The Best Tool to Create a Website 2025
Any website!
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You want to be on the internet. You want a website? But you don’t know where to start
I got you.
Let’s go through a list of the best tools to create your online presence 2025, from simple to complex, any website, any style, for portfolios, blogs, shops, and whatever you need.
Sounds good?
The Power of Links
Sometimes, you don’t even need a “real” website. You just want to get your most important links out there. A hub for your stuff.
That’s the most basic category of online presence. Link building tools. Or the “Link in bio” tools as many call them.
My picks 2025:
Linktree: Still the OG, Linktree is a safe bet for its sheer simplicity and brand recognition. It’s super easy to use and provides a clean, effective way to consolidate your links. Great for beginners or those who just need the basics.
Bio.link: Great and simple link in bio tool with the most logical name. Built by the team from Buy Me a Coffee. Offers good designs, nice features, and is free.
Beacons: This platform is a rising star, especially for creators. Beacons offers a beautifully designed interface and strong monetization features, allowing you to sell digital products, build media kits, and even handle invoicing directly from your bio link. If you’re a content creator looking to earn, check this out.
Lnk.Bio: Unlimited links on a free plan? Yes, please! Lnk.Bio is flexible, customizable, and a fantastic option if you have a lot to share and want to personalize your link hub without breaking the bank.
Campsite.bio: Visually appealing and great for embedding all sorts of media, Campsite.bio is ideal for artists, musicians, and podcasters who want to showcase their diverse range of content directly.
Linkin.bio by Later: If you’re a heavy Instagram user and already rely on Later for scheduling, this is a no-brainer. It turns your Instagram feed into a clickable, shoppable gallery, seamlessly integrating your content with your commerce.
Hopp by Wix: As a Wix product, Hopp combines the ease of Wix with a focus on your bio links. It’s perfect for crafting a polished, branded mini-website that consolidates all your important digital touchpoints.
FYI: Many other tools offer link in bio sites as an (free) add-on, for example newsletter tools like KIT, or WordPress theme developers like Anders Noren.
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One-Page Designd
A step up from link in bio tools are simple, yet well-designed one-page website builders.
My list 2025:
Carrd*: This is the undisputed champion of the one-page website. If you just need something elegant, mobile-friendly, and live in minutes, Carrd is your go-to. It’s incredibly affordable (even has a free option!), focusing on doing one thing exceptionally well: beautiful, simple pages. Perfect for a personal profile or a quick landing spot.
Wix: While it can do much more, Wix’s drag-and-drop editor and vast template library make it surprisingly easy to whip up a professional-looking one-page site. Plus, their AI design tools can give you a head start if you’re feeling overwhelmed by choice.
Squarespace: For those who prioritize aesthetics above all else, Squarespace is the answer. Its templates are pure eye candy, making it ideal for artists, photographers, or any business where visual impact is paramount. Expect a slightly gentler learning curve, but the results are always stunning.
Elementor (for WordPress): If you’re already in the WordPress ecosystem, or planning to be, Elementor turns it into a visual design powerhouse. It gives you incredible control to craft custom one-page layouts with a drag-and-drop interface, perfect for designers who want granular control without diving into code.
Building Complex Websites
When you’re ready to move beyond a simple link list or one-page layout and you need robust functionality, deep customization, and scalability, you step into the realm of “complex” website builders.
These tools offer a LOT but that often comes with a steeper learning curve. And there’s usually more money involved.
My picks 2025:
WordPress.org/.com: This is the undisputed king of flexibility and power. WordPress, self-hosted or not, gives you total control. Pair it with a modern page builder like Elementor Pro, Oxygen, or Breakdance, and you can visually design virtually anything, from intricate e-commerce stores to vast membership sites, without touching a line of code. It’s the go-to for serious businesses and developers.
Webflow/Framer: This is where design meets development without the code. Webflow or Framer empowers designers to create incredibly complex, custom, and interactive websites with a visual editor, outputting clean, semantic code. It’s a game-changer for those who want pixel-perfect control and dynamic content without traditional programming.
Wix Studio: A recent evolution from Wix, Studio is designed for agencies and large-scale projects. It provides advanced design capabilities, collaborative workspaces, and tools to build complex, scalable websites, bridging Wix’s famous ease of use with professional demands.
