What does "free" mean on a website builder?
When a website company says free, it usually means one of three different things, and they cost you very different amounts:
- A free plan. Free for as long as you like, but the site sits on the builder's address and carries the builder's branding. You pay when you want it to look like your own business.
- A free trial. The full product for a fixed time, then you pay or it stops. Mine is this kind: 1 month, no card, then £299 once or it is switched off.
- A free build. Someone builds the site at no charge, then you pay a monthly fee for hosting and support for as long as you want it online. The build is free, the website is not.
None of these is a con. The catch is only a catch if you find out after you have printed the address on your van.
Free website plans compared (checked October 2026)
I read each provider's own plans or help page in October 2026. Where a page did not state something, I say so rather than guess.
| Option | What is free | Your own domain | Branding and price to upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Free plan, site at username.wixsite.com/sitename | Needs a Premium plan | Wix says a Premium plan removes Wix branding |
| Square Online | Free plan at £0 a month, site at a square.site address, 1.4% + 25p per UK card if you take payments | Square says custom domains are "not available on our free plan" | Removing Square branding is a paid feature; Plus is £20 a month billed annually |
| Google Sites | A site builder you open at sites.google.com; the help pages I read do not state a price | You can connect a domain you already own; buying one through Google needs a Google Workspace plan | Not stated on the pages I read |
| UENI | No free plan shown on the UK pricing page | Paid plans only | Website Launch is £18.99 +VAT a month on monthly billing, plus £599 +VAT setup |
| Tradewebsite.uk | Free for 1 month, no card, on a free subdomain | Connected free once you keep it (you buy the domain yourself, about £8 to £15 a year) | £299 once to keep it, hosting included, no monthly fee |
Square Online's free plan is aimed at selling products online, which is why its costs are per card payment rather than per month. If you want the paid prices side by side over three years, they are in my cheapest website builder for tradespeople comparison.
Why does a free web address matter for a trade business?
A homeowner choosing who to let into their house is looking for reasons to trust you. A free address does three quiet bits of damage:
- It does not look like yours. "smithplumbing.co.uk" reads as a business. "username.wixsite.com/smithplumbing" reads as something set up on a Sunday. The customer may never say so, they just ring the next name.
- It is hard to say out loud. You cannot put a long builder address on a van, a card or a voicemail and expect anyone to type it.
- Moving later breaks your links. When you upgrade to your own domain, every place you shared the old address (your Google Business Profile, Facebook, Checkatrade, old quotes) points at the wrong place until you change it.
That is why the free plans make their money on the upgrade. It is a fair model, as long as you know the upgrade is coming. If you have not picked a name yet, my domain name ideas for tradespeople guide covers what makes one easy to say and type.
What to check before you sign up for any "free" website
- What does it cost from the day it looks like my business? Not the free price, the price of the plan that gives you your own domain without their branding.
- Is there a setup fee? UENI's Website Launch plan, for example, lists a £599 +VAT setup fee on its UK pricing page.
- What happens when I stop paying? On a monthly plan the site usually goes when the payments go. Ask it in writing.
- Who owns the domain? It should be registered in your name, so you can take it anywhere.
- Do they want a card for the trial? A card up front means you have to remember to cancel.
- Are there fees per payment? Builders aimed at shops, like Square Online, charge per card payment. Fine if you sell products, irrelevant if you only want the phone to ring.
If the answers turn into a monthly fee that never stops, run the sum in my guide to one-off vs pay monthly websites for trades: the monthly figure times 36 is your three year cost.
When is a free plan the right choice?
Sometimes it is exactly right, and I would rather say so:
- You are testing an idea. If you are not sure the business will run past the summer, a free Wix site costs you nothing but time.
- You sell products, not jobs. Square Online's free plan is built for taking orders and card payments. My sites are not shops.
- You have nothing else online yet. The free thing that matters most for a local trade is not a website at all. It is your Google Business Profile, which is what shows up on Google Maps. Set that up first, whatever you decide about a website.
Is Tradewebsite.uk free?
For the first month, yes, and then no. Tradewebsite.uk lets you build your one page trade website yourself, free, in about 2 minutes at edit.tradewebsite.uk/start. It is yours to use free for 1 month and no card is needed. If you keep it, Tradewebsite.uk costs £299 once, with hosting included and no monthly fee. If you do not pay, the site is switched off and nothing is charged.
I chose this over a free plan on purpose. A free plan with someone else's branding is not something I would put on a van, and a monthly fee is something a sole trader carries forever. A month is long enough to see whether the site gets you calls before you spend anything. If you want to see how it stacks up against the best known free plan, read Tradewebsite.uk vs Wix for tradespeople.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free website really free?
Free to build, usually not free to use as a business. On the free plans I checked in October 2026, Wix and Square Online put your site on their own address and both say you need a paid plan to use your own domain and remove their branding. So the free plan is real, but most trade businesses end up paying for the upgrade.
Can I use my own domain on a free website plan?
Not on the Wix or Square Online free plans. Wix says a Premium plan is needed to connect your own domain, and Square says custom domains are not available on its free plan. Google Sites lets you connect a domain you already own, and you buy the domain yourself from a registrar for about £8 to £15 a year.
Is there a free website builder with no branding?
Not among the free plans I checked. Wix says a Premium plan removes Wix branding, and Square lists removing Square branding as a paid plan feature. If a builder does offer a free plan with no branding and your own domain, ask how it makes its money before you rely on it.
Is Tradewebsite.uk free?
Tradewebsite.uk is free for 1 month. You build your site yourself in about 2 minutes, use it free for 1 month with no card, and if you keep it you pay £299 once, with hosting included and no monthly fee. If you do not pay, the site is switched off and nothing is charged.
What should I check before signing up for a free website?
Ask what it costs from the day it looks like your business, whether there is a setup fee, what happens when you stop paying, who owns the domain, whether they want a card for the trial, and whether they charge per payment. Then multiply any monthly fee by 36 to see the three year cost.