Community profile or your own site
A portfolio can live in two places, and many designers use both:
| Kind | Examples | Good for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community profile | Behance, Dribbble | Being found by people who browse the platform, client leads | Your page looks like everyone else's and sits on their domain |
| Site builder, no code | Carrd, Wix, WordPress.com, Webflow, Framer, Notion | A site with your own layout and a link to put on a business card | Free plans add the builder's address and branding |
| Static hosting, you write the code | GitHub Pages | Full control and your own domain for free | You build the HTML and CSS yourself |
A common setup is a profile on a community for discovery and a small site that links to it. If you are still comparing builders for other kinds of sites, our list of free website builders covers more of them, and free website hosting lists static hosts beside GitHub Pages.
Free plans compared
From the official pricing pages, docs and FAQs on the date in the table:
| Service | Free address | Custom domain | Branding or ads on free sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behance | Behance profile | Adobe Portfolio comes with Behance Pro | Not stated |
| Dribbble | Dribbble profile | Portfolio website from the Lite plan | Not stated |
| Carrd | Not stated | Pro | "Made with Carrd" in the footer |
| Notion | 1 notion.site domain | Paid add-on per domain | Removed with the custom domain add-on |
| GitHub Pages | github.io | Yes, free | None stated |
| Wix | username.wixsite.com/sitename | Paid plans | Wix branding and sometimes ads |
| WordPress.com | WordPress.com subdomain | Paid plans | WordPress.com ads shown to visitors |
| Webflow | webflow.io | Paid site plans | "Made in Webflow" badge |
| Framer | Free Framer domain | Paid plans | Not stated |
Watch the small print on page and traffic caps. Webflow's Starter plan has 2 static pages and 1 GB bandwidth, Wix's free plan 500 MB of storage and 1 GB bandwidth, and WordPress.com's Free plan 1 GB of storage. Framer calls its Free plan ideal for non-commercial use.
Prepare the images
Most portfolio pages are mostly images, and large files make them slow. Before you upload:
- Resize every image to the width the layout shows with the image resizer, then shrink the files with the image compressor. Notion's Free plan caps uploads at 5 MB per file and Framer's at 5 MB.
- Show screens and apps in context with the screenshot mockup generator, or pick a device mockup from our list of free illustrations and mockups.
- Give your own site a tab icon with the favicon generator and keep the page colors consistent with the color palette generator.
Only show client work you are allowed to show, and say what your part in a team project was.
Your own domain
A domain of your own looks more professional on a resume and stays yours if you change builders. Of the free plans checked here, only GitHub Pages lets you use your own custom domain without paying for the host; you still pay the domain registrar. GitHub says Pages is not meant to run an online business or e-commerce site, and published sites may be no larger than 1 GB with a soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB a month.
On the no-code builders a custom domain is part of the paid plans: Carrd Pro starts from $19 a year, and Notion sells a custom domain add-on that also removes Notion branding. If you move your portfolio to a new address later, our guide on moving a website to a new domain explains redirects so old links keep working.
Fees when clients pay through the platform
Community sites also handle client work, and the free plans charge for it. Behance's Free plan lists 15 to 30% platform fees on transactions, which Behance Pro lowers to 0%. Dribbble's paid Standard plan adds a 0% designer platform fee on payouts. WordPress.com takes a 10% fee on paid subscriptions and payments on its Free plan.
When you invoice clients directly, our guide on pricing freelance work helps you set a rate and the free invoice template gives you a ready PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Is Behance free?
Yes. Behance's Pro page compares a free account with Behance Pro: the free account can publish projects, offer freelance services, send proposals and use the job board, with 15 to 30% platform fees on transactions. Pro adds 0% platform fees and a subscription to Adobe Portfolio.
Is Adobe Portfolio free?
Not on its own. Behance's Pro page lists a subscription to Adobe Portfolio, with up to 5 websites, as part of Behance Pro, and the free Behance account does not include it. That is why Adobe Portfolio is not in this list.
Which free portfolio site lets me use my own domain?
GitHub Pages, which can publish your site on github.io or on a custom domain you own. It is available in public repositories with GitHub Free. The no-code builders in this list connect a custom domain only on paid plans or add-ons.
Do free portfolio sites show ads?
Some do. WordPress.com says free sites display WordPress.com ads to visitors, and Wix says free sites carry Wix branding and sometimes ads. Carrd adds "Made with Carrd" to the footer and Webflow a "Made in Webflow" badge, both removed on paid plans.
How many sites can I make on Carrd for free?
Up to three sites per account with all of Carrd's core features, according to Carrd's homepage. Pro removes that limit, adds custom domains and removes the Made with Carrd branding, from $19 a year.