The significance of a portfolio website in attracting fresh clients, marketing, and vending your work can’t be overstated. Consequently, picking a platform to showcase your illustrations can be quite challenging.
Several considerations must be taken into account, such as whether you merely wish to display your work or aspire to incorporate a blogging section, or even provide an option to avail your services.
When it comes to erecting your portfolio website, there’s a plethora of choices – so which one do you pick?
In the following blog post, we aim to unfold an array of potential platforms for you. Take your time to assess these options, find what aligns seamlessly with your needs, and let the right choice elevate your freelance career to unprecedented heights.
Best Portfolio Websites for Illustrators (Looking for Professionalism)
Squarespace
This is a platform that works very well for those who need a portfolio type website, in which their work is the protagonist. Also great for minimalist illustrators. If you want a website that looks and works well but does not take up a lot of time to manage or maintain it, Squarespace can be a great option.
Squarespace is a comprehensive platform with which you can create and manage websites. In technical terms, it is a Content Management System, as is WordPress or Blogger. One of the best reasons to choose Squarespace is that everything you need to manage your website is within the platform: the domain, unlimited hosting and even the templates.
Squarespace is a very stable platform and everything works without giving you problems. The reason is that since the platform handles all elements of the website’s functionality, there will be no incompatibility with some elements that cause your website to crash or stop working from one moment to the next.
Pros
- It has everything that is usually needed to make a website, integrated into the platform itself.
- It allows integration with Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks.
- The platform includes SEO tools and its own analytics panel, which makes it much easier to track your site’s statistics on a day-to-day basis.
- It is very intuitive and user-friendly, and it has everything you need to create a website integrated, so it is very easy to do so.
- It has high-quality templates.
Cons
- It is a limited platform for those who plan to create a very complex website, which requires an extreme level of customization.
- Due to the investment price it requires, it is not recommended for those who do not have a clear medium-term monetization plan for their website.
Price
Squarespace is a paid service and has four plans to suit different needs. All plans include hosting, domain, template, and other functionalities and you can pay for them month by month or the annual subscription (this way it is cheaper). Prices range from $ 144 per year for the most basic plan to $ 480 for the most complex.
Source: FearlessFlyer
Adobe Portfolio
Adobe Portfolio is made especially for graphic artists, including illustrators. It is a tool that helps creatives build simple but beautiful sites.
It is a platform integrated into the Adobe service so that you can create your portfolio website, since Adobe knows how important this is for the graphic artists who usually use their products. Creating a portfolio website with Adobe Portfolio is very simple since the idea is to streamline this process for users, so you only have to be in charge of choosing the template, the projects that you will exhibit and what information you will include.
Adobe Portfolio also allows you to make a welcome page, a business card, a personalized landing page, among others. Adobe Portfolio has been specially developed for creative people. The application considerably facilitates the exposure of images, thanks to its functions and themes.
Pros
- It gives you the possibility to use your own name as a domain.
- It is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud tool collection.
- You can create your digital portfolio in a few minutes.
- You do not require knowledge of CSS or HTML to create your portfolio.
- The templates are web responsive.
Cons
- It is required to have a subscription to an Adobe Creative Cloud plan. Otherwise, you cannot use it.
Price
Using Adobe Portfolio has no cost as it is a tool that is included in Adobe Creative Cloud plans. Depending on which one you choose, these plans range from $ 9.99 to $ 52.99 per month.
Source: Adobe
WordPress.com
WordPress.com is one of the most famous platforms when it comes to creating a free website or a blog and a great option to create your portfolio website. It allows you to make websites and their contents in a visual way, without having to program and has ideal templates to display your illustrations.
The fact that it is free and open-source software has been some of the essential factors in the success of WordPress. Another of the great factors has been its architecture, which, thanks to the themes and plugins, is tremendously flexible, which has allowed WordPress to be adjusted to practically any need that a user may have.
In the WordPress.org plugin catalog, you will find more than 50,000 free plugins for WordPress to add all kinds of functionalities to WordPress comes “out of the box” and that is relatively basic. Also, you will find a large number of payment plugins of different brands available.
Pros
- There are thousands of people programming plugins, suggesting improvements, and developing templates for WordPress, which makes it continually and rapidly evolving.
