and influencers who want to sell merch without dealing with manufacturing and shipping.

You just pick a product from their catalog (they offer things like T-shirts, mugs, tumblers, and more), add your design, and start selling or promoting.

Fourthwall handles all the logistics, so you don’t have to worry about getting the products to your customers.

MKBHD is a great example of someone using Fourthwall to sell merch.

While it’s perfect for influencers, anyone can sign up, and it’s free.

One cool feature is that you can set up a store with your own custom domain at no cost.

You can even sell your own digital or physical products if that’s more your style.

What makes Fourthwall easy to use? For starters, it’s free, and it comes with:

• A custom e-commerce store with a no-code builder
• A custom domain for your store (at no cost)
• They handle logistics and sales tax for you
• Worldwide shipping for your products
• They provide customer support for you
• Social media integration with platforms like Facebook, Instagram Shopping, TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube’s product shelf
• The option to sell digital products like PDFs, ZIP files, MP3s, and more

Fourthwall’s Limitations

As great as Fourthwall is, it does have some limitations compared to a big eCommerce platform like Shopify.

For one, Shopify has an entire ecosystem with an app store, along with access to thousands of designers and developers who build custom themes and tools specifically designed to boost your revenue.

Fourthwall, on the other hand, doesn’t currently offer:

• Point of Sale (POS) integrations
• Pre-order setups
• Multi-language support for stores
• Detailed product and marketing analytics

The bottom line is that if eCommerce isn’t your main focus and you’d rather put your energy into your creative work, Fourthwall is a great fit—it lets you sell without managing logistics and support.

But if you’re looking to run a larger, optimized eCommerce business, Shopify might be a better option in the long run.

7. Blogger (Best for simple blogging)

Blogger.com is Google’s original blogging platform, launched in 1999 and later acquired by Google in 2003.

And just like other Google product, Blogger is completely free to use. No paid plans, no hosting fee, and no storage limits you need to worry about upfront.

Setting up a blog on Blogger is straightforward:

1. Create a Google account
2. Pick a basic theme
3. Publish your blog on a blogspot.com subdomain. Alternatively you can connect your own custom domain.

Despite its age (and declining popularity), Blogger is still actively maintained and has a few things going for them

It les you connect a custom domain for free and you can rely on Google-hosted infrastructure so your blog remain fast, reliable, and secure. Unlike other paid blogging platforms, there's no traffic limits or hosting fees.

That said here are a few Blogger shortcomings to note:

• Design is pretty dated. Their default themes look old unless you heavilty customize it using HTML and CSS.
• It's a blog-first website. So you can't add custom landing page for marketing purposes.
• No major new features in the last few years.

Should you use Blogger?

If your goal is simple blogging with zero cost. Blogger gets the job done.

Blogger is best if:

• You want a 100% free blogging platform
• You’re okay with basic design and limited features
• You just want to publish content under your own domain without paying for hosting

8. GitHub Pages — For custom coded site

If you're comfortable writing HTML/CSS (or using a static site generator like Hugo or Jekyll), GitHub Pages offers free hosting with custom domain support and no branding.

How it works:

You create a repository on GitHub, push your site files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), and GitHub serves them as a live website.

You can either write raw HTML or use a static site generator like Jekyll (which GitHub builds automatically) or Hugo (which you build locally and push the output).

If all this sounds too technical, Github provides a step-by-step documentation to set it up, which I fully recommend.

What you get free:

• 1 site per GitHub account (plus 1 per repository)
• Static sites only (HTML, CSS, JS)
• Free SSL via Let's Encrypt
• Custom domain with CNAME setup
• No bandwidth limits for reasonable usage (soft limit of 100GB/month)

What you should know before using GitHub Pages

• Repository must be public on the free GitHub plan (private repos need GitHub Pro at $4/mo)
• Site files are capped at 1GB, and there's a soft bandwidth limit of 100GB/month

If you know basic HTML/CSS or are willing to learn a static site generator, it's the recommended free route to host your site.

Github Pages verdict

Github pages is mostly for developers and technical users who want to host their own site. But I would recommend it to anyone (who's willing to learn it) to host their site given the flexibility, control, and cost.

9. Wordpress

Wordpress (the .org version) isn’t a website builder per se, but it is one of the most popular platforms for building a website.

To set up a Wordpress site, you have to buy a custom domain and dedicated web hosting.

And since Wordpress is free, you only have to purchase web hosting, which is much more cost effective, making it the preferred choice for many web developers.

