The best website builder for artists: craft an online portfolio to be proud of
Showcase your art online with the best website builder for artists.
The best website builders for artists will help you show off your creative talents in all their glory, allowing you to make everything from a simple, aesthetically pleasing site to a more complex and sprawling catalog of creative projects.
We've put all our top picks below through their paces – many of which also feature on our list of the best website builders for small businesses – to see how well they'd perform for a wide variety of needs, considering features like online forms and e-commerce tools to SEO and marketing options, as well as the UI/UX of the builder itself. Of course, we also consider the end product and the value, too; all of this combined results in our top picks in the list below.
Quick list
We think Squarespace is the best website builder for artists overall because of its beautiful minimalist templates and format flexibility. We found these super easy to customise for a professional look without needing to know code.
Read more below
For a simple and sweet option that will suit beginners, Jimdo is a treat. Simply answer its short quiz and prompts, tweak the settings and voila, it'll do the whole thing for you; no messy UI/UX needed.
Read more below
We found that Wix makes building a site easy, even for someone with no experience required. There's a 14-day free trial and the pricing is very reasonable after that. There's even a free plan if you're totally strapped for cash.
Read more below
The best website builder for artists overall
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want beautiful templates: Squarespace has the nicest looking of all.
✅ You want to sell prints on your site: There are some great ecommerce features.
❌ You want a free plan: There isn't one, although you can try Squarespace out with a 14-day free trial.
❌ You want fine control: Voog or Bluehost give you greater scope to customise your website.
🔎 Squarespace enables you to showcase my work in a professional and engaging way, making it our top pick if you're looking for a website builder for artists. Yes, the ecommerce fees are high and a lot of the templates feel a little predictable, but these are small niggles. ★★★★½
Need to know: If you lack coding skills, you're limited to using the templates that are available. This means that the best website builder for artists will normally be one that has great-looking templates, crafted by pro designers. On this measure, Squarespace wins hands down, making it our top pick overall.
Ease of use: In our tests, we found that one of Squarespace's strongest selling points is its user-friendly nature. You don't need to know anything about coding: just pick a template, then drag and drop your images and text into it. With over 200 pre-made templates, you can quickly build a professional-looking site. It's also great how you can make site-wide styling changes in one click.
Features: Squarespace offers a rich set of features tailored to artists. Gallery blocks allow for easy display of your work, while the platform supports a wide range of media file types. Dynamic blocks can be placed anywhere on the page, offering flexibility in design. You can choose from six layout types for image and video collections. For those with more technical expertise, Squarespace supports code injection, CSS editing, and provides access to the Squarespace Developer Platform.
The platform includes robust ecommerce tools, enabling you to sell both physical products such as prints, as well as services such workshops, tutorials and online lessons. Note, though, that some plans include transaction fees on online sales.
Pricing: Squarespace offers several pricing tiers to suit different needs. The Personal plan is priced at £12 per month, while the Business plan costs £17 but includes a 3% transaction fee on online sales. For more serious ecommerce users, the Commerce plan at £23 per month waives these transaction fees.
Learn more in our Squarespace review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Range of pricing but no free plan | ★★★★ |
| Ease of use | Intuitive and user friendly | ★★★★★ |
| Templates | The most beautifully designed | ★★★★★ |
The best beginner website builder for artists
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You're new to website building: The user-friendly interface is perfect for beginners.
✅ You want affordable options: Jimdo offers competitive pricing, including a free plan.
❌ You need advanced design flexibility: The standard editor is somewhat limited.
❌ You want superior customer support: Jimdo's support options aren't the most extensive.
🔎 Jimdo provides an easy-to-use platform for artists to create professional-looking websites quickly, making it our top choice for beginners. While it may lack some advanced features, its simplicity and affordability make it an excellent starting point for artists looking to establish their online presence. ★★★★
Need to know: Jimdo stands out as an ideal website builder for artists who are just starting out or who just prefer a straightforward, no-fuss approach to website creation. Its intuitive interface and guided setup process make it possible to get a site up and running with minimal technical knowledge.
