Google Sites website builder in 2026: templates, limits and other options

Google Sites is a website builder for people who want to create and edit a site without programming. It gives you pre-made templates, drag-and-drop editing and an automatic grid that adapts content across devices. It's worth considering if you use Google Workspace and want those connections, but check whether its layout approach and custom-domain rules fit what you need.

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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

Google Workspace users Google Sites suits people who want templates, drag-and-drop editing and Google Workspace integration.
Lots of template choices Wix suits people who want over 2000 business-ready templates they can customize manually or with AI.
Several small projects Carrd suits people who want to publish multiple sites from an account, with custom domains available on Pro Standard and Pro Plus.
Design work alongside websites Canva suits people who want a drag-and-drop design editor with templates and options for exporting other design work.
Phone-based site building Heya suits people who want to build a one-page or small site, including editing it fully on a phone.

Google Sites next to other website builders

The table compares Google Sites, Wix, Carrd, Canva, Heya and WordPress.com on templates, editing, plans and custom-domain options.

Builder	Free plan	Paid from	Custom domain	Best for
Google Sites	Not stated	Not stated	Up to five per site (needs a subdomain like www)	Quick sites inside Google Workspace
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
Canva	Canva Free, US$0	Pro plan, billed monthly or yearly	Not stated	Designing graphics, PDFs and print pieces
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
WordPress.com	Free plan, no expiry, no credit card	$4/mo billed annually	Paid plans; free first year on annual plans	Blogs and sites that grow with plugins

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Not stated means the company's own pages we checked don't give that detail.

Each option up close

Google Sites

No plan prices listed

Google Sites combines pre-made templates with drag-and-drop editing and Google Workspace integration, while its automatic grid scales content across devices. You can connect up to five custom domains to a published site, but the custom URL must include a subdomain. If you're using a work or school account, you'll need to contact your administrator to use a custom domain.

Better at: Quick sites inside Google Workspace.
Watch out: A custom URL must include a subdomain such as www.

Wix

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

Wix offers over 2000 business-ready templates, with manual or AI customization, and a Free plan at $0 with no credit card required. Its cheapest paid plan, Light, is $17 per month with 2 GB of storage and 2 site collaborators; the displayed USD prices are 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 that doesn't require payment or a credit card. 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 plans include premium starting templates and custom user-built templates; Pro Plus costs $49 / year and adds downloads of your sites' 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.

Canva

Free; Pro and Business are paid plans

Canva Free costs US$0 per year for one person and includes a drag-and-drop editor, 1,000+ design types and 1.6M+ templates across its design offering, not just website templates. The Free plan has 5GB of cloud storage and 1 Brand Kit limited to 3 colors. Canva also supports PDF, JPG, PNG and print-ready CMYK exports, and offers free trials for Canva Pro and Canva Business.

Better at: Designing graphics, PDFs and print pieces.
Watch out: The free plan has 1 Brand Kit and 5GB of storage.

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 building and editing on a phone; you can start without an account, with drafts saved in your browser until you publish. Publishing requires Google sign-in, and Free has no time limit or credit-card requirement, allowing up to 3 sites with up to 5 pages each and a small "Made with Heya" badge. Pro Standard costs $6 a month for up to 5 sites with up to 20 pages each, no badge and 1 custom domain per account; buttons can link to forms, booking services or your own shop, ticketing or payment page.

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

WordPress.com

Free; paid from $4 a month billed annually

WordPress.com has a free plan with no expiration date or credit-card requirement, including 1 GB of storage, unlimited pages and posts, and basic stats for the last 7 days. The free plan uses a WordPress.com subdomain rather than a custom domain; Personal starts at $2.75 per month when billed every 3 years, while paid plans start at $4 per month when billed annually. Every paid plan includes access to over 60,000 plugins, and annual and multi-year paid plans include a free custom domain for the first year, unlike monthly plans.

Better at: Blogs and sites that grow with plugins.
Watch out: The free plan has 1 GB of storage and a wordpress.com subdomain.

How Google Sites templates work

Google Sites gives you pre-made design templates to start from rather than requiring you to build a site through programming. You choose a template, then create and edit the site using drag-and-drop controls, with an automatic grid handling how the content scales across devices.

That's the basic setup.

The template is your starting design, and the grid is part of how you work with it. When you try a template, pay attention to the editing as well as the starting appearance. Does arranging your content in that grid feel comfortable?

Try your own content.

Pick a template and use the drag-and-drop editor to arrange what you want to publish. Check how the automatic layout handles that content across devices. If Google Workspace integration is part of your reason for choosing Google Sites, include that in your test too. You're choosing an editing setup, not just a starting design.

Where Google Sites gets limiting

Start with the layout. Google Sites uses an automatic grid, so your decision should include whether you want to work within that kind of arrangement rather than judge the builder only by its pre-made templates.

Try the grid first.

Custom domains have specific rules too. A published Google Sites site can connect to up to five custom domains, and a custom URL has to include a subdomain, such as www. If your plan involves more connected domains, that limit matters.

There's an account detail to check before you go further: people using a work or school account need to contact their administrator to use a custom domain. It isn't just a choice you make in the design.

What should you check today? Test the layout with your content, decide what custom address you want to use, and contact your administrator if your account requires it. Keep the design test and the domain check separate.

When another builder makes more sense

Wix is worth trying if template choice is your main concern: it has over 2000 business-ready templates with manual or AI customization. Its Free plan lets you try it without a credit card.

Carrd is an option for publishing several sites. Check the plan carefully: Pro Lite allows up to 3 sites, while Pro Standard allows up to 10 and adds custom domains.

Canva fits a broader design task. Its editor covers 1,000+ design types, and it supports exports such as PDF and print-ready CMYK alongside image formats.

Building on your phone? Heya supports the whole build and edit process there, with templates for uses such as photographers, restaurants and weddings.

WordPress.com is worth comparing if you want unlimited pages and posts on a free plan, or access to over 60,000 plugins on a paid plan. Try the relevant editor with your own content before choosing.

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 workspace.google.com/products/sites, support.google.com/sites/answer/9068867, wix.com/plans, wix.com, carrd.com/docs/pro/plans, carrd.com/pro, canva.com/pricing, wordpress.com/pricing, 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

Does Google Sites have templates?

Yes. Google Sites includes pre-made design templates that give you a starting point for a website. You can then create and edit the site with drag-and-drop controls. Its automatic grid scales content across devices. Try a template with your own content to see whether that layout approach suits you.

Can I use a custom domain with Google Sites?

Yes. Google Sites lets you use a custom domain for a published site and connect up to five custom domains to one site. The custom URL must include a subdomain, such as www. If you're using a work or school account, you'll need to contact your administrator to use a custom domain.

Is Google Sites good for a business website?

Google Sites is worth considering for a business website if its templates, drag-and-drop editing and Google Workspace integration cover what you need. You can also use a custom domain. Before choosing it, try arranging your business content in the automatic grid and check the domain requirements for your account.

What are good alternatives to Google Sites?

Wix offers a large choice of customizable business templates. Carrd has plans for publishing multiple sites, while Canva combines website work with other design formats. Heya supports one-page and small sites, including full phone editing. WordPress.com offers unlimited pages and posts on its free plan and plugins on every paid plan.

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