Pros

• The best blogging platform — Versatile blog editor, schedule posts, easy to edit, built-in comments, search engine optimized (SEO), user management, etc.
• Thriving plugins ecosystem — Wordpress is the most extensible website builder platform. Any feature you can think of, you can probably find in the plugins directory.
• Vibrant and supportive community — Wordpress has been around a long time and has grown into a big community. You can easily ask and get help on the forum or hire a web designer or developer to build your website.
• Easy to customize and DIY — There are popular tools that help users build web pages visually. Even those without design or technical skills can create a good-looking site without spending too much time. Popular visual page builders for Wordpress: Elementor, Divi, and Visual Composer.
• Cost effective — If you're willing to spend time and learn to set up a Wordpress site, it'll cost you no more than $10 a month. About $5 a month for web hosting and $10-$15 a year for getting a custom domain name.

Cons

• Learning curve —Setting up a Wordpress site is not a walk in the park. Sure, there are plenty of resources online (which can be overwhelming). You’d still need to learn how to buy your domain name, compare and buy web hosting, connect your domain to your Wordpress site, and set up a Wordpress theme, among other things.
• Time spent on managing the website — Once you have your site up and running, you need to regularly update and back up your site since Wordpress developers update the software frequently. Not to mention, you have to keep your plugins updated and upgrade your servers when you get huge traffic.
• Third-party dependency — If there comes a time when you need to customize, add features to your site, or when the site suddenly crashes or stops working properly (which happens to every Wordpress site), then you need a Wordpress expert or a web developer to help you out.

Also read: Wordpress vs Squarespace vs Wix vs Weebly

I already own a domain. Which free builder should I use?

Find the tools that best fits what you're building.

Are you building a business website for marketing purposes?

Hubspot's free plan lets you do it all — A multi-page website, lead generation, CRM, live chat, email marketing, ads retargeting, and more.

Are you selling merch or physical products?

Fourthwall's Free plan covers up to 50 products with print-on-demand built in. Digital products carry a 5% fee.

Are you selling a course, coaching or digital downloads?

Systeme's free plan includes 1 custom domain, 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels and 1 course.

Do you need to send email or mainly want people to join your email list?

Kit lets you send up to 10,000 subscribers for free, and you can sell digital products on the free plan (3.5% + 30¢ per sale).

Do you need one simple page up today (a menu, an event, a club, a portfolio)

Google Sites. All you need is a Google account.

Are you mostly blogging?

Blogger if you want zero setup. WordPress if you want custom WordPress themes and plugins.

Do you need to create a custom coded website?

If you (or if you use AI to) write custom html, css, and javascript for your website. Use Github Pages.

Frequently asked questions

How to connect a custom domain to a website builder?

The process is similar across most platforms:

1. Buy a domain from a registrar (more on where below)
2. Add the domain in your website builder's settings (usually under Settings > Domains or Custom Domain)
3. Update DNS records at your registrar. Add an A records pointing to the website builder's IP addresses (you will need to search and look up their documentation)
4. Wait for DNS propagation. This usually takes 15 minutes to 48 hours
5. SSL certificate provisions automatically on all the builders listed above beside Wordpress.

For a full step-by-step walkthrough with screenshots, see my guide on how to create a free website with a custom domain.

Where to buy a domain name cheaply?

You'll need to buy your domain separately since no free builder includes one. A .com domain costs about $9-10/year from a good registrar.

Here are the most recommended options:

• Cloudflare ( ~$9.15/year): Sells domains at wholesale cost with zero markup
• Porkbun(~$9.73/year): Clean interface, no hidden fees, good support
• Namecheap (~$9.98/year): Reliable and beginner-friendly
• Spaceship (~$9.29/year): Modern interface, competitive pricing

Avoid registrars like GoDaddy that advertise $1.99 first-year pricing but charge $20+ on renewal.

The registrars above charge roughly the same price every year.

For more details on choosing a registrar, I have a guide on where to buy a cheap domain name.

Is there a way to get free custom domain?

You can get a free custom domain from DigitalPlat and Github (if you're a student) and connect it to one of the website builders that allow you to add a custom domain for free.

But note that these domains come with limitations.

Can I run an online store on a free plan with a custom domain?

Your best options are FourthWall (physical merch and digital products for creators) and Systeme.io (digital products and courses).

Both support custom domains and free ecommerce.

For a general-purpose online store with inventory management, shipping options, and payment processing, you'll need a paid plan.

More details here: Best eCommerce platforms for small businesses

What about free AI website builders with custom domain?

HubSpot is the only builder that offers both AI-powered design features and custom domain support on its free plan. Its AI content assistant can generate page copy and suggest layouts.

Other AI builders like Framer, Wix ADI, and Hostinger's AI builder all require paid plans for custom domains. For a deeper comparison, check out this article on free AI website builders.

Can I use my own domain on Wix for free?

No. Wix's free plan gives you a URL like username.wixsite.com/sitename. Connecting your own domain requires at minimum the Light plan at ~$17/mo.

David Nge

David Nge is the founder and writer behind MakingThatWebsite.com. Since launching in 2021, he’s been on a mission to help non-techies—especially small business owners—build better websites using easy-to-learn tools and smart, time-saving strategies. He specializes in website builders, SEO, and practical AI tutorials for small business owners.

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