6 Best Website Builders for Portfolios: Show Your Work Online [2024]

Not all website builders offer the tools you need to create a unique, compelling portfolio that will attract more clients. Most platforms promise easy setups and stunning designs, but when you dig deeper, you’ll find they lack the essential gallery and optimization features to highlight your work.

To make matters worse, the website builders offering comprehensive tools are either too expensive or too complex for someone without extensive technical skills. What you need is a solution that balances customization, ease of use, and affordability so you can focus on your work rather than getting bogged down in technical details. And that’s precisely what I have for you today.

Having tested all the popular website builders, I’ve sifted through the noise to bring you the 6 best website builders for portfolios. My top-ranked platform, Wix, stands out for its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, extensive range of stunning portfolio templates, and flexibility that caters to any professional’s needs.

With Wix, you can create a portfolio site that ensures your work gets the spotlight it deserves. But don’t take my word for it – try Wix for free and see if it’s right for you. Alternatively, you can check out my other best website builders for portfolios.

What We Look For in the Best Website Builders for Portfolios

During my tests, I focused on specific features that will help you create a unique, efficient site effortlessly so your work gets the spotlight it deserves. Here are the key features I considered:

• High-quality portfolio templates. Your portfolio should look professional and visually appealing. I selected builders with exceptional templates that highlight your work beautifully.
• Customizability. You need the ability to make your portfolio truly yours, so I chose builders offering extensive customization options to match your style.
• Ease of use. I understand that not everyone has technical skills, so while I considered customizability, I also ensured these builders provide user-friendly interfaces that make creating your portfolio a breeze.
• Cost-effectiveness. Creating an impressive portfolio shouldn’t break the bank. I included builders that offer free plans/trials and great value for their premium plans, ensuring you get the most for your money.
• Portfolio-related features. My recommendations include features designed to enhance your work presentation, like project descriptions, gallery and slideshow options, contact forms, and multimedia integration.

1. Wix: Best Portfolio Builder With Dozens of Templates1

Wix has 40+ pre-built portfolio templates1 that make it easy to create a professional-looking portfolio to highlight your work beautifully. The templates cover various careers, including graphic/UX designer, fashion designer, artist, writer, politician, and makeup artist, so you’re bound to find something that suits your needs.

I like how customizable Wix’s templates are. During my tests, I was able to add all sorts of elements like text, buttons, shapes, and icons. I particularly enjoyed using Wix’s Pro Gallery, which allows you to display your work in high resolution and retain the quality of your images. You can also upload video files or embed videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook onto your portfolio site.

You can start building your portfolio with Wix for free to test the waters and get your portfolio up and running. However, the free plan’s 500 MB storage may not be enough if you regularly produce high-res images and videos. To access more advanced features and a professional domain, you must pick one of Wix’s premium plans, which are pretty affordable and offer great value. Each comes with a 14-day free trial to try the best of Wix risk-free.

Features

• Customizable contact forms. Wix offers contact us, request a quote, and email update form templates that you can customize according to the information you need from potential clients who view your portfolio.
• Wix App Market. Wix’s marketplace includes several useful apps like Instagram Feed for displaying your work directly from your Instagram page on your portfolio site and Wix Portfolio for creating a portfolio with pre-designed catalogs and gallery layouts.
• AI portfolio builder. By answering a few questions, Wix’s AI site builder can generate a personalized and professional-looking portfolio for you in a few seconds.
• SEO Setup Checklist. Wix’s search engine optimization (SEO) checklist guides you through optimizing your portfolio for search engines. It offers step-by-step instructions to improve your site’s visibility, helping potential clients find you more easily online.

Read our expert Wix review for more details.

2. Squarespace: Best Portfolio Site Builder for Artists1

Squarespace offers a range of visually stunning portfolio templates that are excellent for showcasing your artistic talent. These templates focus on large, bright images and polished displays, making your artwork the center of attention.

I tried out the Utica architect and Bergen interior designer templates and was impressed with the designs. These templates, like all other Squarespace portfolio templates, give you an idea of how to best present your work on your site, so you just have to tweak a few elements to reflect your brand. Plus, you can integrate Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling tool1 so clients can book appointments with you after they’ve been impressed by your attractive portfolio.

Sadly, Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan like Wix, and it’s not as affordable either. That said, its lowest-tier plan is relatively cost-effective, giving you access to all Squarespace portfolio templates, free custom domain, 24/7 customer support, and unlimited bandwidth and storage.

