How to make a portfolio website in 2026: steps and tools compared, including Heya ($0, Pro from $3/mo), Carrd ($9/year), Behance ($0 to $9.99/mo), Adobe Portfolio, Wix ($204/yr), Squarespace ($19/mo)

The short answer

Fastest free multi-page portfolio Heya lets you start building without an account from one of 68 templates, edit fully on a phone, and publish up to 5 pages per site for $0 at yourname.heya.bio.
Best cheap custom domain Carrd Pro Standard costs $19 / year and lets you publish up to 10 sites to custom domains you own, with contact forms and no branding.
Best for Creative Cloud users Adobe Portfolio is included with Creative Cloud plans starting as low as US$9.99 a month, or with Behance Pro at US$9.99/mo for up to 5 websites with custom domains.
Best all-in-one client site Squarespace starts at $19 per month and includes a free custom domain, Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editing, portfolios, invoicing, and Acuity Scheduling.

How to make a portfolio website step by step

Open the portfolio template without signing up On Heya, you can start from one of 68 ready-made templates or a blank page without creating an account. Your draft saves in your browser on desktop or phone while you work.
Write a clear headline and bio Use a heading block and a text block at the top of your page to state what you do, who you work with, and where you are based. Choose from 42 fonts, 14 theme presets, and a 5-color palette to match your style.
Upload your work and embed video or audio Add image blocks for visual projects; Heya accepts up to 200 files per site (up to 20 MB each), resizing images to 2048 pixels on the long edge and converting them to WebP. Use the embed block to add YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, or SoundCloud work.
Split longer case studies into separate pages If a single page feels crowded, add pages for individual case studies or an about page. Heya Free supports up to 5 pages per site, and Heya Pro Lite ($3 a month) supports up to 20 pages per site.
Add contact links and booking Use the socials block to link your email, phone, website, and up to 29 social networks, or add a buttons block with up to 6 buttons to link to a Google Form or Tally form for inquiries. To let clients book calls, embed a Calendly scheduling page.
Set SEO details and publish with Google Add your site name, description, page titles, tab icon, and a 1200x630 share image. Sign in with Google to publish at yourname.heya.bio with HTTPS, sitemap.xml, and robots.txt, and optionally download your site as a ZIP of HTML files.

Portfolio website builders compared

This table compares the starting prices, free plans, custom domain rules, and key portfolio features of the platforms.

Platform	Free plan	Paid plans from	Custom domain	Standout feature
Heya	$0, up to 3 sites, 5 pages/site	$3/mo (Pro Lite)	Included in Pro Standard ($6/mo, up to 5 sites, 1 custom domain per account)	No-signup draft and 68 templates on all plans
Carrd	Free Basic experience, 7-day Pro trial	$9 / year (Pro Lite)	From Pro Standard ($19 / year)	Up to 10 sites with forms on Pro Standard
Behance	Free plan (15-30% transaction fees)	US$9.99/mo (Behance Pro, 7 day trial)	Included via Adobe Portfolio on Pro	0% platform fees and Adobe Portfolio on Pro
Adobe Portfolio	Not stated (included with Creative Cloud)	From US$9.99 a month with Creative Cloud	Supported	Lightroom photo grids and Behance project import
Wix	$0 Free plan with Wix domain	$17 per month (Light, billed yearly)	On Premium plans (free 1 year)	Over 2000 templates, built-in CRM and scheduling
Squarespace	14-day free trial (no credit card)	$19 per month (Basic)	Free custom domain from Basic ($19 per month)	Fluid Engine editor, invoicing, and Acuity Scheduling

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Not stated means the source facts do not list a standalone free plan; Wix's displayed USD monthly prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full upfront.

Portfolio platforms reviewed one by one

Heya

Free ($0); Pro Lite $3/mo; Pro Standard $6/mo; Pro Plus $15/mo

Heya is a no-code builder for one-page and small sites, with 68 templates, phone editing, and no account needed to start building. Heya Free ($0) gives you up to 3 sites with up to 5 pages each, Pro Lite ($3 a month) removes the badge and allows up to 20 pages per site, and Pro Standard ($6 a month) gives you up to 5 sites, up to 20 pages per site, no badge, and 1 custom domain per account.

