An awesome story or submit advantages from nice photos — like charts, infographics, customized artwork, and extra. I’ve needed to search for designers and photographers to work for so as to add these parts to my writing. An awesome portfolio is important to assist me make the best decisions of who to work with.
Whether or not you are a UX designer, freelance author, or photographer, a formidable on-line portfolio is crucial for impressing potential purchasers and touchdown future jobs. When you’ve created your digital portfolio, you’ll want someplace to host or showcase it — that’s the place a portfolio web site is available in.
Right here, we have created an inventory of the very best portfolio web sites for designers, freelancers, and photographers to make sure you can showcase your finest work in any trade.
Desk of Contents
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Finest Free Portfolio Web sites for Freelance Writers
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Finest Free Portfolio Web sites for Designers
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Finest Free Portfolio Web sites for Photographers
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Creating Your On-line Portfolio
What’s a web based portfolio?
A web based portfolio is a digital assortment of details about your previous work, experiences, {qualifications}, expertise, or accolades you will have earned and need to share on the web. They provide legitimacy to your work and supply trade professionals with a greater understanding of what you are able to do.
Examples of your work you could possibly show in a web based portfolio embody:
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Images.
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Writing samples.
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Case research.
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Spreadsheets.
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Lesson plans.
What you embody in your on-line portfolio varies relying in your subject and experience. I requested Kaitlin Milliken, a senior program supervisor who runs HubSpot’s Freelance Community, what she appears for in a portfolio.
“A robust portfolio showcases your finest work — whether or not that be probably the most intricate of your inventive creations or the very best of your writing work,” Milliken says. “For those who’ve labored with massive firms and well-known manufacturers, that additionally makes a distinction. I do know you’re used to working with firms of our dimension.”
Milliken additionally notes that your portfolio needs to be intuitive, that includes clear navigation and modern net design.
“Your portfolio needs to be simple for me to discover. I’m evaluating your work, so limitless scrolling or poor UX pull me away from what you’ll be able to accomplish,” Milliken says.
So, your portfolio internet hosting system issues. To higher aid you select a portfolio builder to your wants, let’s dive into a few of our favourite portfolio web sites that may aid you.
Finest Free Portfolio Web sites
- Journo Portfolio
- Muck Rack
- WordPress
- Siter.io
- Clippings.me
- Behance
- Adobe Portfolio
- Fabrik
- Crevado
- Pixpa
- Dunked
- Flickr
- Portfoliobox
- Krop
- YouPic
- Format
1. Journo Portfolio
Journo Portfolio affords creatives — together with freelance writers — the platform to create modern and trendy digital portfolios.
Writers can select from the location’s eight distinct themes and simply showcase their bylines by merely pasting a URL to the platform. Journo Portfolio incorporates the article’s title, publication, date, content material, and picture.
Different options embody integration with Google Analytics, customizable layouts, search engine marketing, contact types, and password safety.
You too can weblog straight from the platform, which might be useful if you wish to showcase freelance work and your present weblog in a single place.
What I like: I like that Journo Portfolio’s platform is intuitive. You don’t want an excessive amount of tech expertise to make use of it. The platform additionally has an expert look that might assist potential purchasers take a author critically.
Execs
Cons
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The free plan limits you to 10 articles max
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For limitless articles, you will must pay $5-$10 monthly
2. Muck Rack
Muck Rack is a free media database connecting journalists with PR professionals. Many writers and journalists use the location to seek out networking and pitching alternatives. You may even embody matters you do not need to cowl, filtering out unfit pitches.
Moreover, Muck Rack creates and maintains your portfolio for true ease of use by robotically compiling articles and social media profiles. As soon as it is completed, you will have the choice to customise your bio or select to highlight sure items.
Muck Rack additionally affords a information alert system, which allows you to observe tales or tweets about an organization, model, or particular story angle. With their information alert system, you’ll be able to see when different journalists share data or publish tales associated to your work, which can aid you keep on high of developments.
What I like: Muck Rack has a novel pitch device and in depth database that makes it simple for retailers to seek out freelance writers and vice versa.
I additionally like that Muck Rack organizes your articles in a single place and allows you to know who shares your work with their community.
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Cons
3. WordPress
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WordPress, a major content management system (CMS), enables you to create a free weblog with a separate portfolio web page.