Ease of use: In our tests, we found Jimdo's editor to be highly user-friendly. It uses a block-based interface that simplifies the design process. While this limits some design flexibility, it ensures that even complete beginners can create attractive, professional-looking websites without getting overwhelmed by complex options.
Features: Jimdo offers several features tailored for artists. The Business Listings tool helps increase your visibility across the web, potentially attracting more clients. The social media integration allows easy syncing of content from platforms like Instagram, which is particularly useful for visual artists. And the Jimdo Logo Creator is a free tool that enables artists to design simple logos for their brand. For artists looking to sell their work online, Jimdo provides ecommerce capabilities, even with their basic ecommerce plan. This allows you to set up an online store to sell prints, originals, or other art-related products directly from your website.
Pricing: Jimdo offers a range of affordable plans, including a free option for those just starting out. Paid plans start at $9 per month for the Start plan, which includes a free domain and removes platform advertising. If you need commerce features, plans start at $15 per month.
Learn more in our Jimdo review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Affordable plans starting at free | ★★★★★ |
| Ease of use | Simple, even for beginners | ★★★★★ |
| Templates | Good but a bit limited | ★★★ |
The best value website builder for artists
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want customisation: Wix offers extensive design flexibility with its drag-and-drop interface.
✅ You're looking for SEO help: Wix provides robust SEO tools to help your site get discovered.
❌ You want to switch templates later: Once you choose one, you can't change it without rebuilding your site.
❌ You need the fastest site performance: Wix sites can be slower than some rivals.
🔎 Wix stands out as an excellent choice for artists who want creative control over their website's design without needing coding skills. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive features make it a versatile platform for showcasing artwork. ★★★★½
Need to know: Wix is known for its user-friendly approach to website building, offering both a drag-and-drop editor for full customisation and an AI-powered tool (Wix ADI) that can generate a site based on your preferences. This flexibility makes it suitable for artists at various levels of tech-savviness.
Ease of use: In our tests, we found Wix's interface to be highly intuitive. The platform uses a visual editor that allows you to click and edit elements directly on the page. While this offers great flexibility, it can sometimes be overwhelming for beginners due to the sheer number of options.
Features: Wix offers a rich set of features. With over 500 designer-made templates, many of which are suitable for artist portfolios, you have a solid starting point for your site. The Wix App Market provides additional functionalities, including advanced SEO tools like Rabbit SEO, which can help your artwork get discovered online. The platform also offers mobile responsiveness, ensuring your site looks good on all devices. If you want to sell your work, Wix provides ecommerce capabilities on its business and ecommerce plans. These allow you to set up an online store, process payments, and manage inventory.
Pricing: Wix offers a free plan, which is great for testing the platform, but it comes with Wix branding and limited features. Paid plans start at $18 per month (or $14 if paid annually) for the Combo plan, which removes Wix ads and allows you to connect a custom domain. For those needing ecommerce features, plans start at $28 per month ($23 if paid annually). While not the cheapest option, Wix's pricing is competitive given the features and design flexibility it offers.
Learn more in our Wix review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Cheap, including a free plan | ★★★★★ |
| Ease of use | Very user-friendly | ★★★★½ |
| Templates | Good but can be a bit generic | ★★★½ |
The best ecommerce website builder for artists
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want to sell online: Shopify is a specialist in ecommerce.
✅ You need scalability: Your online store can grow with your audience, from a few sales to thousands.
✅ You want lots of control: Shopify offers a huge rack of features and customisations for your storefront.
❌ You're on a tight budget: Getting the most out of Shopify requires subscribing to a plan that's more costly than other builders.
