When you’ve built a backlog of great work, you might find that a written résumé just doesn’t do it justice. Whether you’re a graphic designer, an illustrator, a copywriter, or another type of creative, a portfolio website can help your work get the credit it deserves.
By combining text with multimedia elements (e.g., video, illustration, photography), portfolio websites allow you to establish a personal brand identity through both visual and narrative storytelling. Your portfolio website can help you stand out in a number of different ways—from highlighting your accomplishments in job applications to showing prospective clients the types of work you can do for them.
The good news? You don’t need to be a web design pro to get your portfolio online—there are all sorts of no-code portfolio templates out there that you can use. You can even customize the formats to suit your own unique portfolio needs. Read on to discover 15 of the best free portfolio websites to use in 2024 and beyond.
Did you know you can create a portfolio website that integrates your ecommerce shop? If you use Shopify, it’s easy to add ecommerce features to any website.
3 types of portfolio websites
As you explore the world of free portfolio websites, take note of the three core categories: online portfolio builders, hosted portfolio solutions, and social media platforms.
1. Online portfolio builders
An online portfolio maker is a web tool that helps you compile and present your creative work in a concise and visually appealing way. Digital portfolios range from navigable websites (like a freelance writer’s personal site showcasing previously published articles) to one-page scrollable assets (which a graphic designer might send as a supplement to a job application).
2. Hosted portfolio solutions
With a hosted portfolio solution, your portfolio appears on a large platform that presents other creators’ portfolios, too. Examples include Dribbble and Behance, both of which also function as job boards.
You might not get a custom domain name for your portfolio, but hosted portfolio solutions can provide secure hosting and powerful search tools that let clients find you.
3. Social media platforms
Some creators use social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok as their principal portfolio platforms. In addition to being free, social media sites are well-indexed in search engines, which can help your work reach new eyes.
Social media platforms offer the ability to include more than just images of your work. Content like interview clips or day-in-the-life videos can help solidify your personal brand.
15 popular portfolio websites
- Journo Portfolio
- WordPress
- Siter.io
- Canva
- Webflow
- Behance
- Dribbble
- Coroflot
- Adobe Portfolio
- Fabrik
- Dunked
- Format
- Carbonmade
- Pixpa
The sheer number of online portfolio options can be overwhelming. Start your search with this roundup of the best free portfolio websites to showcase your work.
1. Journo Portfolio
Journo Portfolio lets you showcase both visual work and writing, making it a great option for artists, designers, copywriters, journalists, and communications professionals. You select a template, upload your materials, and then customize your layout by selecting a header image and choosing fonts and colors.
Pricing: Free for a site with up to 50 items and a journoportfolio.com domain name; $8/month and up for additional item uploads, a custom domain name, and perks like the ability to collaborate with multiple creators.
Best for: Copywriters, designers, visual artists, and journalists.
2. WordPress
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that powers some of the world’s most widely trafficked websites. It’s highly flexible and customizable, making it a great choice for creators who have a specific vision in mind, but it also has a number of portfolio templates to get you started.
If you want potential clients to find your site organically, WordPress can help you out: The platform boasts SEO optimization tools and social sharing options, plus it allows you to track your site traffic. The site’s blogging platform offers a great way for writers to publish their work, too.
Pricing: Free for unlimited pages and uploads with a wordpress.com domain name; $4/month and up for a custom domain name.
Best for: Writers and creators seeking a high level of customization.
3. Siter.io
Like many portfolio builders, Siter.io doesn’t require coding skills. But if you do have a customization you’d like to include, you can insert code to add features like embedded maps and even comment sections. Siter.io is also a great option for collaboration: You can invite team members to view and edit your site.
Pricing: Free for unlimited sites with unlimited collaborators and a siter.io domain; $7/month and up for a custom domain and features including SEO optimization tools.
Best for: Teams of creators looking for an easy-to-build portfolio site.
4. Canva
The Canva portfolio builder offers templates for one-page portfolio websites—simple sites with a continual scroll. Depending on your project, this might be just what you need, especially if you think navigations could distract viewers from your work.
Plus, editing your Canva portfolio couldn’t be easier. The interface looks like one you’d see if you were editing a slide deck, which feels familiar and easy to learn. The tool lets you customize multiple sections of your portfolio simultaneously, giving you a big-picture view of your project. You can use a Canva domain or import your own.
Pricing: Free with a Canva domain.
Best for: Creatives looking for simple, one-page portfolio sites.
5. Webflow
Webflow is a great option if you’re looking for a high level of customization and a full-fledged website. When you start the user journey, you’ll be prompted to choose between a blank slate, template, or guided video tutorials.
