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12 Free Online Portfolio Websites for Showcasing Your Work
- Published: Aug 20, 2024
- 12 min. read
-
Trevin ShireyVP of Marketing
- Trevin serves as the VP of Marketing at WebFX. He has worked on over 450 marketing campaigns and has been building websites for over 25 years. His work has been featured by Search Engine Land, USA Today, Fast Company and Inc.
12 best free online portfolio platforms
In a competitive world, a creative professional like you must showcase your work with a free online portfolio website. Having your own online portfolio ensures you are recognized and headhunted for your accomplishments.
Keep reading to find the best online portfolio sites for your needs! Then you can sign up for our free newsletter to get the latest digital marketing tips in your inbox.
11 things to consider when choosing an online portfolio website
When making a shortlist of the best portfolio platforms, it’s important to consider the following:
- Your goals: First off, you must identify your needs and your goals with your portfolio. What will you showcase in your portfolio?
- Templates: After identifying what you’ll publish on your online portfolio, consider a platform’s templates. Does it offer a variety of templates that will accentuate your personal brand?
- User-friendliness: Shortlist websites for your portfolio that you can actually use. Is their interface user-friendly for beginners or for your level of coding experience?
- Mobile-friendliness: Make sure the online portfolio sites you shortlist make responsive websites. That way, your online portfolio will display properly on any device — whether it’s a mobile phone, tablet, or desktop.
- SEO-friendliness: The best portfolio platforms enable you to rank in search engines, so that potential clients and headhunters can easily find you. That said, they must be SEO-friendly.
- Social media integration: To maximize your personal brand’s exposure through your portfolio, look for online portfolio sites that can integrate with your social media accounts.
- Custom domains: If you want to use a custom domain for your online portfolio, make sure your shortlist of online portfolio platforms offers custom domains.
- Storage: Ensure you’re choosing a free online portfolio that provides enough storage for your data and content.
- Analytics: To monitor and improve your online portfolio’s performance, you need a visitor analytics and insights tool. Look for sites that offer this tool.
- Contact form: Do you want to receive inquiries through your online portfolio? Shortlist online portfolio sites that enable you to create contact forms or embed one from another site.
- Customer support: Finally, consider the customer support available. In case you get stuck, does the portfolio site have live chat or a support page that can help you with troubleshooting?
12 best free online portfolio websites you can use in 2024
Ready to create your online portfolio for the World Wide Web to see? Here are the best free portfolio websites for writers, designers, artists, and photographers:
The best free portfolio websites for writers and journalists
Writers can showcase their work and provide a link to their published work through these free portfolio sites. While most of them start as free, you can upgrade your plan to get bigger file storage and additional features:
The best free portfolio sites for writers and journalists
Let’s go through each one.
1. Clippings.me
Writers and journalists who want to showcase their work from various publications can easily create their online portfolio with Clippings.me. It offers a free version that lets you display clips that link to the websites where they were published.
Getting started is easy. Write your bio, customize your portfolio’s look, and add your work!
You can also embed YouTube videos in your portfolio and receive emails through a contact form. Integrate your social media accounts to stay connected with prospects, too!
2. WordPress
By far the front runner in website building and hosting, WordPress’s reputation exceeds that of its competition. It boldly asserts dominance by claiming 43% of the web uses it. If you’re a blogger or writer, this one’s for you.
You can develop any website content with WordPress. Create a blog, upload your photos, and share your online portfolio with the world. Signing up is quick and easy.
WordPress has various pricing plans to suit your budget, ranging from free to enterprise, depending on your needs.
3. Wix
Wix is one of the most popular free portfolio websites around. It ranks high on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) and is used worldwide by amateur web creators to host content like portfolios.
Some of its main features include:
- A large variety of website template designs in different categories to choose from.
- Unlimited access to free websites with the option to upgrade to premium for more benefits.
- Build your site from nothing or use a template to help.
- Expand your business with payment options as a premium user.
You even get help when you start — an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot asks you what website you’ll create and what you’ll showcase in your online portfolio.
4. Webflow
Webflow allows you to build your own portfolio website code-free. It features
With Webflow, creating your free portfolio website is a breeze. Click on the link in the top right corner to get started and you’ll have access to your dashboard any time you need to make changes. Kick things off using their tools to build from scratch or prepopulate templates.
5. Odoo
You’ll enjoy the simplistic nature of Odoo from the moment you access the site. Its sleek, modern, white-space interface is easy on the eyes, and the introductory video on creating a website is catchy and uncomplicated.
What sets it apart from other sites is that your free portfolio website includes hosting and a domain name, which usually cost a lot to purchase.
Here are some other cool available features when designing your website:
- An AI designer that configures your website by determining its purpose.
- Customizable blocks to drag and drop content.
- Assorted gradients for pops of color.
- Exciting animations and effects that will bring your content to life.
- Mobile-friendly HTML5 capability.
- No restrictions on images that are copyright-free.
There are many more facets that you’ll enjoy when you create your free online portfolio with Odoo.
6. Framer
Framer is an AI-powered website builder that you can use to create free portfolio websites. Its free version lets you publish websites without a paid subscription using a Framer domain.
A flexible portfolio website, Framer lets various professionals use it to showcase their work. Whether you’re an architect, product designer, or makeup artist, you can find responsive, free portfolio templates on its marketplace.
While the free plan has a monthly bandwidth limit of 100MB, you get a free Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. You can upgrade to a paid plan, starting at $5 per website monthly.