Better at: 68 templates, multi-page free sites (up to 5 pages), and building without signing up first.
Watch out: Custom domains require Pro Standard ($6 a month), and Free sites show a small badge and allow up to 5 pages per site.

Carrd

Free Basic; Pro from $9 / year to $49 / year

Carrd has a free Basic tier and a 7-day Pro trial. Pro Lite ($9 / year) gives you 3 sites on .crd.co URLs. Pro Standard ($19 / year) allows 10 sites with custom domains and forms, while Pro Plus ($49 / year) covers 25 sites with code downloads.

Better at: Custom domains and contact forms for $19 / year, plus password protection on Pro Plus ($49 / year).
Watch out: Custom domains are not on Pro Lite ($9 / year), and HTML download requires Pro Plus ($49 / year).

Behance

Free; Behance Pro US$9.99/mo (7 day trial)

Behance Free lets you post projects, find jobs, send proposals, and sell assets with 15-30% platform fees. Behance Pro costs US$9.99/mo after a 7 day trial, cuts transaction fees to 0%, and includes Adobe Portfolio for up to 5 sites with custom domains and password protection.

Better at: Built-in job board, client proposals, 0% transaction fees on Pro, and 5 Adobe Portfolio sites included.
Watch out: The free plan charges 15-30% platform fees on transactions and lacks password-protected projects.

Adobe Portfolio

Included with Creative Cloud (from US$9.99 a month)

Adobe Portfolio comes with Creative Cloud (from US$9.99 a month) or Behance Pro (US$9.99/mo for up to 5 sites). It builds multi-page or single-page portfolios using themes like Thomas, Marina, and Matthias, and includes Behance and Lightroom imports, Adobe Fonts, custom domains, and password protection.

Better at: Direct Lightroom and Behance imports, Adobe Fonts, custom domain support, and page-level password protection.
Watch out: Requires a Creative Cloud subscription or Behance Pro subscription rather than a standalone free tier.

Wix

Free ($0); paid from $17 to $159 per month (billed yearly)

Wix has a $0 Free plan with over 2000 templates. Yearly plans go from Light ($17 per month) and Core ($29 per month) to Business ($39 per month) and Business Elite ($159 per month), with a 1 year domain voucher, AI tools, scheduling, blogging, and a CRM.

Better at: Over 2000 templates, built-in CRM, unified inbox, blogging, online scheduling, and eCommerce tools.
Watch out: Removing Wix branding and connecting a custom domain requires a paid plan starting at $17 per month.

Squarespace

14-day free trial; paid from $19 to $99 per month

Squarespace starts with a 14-day free trial. Paid plans run $19 per month (Basic), $29 per month (Core), $49 per month (Plus), and $99 per month (Advanced), saving up to 36% annually, and include a custom domain, Fluid Engine editing, Blueprint AI, invoicing, and Acuity Scheduling.

Better at: Built-in client invoicing, proposals, contracts, Acuity Scheduling, and paywalled content.
Watch out: No permanent free plan; going live with a custom domain requires paying at least $19 per month.

What to put on a portfolio website

A working portfolio needs a clear headline explaining what you do, a curated selection of your strongest projects, and a direct way to hire or contact you. For visual work, our builder lets you upload up to 200 images per site (up to 20 MB per file, resized to 2048 pixels on the long edge in WebP), while Adobe Portfolio displays Lightroom photos in responsive grids. If you work with video or audio, you can embed YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, and SoundCloud on Heya, or upload videos up to 64MB on Carrd Pro plans.

For inquiries, you can embed Calendly and link 29 social networks plus email and phone on Heya, use a contact page on Adobe Portfolio or contact forms on Carrd Pro Standard or Wix, or use built-in invoicing and scheduling on Squarespace. Also set your page titles, description, and a 1200x630 share image so links preview cleanly for clients.

Rules, limits, and costs that matter before you pick

Custom domains are the main divide between free and paid tools. Heya Free ($0) publishes at yourname.heya.bio, and Heya does not include custom domains on Free or Pro Lite ($3 a month), while Heya Pro Standard ($6 a month) includes up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account. Elsewhere, custom domains require Carrd Pro Standard ($19 / year), a Wix plan from $17 per month, or a Squarespace plan from $19 per month, though Behance Pro at US$9.99/mo includes Adobe Portfolio access for up to 5 websites with custom domains.

