SiteScope: Find Your Best Free Website Builder — and What It Will Really Cost You
Answer 6 quick questions. SiteScope ranks the top 3 free website builders for your exact goals, scores each one's lock-in risk, and calculates the real 3-year cost of "free" hosting once ads, domains, and upgrades are counted.
Run the SiteScope Diagnostic
1. What's this website mainly for?
2. How comfortable are you with code?
3. Do you need a custom domain (yourname.com)?
4. Do you need a real blog (posts, categories, RSS)?
5. How much design control do you want?
6. What's your 3-year budget for this site?
Your SiteScope Results
Why "Free" Website Builders Rarely Stay Free
Every major free website builder uses the same business model: give away enough functionality to get you invested, then charge for the features you'll eventually need — a custom domain, ad removal, storage above a few hundred megabytes, or e-commerce checkout. SiteScope quantifies that gap instead of hiding it in a pricing page footnote.
| Builder | Free-Forever Plan? | Custom Domain on Free Tier | Removes Builder Branding Free | Blogging Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sites | Yes | No | Yes (no ads by default) | No |
| WordPress.com | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Wix | Yes | No | No | Yes (app) |
| Weebly | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Blogger | Yes | Domain purchase only | Yes | Yes |
| Carrd | Yes (1 site) | Paid tier | Paid tier | No |
| GitHub Pages | Yes | Yes (bring your own) | Yes | Via static site generator |
Comparison reflects publicly documented plan limits as of 2026 and may change as providers update their offerings.
50 Facts About Free Websites & Website Builders
This list refreshes on each visit — come back anytime for a new mix.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SiteScope?
SiteScope is a free diagnostic tool that matches you to the best free website builder for your goals and estimates the true 3-year cost of using it, including likely paid upgrades.
Is Google Sites really free?
Yes, Google Sites is free to use with any Google account, but it lacks a blogging engine, has limited templates, and offers no true custom-domain hosting without pairing it with a separate registrar.
What is the 'hidden cost' of a free website builder?
Most free plans force a paid upgrade to remove ads, use a custom domain, unlock e-commerce, or exceed storage/bandwidth limits — SiteScope estimates this cost over a 3-year horizon.
Which free website builder is best for a small business?
It depends on your goals. SiteScope's quiz weighs blogging needs, e-commerce, design flexibility, and technical comfort to rank the top 3 builders for your specific situation.
Does SiteScope cost anything?
No. SiteScope is 100% free to use, with no signup required to see your results.