There was a time where to build a website, you needed to know HTML or some 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 whatsoever.
In this article, we're focussing on ease of use and simplicity, more than anything. We still maintain that Aspect is the best free website creator, but it's perhaps overkill for a basic site.
In all sites, the free version includes most of the features to help you create a website to your liking, but you won't get to use your custom domain name with it. For that, you'll need to upgrade to the premium version, which usually also includes a few other perks.
1. Daftpage (Web): Easy, Free-Form, WYSIWYG Website Builder
Daftpage is a WYSIWYG editor, which stands for "What you see is what you get." More importantly, it's a free-form WYSIWYG website builder, which means it acts like an open canvas, and you can do anything you want on the page to turn it into a website.
You can use some of Daftpage's templates to start or create a website the way you want it to look. Press Enter or click the plus icon to add a block. Blocks can be heading fonts, bullet lists, to-do lists, containers, media (images, videos, or GIFs), buttons, or tweets.
All blocks can be moved, resized, and customized to your desire. You can also draw anywhere on the page with a paintbrush. Daftpage also includes an assets library to quickly find and embed 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 steep 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 mobile website builders (if not the best) we've ever come across. Be warned that the first impression is going to seem jarring because of the design of the UI. Straw.Page takes on the brutalist website design philosophy, which is a counter-culture way of making it seem like the site is unfriendly to use, but don't believe it for a second. Once you get started with the builder itself, you'll see how amazing it is.
In the builder, the app turns a normal mobile browser page into a grid of squares, five columns wide. Click and drag on squares to select the size of an element you want to add. So you can actually select a whole row, just the middle, or even put two elements on one row. It's hard to see this kind of customizability in free website builders, and made so effortless on top of that.
You can add elements like text, images, GIFs, stickers, icons, buttons, links, and shapes. And you can also freeform draw in any selected block like it was a paint tool. Elements and blocks can be moved or rearranged at any time too.
Straw.Page also lets you add pages within the site. Each site can have up to five sub-pages, which scroll left and right on mobile screens. Again, making sub-pages is a feature that's not often found in free website builders.
You can keep using the free version with a custom Straw.Page URL, or upgrade to a Premium version for $5 per month. That gives you 10 sites, unlimited pages, custom domains, forms, password protection, analytics, blogging platform, and SEO.
3. Mssg.me (Web): Easiest Way to Create a Mobile Website or Social Links Page
On social profile pages of influencers, you'll often see links that take you to places like Linktree or Solo.to, which make social pages look more professional. It's a nice way to share links to what you create, sell products, or showcase your portfolio.
Mssg.me is an easy way to create such a mobile website or social links page for anyone. What's more, it's designed to be used on mobile, so you'll find it a breeze to set up a website right from your phone or tablet.
Once you sign up for the free account, you can start building your site by adding different "blocks". Blocks include a Profile page, heading, text, links, social profiles (add links to your profiles), messengers (add ways to contact you), and a divider to separate these. You can reorder all the blocks with drag and drop. There are also themes you can apply to customize how your site looks. 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 a products catalog, forms, images and videos, quotes, lists, and much more. Like with all other such apps, it also removes Mssg.me branding and lets you choose a custom domain.
4. OnPodium (Web): 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 info. Creating a professional website for your existing podcast doesn't get easier than OnPodium. It's almost automatic.
Once you register for OnPodium, you can claim one free website. Point it to the RSS feed of your podcast, or plug in your YouTube channel ID if you host your podcast on YouTube. In a few minutes, OnPodium will turn all that information into a website.
You'll have a homepage with your logo and description. The "Episodes" tab will be populated with every episode you have uploaded and its description. In fact, OnPodium will check the RSS feed every day to add any new podcast episodes you upload. And there's an HTML5 audio player too, so people can listen to your podcast from your website directly.
In the settings dashboard, you'll 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 set up the About page to say what you'd like.
With a premium account ($19 per month), OnPodium checks for new episodes every two hours, gives you premium templates, a custom domain, and a slew of other features like custom pages, blog, reviews, guest forms, and more.
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 cannot ignore anymore. Muse lets you create a 3D website for free, with no tools or coding knowledge required.
Register for an account, type in your preferred URL, and choose from over 25 templates to begin building a website in 3D space. It's remarkably simple to use, as you press Tab to bring up the toolbar, and add blocks of text, image, or structures anywhere. You can move blocks freely and control their appearance. Be warned, Muse can run a little slow at times depending on your computer's processing power.
Muse lets artists create virtual galleries to showcase their paintings and creations, and can even host their NFTs in it. Musicians can create a listening room experience that goes beyond just the song. Creators can display their products in 3D for potential customers to check out. The possibilities are endless.
Keep It Simple, Silly
No matter which way you go, these website builders will give you a simple way to create an online portal that you can be proud of. In general, these sites will not be as efficient in code as those made by a web developer who writes the code from scratch for you. Hence, it's ideal to use these website builders for simple projects rather than full-blown online ventures like running a news blog or an e-commerce store.