The best website builders for artists depend on whether you sell work online or only need a portfolio. Pixpa starts at $4.05 per month billed 2-yearly and Format starts at $10 per month billed annually, while ArtStation and Heya offer $0 free plans for portfolios. This page compares seven builders on price, domains, and selling tools.
Heya is ours, so read its row with that in mind. Every other number comes from each company's own pages, checked on October 28, 2026.
The short answer
Here is how the seven platforms compare on free plans, starting prices, custom domains, selling features, and image limits.
| Builder | Free plan or trial | Cheapest paid plan | Custom domain | Online store / selling | Image / portfolio limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | 14-day free trial | $19 per month (Basic) | Free on Basic | Included; 2% fee on Basic, no fee on Core+ | Unlimited bandwidth; Asset Library |
| Format | 14-day free trial | $10/mo billed annually ($14/mo normally) | Free 1st year on Pro/Pro Plus annual ($30/yr else) | Commission-free store on Pro (15 items) and Pro Plus (1000) | 70 images on Basic; 1,500 on Pro; unlimited on Pro Plus |
| Cargo | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| ArtStation | Free plan available | From $9.95/mo (Pro) | Supported, purchased separately | Print sales and digital marketplace (earn up to 88% or 95%) | Supports 4K/8K images and 4K video clips |
| Adobe Portfolio | Included with Creative Cloud | From US$9.99 a month (Creative Cloud) | Supported | Not stated | Responsive photo grids; Lightroom and Behance import |
| Pixpa | 15-day free trial | $4.05/mo billed 2-yearly (discounted from $9) | Free for year 1 | Zero commission store (3 to unlimited products) | 200 images on Basic; unlimited on Creator and up |
| Heya | Free ($0, up to 3 sites, 5 pages each) | $3/mo (Pro Lite) | 1 per account on Pro Standard ($6/mo) | Link a button to your shop or checkout page | Up to 200 files per site (up to 20 MB each, 2048px WebP) |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Not stated means that detail was not listed in the product materials checked for this comparison.
Squarespace gives you its Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editor, designer templates, and Blueprint AI site generation. Basic starts at $19 per month with a free custom domain, unlimited bandwidth, and selling tools (2% transaction fee), while Core at $29 per month drops the 2% fee.
Format includes copyright protection, Lightroom integration, and templates on all plans. Basic costs $10 per month billed annually for 70 high-resolution images and 10 client galleries, while Pro at $12 per month billed annually adds unlimited pages, 1,500 images, 50 client galleries, and a 15-product commission-free store.
Cargo is a website builder made for artists and designers. It is built to help creative people land jobs and clients by showing their work, and it runs a peer network that showcases member sites alongside its templates and community links.
ArtStation gives you a free portfolio at [username].artstation.com with 4K/8K image and 4K video support. You can sell prints and digital goods like brushes or 3D models on the Marketplace, keeping up to 88% of revenue on Free, or up to 95% on Pro from $9.95/mo.
Adobe Portfolio comes free with a Creative Cloud subscription, which starts at US$9.99 a month. You can build a single-page site or multi-page portfolio, pull work from Behance and Lightroom, use Adobe Fonts, connect a custom domain, and password protect pages.
Pixpa has 200+ templates, client proofing galleries, and zero-commission stores across four plans. Basic is $4.05 per month billed 2-yearly for 10 pages, 200 images, and 3 store products, while Creator at $6.75 per month billed 2-yearly offers unlimited pages and images.
Heya is our no-code builder for one-page and small sites, with 68 templates to choose from. Heya Free is $0, Pro Lite is $3 a month, and Pro Standard ($6 a month) includes up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account. You can link a button to your existing shop or checkout page, or connect a Google Form or Tally form for commission inquiries.
An artist website starts with a clear gallery of your work, a bio or artist statement, and a direct way for art directors, galleries, or buyers to contact you. You also want to decide early if your site is just for showing work or if it needs an online shop for checkout and shipping.
How a builder handles images and media matters too. ArtStation supports 4K/8K images and 4K video clips, Format Pro Plus gives you unlimited high-resolution images with 1 TB of storage, and our builder, Heya, resizes uploads up to 20 MB to 2048 pixels on the long edge in WebP (up to 200 files per site). For video and audio, Format Pro hosts 15 minutes of video, while Heya embeds YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
Paying for a dedicated portfolio or commerce builder makes sense as soon as you sell originals, prints, or digital assets from your site.
