Almost every missionary I talk to asks some version of this question: “Can I just get a free website?” It makes sense. When you are raising support, spending money on a website can feel like money that should be going to ministry.
The honest answer is yes, you can get a free missionary website, and for some missionaries it’s the right choice for now. But free websites have tradeoffs, and it helps to know what they are before you start. In this post I will go over what you get with a free website, the costs that aren’t obvious at first, how to set up a free site the smart way, and when it makes sense to pay for one.
If you want a list of specific free options, check out our post on free websites for missionaries, where I go through nine of them and the limits of each.
What You Get With a Free Missionary Website
Most free website options give you the basics:
- A few pages to share who you are and where you serve
- A place to put photos
- A link to your giving page
- A website address you can share
For a missionary just getting started, that might be enough. Having something online is much better than having nothing when a church looks you up. A great resource is MissionsPlace – Provides free websites for missionaries.
What You Usually Don’t Get
Here is what most free plans leave out:
Your own domain name. Most free sites use an address like yourname.wixsite.com/mysite or yourname.wordpress.com. It’s harder to remember when you share it at a church, and it doesn’t look as established.
An ad-free site. Many free website builders show ads or their own branding on your site. On a ministry website, especially on your giving page, that can be distracting.
An email list. Free website builders usually don’t include a way to collect email addresses and send prayer letters. You end up using a separate tool and copying names back and forth.
Easy updates. Some free options are fine for a few static pages but not great for posting regular ministry updates.
Support. If something breaks or you can’t figure something out, you are mostly on your own.
The Hidden Costs of a “Free” Website
Free websites don’t cost money up front, but they do cost something.
Your time. This is the big one. Learning a website builder, choosing a template, writing pages, resizing photos, and figuring out settings can easily take 20 to 40 hours, and then there are updates and fixes after that. For a missionary in language school or on the field, those hours are hard to find.
Upgrades. A lot of free plans are designed to get you to upgrade. Once you want your own domain or no ads, you are often paying $10 to $20 or more per month anyway, plus the time you already spent.
A domain name. Even on a free platform, if you want your own address, you will usually pay around $10 to $20 a year for a domain.
Starting over. If a free platform changes its plans or shuts down, you may need to rebuild. There used to be a platform that offered free websites just for missionaries, and when it closed, everyone using it needed to find a new home for their website. It’s a good reason to own your domain and keep copies of your content no matter what platform you use.
How to Set Up a Free Missionary Website the Smart Way
If a free website is the right choice for you right now, here’s how I would do it:
- Buy your own domain name. It’s the one thing I would pay for even on a free site. Choose something short, like smithsinjapan.com.
- Pick a platform that lets you connect your domain for free. Google Sites is a good choice for this.
- Keep it simple. Start with a homepage, an about page, a prayer requests section, and a link to give. You can read more in our post on what to put on a missionary website.
- Use your agency’s giving page. Link to it instead of trying to set up donations yourself.
- Set up a free email tool for prayer letters. Add a sign-up link to your website so your list keeps growing.
- Keep copies of everything. Save your text and photos somewhere safe so you can move your site later if you need to.
This setup costs you around $10 to $20 a year for the domain, and you can upgrade later without changing your website address.
Free vs Paid Missionary Websites
| Free website | Paid website | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 (plus optional domain) | Monthly or yearly fee |
| Your own domain | Usually not, unless you buy one and the platform allows it | Yes |
| Ads or platform branding | Often | No |
| Design | Basic templates | More professional and flexible |
| Posting updates | Varies, sometimes clunky | Usually easy |
| Email list and prayer letters | Usually a separate tool | Sometimes built in |
| Support | Mostly on your own | Varies by provider |
| Your time | A lot | Less, especially if it’s built for you |
When a Paid Website Is Worth It
A free website can be a great place to start. But a paid website is usually worth it when:
- You are presenting to churches and want to look established and trustworthy
- You want your own domain without ads
- You plan to send regular prayer letters and want your email list to grow automatically
- You don’t have the time to build and maintain a website yourself
- Your support team is growing and you need something that grows with it
A church missions committee deciding whether to sponsor you will probably look at your website. A clear, professional site can make that decision easier.
A Low-Cost Option Built for Missionaries
I started Missions Websites because I saw how much time missionaries were spending trying to build their own websites. We build the whole website for you, with your own domain, no ads, hosting, security, and support included. Our Premium plan also connects your website to an email system, so every update you post is automatically emailed to your supporters and shared to your social media.
Our plans start at $19 a month, billed annually, and you can cancel anytime. Before you commit to anything, you can get a $5 sample website and see what yours would look like. You can also see all our plans on our pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really get a missionary website for free?
Yes. Google Sites, the Wix and WordPress.com free plans, Canva, and your mission agency’s profile page are all free options. Each one has limits, like ads, no custom domain, or basic designs.
What’s the best free option if I want my own domain?
Google Sites lets you connect a domain you own for free, and it doesn’t show ads. You will just need to buy the domain, which usually costs around $10 to $20 a year.
Will a free website hurt my support raising?
Not necessarily. A simple, clear free website is much better than nothing. Just make sure it looks clean, is easy to read on a phone, and has a clear way to give and sign up for updates.
Can I switch from a free website to a paid one later?
Yes. If you own your domain, switching is much easier because your website address stays the same. Keep copies of your text and photos so you can move them to your new site.
How much should a missionary spend on a website?
Most missionaries spend somewhere between the cost of a domain, around $10 to $20 a year, for a free site, up to a few hundred dollars a year for a paid or done-for-you website. Think about how much your time is worth and how important your website is for reaching churches and supporters.