CrazyThemes

Top Free Website Builders That Allow Custom Domain

Anikesh Singh

Everyone loves to have their online presence, but most of the newbies don’t have a budget to spend on premium website builders. Today, I will show you Free Website Builder With Custom Domain Provider

When you’re using free software, website builders tend to advertise their brand in the URL (such as XXX.wixsite.com) rather than add a custom domain.

It’s fortunate that there are generous website builders that will provide you with a custom domain for free.

No matter what type of website you are building: an eCommerce store, a blog, a business website, or a personal website. I’m going to show you how to build these websites for free

6 Best Free Website Builder With Custom Domain Provider 2024:

1. Branchbob

Branchbob Free Online Store Builder

Branchbob’s free plan is generous and provides a variety of eCommerce features. You can even set up your store on your own domain!

It is usually a paid feature that allows you to add a custom domain.

The positive thing about Branchbob is that it’s one of the few eCommerce platforms to allow you to add a custom domain free of charge, while also giving you access to other advanced features, such as:

  • Online product sales (digital and physical) are unlimited
  • Secure Socket Layer certificate
  • Social media platforms such as Facebook and Google Analytics that are integrated with your website
  • Automated inventory tracking
  • Orders, invoices, etc., are automatically emailed
  • Additionally, there is a lot more.

Branchbob Features:

Branchbob offers free and limitless online store-building capabilities.

Your store will be able to support multiple currencies, languages, and you can also add a custom domain. In addition, you can receive payments via popular channels (Paypal, Stripe, or invoice).

Please note: Custom domains cannot be purchased through Branchbob. You must instead register the custom domain with one of the third-party domain registrars (e.g., Namecheap and GoDaddy) and then redirect it to Branchbob.

The good news is BranchBob has a guide that shows you step-by-step how to add a custom domain to your store.

Additionally, Branchbob’s customer service team is friendly and responsive. Whenever you have a question about the platform, you can expect a same-day response.

Branchbob limitations:

Design – The theme design is basic, and customization options are limited unless you feel confident editing code. Though, Branchbob plans on releasing premium themes in the future.

Limited third-party apps — Unfortunately, very few integrations are available to extend your store. 

Branchbob already has features that allow you to run an eCommerce store for free that is fully functional (and scalable).

Branchbob branding — You’ll find Branchbob’s brand logo at the bottom of your site.

2. Shift4shop

Known for providing outstanding customer service 24/7/365, Shift4Shop is a robust eCommerce platform offering a comprehensive e-commerce solution.

Is that their best offer?

Create your online store for free with this complete eCommerce solution! But only if you live in the United States.

Shift4Shop is not as good a deal for people outside of the US.

Shift4Shop Features:

All premium features of Shift4Shop are free otherwise. Among them are:

  • Get a free domain in the first year when you add a custom domain
  • You can sell an unlimited number of products and variations
  • Control of inventories
  • Discounts for bulk quantities
  • Checkout on one page
  • Functionalities for upselling and cross-selling
  • A CRM tool that is built-in
  • Emails sent when a cart is abandoned
  • Sales channels like eBay, Amazon, Google, and Facebook are integrated
  • Dropshipping assistance
  • In addition to that many more

Shift4Shop is such a versatile eCommerce platform that you can build a store for just about any type of product you need, whether it’s a subscription store, print-on-demand store, hardware store, store for selling brand merchandise, an event ticket store, or even a dropshipping store.

It’s all possible with Shift4Shop.

The downsides of Shift4Shop

If you are outside of the US, unfortunately, you will need to pay (starting at $29/month) to gain access to all of the advanced features.

Basic theme design — 

Over 100 free themes are available on Shift4Shop, but the majority are basic-looking. However, you have full access to all the files that make up your theme, so if you have coding skills you can edit it.

Shift4Shop Verdict

If you live in the US, opening an online store on Shift4Shop is the best you can do. Shift4Shop gives you all the advanced functions other platforms bill hundreds of dollars for each month.

Besides that, what else is there? Your existing eCommerce website will be migrated for free to Shift4Shop.

3. Big Cartel

Don’t let the name intimidate you. Makers, artists, and creative professionals can create simple online stores and sell their products with Big Cartel, an eCommerce platform designed for beginners.

Shopify and BigCommerce are more expensive than Big Cartel. Particularly its free plan allows you to set up your own custom domain for your online store.

Additionally, it allows you to set up different variations of products to sell, and you can create a store with a few clicks.

The website templates tell you a lot about their design. Their design emphasizes the artist’s creativity, and they are uniquely crafted.

There is a set of customization options available for each theme. Adding a header, logo, or background image, adding a slideshow, selecting colors and fonts, and other adjustments to the theme layout are easy without having to know how to code.

Big Cartel stores look like these:

  • Their creative illustrations are sold as merchandise by Jose Roda.
  • Handmade ceramics are sold by Uno Ichi behind the house of her grandmother.
  • Hand-painted abstract by The Feebles.

