15 Low Cost or Free Website Design Tools in 2021

Nowadays building a website has become fairly easy. Some people even build their own websites without spending a dime. Whereas those who don’t have the know-how or the time have an option of outsourcing talent at a ridiculously low price. 

Designing a great website doesn’t take long, especially if you know which tools to use. There are numerous free website design tools that anyone can use, so long as you are proficient in using them. 

Adobe found out that at least 59% of people wouldn’t bother to read your website unless it is well-designed. Given the aforementioned stat,  it goes without saying that any tool that you choose should help you design an engaging and visually appealing website.

Things To Look For When Choosing A Website Tool

There are certain things that you need to pay attention to when choosing the right tool to design your website. They include the following:

• User-friendliness Of The Website Tool

A perfect website tool should be easy to figure out within minutes,  to even someone who is not tech-savvy. 

•  Should allow you to add third-party plug-ins

As you build your website you will need to add one or two plug-ins. If the website tools that you have chosen allows for this, then your website design will be top-notch.  

• Thousand of free templates to choose from 

If the tool that you’ve chosen offers tons of free templates, that’s another good reason you should use it.

• Allows you to make changes to the site easily

If a tool allows your website designer or developer to customize templates then it is worth trying out. 

•  SEO options

If a  website tool of your choice offers free SEO tools, that’s a BIG bonus!

What You Should Know About Free Website Design Tools

• First and foremost, most free website builders are not entirely free. Some offer a free plan, most only offer more features to paying users. 
• Secondly, While some have freemiums, others have free trial plans for only a number of days. 
• In order to use a free website builder effectively, you need three things: a web browser, a PC or laptop, and some experience of designing with a website builder. 

Here are 15 free tools for designing websites you need to try out:

• GoDaddy Website Builder
  

 Most people use Go Daddy for only registering domains and hosting, but there’s a lot you can do with this tool.  You can now sign up for a free trial and start designing your first website. Plus, you don’t need to be a website design wiz. All you have to do is select the right template, add your company info, and so on. 

 Over and above that, GoDaddy offers a flexible solution that allows you to build mobile-friendly websites, a Content Creator tool that lets you create social media content and blog posts. Additionally, you can run email campaigns and optimize your website for SEO. 

Pros

• GoDaddy is relatively easy to use.
• You get hundreds of themes to choose from.
• There are free tutorials that will guide you.

Cons

• GoDaddy is suitable for designing simple websites.
• It doesn’t allow you to switch between themes.

• Weebly

If you want to create a professional website that is responsive to all devices, then Weebly is just the right tool. Plus, you’ll access a multitude of customizable templates, robust features, and more. Weebly also comes with planning tools that you can use to plan your web design process from beginning to end. 

Pros

• Weebly allows you to save your work as you design.

• It allows you to access your design anytime and anywhere.

• It auto spells your text.

Cons

• It’s impossible to design offline,

• You get only a few themes to choose from,

• It doesn’t allow you to copy and paste the text. 

• WordPress

WordPress is still one of the most popular open-source content management systems in 2021. Big brands that have their websites designed on WordPress include TechCrunch,

The New Yorker, BBC America, Facebook, Bloomberg Professional, MTV News, and many others. Most of the WordPress coding is written in PHP and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database. There are thousands of templates to choose from, and you can add as many plugins as you like. 

Pros

• WordPress is one of the most flexible tools
• You get thousands of themes
• You get hundreds of plug-ins

Cons

• Websites designed on WordPress tend to be vulnerable to attacks
• You need to update your website regularly
• You need to be a coder in order to customize it

• Joomla!

Joomla is another open-source content management system that anyone can use free of charge. The most interesting thing about Joomla is that it is built on a model–view–controller web application framework that can be used independently. 

Pros

• Joomla is easy to install
• You get tons of plugins
• You access advanced administration panels
• It is secure.

Cons

• It’s not easy to use
• You need to pay for plugins

• Simple site

Just like its name,  SimpleSite is suitable for creating simple websites. So, if you want a stunning website that has a blog section, contact page, and so, this is not the right tool. 