Headless CMS Solutions (Contentful, Strapi, Sanity.io): For the absolute cutting edge and most complex projects, especially those needing to deliver content to multiple platforms (web, mobile apps, IoT), a headless CMS is the answer. It separates your content management from your website’s front-end design, offering ultimate flexibility for developers. Think of it as the ultimate backend for highly dynamic, multi-channel digital experiences.
For complex projects, always think about scalability, integration capabilities, and how much control you truly need over the underlying code and structure.
The Best Tools for Blogs
Some people just want to write, others want to build a cool website around a blog. I got something for both.
WordPress.org (Self-Hosted): Still the gold standard for professional blogging. If you’re serious about content marketing, SEO, and full ownership of your platform, WordPress.org with a good theme and essential plugins (like Yoast SEO) is unrivaled. It’s highly scalable and can grow with your every ambition.
Ghost: This open-source platform is a dream for professional writers and publishers. It’s sleek, fast, and comes with built-in membership and newsletter features, allowing you to monetize directly without giving away a huge cut of your revenue. It’s all about the writing experience and direct audience connection.
Substack: The champion of the paid newsletter revolution. Substack is incredibly easy to jump onto if your primary goal is to send out a newsletter and find an audience quickly. Be aware, though, that they take a percentage of your earnings and offer less control over your branding and data.
Squarespace: For bloggers who prioritize aesthetics, Squarespace’s stunning templates make your blog posts look like editorial masterpieces. It’s integrated, beautiful, and handles multimedia like a charm, perfect for visual storytellers.
Wix: User-friendly and versatile, Wix allows you to easily add a blog to your website with plenty of templates and customization options. It’s a solid choice for small businesses or individuals who want a blog as part of a larger, easy-to-manage website.
Medium: If your priority is just to write and be discovered, Medium offers a built-in audience and a super clean writing environment. It’s great for casual posts or testing ideas, but offers limited control over your branding or monetization beyond their Partner Program.
When choosing your blogging platform, consider your technical comfort level, your monetization strategy, and how important SEO and audience ownership are to your long-term vision.
Online Shop
The “creator economy” has exploded, and shop platforms help creators to sell digital products, courses, memberships, and even physical goods directly.
My picks 2025:
Gumroad*: My choice. One of the easiest all-in-one solutions to sell digital products.
Payhip: Often hailed as a direct, excellent alternative to Gumroad, Payhip is incredibly user-friendly for selling virtually anything digital — downloads, courses, memberships. It boasts a very generous free plan and powerful marketing features.
Sellfy: This platform is built specifically for creators, making it simple to sell digital products, subscriptions, print-on-demand items, and physical goods. Its strength lies in its integrated marketing tools that help you promote your wares directly.
Podia: If your primary focus is online courses, webinars, or memberships alongside digital downloads, Podia is an all-in-one powerhouse. It prides itself on being creator-friendly with zero transaction fees on its paid plans.
Lemon Squeezy: This is the specialized choice for selling software, SaaS products, and other digital goods, especially if you need to handle complex tax compliance globally (acting as a Merchant of Record). It’s sleek, modern, and creator-focused.
Patreon: While primarily a platform for recurring patronage, Patreon allows creators to sell exclusive content and digital products through tiered memberships, making it ideal for building a sustainable income from a loyal fanbase.
WooCommerce (for WordPress): The most popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress, WooCommerce can handle both physical and digital products. It offers immense flexibility and scalability if you need a comprehensive shop on your own WordPress site.
Ko-fi / Buy Me a Coffee: These are fantastic, low-barrier entry points for creators just starting out, allowing your audience to offer “tips” or purchase small digital items easily. Perfect for direct fan support and casual sales.
When choosing your online shop, consider the type of products you’ll sell, the transaction fees (some are subscription-based, others take a percentage), and how much control you want over your storefront’s customization and marketing features.
The Bottom Line
You need a website.
But you don’t need fancy, complex, or pricey platforms all the time. There are many great free or low-cost tools out there. Take your pick!
P.S.: If you’re interested in WordPress themes, I can highly recommend Anders Noren. He creates beautiful, minimal, and simple themes for many usecases. And they’re all free!
*this is an affiliate or SparkLoop* partner link. I’ll get a commission if you decide to sign up.
I love how thorough this is!
What do you think about Komi and Stan Store as Gumroad alternatives?