Whereas not explicitly geared in the direction of freelance writers, WordPress affords over 100 free themes to craft a novel weblog and showcase your work. WordPress is an efficient possibility in order for you full artistic management over your portfolio.
You too can use WordPress to showcase your writing and different expertise. Suppose you desire a web page for writing or images, for example. In that case, WordPress affords a wide range of themes and is versatile sufficient to allow you to display varied items of artistic work.
What I like: WordPress is flexible and extremely customizable. I discover it simple to make use of and love how Search engine optimisation-friendly it’s. That manner, your portfolio web site can seem on the outcomes web page when your viewers searches for particular phrases.
Execs
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Preferrred for bloggers
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Can create a portfolio web page separate from the weblog
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100+ free themes out there
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Comes with SSL certificates and JetPack options for bettering web site efficiency
Cons
4. Siter.io
Siter.io is an progressive no-code portfolio builder that enables customers to design and publish web sites with out writing a single line of code.
Its intuitive interface makes designing straight within the browser, freehand, and utilizing instruments you already know. Whether or not beginning your design from scratch or utilizing one among their templates, Siter.io empowers you to create beautiful portfolios tailor-made to your distinctive imaginative and prescient.
Siter.io works in tandem with Figma and has a preferred plugin that may rework your designs into ready-to-launch web sites in just some minutes. The platform is extremely versatile, permitting you to design any form of portfolio you need with none design limits.
Moreover, Siter.io affords safe internet hosting and SSL certification, guaranteeing your web site is all the time protected.
What I like: I like how one can collaborate with different creatives to deliver your portfolio web site to life. This collaboration characteristic removes confusion and ensures you launch your web site on time.
Execs
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Preferrred for artistic designers, UI/UX designers, and entrepreneurs
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Permits a limiteless variety of pages, supplying you with the liberty to create as a lot content material as you need
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Gives safe internet hosting and SSL certification, guaranteeing your web site is all the time protected
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Responsive buyer assist is all the time out there that can assist you with any questions or points you encounter
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Quick-loading pages make sure that your web site is all the time acting at its finest
Cons
5. Clippings.me
Clippings.me is a web site with a simplified method to sharing your finest articles, collateral, or different advertising supplies.
You may add your PDFs, hyperlinks, and associated multimedia to Clippings.me to create a sharp-looking portfolio organized into particular classes. You may even use social hyperlinks in your web page in order that different professionals can attain you extra simply.
Along with importing and sustaining your portfolio, you’ll be able to flick thru different freelancers’ pages to community and doubtlessly achieve potential purchasers or collaborators.
What I like: Clippings.me doesn’t attempt to do an excessive amount of. The positioning has a easy aim — to showcase a author’s work. I discovered that this web site accomplishes its aim nicely. Setting your entire portfolio up takes lower than an hour.
Execs
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Designed intuitively for writers — by writers
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Preferrred for newbie or skilled writers seeking to broaden their careers
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Gives a journalism listing
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Finest Free Portfolio Web sites for Designers
6. Behance
With hundreds of thousands of UX/UI designers, artists, and photographers on the location, Behance is likely one of the most generally used on-line portfolio web sites.
It is also simple to make use of — you’ll be able to manage your work primarily based on the challenge, record initiatives beneath development, and ask followers for suggestions. Moreover, the location means that you can hyperlink your portfolio to your social media accounts.
Behance’s large digital neighborhood makes it a wonderful choice to get your title on the market, notably since recruiters and interviewers peruse the location to seek out expertise.
Nonetheless, Behance shows the quantity of people that have considered and appreciated your work, which may be extra advantageous — however riskier — than a extra simple web site portfolio.
What I like: Behance is likely one of the largest locations for anybody on the lookout for a designer. As such, well-positioned designers have a wonderful shot at getting observed. I’ve even browsed this platform to satisfy my graphic design wants! I’ve all the time been impressed by the expertise I encounter.
Execs
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Preferrred for creatives who haven’t got time to create their standalone portfolio web site
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Can get suggestions from followers
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Consists of social proof by way of views and likes on the portfolio web site
Cons
7. Adobe Portfolio
If you have already got a Artistic Cloud membership, then Adobe Portfolio is a wonderful choice to create a single-page web site or a full gallery of your work. With Adobe Portfolio, you’ll be able to arrange a modern and customised portfolio in minutes, and every of the platform’s themes is robotically optimized for any gadget.