There is a limit of 5 products you can sell on the Big Cartel’s free plan. You get free themes, real-time statistics for your orders, a custom domain, shipment tracking, discounts and promo codes, and automatic sales tax calculation.

The platinum plan ($10/month) from Big Cartel is worth upgrading to, despite its limitations. The software allows you to sell up to 50 products while allowing you to track inventory, edit bulk and customize your store in advance.

Disadvantages of Big Cartel

Integrations – Big Cartel does not offer many integrations. You will thus have to spend time copying and pasting info from your shipping service, social media pages, etc.

Big Cartel lacks a cross-channel sales strategy and is not connected to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other distribution channels. Therefore, setting this up will take more effort.

Summary for Big Cartel

A simple online store to sell your work (physical products, digital products, or services) is available at a low cost through Big Cartel. Despite this, Big Cartel doesn’t offer enough features to support a large, multifunctional online store.

4. WordPress

Though WordPress isn’t a website builder, it’s one of the most common platforms for creating websites.

Dedicated web hosting and a custom domain are required to set up a WordPress site.

Because WordPress is free, many web developers prefer it over other options.

WordPress Pros

  • The best blogging platform – customizable blog editor, scheduled posts, easy to edit, built-in comments, optimized for search engines (SEO), user management.
  • Thriving plugins ecosystem — 
  • There is no other website builder that is as extensible as WordPress. In the plugins directory, you can probably find any feature you can imagine.
  • Vibrant and supportive community — 
  • There has been a WordPress community for a long time. A web designer or developer can easily help you build your website by answering your questions on the forum.
  • Easy to customize and DIY — Users can design web pages visually using popular tools. The majority of people can create a good-looking site without having to spend too much time on design or technical aspects. These WordPress page builders are popular: Elementor, Divi, and Visual Composer.
  • Cost-effective — 
  • WordPress costs about $10 per month if you are willing to put in the time to set it up. You can get a custom domain name for $10 a year for hosting and $5 a month for web hosting.

WordPress Cons

  • Setting up a WordPress site is not a simple task. A lot of online resources are available (almost too many). There are still a few things you would need to learn: how to buy your domain name, compare and buy web hosting, link your domain to your WordPress site, and install a theme for WordPress.
  • Time spent on managing the website — 
  • You should regularly backup and update your site after it is up and running, since WordPress software is frequently updated. Furthermore, when you get an influx of traffic, you need to update your plugins and upgrade your servers. This part is usually outsourced by published authors, which would incur extra costs for the project.
  • Third-party dependency — If you ever need to customize your site, add features, or if you run into issues with your blog (which can happen to every WordPress blog), then you need to hire a WordPress expert or web developer.

5. Ucraft

A web design tool like Ucraft is perfect for those who lack experience and want an easy drag-and-drop website builder.

Even those who aren’t very tech-savvy will find the interface intuitive once they get the hang of it. They have clearly outlined each and every button on their interface.

You can create a cool personal website with the free version. Furthermore, Ucraft has the unique ability to let you connect your domain to your website for free!

Ucraft’s free plan offers the following benefits:

Also, Ucraft’s free plan provides excellent customer service.

For beginners, there is a video tutorial showing how to add a custom domain to your site.

If you need help, you can use the chat button.

Note: 

Make sure that you click on the “Get Started” link when signing up for a free Ucraft account. You must pay for the website’s upkeep after the free trial ends if you want the website to remain online after it ends. The Get Started link defaults to signing you up for the Pro plan for 14 days.

Ucraft free plan limitations

There are a few limitations to the Ucraft free plan that you need to know.

Ucraft branding — Ucraft adds a watermark at the bottom of your website saying, “This website is built with Ucraft.”.

Limited customization — Custom fonts, customizable registration forms, and advanced layouts aren’t available.

No eCommerce —  you can only use eCommerce features on paid plans (from $10/month).

Limited SEO features — You cannot customize titles or descriptions for search engine optimization.

6. Google sites

Google Sites can be created as easily as Google slides.

Free – no paid plans or plugins to buy – and you’re allowed to add a custom domain to your site.

The simplicity of the Google Site design process is one of its most appealing features.

Instead of unlimited customization, you can choose from only a few layouts.

To finish the website, you only have to add a few page elements – an image, a text block, a button, a table of contents, and an image carousel.

You will snap in every element you add. The limitations Google sets ensure that your website works on all screen sizes and devices regardless of how it is built.

Publish the website once you’re done, and you’ll have a fully functional site that anyone can access.

Google Site offers several other notable features.

Google Sites limitation

Google Sites summary

It’s the best way to set up a free, convenient, and practical website as quickly as possible with a custom domain.

Customization and design are not important to you. Websites don’t have to look great as long as they work and display all the information you need.

What is the best option for you?

For eCommerce stores, you should use BranchBob or Shift4Shop. You can sell online for free using both of them since they offer robust features. Shift4Shop has more advanced features built-in if you reside in the US.

There are several great website builders for beginners, such as BigCartel, Ucraft, and Google Site.

The best choice for anyone looking for maximum customization, advanced plugins, and blogging features is WordPress.

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