Privacy and sales rules matter too. Adobe Portfolio, Behance Pro, and Carrd Pro Plus ($49 / year) offer password protection, while Heya has a "Hide from Google" setting to turn off search engine indexing. For selling work, Behance Free charges 15-30% platform fees, Behance Pro charges 0%, Squarespace Basic charges a 2% online store transaction fee (dropped on Core at $29 per month and up), and on Heya you can link a button to your checkout or store page.

Common mistakes when building an online portfolio

Don't pay for a heavy monthly eCommerce builder if you only need a clean showcase and a booking link. Heya Pro Lite at $3 a month, or Carrd at $9 / year or $19 / year for Pro Standard, covers small portfolio sites for a fraction of a $17 per month or $19 per month subscription. Leaving platform ads on a client URL is another common slip when a cheap upgrade removes them: we drop the "Made with Heya" badge on Pro Lite ($3 a month), Carrd drops "Made with Carrd" from $9 / year, and Wix removes branding on Premium plans.

Watch out for lock-in if you ever want to self-host later. We let you download your complete HTML, styles, fonts, and images on every plan including Free, whereas Carrd requires Pro Plus ($49 / year) for HTML downloads. Finally, check that your contact method works on mobile and doesn't dead-end.

Open the portfolio template in the editor.

How we checked

We compared these portfolio builders using their published pricing, plan limits, domain rules, and feature lists as of the check date. The facts come from portfolio.adobe.com, behance.net/pro, carrd.co/docs/pro/plans, carrd.co/pro, squarespace.com/pricing, squarespace.com/websites, wix.com/plans, wix.com, heya.page/pricing, heya.page/docs.

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

FAQ

Can I make a portfolio website for free?

Yes, Heya, Behance, Wix, and Carrd all have free plans (with no credit card required on Heya and Wix). On Heya Free, you can choose from 68 templates and publish up to 3 sites with up to 5 pages each at yourname.heya.bio. Free plans on Heya and Wix use platform domains, and Heya, Wix, and Carrd show branding on free sites.

Should a portfolio website be one page or multi-page?

Pick a one-page site if you want visitors to scan your bio, top projects, and contact links in one scroll, or a multi-page site for detailed case studies. Both Heya and Adobe Portfolio build either style, with up to 5 pages on Heya Free and 20 pages on Pro Lite ($3 a month). Wix includes blogging tools, and Squarespace includes a built-in CMS and blogs.

What is the cheapest way to put a portfolio on a custom domain?

Among the tools compared here, Carrd Pro Standard is the cheapest option at $19 / year for up to 10 sites with custom domains. Heya Pro Standard is next at $6 a month, for up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account. If you already pay for Behance Pro or Creative Cloud from US$9.99 a month, custom domains are included through Adobe Portfolio.

How do I password-protect confidential client work in my portfolio?

Use Adobe Portfolio, Behance Pro, or Carrd Pro Plus if you need password protection for NDA projects. Adobe Portfolio has a password protection setting to keep a full site or specific pages private, Behance Pro (US$9.99/mo) includes password-protected and link-only projects, and Carrd Pro Plus ($49 / year) adds password protection. On Heya, a "Hide from Google" setting turns off search engine indexing.

What is the difference between Behance and Adobe Portfolio?

Behance is a creative community and freelance marketplace for posting projects, finding jobs on a job board, sending proposals, and selling assets, whereas Adobe Portfolio builds standalone websites. They connect so you can pull your Behance projects straight into an Adobe Portfolio site. Paying US$9.99/mo for Behance Pro gives you 0% Behance transaction fees plus Adobe Portfolio for up to 5 custom-domain sites.

Can I export my portfolio website as HTML to host it myself?

Yes, both Heya Pro Plus and Carrd Pro Plus let you export HTML. Heya Pro Plus ($15 a month) lets you download a ZIP with an index.html file for each page alongside your styles, fonts, and images. Carrd gives you unminified HTML, CSS, JS, and images on its Pro Plus plan for $49 / year.

How to make an online portfolio website in 2026