- WordPress has proven to be a platform that ranks very well, especially with the installation of plugins like Yoast SEO.
- It is 100% free and there are also a lot of free templates that you can find on the internet. All themes can be modified to achieve the design you want.
- All the resources that WordPress offers are free.
- Installing WordPress is one of the simplest things in the world. You do not need programming knowledge or be a technician to do it.
Cons
- The most used CMS in the world is also the most attacked in the world.
- WordPress can turn your website into something slow, very slow, especially when loading plugins if you do not know how to manage it correctly.
Price
Apart from its free plan, WordPress.com offers four other paid plans.
You can pay $ 4 a month for the Personal plan, which will allow you to connect a domain, although in the footer it will show a message from WordPress.
The Premium plan ($ 8 a month) includes some marketing tools. With the Business plan ($ 25 a month) you will have custom plugins and premium templates, while with the eCommerce plan you can create an online store for $ 45 a month.
Source: wpdaddy
Wix
Wix is ideal for those who do not have a budget to create their portfolio website and who do not have knowledge about editing a website either. To create one, you need a domain that you normally need to buy, but Wix gives you a free one so you can get started.
Most likely, to use any platform that allows you to create a portfolio website, you must have some basic knowledge on the subject or that you must learn a little or watch a tutorial to understand how it works.
On the other hand, with Wix it is much simpler: first you must choose the type of page you want to create and then choose a template that adapts to the portfolio website you want to create. Although if you do not like any of the default options, you can look for a free or paid template on the web.
Pros
- You do not have to pay upfront to have your own page.
- If you are a beginner, you can design and create your page easily with Wix without knowing anything about web design or complex code.
- If you plan to sell your services through your portfolio website in the future, Wix allows you to add various payment methods.
- It has more than 100 templates to choose from and you can create a page with just one click.
- Everything in Wix templates can be edited.
Cons
- The free plan is somewhat limited and the initial Premium Plan does not remove ads.
- Sometimes its pages are slow. More elaborate designs take longer to load.
Price
Wix pricing starts at $ 5 a month with Connect Domain. The Combo plan, without ads, is worth $ 14 per month. The Wix Unlimited package costs $ 18 per month and is designed for larger sites (more than 3,000 visits per month). With Wix VIP, $ 39 per month, you will have priority support.
Source: Wix
Jimdo
Jimdo’s web builder responds to one essential principle: simplicity of use in all its aspects. Jimdo tries to remove all obstacles for you to create a professional website and is intended to be used by beginners.
In recent years, Jimdo’s web editor has become one of the leading web authoring service platforms in the world. Its success is largely explained by well thought-out and designed features, such as the Jimdo online store.
This platform is very well organized and very intuitive thanks to the drag & drop functionality. It is a fast web builder and does not have a preview function, this means that all your changes will be saved on the page directly. Its new application for iPhone and iPad allows you to edit your page using mobile devices.
Pros
- All paid plans include a free domain name for the first year.
- The online store includes a variety of payment methods and even has its own purchase manager. This will be useful if you want to sell your illustrations through your website.
- Integration with Google Analytics provides detailed statistics.
- The fields of the contact forms are completely customizable. You can even edit the confirmation messages.
- Provides excellent options for attracting new visitors through search engines (Google).
Cons
- With Jimdo it is not possible to create backups or restore your website.
Price
Jimdo has three plans. The Free one is great for amateur projects but does not include the domain name. The Pro plan costs $ 10 per month, it is to create websites without advertising and that do not need an online store. There is also the Business plan, it costs $ 20 per month and is the perfect solution for larger websites that sell unlimited products.
Source: Jimdo
Pixpa
Pixpa is a platform to develop your portfolio website and the best thing about this website builder is that it is aimed at graphic artists such as illustrators. This is a platform where you can not only create your website but also develop your creativity.
This is a platform that is constantly evolving to serve the needs of your niche, which are totally different from other niches. They also have a support and attention group to resolve user doubts and make sure this is a very personal process.
By focusing on professional creatives, Pixpa was able to establish itself as a significant presence in a niche market that lacked a full platform. However, what really put Pixpa on the map are the features they provide.