❌ You don't need ecommerce features: If you're just displaying art rather than selling it, simpler platforms are a cheaper, better bet,
🔎 Shopify is still the best platform for any artists who are looking to sell their work online, offering a huge range of themes and extensive customisability for those comfortable with coding. ★★★★
Need to know: As the name implies, Shopify is all about selling. It's one of the most popular ecommerce platforms worldwide, and if you're looking to sell your art online as well as display it, Shopify is definitely a top one to consider. We reviewed the latest version of Shopify to check it still offered good value for artists looking for a website builder, and while it's one of the more expensive options, it has few rivals for the ease and expedience with which you can set up a store and start selling.
Ease of use: As we found in our review of the 2024 version of Shopify, assessing its ease of use is something of a two-pronged question. It is pretty straightforward and intuitive to set up a storefront, using the “Blocks” system to add text, images, headings, buttons, etc. Individual elements are editable without needing to know coding. If you are comfortable with coding, then Shopify offers extensive customisation options and the ability to develop a theme from scratch, though this requires familiarity with Shopify’s proprietary templating language.
Features: Being one of the first ecommerce platforms to exist, Shopify has a commanding lead over many rivals in terms of the sheer volume of apps and options it offers. The huge app store allows you to add all sorts of functionality to your store, depending on what you need. Want to add a live chat function for your customers? Easy. Want to integrate SMS marketing, social widgets or a print on demand service? No problem. There's a huge amount of choice and customisability, and as we found in our review, it all feels straightforward and intuitive to integrate.
Pricing: Shopify's plans start at $29/£25 per month for the Basic Shopify plan, which includes all core features needed to set up an online store. Once you get to the higher-tier plans ($79/£65 per month and $299/£344 per month) you start to get more advanced features, not to mention lower transaction fees. It's more expensive than other builders, and is only worth the cost if you're planning to sell your art right away.
Learn more about the latest features in our Shopify 2024 review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Pricey, though is well set up to pay for itself | ★★★½ |
| Ease of use | Fairly straightforward to use | ★★★½ |
| Templates | Decent selection of customisable options | ★★★★ |
Best for portfolio websites
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want a straightforward portfolio site: Fabrik excels at clean, image-focused portfolios.
✅ You need project organisation: Its flexible project and portfolio structure is great for categorising your artwork.
❌ You need ecommerce features: Fabrik is focused on showcasing work, not selling it.
❌ You require extensive customisation: The themes are basic and customisation options are limited.
🔎 Fabrik is an excellent choice for artists who want a no-fuss, image-centric portfolio site. Its intuitive interface and focus on visual content make it ideal for showcasing artwork without distractions. ★★★★
Need to know: Fabrik is specifically designed for creating portfolio websites. It caters to various creative professionals, including artists, photographers, designers, and filmmakers. While it excels at presenting visual work, it's not suitable for more complex website needs like ecommerce or extensive blogging.
Ease of use: In our tests, we found Fabrik to be incredibly user-friendly once you understand its project and portfolio structure. The interface is clean and intuitive, allowing for quick uploads and easy organisation of work. The 'View Site' button provides instant previews, making the design process smooth and efficient.
Features: Fabrik offers several standout features for artists. These include password protection for projects, allowing you to share private work with clients; automatic video uploads from YouTube and Vimeo, a Smart Focus feature for automatic image cropping (which can be disabled) and flexible organization with projects, portfolios, and sub-portfolios. Themes are simple and grid-based, putting the focus on your artwork. While not as visually striking as some competitors, they're easy to work with and can be customised to a degree. You can change layouts, colour schemes, and typography without needing to reupload content.
Pricing: Fabrik offers three tiers. The cheapest is Personal: $9.17/month (billed yearly) with 2GB storage. Next is Professional: $13.34/month (billed yearly) with 5GB storage. At the top end is Unlimited: $21.67/month (billed yearly) with unlimited storage All plans come with a 14-day free trial. While not the cheapest option, Fabrik's pricing is reasonable for its focused portfolio-building capabilities.
For more details, see our Fabrik review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Not the cheapest but affordable | ★★★★ |
| Ease of use | Small learning curve | ★★★ |
| Templates | Nice templates focused on portfolios | ★★★★ |
The best website builder for artists for more control
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You need a multilingual website: Voog excels at creating sites in multiple languages.
