Free AI Website Builder: What You Actually Get (and How to Avoid Lock‑In)

“Free” is one of the highest-intent searches in this category: free ai website builder, ai website builder free, best free website builder, and even broad terms like website for free.

But “free” can mean three different things:

Free to try (preview only)
Free plan (hosted with limitations)
Free as in “you own the code” (you host it yourself)

This guide helps you pick the right version of free.

Option A: Free preview generators

These are great for:

mocking up a landing page
getting a layout you can iterate on

But if you can’t export cleanly, you’re still paying later (in time).

If you’re cloning layouts, read: AI Website Cloning: From Idea to Production.

Option B: Free hosted website builders

These give you a live site for $0, but typically include:

platform branding
limited customization
upsells for domains, analytics, forms, integrations

The biggest hidden cost isn’t the monthly fee — it’s the point where you outgrow the platform and the migration becomes painful.

Option C: “Free” by exporting real code

If you can generate an actual project and deploy it yourself, your ongoing cost becomes:

your hosting choice
your domain
any third-party services you intentionally add

This is often the best path if you care about:

performance
SEO
long-term ownership

How to tell if a free builder will hurt you later

The plugin trap

Some builders feel easy because they offer endless plugins.

But plugins are also how:

performance degrades
costs creep up
you get locked into a platform’s ecosystem

If your goal is speed and performance, you’re usually better off with a simple, fast stack and only the integrations you truly need.

The “export” test

Ask a simple question: Can I take the generated site and run it in my own repo?

If the answer is no, it’s not really yours.

A practical “free” workflow with Kloner

If you want to start free and keep ownership:

Generate a preview
Iterate until the structure is right
Export/deploy when you’re ready to ship

For a buying guide, see: Best AI Website Builder for Cloning.

Start cloning with Kloner

Want to ship faster? Create an account or jump into the dashboard to clone from a URL or start from a prompt.