The best portfolio platforms for artists and designers
Artists and designers can whip up an online portfolio of their creative projects using free platforms that are easy to use and have storage capacity for their files. Let’s explore the top free websites for them:
7. Behance
Behance has one of the largest selections of portfolio design templates you’ll find. When you access the site you’re greeted with a myriad of examples, getting straight to the point without the fuss and frills.
These samples show you what you’re capable of and help spark ideas for what you can add to your own portfolio. To create one, click on the Explore Adobe Portfolio tile and you’ll be directed to get started.
There are countless categories to explore, each with even more portfolio illustrations, making it ideal for creatives who enjoy exceptional content.
8. Crevado
Crevado is a free online portfolio maker that lets you showcase your work using only a web browser. It doesn’t require coding skills, so getting started is easy.
If you’re selling your artwork online, you can add your PayPal account, too.
9. Notion
Notion is primarily a productivity app that lets you create and publish pages. It has several templates to get you started with project management and other tasks, including building a portfolio.
Select a free online portfolio template from the list, and add it to your workspace. Customize your copy of the template before publishing.
You can use Notion for free and publish unlimited pages under a single domain under Notion. Its paid plans start at $10 per person per month.
The top online portfolio sites for photographers
When setting up an online portfolio, photographers must consider a platform that has storage capabilities and customizable templates or layouts that fit their style. Here are the best online portfolio sites for photographers:
Top free online portfolio websites for photographers
Let’s dive in.
10. Journo Portfolio
Creatives will enjoy the tailored portfolio options that Journo Portfolio offers. Its unique selling point includes the option to import various multimedia content to your portfolio for a truly custom experience.
Although the free plan limits you to 10 portfolio items, the Pro and Unlimited options will open a door of possibilities. Some of the perks you’ll enjoy include:
- Access to the content builder, which allows you to display your expertise in different formats.
- Access backups anytime, so you never lose your content online.
- For added security, enable password protection and hide your portfolio so it’s not discovered by unwanted visitors like your current employer.
- Send updates to prospective subscribers by publishing new weekly content.
- Monitor your site’s performance for trends.
- Sell your goods and services and promote purchases through your site.
Journo is an all-in-one portfolio management website you can use to its fullest potential.
11. Canva
An excellent free online portfolio platform is Canva. You can start making your portfolio with Canva’s free or paid templates.
You can then easily customize each page using its drop-and-drop editing tools. Once you’re done with your design, click the “Publish Website” button.
The free plan lets you publish your online portfolio with a Canva domain. You can also purchase your own domain through Canva.
12. Google Sites
Google users can create their free portfolio website on Google Sites. Whether you own a free Google account or a paid Google Workspace account, you can create websites with multiple pages with this site builder.
Building your online portfolio on this platform is easy because it doesn’t require coding. Select the portfolio template to get started.
Then, you can drag and drop elements onto your portfolio website. The template has a responsive design, so you don’t have to create another mobile site version.
With Google Sites, you can embed a Google Form on your page. Do you have a pitch deck you want to add to one of your pages? Embed the Google Slides file on your page.
You can preview your page to see how it looks on a desktop, mobile, or tablet before publishing.
Free portfolio website FAQs
If you want to know more about websites for portfolio, let’s go through these FAQs about these platforms:
What is an online portfolio?
An online portfolio is a curated collection of your work to showcase the following:
- Best work
- Skills
- Industry experience
- Awards and recognition
It’s a great way to communicate your qualifications and past work with potential employers, prospects, and the press.
Why is a portfolio website important?
A portfolio website can help you get hired or acquire new customers online. With an online portfolio, you can also prove your expertise and experience.
Publishing an online portfolio also makes it easy to showcase your accolades and sample work to anyone interested. Send your portfolio’s URL, and they can review your past work.
When you optimize your portfolio to rank in search engines, it can even attract potential employers and prospects to visit your site. The contact form on your portfolio website then enables them to send you an inquiry.
Can I make an online portfolio for free?
Yes. You can make an online portfolio website for free using the tools mentioned above. Most of these free portfolio websites don’t require coding skills.
Note that some of the best portfolio platforms are freemium and offer paid versions that have more features.
Spotlight your creative portfolio with WebFX
Free online portfolio websites help creatives showcase their past projects and skills to potential clients and headhunters.
If you have website design needs that require experts, consider WebFX. We’re a full-service digital marketing agency with 28 years of experience designing websites that generate leads and revenue.
Contact us online or call us at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist about our website design services!
-
Trevin serves as the VP of Marketing at WebFX. He has worked on over 450 marketing campaigns and has been building websites for over 25 years. His work has been featured by Search Engine Land, USA Today, Fast Company and Inc.
-
WebFX is a full-service marketing agency with 1,100+ client reviews and a 4.9-star rating on Clutch! Find out how our expert team and revenue-accelerating tech can drive results for you! Learn more
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- 11 Things to Consider when Choosing an Online Portfolio Website
- 12 Best Free Online Portfolio Websites You Can Use in 2024
- 1. Clippings.me
- 2. WordPress
- 3. Wix
- 4. Webflow
- 5. Odoo
- 6. Framer
- 7. Behance
- 8. Crevado
- 9. Notion
- 10. Journo Portfolio
- 11. Canva
- Â 12. Google Sites
- Free Portfolio Website FAQs
- Spotlight Your Creative Portfolio with WebFX
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