If you want to offer your freelance services to clients, you need to have a portfolio website to showcase your skills and experience. But not everyone knows how to code or build a website. Luckily, there are many free portfolio website builders for freelancers out there that help you to create a website via drag-and-drop or by providing beautiful templates.
Check out the following lists that give you the best free portfolio website builders for freelancers, agencies, or small companies.
Best Free Portfolio Website Builders
Free portfolio website builders are the perfect option for everyone who is just starting out and on a small budget. No need to hire a web designer or pay for hosting or a domain separately.
But please bear in mind that these builders often have limited features or services.
However, most of the free website builders offer paid plans, as well. That means that you can usually upgrade your plan anytime in case you need more features, pages, or better customer support.
1. 8b
8b is a very simple to use website builder that you can use even without any programming knowledge. All you need to do is to pick one of the many beautiful templates, style it the way you like it, add your content, and publish it.
With 8b you get a website builder that stays free forever. For only USD 2.42 a month you can upgrade and get unlimited pages, site support, and can remove ads.
2. Bookmark
The portfolio website builder of Bookmark is a bit more advanced. Here you start by answering a few questions about your business, e.g. the location, business type, or goals, and get unique websites built for your needs. Of course, you can customize it via drag-and-drop and even integrate it with Facebook, Instagram, or Amazon, in case you want to start a store and sell on those platforms.
Bookmark is free to use. Premium plans start from USD 11.99 per month and give you more storage, bandwidth, backups, and much more.
3. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is a very popular service that many people use to buy domains. However, you can also create a free website with GoDaddy. It works just like most website builders: You pick a template, customize and publish it. Done.
The free plan includes email and social media marketing, whereas the paid plans give you features like advanced marketing, integration of your online store, 24/7 support, and advanced online booking appointments. These plans start at USD 10 per month.
4. IM Creator
With the IM Creator website builder, you can design, build, and publish your portfolio website for free and get unlimited hosting and bandwidth. The intuitive tool allows you to build your website without any coding knowledge.
The hook: Only students, artists, and non-profit organizations can apply for the free version of IM Creator. The premium account for all other professionals starts at USD 8 per month.
5. Jimdo
With over 25 million websites built worldwide, Jimdo is a very popular portfolio website builder and is perfect for small businesses of all industries. The builder allows you to create professional designs and integrate an online shop.
I have to admit that the free plan is very limited: You only get 5 pages and 500MB storage, which is not a lot. But it gives you the chance to test the platform and upgrade to one of the paid plans starting at EUR 9 per month.
6. Mobirise
What’s special about Mobirise is that you first have to download the app and can then use it offline to create small or medium websites. You have more than 3500 templates and building blocks to choose from. The platform is extremely easy to use which makes it perfect for non-techies!
You can download and use the builder for free or go for the builder kit which includes more themes and extensions for about EUR 95 per year.
7. SimpleSite
Just as the brand name suggests: SimpleSite allows you to create websites the easy way. Pick a theme and customize it within minutes. The free version gives you a mobile-optimized website where you can even include your online store.
If you need more than 15 pages, want unlimited design options, or remove ads from your page, upgrade to the professional plan that is EUR 14.95 per month.
8. Webnode
Webnode has more than 40 million users who profit from their free and paid website builder. Again, all you need to do is to sign up, choose a design you like, add texts and images, and publish your website.
The basic version is free and you don’t need a credit card to sign up. Upgrades start a USD 3.95 per month.
9. Site123
Site123 claims to be “by far the easiest free website builder”. While I have no way to prove this, the platform is indeed very intuitive and easy to use. They also offer indeed a wide range of beautiful templates that are only waiting to be filled with your own content.
The free version is very limited with only 500 MB storage. The premium plan is USD 10.80 and gives you 10 GB storage and many other benefits.
10. Stikingly
Stikingly helps entrepreneurs and creatives to build their customized online portfolios and websites. Within a few minutes and without any code or design skills you can publish your website, blog, or basic online store.
The free plan gives you 500 MB storage per site and unlimited sites. Upgraded versions start at USD 8 per month.
11. Tilda
Tilda gives you more than 550 pre-designed blocks you can use to create your very own unique website. Play around with widescreen covers, gorgeous typography, photo galleries, forms, videos, and much more. If you want, you can also integrate small stores to sell products or services.
You can make one website with limited features for free or upgrade to premiums plans, starting at USD 10 per month.
12. UCraft
With Ucraft you can create your portfolio, website, or online store with a multi-functional website builder. Use pre-designed templates and drag-and-drop elements you need. You can also use it to build a blog, sell online, accept payments, and set up shipping for products.
