Can a free website plan use your own domain?
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The Short Answer
- Webflow — Webflow gates the custom domain and the badge behind site plans and code export behind a separate Workspace plan, but it is the only builder here that documents an export at all.
- Framer — Framer states that "To connect a custom domain, you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan", and never mentions code export anywhere on its pricing page.
- Durable — Durable's comparison table marks the free tier as subdomain-only with branding that cannot be removed, and its FAQ rules out HTML export on every plan.
- Wix — Wix's help centre says a paid plan is what "allows you to connect your own domain … remove the Wix ads", and its pricing page shows no USD figure at all.
| Product | Best for | From | Free plan | Free-plan domain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webflow | The only documented exit | $15/mo (annual) | Yes | Payment required |
| Framer | Big free tier, no custom domain | $10/mo | Yes | Payment required |
| Durable | The clearest free-versus-paid table | $22/mo (annual) | Yes | Payment required |
| Wix | Clear rules, invisible prices | — | Yes | Payment required |
What we checked, and what we did not test
A free website plan gives you a website. The question is whether it gives you your website — one that lives at your address, without someone else’s badge in the corner, and that you could move somewhere else if the pricing changed. Those are three separate things, and builders gate them separately.
On 6 August 2026 we read four pricing pages, and Wix’s help centre where its pricing page said nothing readable. Each verdict quotes the sentence that decides it. We did not build or publish a site.
The custom-domain answer is unanimous and dull: all four charge for it. The interesting split is the third question, the one nobody advertises. Webflow documents an export and prices it on a separate subscription. Durable rules it out in its FAQ, for every tier. Framer and Wix simply never mention it — and for a tool whose entire output is a website, never mentioning export is itself an answer of sorts.
The only documented exit
1. Webflow — The only documented exit
Webflow charges for the most doors and is the only one that documents an unlocked one.
Best for The only documented way to leave with your code
From $15/mo (annual). Free plan: Starter — "For exploring and experimenting with Webflow" on a "Webflow.io domain", with limited CMS, "2 static pages", "1 GB bandwidth" and "50 form submissions".
- Basic — $25/mo, or $15/mo billed annually ("$15/mo billed yearly" against $25 billed monthly; adds a custom domain, 300 static pages and 10 GB bandwidth)
- Premium — $39/mo, or $25/mo billed annually ("$25/mo billed yearly" against $39 billed monthly)
- Team — $2500/mo billed annually ("$2500/mo" with an annual contract required; no monthly-billing option is offered)
- Enterprise — price not shown on the page we opened ("Talk to us" with no number)
Two separate paywalls, both stated: "Upgrade to a Basic or Premium plan to publish to a custom domain", and removing the "Made in Webflow" badge is likewise not a Starter feature. Code export is real but sits behind a different subscription: "You can export your site and host it anywhere you like with any of our paid Workspace plans, no attribution required", with the warning that "Dynamic content must be exported on a collection-by-collection basis and forms will stop working."
Pros
- It is the only builder here that documents an exit: "Export clean, semantic HTML and CSS files for your dev team".
- Both the custom-domain and badge paywalls are stated on the pricing page rather than left to be discovered.
- Bandwidth and page limits are itemised for every tier.
Skip it if
- The free Starter plan gets neither a custom domain nor badge removal.
- Code export needs a paid Workspace plan on top of the site plan, and exported forms stop working.
- Exported code cannot be brought back: "If you export your code, it can't be reimported."
Big free tier, no custom domain
2. Framer — Big free tier, no custom domain
Framer’s free tier is the most generous place to build something you cannot yet publish under your own name.
Best for A generous free tier that stays on Framer's domain
From $10/mo. Free plan: Free — "500 credits to try", a "Free Framer domain", "1 GB bandwidth", 10 CMS collections, 1,000 pages, 5 MB file uploads and up to three editors.
- Basic — $10/mo (Shown as "$10 per month" under a yearly-billing toggle whose discounted rate was not readable in the page content; includes a free custom domain and 50 GB bandwidth)
- Pro — $30/mo ("$30 per month"; additional editors are $20 a month and viewers are free)
- Enterprise — price not shown on the page we opened ("Custom" pricing behind a trial request)
The pricing page states it directly: "To connect a custom domain, you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan." Free sites live on a Framer subdomain. On the other half of the question the page is silent — the word export does not appear on it at all, so whether you can take the code out is not something Framer's pricing page answers.
Pros
- The free tier is unusually large for building: 1,000 pages, 10 CMS collections and three editors.
- Both paid tiers include a custom domain at $10 and $30 a month.
Skip it if
- A custom domain requires a paid plan, stated plainly on the pricing page.
- The pricing page never mentions code or HTML export in any form.
- It also never states whether free sites carry a Framer badge.
The clearest free-versus-paid table
3. Durable — The clearest free-versus-paid table
Durable is the most honest of the four about what free does not include, and the most closed about leaving.
Best for The most explicit line-by-line free-versus-paid table
From $22/mo (annual). Free plan: Free — $0 with "Website SEO, secure hosting, unlimited traffic", publishing to a "*.durable.site" subdomain, 5 images a month, 10 AI chat messages a month and up to 10 CRM customers.