With more than 2,000 typeface choices and controls for design options as granular as opacity and blur, you can get into the weeds with this tool if you want. That makes it a great choice for experienced website designers, but Webflow is explicit in its no-coding approach—which makes it a great choice for anyone.
Pricing: Free for a webflow.io domain with two pages; $14/month and up for a custom domain and benefits like higher site bandwidth and multiple editors.
Best for: Creators with a specific vision for their portfolio.
6. Instagram
You might use Instagram to keep tabs on friends, frenemies, and celebrities, but you can also use the social media platform to present your portfolio to a wide audience and cultivate a community around your work. You can publish items in your portfolio as posts, then use Instagram hashtags to push your work in front of new audiences.
You can also try joint posts, tags, and Stories to help you build connections with brands and fellow creators. You can sign up for an Instagram business account to access features like shoppable posts, appointment scheduling, and the ability for users to swipe up on Stories.
Pricing: Free for both personal and business accounts.
Best for: Creators seeking community engagement and networking opportunities.
7. Behance
Adobe’s Behance is something of a cross between Instagram and LinkedIn. Like Instagram, Behance showcases creative work in a scrollable grid format, and like LinkedIn, the platform connects creators with potential collaborators and employers. Similar to both platforms, on Behance you can follow users you like to stay up to date on their work.
Hirers can filter Behance creatives based on area of expertise, location, and services offered, then reach out to them with freelance and full-time opportunities. As a creative, you can apply directly to roles on Behance’s job board.
Pricing: Free for a basic account; $9.99/month for a Behance Pro account with additional functionality and 0% platform fees.
Best for: Creators looking to book new clients and find inspiration from fellow creators.
8. Dribbble
Dribbble is a platform that lets designers present their work to potential clients and fellow creators. It’s a perfect place to not only post your own portfolio, but draw inspiration for future projects. The site also functions as a job board, and its powerful site indexing and precise search tool help potential employers and networking opportunities find you with keywords.
Pricing: Free for a basic account and $8/month for a Dribbble Pro account.
Best for: Graphic designers searching for a new job.
9. Coroflot
Coroflot is a job board and portfolio hosting platform that lets you find jobs and helps hiring teams find you. In order for Coroflot to post your portfolio and profile, you’ll need to upload an avatar, a project, and include an external link, then the company will review your submission within 24 hours. If you have a change of heart, or if you’re in the midst of updating your portfolio, you can always toggle your project to private.
Pricing: Free for creators uploading portfolios.
Best for: Designers looking for new clients.
10. Adobe Portfolio
Like other portfolio builders, Adobe Portfolio offers sleek, customizable templates and lets you use a custom domain name. But Adobe Portfolio might be the most heavy-duty tool on this list: You can publish up to five portfolios, and for a little over $50 a month, you can use Adobe’s top-of-the-line Creative Cloud suite, which includes tools like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Lightroom.
Pricing: If you already have Creative Cloud, Adobe Portfolio is free; $9.99/month to publish up to five portfolios and integrate your portfolio with Behance; $52.99/month to access Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite.
Best for: Creators who use Adobe’s video and photo editing software.
11. Fabrik
If you’re worried about getting bogged down in your portfolio website’s layout, Fabrik is for you. You start by selecting your portfolio template and uploading your projects. From there, instead of requiring you to scroll through the template and add your content manually, Fabrik automates the process by inputting your materials into the template for you.
A tutorial library and live chat make Fabrik even more user-friendly. Plus, you can always customize your layout if there’s an element you want to change. The tool has gallery and blog sections that make it a good tool for visual creators and writers. Fabrik portfolios come with an onfabrik.com domain name, but you can opt to connect a custom domain.
Pricing: $9.17/month for 10 portfolios, 50 projects, and two gigabytes of media storage; $13.34/month and up for more portfolios, projects, and media storage.
Best for: Creators who want to avoid spending time on site layout.
12. Dunked
Dunked is an exceedingly simple portfolio builder with 18 template options. Drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to rearrange your uploaded images, and you can customize your site with a logo and tagline, fonts and colors, and CSS code. You can also add Contact and About pages, ensuring that portfolio visitors can reach out to you to ask about commissions and collaborations.
Pricing: $8/month for 100 projects, 100 pages, and a custom domain; $19/month for unlimited projects and pages
Best for: Visual creatives looking for a fast and easy way to build a portfolio website
13. Format
Format helps you make sleek-looking websites in a pinch. After you input your industry and profession, Format suggests an ideal template that’s relevant to your type of work. The portfolio site editor is user-friendly, with each tool easy to find and use.