The free version is limited to 15 pages. Upgrades start at USD 10 per month.
13. Weblium
Weblium is another free portfolio website builder that is super easy to use. You don’t need to worry about technical issues or come up with designs. Simply pick one of the 250+ ready-to-use templates, add what you need or remove what you don’t. Intuitive, mobile-friendly, and smart designs for non-coders.
The free plan gives you all you need to begin with. Paid plans start from USD 8.25 per month.
14. WebsiteBuilder
WebsiteBuilder is another intelligent portfolio builder. All you need to do is to answer a few questions and the software will pick the right layout, images, and even content for you. Of course, you can customize everything to fit your needs.
The free plan comes with some very nice features already. In case you want to upgrade, premium plans start from USD 4.40 per month.
15. WordPress.com
Of course, you can also create your free portfolio site with the world’s most popular website builder: WordPress.com. Millions of bloggers, small businesses, and freelancers use this provider. In contrary to WordPress.org, you don’t have to worry about domains or hosting. WordPress.com takes care of that.
With the free builder, you can create beautiful, simple websites in minutes. The upgraded versions start at EUR 4 per month.
16. Weebly
Weebly is another very popular free website builder. Here you get themes created by top designers to create polished and professional-looking websites. Fonts, images, building blocks, videos – everything is customizable.
The basic use with 500 MB storage is free. Paid plans start from EUR 5 per month.
17. WebStarts
WebStarts claims to be loaded with more value than any other website builder out there. Here you can get all the design tools you need to customize your website and get a free custom domain. Build a portfolio, create a website, or write a blog.
The free version gives you unlimited pages and 1 GB storage. Upgrades start from USD 7.16 per month.
18. Wix
And of course, let’s not forget about Wix – another super popular free website builder. Again, answer a few questions and get a website designed exactly for your needs. You can always customize and add features if you like. On top of that, you can optimize your website for better results in search engines.
With the free version, you can get hundreds of templates, unlimited pages, and great hosting. If you want to upgrade to a premium plan, prices start at EUR 5.22 per month.
Bonus: Free Portfolio Websites Collectives
For certain niches, you don’t necessarily need to create your own website. You could also go for platforms that showcase portfolios of many different freelancers on their website. Here are a few examples:
19. Behance
Behance is part of the Adobe product family here you will find a wide range of designers presenting their skills and former projects. With only a few clicks you can add your portfolio of visual work to present it to potential clients. The free version comes with limited features.
20. Flickr
Are you a photographer? On Flickr you can present and share your photos with the community. Simply create a profile and upload your photos. You can always send potential clients to your profile so they can look at your portfolio.
21. Journo Portfolio
If you are a journalist, copywriter, author, translator, or blogger and don’t want to create a dedicated portfolio website just for yourself, check out Journo Portfolio. The free version gives you a home page and 10 articles included. Upgraded plans start at EUR 4 per month.
What should you include in your portfolio website?
Most of the free portfolio website builders offer only limited pages and storage space. That’s why you should sit down and consider what exactly you want to showcase. In case a free plan won’t be enough, check out the premium plans and compare prices and features.
Here are a few things you should consider when planning a portfolio website for freelancers:
- Do you want or need a custom domain name?
- What is your niche, your target group, and your personality? This should reflect in the design you pick (colors, fonts, images, etc.)
- Choose your best previous work examples to prove your talent.
- Ask former clients if you are allowed to show the work you have done for them (think of non-disclosure agreements).
- In case you are just starting as a freelancer and don’t have much previous work, take the time to create new designs, texts, photos, etc. so your potential clients can see your skills.
- List all of your services or products. Consider offering packages and list those, too.
- Evaluate if you want to list your freelance rates, too, or if you want to make custom prizes on demand.
- Place prominent call-to-actions on your portfolio website, for instance, buttons with “Want a call-back?”, “Send me an offer”, “Make an appointment”, “Send me more info”.
- Don’t forget to list your contact details, i.e. email, phone number, social media, contact form, office address (if you have one).
- Add positive testimonials of former clients
- Write an “About me” page to describe your background, education, skills, and experiences. Mention your mission and goals. Add a professional and likable photo of yourself or, even better, a short video where you introduce yourself.
Get Ready to Shine
Yes, that was a long list of free portfolio website builders for freelancers. As you can see, there is no need to invest any money! I’m 100% convinced that there is the right one for you in this list.
Even without any knowledge of coding, programming, or design, you will be able to create an outstanding website that showcases your expertise in the best possible way. Simply pick a template, customize it for your brand, add texts and images, and off you go.
Your clients will highly appreciate a professional website that helps them get to know you and your talent.
Nice blog.