✅ You want both simplicity and developer options: It offers both for those who need them.
❌ You need extensive customer support: Voog's support options are limited.
❌ You want a highly customisable editor: The site editor is somewhat basic compared to some competitors.
🔎 Voog is a solid choice for artists who need to reach a global audience with multilingual sites. It balances simplicity with some advanced features, making it suitable for both beginners and those with more technical skills. ★★★★
Need to know: Voog is a website builder that stands out for its multilingual capabilities, making it ideal for artists with an international audience. It offers a user-friendly interface for beginners, but also provides advanced developer tools for those who want more control over their site's code.
Ease of use: In our tests, we found Voog to be very beginner-friendly. The site creation process is straightforward, starting with template selection and guiding you through setup. The management interface and site editor are intuitive, though the editor's design flexibility is somewhat limited compared to some competitors.
Features: Voog offers several features that could be beneficial for artists. First there's multilingual support, which makes it easy to create versions of your site in different languages. You also get blogging capabilities, letting you share updates about your work and engage with your audience. And if you know how to code, you can benefit from advanced developer tools, which allow you to access front-end code, API, and webhooks for customisation
Pricing: While not the cheapest option, Voog's pricing is competitive, especially considering its multilingual capabilities. Voog offers three plans. Standard is $9.65/month, Plus is $19.30/month and Premium is $47.06/month.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Not the cheapest but affordable | ★★★★ |
| Ease of use | Beginner-friendly | ★★★★½ |
| Templates | Highly customisable | ★★★★ |
The best website builder for WordPress
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want fine control over your site: Bluehost Website Builder runs on top of WordPress, giving you access to its vast plugin library with an easy-to-use editor.
✅ You need e-commerce capabilities: The Pro plan supports WooCommerce, making it easy to sell artwork.
❌ You need complete design freedom: While simple, the section-based layout system can feel restrictive.
❌ Fast loading times are critical: Websites built with Bluehost Website Builder tend to have slower load speeds.
🔎 Bluehost Website Builder is ideal for artists who want to harness the versatility of WordPress without diving into coding. However, its slower load times and limited customization options may deter some. ★★★½
Need to know: Bluehost Website Builder makes WordPress more accessible by overlaying a simple editor, allowing artists to create professional sites with minimal technical expertise. If you value ease of use and the power of WordPress, this tool is worth considering.
Ease of use: Bluehost Website Builder shines with its drag-and-drop interface, which is user-friendly even for those new to web design. You can quickly customise your site without needing to understand WordPress code, and you can easily add a WordPress blog with just a click.
Features: Since Bluehost Website Builder runs on WordPress, it provides access to WordPress’s extensive plugin library, allowing you to add everything from galleries to social media integrations. The platform also includes an email marketing plugin, Creative Mail, which helps artists build and manage email campaigns. The Pro plan offers additional features such as premium design templates and ecommerce support; ideal for selling artwork or services.
If you want to monetise your work, the Pro plan integrates with WooCommerce, a robust tool for online sales. It supports digital and physical products, giving you the flexibility to sell prints, original works, or even online tutorials. While the Basic plan lacks ecommerce functionality, upgrading to Pro is a worthwhile investment if selling is a priority.
Pricing: Bluehost Website Builder offers a competitive pricing structure, with the Basic plan starting at $10.99 per month. While this plan covers most essentials, the Pro plan at $14.99 per month unlocks crucial features like ecommerce support and premium templates. You’ll also get a free domain and hosting included in the package, adding value to your subscription.
For more, see our Bluehost web builder review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Competitive pricing | ★★★★ |
| Ease of use | Simple drag-and-drop | ★★★★½ |
| Templates | High quality and good looking | ★★★★ |
Best AI website builder for artists
08. Hostinger
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
✅ You want AI-powered design: Hostinger’s AI tools help you create a website effortlessly with just a few clicks.
