Prices and limits checked on October 27, 2026 from each company's own pages. Links are in Sources. Every price below is as of October 2026. Wix prices vary by location. Squarespace figures are the US rows.
Can you have a website without a monthly fee?
Yes, for a simple static site. The cost you cannot skip is the domain, and that bill is yearly. Hosting for a simple static site can be $0. The monthly fee comes from website builders, because their free plans do not let you use your own domain.
Wix's free plan is a wixsite.com address with Wix ads. Framer's free plan is a Framer domain. Webflow's free plan is a webflow.io domain. Squarespace lists no free plan. Carrd lets you build up to three sites for free, and a custom domain is a Pro feature. Pro Standard is $19 a year. That is a yearly bill, not a monthly one.
The Wix yearly math against a site you host yourself is in Wix vs self-hosted. What a Squarespace plan costs at renewal is in Squarespace renewal cost.
What do you always pay?
The domain. Someone registers the name, and it renews. Cloudflare Registrar says "At cost" and "Never pay more than we do," and that registration, transfer, and renewal prices are always at or below what registries and ICANN charge. That page includes free WHOIS redaction, free DNS, and free SSL. The registrar docs, updated April 24, 2026, say Cloudflare will only charge you what is paid to the registry for your domain. No markup. No surprise fees.
This page does not quote a Cloudflare price for a .com. Eject's pricing page gives Eject's own estimate, not a Cloudflare price. A typical .com is about $15 a year. Yours may differ.
Where can you get free website hosting with a custom domain?
Four hosts were checked on October 27, 2026. Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, and Netlify's free plan can use your own domain. Each one publishes limits, and GitHub Pages is not allowed for an online business. Vercel Hobby is limited to non-commercial, personal use.
Cloudflare Pages
Cloudflare Pages says "Start building for free" and "All plans come with unlimited sites, seats, requests, and bandwidth." SSL is included out of the box. The Pages page and the limits page checked for this post do not state a personal-use-only rule.
The limits page lists what the free plan observes: 500 builds a month, and 1 build at a time. 100 custom domains per project. Up to 20,000 files per site. 100 projects per account.
On custom domains, an apex domain such as example.com needs the domain's nameservers pointed at Cloudflare. A subdomain can use a CNAME without the domain being a Cloudflare zone.
The order of operations for a simple Squarespace site is in Squarespace to Cloudflare.
GitHub Pages
About GitHub Pages says Pages is available in public repositories with GitHub Free, and in public and private repositories with GitHub Pro, GitHub Team, and the other plans named on that page. It hosts a static site from a repository. Custom domains are supported.
The limits page says GitHub Pages is not intended for or allowed to be used as a free web-hosting service to run your online business, e-commerce site, or any other website that is primarily directed at either facilitating commercial transactions or providing commercial software as a service. Published sites are limited to 1 GB. There is a soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB a month, and a soft limit of 10 builds an hour.
On the free plan the repository is public. An online business is outside what that page allows.
Netlify
Netlify's pricing page lists Free at "$0 forever." The free plan includes "Custom domains with SSL" and a "300 credit limit / month." Bandwidth is metered at 20 credits per GB. Web requests are 2 credits per 10,000 requests. If nothing else uses credits, 300 divided by 20 is about 15 GB of bandwidth a month. The same page lists Personal at $9 a month and Pro at $20 a month.
Vercel
Vercel's Hobby plan docs say the Hobby plan restricts users to non-commercial, personal use only. It is not the free host for a business site.
Why does a website builder charge a monthly fee?
Because the free plan does not include your domain. The table is the free plan next to the cheapest plan on that builder that does, per year and over 3 years. The year and 3-year columns are the plan price only. The domain is extra every year, except where a plan includes the first year. Leaving a builder also means making the pages into files: $0 if you do that yourself, or $99 if Eject moves a simple site.