Pixpa’s goal is for you to have everything in one place and that is why they included so many functions necessary for users to easily create the website they need, such as mobile-friendly websites, tools built-in blogging, and affordable pricing plans.
Pros
- They have support available 24 hours a day, every day of the week, via email, phone, and live chat.
- It has an integrated e-commerce system that allows sales through your website.
- You can easily build and manage your website, blog, e-commerce store, and customer galleries all in one place.
- It uses the drag and drop system, which makes it much easier to edit your portfolio.
- It has very attractive templates, designed to display your illustrations in the best way.
Cons
- It does not have a free version.
Price
Pixpa has three plans available that are charged monthly, Personal is $ 10, Expert is $ 15, and Business is priced at $ 24. However, you will receive a considerable discount if you make a full annual payment.
Source: Pixpa
IM Creator
IM Creator is intended for people who are students, artists, or a non-profit organization. The reason is that if you can prove that you are, you will have free access to this platform.
This website builder offers free hosting, and you can easily export your site to another hosting provider; an impressive feature a few website builders offer. IM Creator fulfills the most important aspects for anyone looking to create a simple, professional-looking brochure-like website.
IM Creator is basically a good drag and drop editor with which you can have your website ready in a few hours. The interface is minimalist and has impressive animations that will show you exactly the type of content that you should add in each section. Their templates are amazing and stylish, they are all customizable and will look amazing on any device.
Pros
- This site offers good options for making existing templates truly yours by customizing content, background images, color, and text.
- There is an option to start creating your website from a blank template.
- Once you select the templates, you will automatically see how your site will look on both mobile and computer.
- Support offers you everything from printable manuals and FAQ sections to tutorials and email customer support.
- The free plan has all the features of the Premium plan available.
Cons
- It does not offer site analytics or integration with social networks.
- It has a few functions compared to other website builders.
Price
Right now, the monthly fee for the Premium plan is quite fair and affordable and is in the range of what other site builders charge. If you do not meet the requirements to opt for the free plan, you can buy the Premium plan which costs $8 per month.
Source: IMcreator
Weebly
Weebly is an online platform dedicated to the creation of free and paid sites that is quite versatile for any type of audience and that will surely help you if you are an illustrator.
To start using it, it will not be necessary to download any software, but simply access its website and register. In addition to the corresponding integrated form – which must include your email, full name, and password – you can do so through your Facebook and Google accounts.
Then, the platform will allow you to choose the template you want, depending on what your objective is. Among them you will find a portfolio section and all are free. It will also allow you to preview the templates so that you can appreciate how your portfolio website would look with them.
Pros
- The first year offers a free domain.
- It offers many different types of design templates to choose from, it allows you to include all kinds of multimedia content, static pages, and subpages.
- It has a wide range of templates optimized for the mobile version.
- It has a clear and very complete audiovisual guide for beginners.
- Cloud hosting is available for all plans, ensuring that your website is always available and loads quickly.
Cons
- The templates cannot be edited.
- The level of help/support depends on the plan you buy, it is not the same attention for everyone.
Price
Weebly offers a free plan and apart from that the Connect plan for $ 5 per month, the Pro plan for $ 12 per month, and the Business plan for $ 25 per month. However, the full year of each plan must be prepaid.
Source: WeeblyExpert
Krop
Krop allows you to create your portfolio totally free and its gallery is quite functional and simple. An interesting way to present your work as an illustrator and make it known.
Although with other platforms on this list you can create websites with different approaches, Krop is made specifically for you to use as your portfolio website.
It is very easy to use, apart from registering what you must do is choose a template and start using it by uploading your work. Krop is used by both creatives and employers, so it is an ideal platform to publicize your work and for employers to hire your services.
Pros
- Within the platform, you can divide your work into folders and each folder will be a section of the page.
- Its interface is designed for graphic artists so it is ideal for displaying your illustrations.
- Major companies like Nike, Netflix, and Facebook use Krop to find creatives.
- The platform has a section to search for jobs.
- It is self-hosted, so you only have to worry about uploading your work and that everything looks good.
Cons
- After creating your portfolio for free, the free trial only lasts 14 days. When finished you must start paying the plan.