Features

• Squarespace AI. Squarespace can build your portfolio site from scratch. All you have to do is tell it your industry and specify that you want a website to showcase your work and expertise.
• Promotional pop-ups and banners. You can use promotional pop-ups and banners to offer strategic calls-to-action, promote new projects, encourage visitors to join a mailing list, or direct traffic to specific sections of your site.
• Sell content and memberships. If you want to monetize your expertise directly through your portfolio site, Squarespace lets you create member-only areas where you can offer exclusive content, tutorials, webinars, or downloadable resources.
• Audience management. You can use Squarespace to track who is viewing your portfolio, what they are interested in, and how they interact with your content. This way, you can optimize your portfolio to better meet the needs of your audience, send targeted newsletters, and create personalized marketing campaigns​.

Find out more in our expert Squarespace review.

3. SITE123: Best for Beginners Who Need a Portfolio Fast1

SITE123 is great if you’re just starting your freelance journey and want an easy way to build a portfolio website. Sure, it’s not as customizable as Wix. Instead, it’s more of a straight-to-the-point, point-and-click kind of website builder where you just add and reorder sections of a pre-built template to display your work.

Even though it isn’t feature-rich like Wix and Squarespace, SITE123 provides 10+ mobile-responsive portfolio templates1 that you can customize to look professional and reflect your personality. You can add galleries and testimonials to your portfolio, and I like how it lets you display your site in multiple languages to reach international clients.

SITE123 is budget-friendly, which is another reason I recommend it for beginner freelancers. Its free plan is quite basic, with ads and limitations. Upgrading to a premium plan removes these restrictions and gives you more storage and a free custom domain.

Features

• Email promotions. With SITE123’s email marketing tools, you can create and send newsletters to prospects who subscribed to your list after viewing your portfolio. Update them about new projects and share blog posts or portfolio updates.
• Logo maker. SITE123’s logo maker allows you to design a custom logo that reflects your brand and the essence of your portfolio, thus making a memorable impression on potential clients or employers​​.
• Google Analytics. Understanding how visitors interact with your portfolio site can help you optimize its performance and effectiveness. SITE123 integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics, providing detailed insights into visitor behavior, traffic sources, and popular content. ​
• Apps and plugins. You get access to an App Market that offers a variety of plugins that can enhance the functionality of your portfolio. For instance, you can add live chat to interact with visitors in real time or social media buttons to make it easy for visitors to share your content.

For a more in-depth look, check out our full SITE123 review.

4. Webador: Best for Building a Minimalistic Portfolio Website1

If you’re not looking for anything serious and just want a basic portfolio that gets the job done, Webador is right for you. It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop editor that simplifies the process and lets you create a minimalistic yet polished website in less than 10 minutes.

Webador doesn’t really have a fixed portfolio template, but its AI website builder allows you to add a portfolio page to any of its 50+ templates. This will depend, however, on the business type you choose in the site builder wizard. For example, I only saw the Portfolio page option when I selected business types like accounting, graphic design, and audio production, but not for art restoration.

I think it’s great that Webador lets you add a five-star rating system and comments box to your portfolio. This will help gather feedback, foster interaction with your visitors, and add a touch of credibility to your portfolio. The free plan includes all this, along with free hosting and unlimited media storage. Upgrading gets you your own domain name and advanced features like custom forms.

Features

• Blog function. With Webador’s blog function, you can regularly update your portfolio with new work, thoughts, and industry-related content, keeping your portfolio dynamic and engaging.
• Social buttons. Adding social buttons to your portfolio website makes it easy for visitors to view your works on social media platforms. You can also add share buttons so impressed clients can share your work with their social networks.
• Detailed statistics. Webador lets you track metrics such as page views, visitor numbers, and popular content. This data will help you understand your visitors better and refine your portfolio to enhance user engagement and attract more opportunities.
• HD videos and photo albums. Whether you’re a photographer, videographer, or professional whose work benefits from visual representation, Webador lets you incorporate HD videos and photo albums into your portfolio to present your work in high quality on all devices.

Learn more about Webador in our expert review.

5. IONOS: Best Portfolio Maker for Professionals on a Budget1

Creating a professional portfolio doesn’t have to be expensive, and IONOS proves it with features that help you showcase your work beautifully. It only has 5 templates with ready-made Gallery and Projects pages that you can customize for your portfolio website: Photography, Tattoo Artist, Interior Design, CV, and Architecture Firm. You can also use the AI website builder to suggest the best templates for your portfolio and then edit your selected template to reflect your brand.

During my tests, I chose one of IONOS’ business templates to work with. While there were design limitations (for instance, very few font types to select from), the point-and-click editor made it easy for me to build a writer’s portfolio. I was able to change default colors, delete unnecessary pages, add images and a contact form, insert links to published pieces, and integrate a booking tool on my portfolio site.