| Route | Your own domain? | Per year | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix Free | No. A wixsite.com address, with Wix ads | $0 | $0 |
| Wix Light | Yes. Custom domain free for 1 year | $204 | $612 |
| Squarespace Basic, US | Yes. No free plan. Domain free for 1 year on annual billing | $228 | $684 |
| Framer Free | No. A Framer domain | $0 | $0 |
| Framer Basic | Yes | $120 | $360 |
| Webflow Starter | No. A webflow.io domain. 2 static pages | $0 | $0 |
| Webflow Basic | Yes | $180 | $540 |
| Carrd free | No. Up to 3 sites | $0 | $0 |
| Carrd Pro Standard | Yes. Yearly, not monthly | $19 | $57 |
| Static host | Yes | $0 hosting | $0 hosting |
Wix's USD article lists a free plan at $0. It includes web hosting and a Wix subdomain. The same article says the free plan comes with Wix ads and a non-customizable URL ending in wixsite.com. Light is $17 a month for a yearly subscription paid in full, which is 12 × $17, or $204 for the year, and it includes a custom domain free for one year. Three years of Light is 3 × $204, which is $612. Wix prices vary by location. These figures are from the USD article, not from a localized plans page.
Squarespace's pricing file, last updated 2026-10-05, lists four plans, and all of them are paid. There is no free plan. US Basic is $25 a month on monthly billing, $19 a month on annual billing, and $228 for the year, which is also 12 × $19. A custom domain is free for one year on annual billing. Three years of that annual total is 3 × $228, which is $684. These are the US figures. When that renewal is charged is on Squarespace renewal cost.
Framer's pricing page, with yearly billing shown, lists Free at $0 with a "Free Framer domain." The FAQ on that page says: "To connect a custom domain, you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan." Basic is $10 a month, which is 12 × $10, or $120 for the year, with a "Free custom domain." The page says all prices are monthly and billed according to the billing cycle selected at checkout. A separate month-to-month price was not on the page, so this page does not state one. Three years of Basic on the yearly figure is 3 × $120, which is $360. Framer's domains page says a free domain for the first year is on yearly plans only, and that the domain renews at the standard rate.
Webflow's pricing page lists Starter as free, on a webflow.io domain, with 2 static pages and 1 GB of bandwidth. Publishing to a custom domain is not on Starter. Basic is $15 a month billed yearly, which is 12 × $15, or $180 for the year, and it includes a custom domain. Three years of Basic is 3 × $180, which is $540.
Carrd's homepage says you can build up to three sites per account and use all of Carrd's core features for free, and "Go Pro from just $19 / year." Custom domains are a Pro feature. On Carrd's Pro plans, Pro Lite is $9 a year and is for users who don't use custom domains. Pro Standard is $19 a year, for a site on your own domain. That is the cheapest builder route to a custom domain on this page. It is a yearly payment, not a monthly one. Three years is 3 × $19, which is $57.
A static host is $0 for hosting across those three years. You still pay the domain each year, on this row and on every builder row.
Prices past this custom-domain row, and whether you can take an existing site with you, are in Wix alternatives, Squarespace alternatives, Framer alternatives, and Webflow alternatives. A plan you already pay can go in the renewal savings calculator.
What is the catch?
Someone has to make the site into files. A builder plan pays for the editor. On a static host you edit the files, or you ask a chatbot to edit them. That is a different way of working.
You can do the files yourself with any free AI chatbot. Or Eject will make the first copy. The price on Eject's pricing page is $99 once for a simple site of about 10 pages off Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, or Framer. You own the files. Eject does not bill again. Hosting after that can be $0 on a free plan for a typical small site. An AI subscription is optional. You still pay your domain.
Stores, member logins, large blogs and other large CMS sites, builder booking and checkout, and heavy animations are out of scope. Your old site stays live until you switch the domain.
When is a monthly plan worth it?
When the builder is doing a job a folder of files does not do.
- You sell products, or customers book time with you. A store or a booking tool is what the plan pays for. Those jobs are outside a simple static move.
- You change the site in a visual editor most weeks. The editor is the product. Editing files, or asking a chatbot to edit them, is a different habit.
- The site is one page and you want to stay in a builder. Carrd Pro Standard is $19 a year. That is still a plan, and it is yearly, not monthly.
A brochure or portfolio that has not changed in months is the site where the monthly fee is the thing to question. Put the plan in the calculator before you decide.
FAQ
Do you have to pay for a website monthly? No. As of October 2026, the cost you cannot avoid is the domain, and that renews yearly. Static hosting on Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, or Netlify's free plan can be $0, and those plans allow a custom domain, with the limits on this page. A monthly fee comes from a website builder, because the free plans on Wix, Framer, and Webflow do not include your own domain. Squarespace lists no free plan. Carrd's custom-domain plan is $19 a year on Pro Standard, which is a yearly bill.