- Launch — $25/mo, or $22/mo billed annually ($25 a month by default, $22 a month billed annually)
- Grow — $49/mo, or $41/mo billed annually ($49 a month by default, $41 billed annually; includes unlimited team members)
Durable's comparison table answers both halves in one place: the free row reads "Free subdomain (*.durable.site)" with "Free custom domain: Free subdomain only", and "Remove Durable branding" is marked unavailable for Free. On leaving with your code, the FAQ closes the door for every tier: "Durable is a 'no code' solution to building websites. Because of that, we don't offer extensive options for HTML customization."
Pros
- Unlimited traffic is offered on the $0 tier, which none of the other three states.
- The comparison table names exactly what is gated rather than leaving it implied.
- Both paid tiers publish monthly and annual prices side by side.
Skip it if
- Free sites are stuck on a durable.site subdomain with Durable's branding attached.
- There is no code export on any plan, stated by the vendor itself.
- Free AI usage is small: 5 images and 10 chat messages a month.
Clear rules, invisible prices
4. Wix — Clear rules, invisible prices
Wix states the rule plainly in its help centre and shows no price on its pricing page.
Best for Clear rules, invisible prices
From —. Free plan: Wix's own help centre names Light, Core, Business and Business Elite above the free tier and states that "All plans allow you to have a custom domain, 24/7 Wix Customer Care, and the removal of Wix branding as standard"; no free-tier page, storage or bandwidth limit was stated on any Wix page we reached.
- Light — price not shown on the page we opened (wix.com/plans renders prices client-side by region; no USD figure appears in the page HTML, and Wix's help centre says "The prices for Premium plans may differ depending on your geographic location")
- Core — price not shown on the page we opened (No price present on any static Wix page we reached)
- Business — price not shown on the page we opened (No price present on any static Wix page we reached)
- Business Elite — price not shown on the page we opened (No price present on any static Wix page we reached)
Wix's help centre states it without hedging: "Purchasing a Premium or Studio plan allows you to connect your own domain (either purchased from Wix or from another domain host), remove the Wix ads, and much more." Both halves of the free-tier question are therefore paid. On code export, no Wix page we reached mentions it at all, on any plan.
Pros
- The rule is stated unambiguously in Wix's own help centre rather than inferred from a feature grid.
- Four named tiers are documented even though their prices are region-gated.
- Qualifying paid plans include a voucher for a free domain for one year.
Skip it if
- The pricing page exposes no USD price at all in its HTML — amounts are fetched client-side by geolocation.
- No Wix page we reached states the free tier's page count, storage or bandwidth.
- No Wix page mentions code or HTML export on any plan.
What this means if you are choosing today
Treat every free tier here as a design environment, not a publishing one. If the site is going to carry your business name, budget for a paid plan from the start; the cheapest published entry among these four is Framer at $10 a month, and the cheapest with both a custom domain and a documented export path is Webflow — Basic at $15 a month billed yearly, plus a Workspace plan if you ever want the code.
That export question deserves more weight than it usually gets. A site you cannot export is a site whose future price is set by someone else, and three of these four either rule export out or never raise it. Webflow’s version comes with real caveats — forms stop working, and the code cannot be reimported — but a documented exit with caveats is a different situation from no exit at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which website builders let you use a custom domain for free?
None of these four. Framer says "To connect a custom domain, you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan." Webflow says "Upgrade to a Basic or Premium plan to publish to a custom domain." Durable's table lists the free tier as "Free subdomain only". Wix's help centre says purchasing a plan is what allows you to connect your own domain. The cheapest published route is Webflow Basic at $15 a month billed yearly.
Can you export your site's code and leave?
Only from Webflow, and only on a paid Workspace plan: "You can export your site and host it anywhere you like with any of our paid Workspace plans, no attribution required." It comes with warnings — dynamic content exports collection by collection, forms stop working, and "If you export your code, it can't be reimported." Durable rules export out entirely, and Framer and Wix never mention it.
Do free sites carry the builder's branding?
Durable's table marks "Remove Durable branding" as unavailable on free, Webflow's badge removal is not a Starter feature, and Wix's help centre ties ad removal to a paid plan. Framer's pricing page never says either way, which is the one thing about branding we could not establish from a vendor page.
What does the cheapest custom domain actually cost?
Webflow Basic at $15 a month billed yearly, or $25 monthly. Framer Basic is $10 a month with a custom domain included, though the discounted yearly rate was not readable on the page. Durable Launch is $22 a month billed annually. Wix's prices could not be read at all — its pricing page renders them client-side by region and showed us no USD figure.
Did you build and publish a site on each?
No. These verdicts were read on each vendor's own pricing page, or its help centre where the pricing page was silent, on 6 August 2026, and are labelled as read rather than run. A hands-on test would settle the one thing left open here — whether a free Framer site carries a Framer badge — which its pricing page does not address.
How We Keep This Updated
Prices move and vendors rewrite their plan tables, so every value on this page carries the date we read it. When a page changes, the change lands here rather than being edited away quietly. The procedure is on the methodology page. tell us and we will re-check it.
- 2026-08-06 — First published. Custom-domain, branding and export rules read on each vendor's own pricing page or help centre; Wix prices recorded as unavailable because its pricing page exposes no figures in its HTML.