8 Best Website Builders for Artists (tips from an artist)
I’m an artist, musician and blogger (slash digital nomad). I’ve also worked in content strategy and SEO since 2020——and I have a small obsession with web design.
This is my shortlist of the absolute best website builders for artists.
But keep in mind that this list is just my opinion and personal experience. The best website builder is usually the one you like the best.
So if you’re a diehard Wix user, go for it (they have solutions for artists).
But my personal favorite option is Squarespace. It’s who I’ve been using since 2020——but, of course, there are other solid options.
So if you need a website but you’re not sure which is the right option, you’re in the right place.
Also, all of the options in this post have AI integration features. I just don’t mention it because it’s sort of boring and expected (it’s like saying, this website builder also lets you add images!).
Now let’s do this dang thing.
Psst, quick heads up that some links in this post may be affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you, but helps me keep the lights on. Thanks for your support!
1. Squarespace
Squarespace is my go-to website builder as a multi-passionate artist, musician and blogger. They have the full package——a complete brand and business ecosystem for everything you could ever need.
Plus, they’re trustworthy, reliable and have great designs.
Squarespace Pros
Very simple to learn
Powerful site builder
Invite contributors for collaboration
Strong online community for tutorials and support
Reliable company (over 20 years old)
Easily connect with GSC/GA4, POD integrations
Tons of customization options with plugins
Squarespace Cons
Pricier, no free plan
Closed ecosystem (annoying to migrate sites/domains)
Limited design customization (without plugins)
Sometimes the editor gets glitchy when working on a site for a while, requiring a page refresh (so save often!)
It’s tricky to actually contact a human (but once you do, they’re quick and helpful)
Explore more:
➤ Adobe Portfolio vs. Squarespace
➤ Squarespace Site Launch Checklist
2. Format
When you visit the Format site, you’ll instantly feel seen. It’s a platform that’s clearly built for artists and creatives.
Just explore some of the features below——Lightroom integration, a photography business masterclass, copyright protection? I mean, this platform obviously values artist’s needs (especially photographers).
Format Pros
Artist-focused features, design and tools
Easily customizable templates with Flex Block
Workflow tools to manage your creative business
Easily sell physical/digital products or services
Affordable with plans starting at $14/month
Format Cons
Basic Plan is limited (only 10 pages, no image storage, etc.)
Feature list is less robust than other site builders
It’s less popular and the online community isn’t very active
Explore more:
➤ Do Artists Need a Website?
3. Framer
Framer is built for web designers. The level of customization you can do is impressive (and potentially overwhelming if you’re new).
Users often compare the interface to Figma (visually speaking), so if you’re familiar with this software, you’ll feel right at home. You can even convert your Figma designs to HTML and live websites using Framer’s free Figma plugin.
Framer Pros
Advanced modern design options
A lot of resources for learning
Strong and active online community
Powerful SEO and CMS for blogging
Collaboration options
Affordable with plans starting at $15/month
Sell templates in the marketplace for extra money
Framer Cons
There’s a learning curve
Live collaboration features cost extra
No redirects, live staging or advanced analytics on the Basic plan
4. Strinkingly
Strikingly is one of the simplest platforms to use (but still powerful, offering all the core features one would need for a website).
It’s also great if you need multiple websites (or plan on building multiple brands).
You can affordably publish up to 3 different custom websites with a single Pro plan (which is about the same or cheaper than most of the other website builder’s basic plans from this list).
Strikingly Pros
Very easy website editor
Great value (cheap professional email add-on, publish multiple sites under one subscription).
Great for simple websites, one-pagers and portfolios
Straightforward, affordable pricing including a free plan option
Strikingly Cons
Less popular and no active online community
5. Ghost
Ghost bundles your email, memberships and actual website all in one place. The platform is focused on one driving feature: publishing.
So if building a newsletter or personal blogging is a core part of your brand and growth goals, then Ghost might be an option.
Ghost Pros
Open source and non-profit
Built-in editor is great for drafting posts
Perfect for scaling your brand as a publisher
Pricing starts at $18/month and scales as you grow
Ghost Cons
Not built for e-commerce——Ghost is set up to create, publish and email content to a member list
6. Readymag
Readymag started as an online zine-building software. As the brand grew, they expanded and morphed into another website builder.
It’s a design platform for creating visually-stunning portfolios, websites, digital magazines and creative projects like presentations. Design flexibility and creative freedom let you build the unique website vision you have in your mind.
Readymag Pros
Complete creative freedom and control with formatting, design layout and website elements
Great for animations and interactive websites
Free forever plan
Readymag Cons
No business features——not set up for e-commerce, booking appointments or blogging
Complete creative freedom (in designing your site) can be overwhelming without a clear vision or if you’re a beginner
7. Notion
If you love the Notion dashboard experience, then why not house your artist portfolio there?
Notion isn’t just a productivity app. It’s also a simple website builder. You’ve probably visited a Notion web page too. For example, job listings, sales pages, personal resumes, portfolio sites and even blogs are all possible with Notion.
If you’re a native Notion lover and prefer minimalism and simplicity in design, then Notion could be the move.
Notion Pros
Integrate Notion with third-party tools like Super or Feather for more features and control
Free for simple portfolios
Notion Cons
There’s a learning curve
No advanced animations or design elements
8. Build Your Own Site for Free
You could technically prompt and code your way to a (free) artist website). It’s not too difficult or expensive.
In case you forgot, we have AI. And I know AI can be nuanced, especially in the creative world (trust me, I get it——screw AI companies stealing from artists and not giving them compensation).
But there are good use cases for it…like building a free website with a no-code tool like v0, Lovable or Replit.
You can start by prompting v0 to create a website design for you (and even have ChatGPT first write an optimized v0 prompt).
Then you can download that codebase into Cursor (a coding environment), commit to Github and then host on Vercel for free.
The only thing you need to pay for here is your custom domain (which is like $20/year).
Again, this takes some technical skills. There are some easier solutions too——for example, you can technically publish live directly from v0 to Vercel for hosting (they’re the same company). But only if your website is SUPER simple and doesn’t require advanced backend coding.
A couple weekends watching YouTube tutorials should be enough to get the job done.
Explore more:
➤ Is Technology Limiting Creativity?
➤ What AI Can Never Replace