Pixpa lets you sell up to 3, 10, 100, or unlimited products with zero commission starting at $4.05 per month billed 2-yearly. Format Pro ($12 per month billed annually) and Pro Plus ($15 per month billed annually) include commission-free stores for 15 and up to 1000 products, built-in CRM Light, and client contracts. ArtStation is built for prints and digital goods like brushes and 3D models, while Squarespace ($19 per month for Basic, $29 per month for Core) offers invoicing and Acuity Scheduling, with automated taxes and shipping on the Core plan.
Most builders give you a short trial instead of a free plan: Squarespace and Format offer 14-day free trials with no credit card, and Pixpa gives you 15 days. For a long-term free site, your options here are ArtStation Free, Heya Free, or Adobe Portfolio if you already pay for Creative Cloud (from US$9.99 a month).
ArtStation Free puts your site at [username].artstation.com with a Basic Theme, while Heya Free hosts up to 3 sites (5 pages each) at yourname.heya.bio with a Made with Heya badge. Paid plans drop branding and add domains: Heya Pro Lite removes our badge for $3 a month (1 custom domain per account comes with Pro Standard at $6 a month), Squarespace Basic ($19 per month) includes a free custom domain, and Format Pro/Pro Plus annual plans and Pixpa include a free custom domain for the first year.
If you want a clean portfolio page and link hub, you can start with one of Heya's 68 templates. You can build in your browser or on your phone with no account, and only sign in with Google to publish.
Add up to 200 images per site (converted to 2048-pixel WebP), embed YouTube or Vimeo reels, and link out to your external print shop or socials with a 50-link block and a socials block for 29 networks. Pick from 42 fonts, 14 theme presets, and a 5-color palette, then publish for $0 at yourname.heya.bio.
Open the artists template in the editor or see what it includes.
We compared these seven builders using only their published plan details, pricing pages, and feature lists checked on the date above. Each tool was evaluated on cost, portfolio image handling, custom domain rules, and whether it can sell artwork directly. The facts come from portfolio.adobe.com, artstation.com/subscribe, cargo.site, format.com/pricing, pixpa.com/pricing, squarespace.com/pricing, squarespace.com/websites, 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.
Pixpa is the cheapest option with an online store here, starting at $4.05 per month billed 2-yearly on its Basic plan (down from $9). You can sell up to 3 products with zero commission. You can also sell prints and digital goods on ArtStation's Free plan and earn up to 88%.
You can sell your work by linking a button or a links block to your existing store or checkout page. Heya lets you display up to 200 images per site and add up to 50 links per links block. For built-in checkout on your site, look at Pixpa, Format Pro, Squarespace, or ArtStation.
ArtStation and Heya both have permanent $0 free plans. ArtStation Free gives you a Basic Theme portfolio at [username].artstation.com, and Heya Free gives you up to 3 sites (up to 5 pages each) at yourname.heya.bio with a small Made with Heya badge. Adobe Portfolio is also free if you already pay for Creative Cloud (from US$9.99 a month).
Format is cheaper and includes Lightroom integration and copyright protection from $10 per month billed annually on Basic or $12 per month billed annually on Pro (which also adds a 15-product store). Squarespace costs more, starting at $19 per month on Basic, but adds Acuity Scheduling, invoicing, and email campaigns.
Yes. Heya Free ($0) and Pro Lite ($3 a month) sites publish at yourname.heya.bio. Heya Pro Standard ($6 a month) includes up to 5 sites and lets you connect 1 custom domain you already own per account, while Pro Plus ($15 a month) includes up to 10 custom domains per account, with automatic HTTPS. Squarespace, Format, ArtStation, Adobe Portfolio, and Pixpa also support custom domains.
Entry-level plans usually cap your uploads: Format Basic allows 70 high-resolution images, while Heya and Pixpa Basic each allow up to 200 images per site. Moving up removes or raises those limits, with unlimited images on Pixpa Creator ($6.75 per month billed 2-yearly) and Format Pro Plus ($15 per month billed annually), plus 4K/8K image support on ArtStation.
More from Heya: Free portfolio website builders, Website builders for illustrators, Artist website template and Guides.
Start building your artist portfolio on Heya with 68 templates to choose from for $0, with no account or credit card required.