Can I create a website without paying? You can publish pages for $0 on a host's own subdomain. A site on your domain still needs a domain registration. Eject's pricing page says a typical .com is about $15 a year. Yours may differ. Cloudflare Registrar charges at cost, with no markup. You can make the pages with a free AI chatbot, or pay Eject $99 once for a simple site of about 10 pages.
Is there a website builder without a subscription? Not one on this page that includes a custom domain for $0. Carrd's free plan covers up to three sites and does not include a custom domain. Pro Standard is $19 a year and includes custom domains. It is yearly, not monthly. Wix, Framer, and Webflow publish free plans on their own domains. A custom domain on those three is a paid plan. Squarespace lists no free plan.
Is there a website builder with a one-time payment? Not among the builders priced here. Carrd Pro Standard is $19 a year, which is one payment a year, not a one-time payment. Eject is a $99 one-time fee to turn a simple Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, or Framer site of about 10 pages into files you own. Eject does not bill again. You still pay the domain each year. Hosting for a typical small static site can be $0. Stores, bookings, member logins, and a large CMS are out of scope.
Where can I get free website hosting with a custom domain? As of October 2026, Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, and Netlify's free plan allow a custom domain. Cloudflare Pages says you can start building for free. On GitHub Free, GitHub Pages is a public repository, and it is not allowed for an online business, an e-commerce site, or a site mainly for commercial transactions or commercial software as a service. Netlify's free plan includes custom domains with SSL and a 300 credit limit a month. Vercel's Hobby plan is for non-commercial, personal use only.
What is the cheapest way to host a website with a custom domain? Hosting can be $0 on a static host that allows your domain. You still pay for the domain each year. Among the builders on this page, Carrd Pro Standard is the cheapest route to a custom domain, at $19 a year. As of October 2026, Wix Light is $204 a year on Wix's USD article, Framer Basic is $120 a year, Webflow Basic is $180 a year, and US Squarespace Basic is $228 a year.
How can I host my own website for free with my own domain? Register the domain, build the site as files, and put the files on a free static host that allows a custom domain. Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, and Netlify's free plan are the hosts checked here. An apex domain on Cloudflare Pages needs the domain's nameservers pointed at Cloudflare. A subdomain can use a CNAME. You can edit the files yourself, including with a free AI chatbot. Eject makes that first copy for $99 once when the site is a simple one of about 10 pages on Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, or Framer. Your old site stays live until you switch the domain.
Sources (checked October 27, 2026)
- Cloudflare Registrar: https://www.cloudflare.com/products/registrar/
- Cloudflare Registrar docs (updated April 24, 2026): https://developers.cloudflare.com/registrar/
- Cloudflare Pages: https://pages.cloudflare.com/
- Cloudflare Pages limits: https://developers.cloudflare.com/pages/platform/limits/
- Cloudflare Pages custom domains: https://developers.cloudflare.com/pages/configuration/custom-domains/
- GitHub Pages, about: https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/about-github-pages
- GitHub Pages limits: https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/github-pages-limits
- GitHub Pages custom domains: https://docs.github.com/en/pages/configuring-a-custom-domain-for-your-github-pages-site/about-custom-domains-and-github-pages
- Netlify pricing: https://www.netlify.com/pricing/
- Vercel Hobby plan: https://vercel.com/docs/plans/hobby
- Wix, How much is a Wix website? (USD article): https://www.wix.com/blog/how-much-is-a-wix-website
- Squarespace pricing data (US Basic row; file last updated 2026-10-05): https://www.squarespace.com/assets/pricing.txt
- Framer pricing: https://www.framer.com/pricing
- Framer domains: https://www.framer.com/domains/
- Webflow pricing: https://webflow.com/pricing
- Carrd: https://carrd.co/
- Carrd Pro plans: https://carrd.co/docs/pro/plans
- Eject pricing (domain estimate and the $99 move): https://ejectfrom.com/pricing
Wix, Squarespace, Framer, Webflow, Carrd, Cloudflare, GitHub, Netlify, and Vercel are trademarks of their owners. Eject is not affiliated with them.
Where to go next
The move is a $99 one-time fee for a simple site of about 10 pages. See pricing or the renewal savings calculator.