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Digital portfolio guide for 2026: what to include and where to build it

A digital portfolio is a collection of your work that someone can view online, with enough context to understand what you made and what you contributed. It can be a website, a profile on a creative platform or a shared document. The format matters less than showing relevant work and making it easy to contact you.

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Heya is made by the team that wrote this guide, so read its row with that in mind. Prices come from each company's own pages, checked between October 29 and November 9, 2026.

The short answer

Online portfolio makers compared

Compare Adobe Portfolio, Behance, Wix, Carrd, Heya and Squarespace below by price, publishing options and what each lets you build.

Builder Free plan Paid from Custom domain Best for
Adobe Portfolio Included with Creative Cloud Creative Cloud from US$9.99/mo Use your own domain Creatives already on Creative Cloud
Behance Free plan US$9.99/mo (Pro) With Pro, through Adobe Portfolio sites Getting seen by clients and peers
Wix $0 Free plan, no credit card $17/mo (Light), yearly price Connect one on Premium plans; 1 year free domain voucher on most Big template library and business tools
Carrd Free Basic plan $9/year (Pro Lite, 3 sites) Pro Standard ($19/year) and Pro Plus One-page sites and landing pages
Heya Free: 3 sites, 5 pages each, yourname.heya.bio $3/mo (Pro Lite) Pro Standard (1) or Pro Plus (up to 10) Small sites built and edited on a phone
Squarespace 14-day free trial, no credit card $19/mo (Basic) Free custom domain on Basic and Core (terms apply) Polished designer templates

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Each option up close

Adobe Portfolio

With Creative Cloud, from US$9.99 a month

Adobe Portfolio can make a single-page website or a responsive, multi-page site with a collection and contact page, and it can import projects from Behance. It supports your own domain and password protection for an entire site or selected pages. It's included for free with a Creative Cloud subscription; Adobe Portfolio and other Creative Cloud services are available for as low as US$9.99 a month.

Better at
Creatives already on Creative Cloud.
Watch out
It comes with a Creative Cloud subscription.

Behance

Free; Pro US$9.99 a month

Behance Free lets you publish projects, discover and save inspiration, and offer freelance services, but transactions on the free plan carry 15-30% platform fees. Behance Pro costs US$9.99/mo and offers a 7 day free trial. Pro also includes Adobe Portfolio for up to 5 fully-branded websites, with free hosting and custom domains.

Better at
Getting seen by clients and peers.
Watch out
The free plan charges 15 to 30% platform fees on transactions.

Wix

Free; Light $17, Core $29, Business $39 a month (yearly)

Wix has a Free plan for $0 with no credit card required, plus over 2000 website templates you can customize manually or with AI. The cheapest paid plan, Light, is $17 per month and includes 2 GB of storage and 2 site collaborators; Wix displays USD prices for yearly subscriptions paid in full at purchase. Premium plans let you connect your own domain and remove Wix branding, and Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Better at
Big template library and business tools.
Watch out
Listed prices are for yearly plans paid up front.

Carrd

Free; Pro Lite $9, Pro Standard $19, Pro Plus $49 a year

Carrd has a free Basic experience and a free 7-day Pro trial with no payment or credit card required. Pro Lite costs $9 / year for up to 3 sites without Carrd branding, but custom domains start with Pro Standard at $19 / year, which allows up to 10 sites. Pro Plus costs $49 / year and adds downloads of your site's unminified HTML, CSS, JS and images, excluding server-side code.

Better at
One-page sites and landing pages.
Watch out
Pro Lite does not include custom domains.

Heya

Free; Pro Lite $3, Pro Standard $6, Pro Plus $15 a month

Heya is a no-code builder for one-page and small sites, with 68 templates and full phone editing; you can start without an account, with drafts saved in your browser until publishing, which requires Google sign-in. Its Free plan is $0 with no time limit or credit card, covering up to 3 sites with up to 5 pages each and a small "Made with Heya" badge. Pro Lite costs $3 a month and removes the badge while allowing up to 20 pages per site on up to 3 sites; Pro Standard costs $6 a month for up to 5 sites, up to 20 pages each and 1 custom domain per account.

Better at
Small sites built and edited on a phone.
Watch out
Free sites show a small "Made with Heya" badge.