Pros

• Simple site is a straightforward tool, even a technophobe can use it
• You don’t need to be a coder in order to work on it
• It doesn’t take long to design a website

Cons

• It’s not suitable for designing e-commerce sites
• You can’t customize your website
• You can’t use it to design a professional website

• Ucraft

This is a great tool that you can use to connect an existing domain to your website for free. You can also get an SSL security for 15 pages without spending a cent.  Interestingly, if your site has more than 15 pages, you have an option to pay only $10 per month,  which is still the cheapest plan. You can also use Ucraft to fine-tune your fonts and colors to match your brand.  

Pros

• You get a free plan
• You get security and analytics features
• You can integrate it with other tools
• You get tons of templates

Cons

• If you are not a designer you’ll struggle using it
• It gives you little control over your designs

• Webflow

Webflow springs to mind if you want to build or design a responsive website. “To me, Webflow is an alternative to WordPress,” says Luke Van Zyl, who has been designing websites for almost seven years. “What I like most about Webflow is that the code quality is out of this world. When you build a website on Webflow you know that you’ll be getting extra points from search engines such as Google and Bing,” he elucidates.  

Pros

• Webflow gives you lots of features to choose from
• It’s a powerful tool
• It is user-friendly

Cons

• You can’t customize your coding
• It’s confusing 

• Webnode

Webnode offers a variety of features that allows you to build a personal website, an e-commerce site, a business website, and more. It is a direct competitor to Wix and Weebly and seems to get rave reviews online each year.  You can use it for free for only 15 days then from there start paying to use it. 

  Pros

• It is easy to use
• Good for SEO
• Available in other 20 languages

Cons

• Limited features
• Another downside is; it is only free for 15 days

• Canva

There is a lot that you now do on Canva except designing social media posts. You can now use it to design a brilliant layout for your website, choose pics, and select colors. If you are one of those people who don’t have the time to figure out how every feature works, then perhaps you may want to hire a Canva specialist at a relatively low price. This outsourcing platform is the first place to look.  

Pros

• It is easy to use
• Canva allows you to export your designs
• You get tons of images for free

Cons

• Templates sometimes look alike
• It’s not suitable for photo editing

10. Divi

Divi is another free website design tool that you should put to the test. It allows you to remove, add or just move elements around with a click of a button. It is one of the few versatile tools that boasts more than one feature. You can use it to plan, structure, and design your website. 

Pros

• You’ll get a clean interface
• You will customize your templates easily
• It doesn’t take long to figure out

Cons

• Expect to be bothered by bugs

11. Figma

If you want to automate your work, then Figma is a tool you should be using.  With Figma, you will be able to draft sterling designs and automate your work at the same time.  It comes with buttons that can customize your text to fit every thread of your design. Once you are done with your design, you get an option to save your designs in a format that you prefer. 

Pros

• You can collaborate with other designers
• It is transparent
• You can edit your design in real-time

Cons

• You can’t work on your designs offline

12. Zyro

Zyro Another free tool for entrepreneurs looking for a simple website. However, there is little that you can do with this plan until you pay $3.09 months.  

Pros

• You’ll get a free SSL certificate
• It is easy to use
• You get free managed hosting

Cons

• Limited features

13. Adobe color

You’ll use Adobe color to design the layout of your website for free. With this adaptable tool you can customize templates to your liking by doing the following: edit themes, add and remove colors on your fonts and layout, or change images. You can also use color schemes to evoke feelings, drive a message home, or just to make your website stand out.

Pros

• It is versatile
• It allows you to manipulate colors
• You get in-panel editing functionality

Cons

• It is not easy to use
• It works more or less like a Photoshop tool 

14. Unsplash

If you are looking for free authentic images, Unsplash is the best platform for you to download them. You can simply use the search feature to search for free images for your website.

Pros

• You get stunning pics free of charge
• You download royalty-free images and use them on your website
• You can use different search terms to search for images

Cons

• It promotes the exploitation of photographers

15. Type Genius

Type Genius is a free tool that allows you to match your website design. You’ll access plenty of font styles, pair them, and select the ones that fit in with your brand.

Pros

• You can collect as many fonts as you like
• You can integrate it with other tools
• You can match your website design easily

Cons

• You’ll struggle to find other types of fonts 

If designing a stunning website is your ultimate goal, then you should consider hiring someone who has designed plenty of great websites before. This outsourcing platform abounds with talent that you can use at a pretty low price.