When it comes to pricing, IONOS is hard to beat. The Starter plan is affordable and includes essential features like 10 GB of storage, a custom domain free for a year, and an AI website builder. You need to upgrade to a higher plan for more storage and access to advanced SEO tools.

Features

• Professional email address. IONOS offers customizable email addresses with your own domain name, ensuring your communications with clients look professional and reliable.
• RankingCoach Standard. This Pro plan feature helps ensure your portfolio reaches a broader audience by optimizing your site for relevant keywords, improving site structure, and enhancing content quality.​
• AI text and image generator. Whether you need to create compelling descriptions, engaging blog posts, or stunning visuals, IONOS’ AI-powered tool can help you maintain a professional and content-rich portfolio.
• SiteAnalytics. IONOS’ analytics tool provides detailed insights into your site’s performance, including visitor numbers, behavior patterns, and traffic sources. By analyzing this data, you can maintain a dynamic and responsive portfolio.

Get more tips in our expert IONOS review.

6. Shopify: Best Portfolio Builder for Integrating an Online Shop1

Shopify’s features are great for professionals who want to build a portfolio and sell their work online. Like Webador, Shopify lacks portfolio-specific templates. However, you can select from 200+ mobile-responsive themes (plus more from the app marketplace) and easily make slight tweaks to produce your dream portfolio.

With Shopify’s extensive e-commerce features, you can turn your portfolio into a functional online store and monetize your skills and creations. Shopify lets you create special offers for clients visiting your portfolio, manage your inventory if you sell physical products, provide multiple payment options for clients to easily complete purchases, offer gift cards for your design services, photography sessions, or other creative work, and so much more.

Shopify has various pricing plans for different needs. But I highly recommend the Basic plan, as it offers everything you need to create your portfolio. It includes all the essential e-commerce features, unlimited storage and products, and a shopping cart. Then, you can install a photo gallery and portfolio app from the App Store to complete your portfolio website. My only problem with Shopify is that it’s pretty expensive – if it were as affordable as Wix, it would have been a no-brainer.

Features

• SEO and marketing tools. Shopify’s built-in SEO features, including customizable meta tags and descriptions, help improve your portfolio’s visibility on search engines. Effective SEO practices can drive more organic traffic to your portfolio, making it easier for potential clients or employers to find you.
• Video displays. Videos are a powerful tool for showcasing your work, especially for multimedia artists, videographers, and designers. Shopify’s video support seamlessly integrates high-quality video content into your portfolio.
• 3D asset displays. For product design and architecture professionals, Shopify lets you display 3D assets, allowing potential clients to interact with and better understand your work.
• Thousands of app integrations. Shopify’s extensive app ecosystem allows you to add various functionalities to your portfolio. You can integrate social media feeds, contact forms, analytics tools, and more.

Read our in-depth Shopify review to learn more about the platform.

Make the Right Impression With Your Online Portfolio

Building an impressive online portfolio is a great way to attract clients and showcase your talents. Here are my top recommendations to help you choose the best website builder for your portfolio.

If you’re looking for an intuitive and customizable builder with multiple portfolio templates, Wix is my top pick1. Its editor strikes the perfect balance between ease of use and customizability, allowing you to create a distinguished portfolio effortlessly.

If you’re a professional whose work benefits from visual representation, consider Squarespace instead1. Its wide range of beautiful portfolio templates ensures your portfolio is visually impressive.

Or, if you’d rather have a straightforward setup, go with SITE1231. It gives you everything you need for a basic yet professional portfolio.

FAQ

Which is the best website builder for portfolios?

The best website builder for portfolios is Wix. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, an extensive range of stunning portfolio templates, and the flexibility to design them however you please.

Is GoDaddy good for portfolios?

GoDaddy is a decent option for building a portfolio. It has several portfolio templates and a point-and-click editor for tweaking elements to suit your needs. However, it may not be for you if you prefer the versatility of a drag-and-drop editor with third-party integrations. If that’s the case, consider using Squarespace, which offers more customization options and extensions.

What is the best free portfolio website builder?

Wix is the best free portfolio website builder. Wix’s free plan includes customizable portfolio templates, an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, and essential features like high-quality image galleries and customizable contact forms. What’s more, Wix provides reliable web hosting, SEO tools, and social media integration, allowing you to create and manage a professional portfolio without any cost. ​

Which hosting is best for a portfolio website?

The best hosting for a portfolio website is the one that website builders offer for free in their pricing plans. Wix and other best portfolio website builders provide secure hosting without additional costs. Some of them even offer a custom domain free for one year.