Squarespace

Basic $19, Core $29, Plus $49, Advanced $99 a month

Squarespace lets you build from a designer template or generate a personalized site with Blueprint AI, then design, edit and publish with Fluid Engine drag-and-drop tools without writing HTML, CSS or JavaScript. You can design a full site during its free trial for 14 days, with no credit card required, and choose a plan when you're ready to connect a custom domain and go live. Basic costs $19 per month, and Squarespace says users can save up to 36% by paying annually.

Better at
Polished designer templates.
Watch out
You pick a paid plan to connect a custom domain and go live.

What goes in a digital portfolio

Start with work you want a school, client or employer to consider. You don't need to include everything you've ever made. Pick pieces you can talk about, and put the work most relevant to the reader near the beginning.

Give each project some context. What was the assignment or brief? What did you make, and what part was yours? If it was a group project, name your contribution rather than leaving the reader to guess. Include an outcome when you have one, without inventing a result to make the project sound bigger.

Add a short introduction about yourself and a clear way to contact you. Keep it plain.

For each piece, check:

  • The work is visible and readable.
  • The title and description match what's shown.
  • Your role is clear.
  • You have permission to share it.

A portfolio site or a portfolio platform

A portfolio site is a website you build around your work. A portfolio platform gives you a place to publish projects within its own service. Neither format makes the work better on its own.

Behance lets you publish projects, save inspiration and offer freelance services within the platform. Adobe Portfolio creates a separate portfolio website and can import your Behance projects. You can use both.

Want a website? Compare the publishing plan, not just the editor. Wix Premium plans let you connect your own domain and remove Wix branding. Carrd offers custom domains on Pro Standard and Pro Plus. Heya includes 1 custom domain per account on Pro Standard. Squarespace lets you build during the trial, then choose a plan to go live.

Start with the format your reader needs. If a school or employer gives submission instructions, follow those before choosing how to present the work.

Making it easy to share

Before you send your portfolio, open it on your phone and read it as someone who doesn't know you. Can you find the work you meant to lead with? Can you tell who made it and how to get in touch?

Check every project link and contact button. Read the small text, too. Remove draft notes and empty pages, and check that images show the parts of the work you want someone to see.

If you've protected work with a password, include the access details when you share it. Adobe Portfolio can protect selected pages or the whole site. Keep private material out of anything you intend to share publicly.

And send the right destination. A link to a relevant project can be more direct than asking someone to find it from your homepage. Check the exact link you're about to send, not just the site you've been editing.

How we checked

We took every price, limit and feature from each company's own pages, collected on October 29, 2026. We checked the Wix and Carrd pages again on November 9, 2026. Heya's details come from its pricing page and docs, checked on October 30, 2026. The facts come from portfolio.adobe.com, behance.net/pro, wix.com/plans, wix.com, carrd.com/docs/pro/plans, carrd.com/pro, squarespace.com/pricing, squarespace.com/websites, heya.page/pricing and heya.page/docs.

Plans change often. If a number here is out of date, email hello@heya.page and we'll fix it.

FAQ

What is a digital portfolio?

A digital portfolio is a selection of your work in a format people can view digitally. For an online portfolio, that might be your own website or a profile on a platform such as Behance. Include context alongside the work: what it is, your role and how someone can contact you.

How do I make a digital portfolio for free?

You can publish projects with Behance Free, start with Wix's Free plan or use Carrd's free Basic experience. Heya Free allows up to 3 sites with up to 5 pages per site and shows a small badge. If you already have a Creative Cloud subscription, Adobe Portfolio is included for free.

What should I put in a digital portfolio?

Include selected work, a short introduction and contact details. For each project, explain the brief and your contribution, especially if other people worked on it. Choose work that fits the school, client or employer you're approaching. Leave out pieces you don't want to discuss or don't have permission to share.

Is a PDF portfolio still worth having?

Yes, if the person receiving it asks for a document or you want to send a fixed selection of work. Follow any submission requirements they give you. You can keep a PDF alongside your website. On Heya, host the PDF elsewhere and link to it from a button.

Related guides: Free portfolio website builders, Portfolio website examples, Art portfolio website and Graphic design portfolio.

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