Format includes a blogging option, making it a great fit for text-based creatives. While Format is an easy-to-use tool, it also offers more advanced features than other portfolio builders. You can generate contracts and downloadable links for clients. You can also use the site’s SEO tools to help more potential clients see your portfolio, then use Format’s Google Analytics integration to track traffic and fine-tune your content.
Pricing: $8/month for 10 website pages and 70 high resolution image uploads; $11/month and up for plans with benefits like unlimited image uploads.
Best for: Creatives looking to create search-optimized websites where they can book clients.
14. Carbonmade
Carbonmade designed its portfolio builder for professionals showcasing visual work—like photographers, user interface (UI) designers, and creative directors. After inputting your profession, you’ll see a list of relevant templates that you can customize after you upload your projects. The templates are easy to use and have features relevant to visual work, like options to create slideshows, crop images, and add captions.
Pricing: $9/month for a beginner portfolio with up to eight projects; $12/month and up for a custom domain name, more projects, and site analytics.
Best for: Creators looking for easy-to-edit templates for visual work.
15. Pixpa
Pixpa prompts you to choose a template that’s specifically designed for the type of work you’re showcasing (like UI design or animation, for example) and lets you browse example portfolios for inspiration. Whether you want a straightforward single-page portfolio or a navigable portfolio website with multiple pages, Pixpa lets you choose how complex to make your site.
After choosing colors and fonts, you enter an editor that lets you add text, embed features, and upload images. Even when you add elements like additional page sections, you’ll be able to choose from existing templates. That ensures your website remains polished and professional-looking, even if web design isn’t your specialty.
Pricing: $8/month for 10 pages, 200 images, and a free domain for a year; up to $25/month for more advanced features like custom fonts and the ability to work with multiple editors.
Best for: Creators looking for a sleek portfolio built with templates.
How to choose the best portfolio website for your needs
- Determine your needs and budget
- Research and compare different options
- Consider the user experience and design
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to choosing a portfolio website. Use this three-step approach to tailor your choices and land on the right platform:
1. Determine your needs and budget
Before you settle on a portfolio website, you’ll want to consider your portfolio’s purpose, the type of work you’re displaying, and your budget.
For example, will you be using your portfolio as a job application supplement, or will you be using it to attract clients through organic search? For the latter, you’ll probably want a custom domain name and a portfolio website builder with SEO tools—two features that might eliminate many of the free portfolio website options. On the other hand, if your portfolio’s purpose is to share your work with hiring teams, a single-page website without a custom domain will likely suffice.
Make sure to factor your portfolio into your long-term financial planning—most paid options charge on a monthly or yearly basis.
2. Research and compare different options
Once you’ve assessed your needs and budget, it’s time to explore what’s on the market. Some options are better for certain types of work, like writing or UI design, for example, and some are better than others at generating sales. If you want to keep your target audience updated on your recent photography shoots, for example, you may gravitate to a platform like Instagram. You might use Dribbble if you’re hoping to show a prospective employer or client your past work on advertising campaigns.
3. Consider the user experience and design
Multiple platforms offer similar features for similar prices, so your choice might come down to user experience (UX) and UI. Everyone’s workflow is different, and you might be more familiar with some types of UX than others. You also might want a template-based portfolio builder rather than a more customizable option. Many paid portfolio sites let you start a free trial, and free platforms let you make your free site before deciding if you want to upgrade to a paid version of the tool.
Free portfolio websites FAQ
Can I integrate a portfolio website with social media?
You can integrate a portfolio website with social media in a few ways. You can embed your social media feeds into website builders like WordPress, or you can set up a social media page to showcase your portfolio. Examples include using Instagram to showcase visual art or TikTok to showcase videos. You can also join a creative networking site like Behance that specifically focuses on design portfolios.
Can I integrate a portfolio website with an ecommerce shop?
Yes, you can create a portfolio website that integrates with an ecommerce shop. If you use Shopify, it’s easy to add ecommerce features to your site, whether it's a portfolio website or a personal website. Most ecommerce platforms offer free tools that help you embed your store’s content into your site.
How can I ensure my portfolio website is effective?
The most effective portfolio websites showcase your best work and expose it to the right people. If you’re building a portfolio to help you get hired, consider sites like Behance, Dribbble, and Coroflot. If you want to expand your network, try publishing your portfolio on a social media site like Instagram. If you’re focused more on showcasing than networking, consider a portfolio website builder like Adobe Portfolio, WordPress, Squarespace, or Carbonmade.
Can I make a portfolio for free?
Yes, there are many options for building a free portfolio website for your work. Free options include social media sites like Instagram and TikTok. For higher functionality, look into sites like Journo Portfolio, which has a free plan. Bear in mind, however, that the most comprehensive portfolio websites tend to charge subscription fees, so for more customization options you may need to budget for a paid subscription.