Price
The price for creating your website portfolio in Krop is quite affordable considering all the advantages it offers. To be able to use this platform you only have to pay $ 8.25 per month.
Source: Krop
Heek
Heek is a platform to create web pages where sites can be developed by chatting with artificial intelligence. In an interface reminiscent of an instant messaging application, a chatbot asks the user questions about their business and their needs and then comes up with different customizable designs.
In Heek’s case, the idea is to attract an entrepreneurial profile who wants to launch their own website and who cannot afford to hire a designer or who lacks the necessary technical knowledge. The service is very easy to use: you just have to have a nice conversation.
The chatbot will accompany you during the first steps of creating the site, but not all the design is done through the chat. Some actions, such as uploading photos or editing text, require the user to make the changes manually. The whole process is extremely intuitive, just click on the text areas to write and configure the font, size, and style.
Pros
- You just have to drag and drop elements to modify the site.
- The templates are compatible with mobile devices.
- They guarantee your templates will have a modern look.
- The platform gives you daily advice to reach your goals.
- Includes SEO optimization.
Cons
- It does not have a free plan and the free trial lasts for only 14 days.
Price
Heek offers you two possibilities. They have a plan for which you must pay $ 19.99 per month or you can ask the platform to create a website for you and they will give you a personalized budget.
Source: Heek
PortfolioBox
At Portfoliobox.net you can create a free digital portfolio without having technical knowledge. The service has everything you need to create a professional work portfolio such as galleries, pages, blogs, online store, and videos.
PortfolioBox is a tool that generates creative portfolios on the web, ideal for people who are dedicated to art and need to share the best of their work.
Galleries work like a cover letter, in which you can include images, designs, graphics, text, contact information, and more. They stand out for having a minimalist concept and for being easy to use and edit.
To start working with the service, you just have to subscribe through your email or Facebook account. Once this step is completed, an editing panel will automatically open, where you can insert the images of your site and a logo (if necessary). You can also edit the type of font, the color of the letter, and choose a template.
Pros
- Create and edit any content in your portfolio.
- No programming skills are required.
- Everything is done from the web browser without the need to install anything.
- Includes hosting to host your portfolio.
- The portfolio adapts to mobile devices
Cons
- Only Pro users will be able to connect their custom domains, which is vital to convey professionalism.
Price
Portfoliobox has two plans, a free one that allows you to create a professional and customizable website but limited to storing 40 images and another payment (6.95 USD per month) that includes a free domain and other features.
Source: p-sem
How to Choose the Right Platform
Here are some useful tips so that you can define which platform is best for you to create your portfolio website.
What impression do I want to make with my portfolio?
This question is the first question you should ask yourself before doing anything. Knowing your work and knowing what your voice is will help you to make a coherent portfolio. The most important thing is to define a profile and only one. You should find a platform through which you can transmit your identity as an illustrator and what is your type of style.
Self-Hosted Websites or Not?
The self-hosted options are usually free or cheaper. It is also not necessary to buy a domain, although it is recommended. The impression given by a URL of the type www.yourname.com is not the same as the one given by www.platform.com/yourname.
What is the Future of Your Portfolio Website?
If you imagine having something more than just a portfolio website, such as a section where you can blog about your creative processes or an online store where you can sell your illustrations, you should choose a platform that later allows you to explore those options. Define well what you aspire to do to avoid inconveniences in the future.
Enjoy Creating your Portfolio!
Your talent deserves to be seen and appreciated, especially when it can open the doors of unexplored horizons. Creating your website portfolio is to convey who you are, what you like to do, what your style is. It is a process that you should enjoy as if you were doing any other creative project.
- PortfolioBox, Krop, and IM Creator are good options if the only thing you really want is to create a website portfolio and nothing else.
- WordPress.com, Wix, Jimdo, and Weebly are recommended in case you later want to expand the possibilities of your portfolio website and include a section for blogging or selling services.
- Squarespace, Adobe Portfolio, and Pixpa are ideal in case you consider that the image is the most important thing for you. With these platforms, it will be easier for you to show your creations in an attractive way.
- Heek is a good option if you are still not sure how you want your portfolio website to look or if you have not defined what image you want to give.