✅ You need ecommerce support: Hostinger comes with built-in tools for selling your artwork.
❌ You need extensive design customisation: The platform can feel restrictive for those who want full control.
❌ You expect unlimited resources: Lower-tier plans come with tight bandwidth and storage limits.
🔎 Hostinger’s AI-driven tools make website building easy and accessible, especially for artists looking to showcase their work online with minimal effort. It’s an excellent choice if you’re seeking an affordable, no-frills option. ★★★★
Need to know: Hostinger stands out for its AI-driven features, like auto-generating alt text for images and site maps, making it ideal for artists who want to quickly get a professional website up and running. You also get a free domain for a year and SSL security, adding to its value.
Ease of use: Hostinger’s AI-based website builder is simple and user-friendly. In just a few steps, you can have a professional-looking site without worrying about coding. With drag-and-drop functionality, you can adjust the design as needed, though it’s limited in comparison to more advanced platforms.
Features: Hostinger’s AI tools set it apart. You get features like automatic alt text for your images, integrated analytics, and easy social media connectivity. It also offers ecommerce tools and SEO optimisation, ensuring that you can sell prints and other products effectively while tracking customer interactions. If you want to sell stuff, Hostinger includes built-in ecommerce features, making it quick and easy to set up an online store. Paired with analytics, you can make data-driven decisions to enhance your sales.
Pricing: Starting as low as £2.59 per month, Hostinger offers an affordable entry-level option with essential features, while its £3.79 per month plan unlocks additional AI and ecommerce tools. Even with its limitations, it provides excellent value for smaller artist portfolios or basic online shops.
See our full Hostinger review (2020).
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Very cheap on starter plans | ★★★★ |
| Ease of use | AI makes things super-simple | ★★★★★ |
| Templates | Can look a little generic | ★★★★ |
How to choose the best website builder for artists
As an artist, your website is both your digital gallery and a window to your soul. So choosing the right platform to build it on can make all the difference in connecting with your audience. To pick the best one, we suggest prioritising platforms with attractive minimalist templates.
In terms of features, you might also want to look for high-resolution image galleries, built-in lightboxes, and options to customise your layout and presentation. If you plan to sell prints, originals, or merchandise, ensure the platform offers robust e-commerce features like secure payment gateways, inventory management, and shipping integrations.
But above all, choose a platform that matches your level of tech know-how. For example, Wix and Squarespace offer drag-and-drop simplicity, while WordPress.org requires more technical expertise.
How we test
In order to bring together our picks of the best website builders for artists, we routinely and robustly test all of the best platforms, making our own websites and taking note of the whole experience, from signing up to tweaking the site.
For artists, we're looking for website builders with a large amount of customisability and not too much complexity in user experience, and most importantly, that will look good and promote artists' work well. We consider what different artists may be using their sites for, whether it's for sale, display or creating intrigue and test out the web builders with these use cases in mind.
Lastly, we factor in practical aspects; how much does this service cost, how accessible is it, is it offering good value for money; and how good is the support? We test out the support options by asking a question and seeing how quickly we get help.
Once we've built a site, we also look at how easy it is to tweak and maintain, as well as how simple it is to make bigger changes.
FAQs
Do you need a website as an artist?
No artist needs a website. Indeed some established artists make a healthy living through word-of-mouth and don't have any digital presence at all. But if you don't already have patrons funding you or commissions flowing in from existing customers, and you need to promote yourself and your art, having a website can help enormously.
Yes, you could showcase your work on a social media platform like Instagram, but people are going to take you less seriously. On your website, conversely, you can choose how your work is presented, who comments on it, and make it easy for people to find exactly what they're looking for.
What is a website builder?
A website builder is an online service that you access via a browser, which allows you to build your own website. Most of these services are available as monthly or annual subscriptions, and will usually include hosting for your site and a domain name. Once you've signed up, you'll usually gain access to an interface that allows you to craft web pages using templates and a drag-and-drop editor. Essentially, you just need to pick a template and add your own text, images, videos and so on.
What's the best website builder for artists?
In our view, the best website builder for artists is Squarespace, because it's specifically aimed at creatives and has the most beautiful templates. This means your work can be displayed in the best possible light, with lots of white space that allows your art to breathe. The interface is also relatively easy to use, the service is a good value (if not the cheapest on the market), and there are excellent e-commerce tools if you want to sell prints or similar items.
What should I include on my artist website?
Whether you're seeking to attract buyers, clients or employers, the most important thing to include in your artist website is a portfolio of your work : and only your best work (see more on this below). Aside from this, you'll probably want to include an 'About me' page with a brief biography so people know who you are.
You don't necessarily have to detail your whole CV and background here. It can be more effective to mention some key highlights and add a bit of personality. Mention what makes your art different. You might also want to include a list of clients. You'll also want to include contact details so that people can get in touch and links to your social media accounts so people can follow you and see more of your work there.
What should I include in my artist's website's portfolio section
We would recommend only including your best work in your online portfolio. It can be tempting to throw in everything you've ever done to make yourself look more prolific, but most people aren't going to have the time and patience to scroll through a huge amount of material, and the inclusion of even a few pieces of work that aren't you best can dilute the impact of the good pieces. If someone sees a small amount of amazing work, they tend to form a better impression of the artist than if they see the same amazing work mixed in with less impressive pieces.
This means you have to be ruthless, and pare it down your work to a minimum (unless you genuinely think all of your work is showstopping). This might even involve leaving out pieces for important clients if you're not happy with them, although the name of a big client can also carry some weight.
Another thing to bear in mind is consistency. Sometimes an artist might want to show versatility, but clients will often be attracted to a specific style. If you have worked in several different styles, consider separating these into different sections so that each part of your portfolio looks consistent and not a mix of random work. Also think about what kind of work you actually like doing and would like to be commissioned for in the future and include this in your portfolio (and avoid showing any kinds of work you don't want to do).
How can artists build an online store?
The easiest way for artists who don't know code to build an online store is using Shopify. This website builder platform makes it easy to set up a website and add a shop to it. This will allow you to list products such as paintings, drawings, prints, books and more, and sell them directly to the public. You'll be take payments from a variety of payment providers, and there are also marketing tools to help promote your work.
There are countless other features to help customise your store, including integrating it with your social media accounts. Overall, you'll pay more than with other website builders, but the extra income may potentially more than compensate for that.
How can I protect the artwork on my website from unauthorised use?
One of the most usual ways to protect work on an artist website from unauthorised use is by adding watermarks in the form of a semi-transparent text or a logo. There are now tools that can remove some watermarks quite easily. Your watermark needs to be large enough and complex enough to at least make it difficult to remove in basic image editing software.
Another sensible option is to upload your art in relatively small sizes. This might not prevent the possibility of someone using it on social media, but it should at least mean that it's not possible to print your work without going to the trouble of upscaling it. This also has the added advantage of faster loading times for your site.
Should I use a website builder or hire a web designer to make my artist website?
This is sometimes a question of whether you can rather than whether you show. If your budget allows it, hiring a web designer is the way to go if you want a truly unique site that stands out and is tailored to the nature of your work. However, if you're starting out or your testing an unproven business concept, this may not be an option.
If you need a website simply to get your work out there so potential customers can see it, then a website builder should work just fine. It provides the benefit that you can do all the tweaking yourself. Squarespace, in particular, has some beautiful minimalist templates that make the artwork itself the main star of the show. Just bear in mind that other people will be using the same layouts. See our guide to how to make an artist website for tips.
Recent updates
December 2nd, 2024: I updated the Shopify entry to Shopify 2024, based on insights, data and findings from the Creative Bloq Shopify 2024 review.
Get the Creative Bloq Newsletter
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.
Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects.
- Beren NealeEcom Editor
Related articles
-
-
-
-