Moreover, Adobe Portfolio can combine with Behance and Adobe Lightroom to import your initiatives for larger visibility.
What I like: Adobe Portfolio works nicely with different Adobe instruments and software program. As many designers are accustomed to the device, they’ll shortly create distinctive portfolios. I like how this providing means that you can create a portfolio on a platform customers would already be accustomed to.
Execs
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Choice to create a multi- or single-page web site
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Gives 18 responsive themes
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Integrations with Behance and Adobe Lightroom
Cons
8. Fabrik
Designers use Fabrik to prepare their initiatives with out writing a line of code. Even so, you continue to get artistic management over your portfolio by selecting the types, fonts, and colours finest suited to your fashion.
Fabrik’s themes are intuitive and adaptable to particular person challenge content material wants. This flexibility enables you to experiment with a number of layouts designed to enrich the media codecs wanted, whether or not it’s graphic design, vogue, or extra.
With simple configurations, the Fabrik portfolio is a simple alternative for constructing and sustaining your portfolio throughout all units.
What I like: I like Fabrik’s user-friendly interface and customizable parts, making it much less of a chore to design a portfolio. The platform additionally offers spectacular assist to its prospects.
Execs
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Preferrred for artistic designers of varied specialties
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Permits a limiteless variety of weblog posts
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Responsive buyer assist
Cons
9. Crevado
One of the crucial simple free portfolio web sites, Crevado enables you to use a easy drag-and-drop device to add your initiatives and rearrange them on the display screen for true ease of use.
The positioning can also be robotically optimized for any gadget, so your portfolio may be considered on a smartphone, pill, or desktop.
Crevado additionally has safe internet hosting and SSL certification, so your portfolio web site stays safe. You may customise your design to fit your preferences with out writing any code. Better of all, you’ll be able to promote your work on-line because of the platform’s integrations with PayPal and Fotomoto.
The one draw back is that free customers cannot take away the hyperlink to Crevado of their web site footer. You will should improve to a professional account to take action.
What I like: Other than offering safe internet hosting, Crevado permits designers to password-protect their delicate initiatives from undesirable consideration. I like this additional layer of safety and suggest Crevedo for those who’re involved about privateness. As well as, Crevedo is simple to keep up and replace.
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10. Pixpa
Pixpa is an all-in-one, DIY website-building platform designed to empower artistic professionals, freelance writers, and enterprise homeowners by serving to them construct feature-rich, skilled web sites with out touching a single line of code.
Pixpa affords a spread of contemporary, mobile-friendly, and responsive templates that may be absolutely personalized utilizing the easy-to-use visible editor and drag-and-drop web page builder.
Wealthy options, together with running a blog instruments, built-in Search engine optimisation and advertising instruments, social media integrations, a number of gallery choices, and ecommerce performance, make Pixpa the right portfolio-building platform for artistic professionals.
The complete-fledged running a blog platform powered by an intuitive and versatile What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor means that you can create, edit, schedule, and publish weblog posts multi function place.
What I like: I like Pixpa’s wealthy advertising instruments that let you develop your on-line presence. Meaning extra folks can see your work. You too can use Pixpa to arrange a web based retailer to promote your services and products.
Execs
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Newbie-friendly, no-code website-building platform
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In depth Search engine optimisation instruments let you add customized tags and metadata
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SSL safety on all web sites
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24×7 buyer assist by electronic mail and stay chat
Cons
11. Dunked
Dunked is a platform constructed with designers and creatives in thoughts. With over 100,000 customers, this on-line portfolio builder enables you to share your skills on a classy and simplistic web site.
Dunked’s gallery of professionally designed templates is crafted to enrich your creativity and focus in your work. Select the very best one to your aesthetic and swap between themes once they go well with you.
You may add photos or multimedia from websites like YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, and SoundCloud, then drag and drop till the web site appears precisely the way you need.
What I like: I like Dunked due to its clear design and ease of use. Though easy, the design portfolios nonetheless look skilled on no matter gadget they seem.
Execs
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Preferrred for designers and different artistic professionals
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All templates are absolutely responsive and retina-display prepared
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Easy click-and-drag web site modifying device to customise your portfolio
Cons
Finest Free Portfolio Web sites for Photographers
12. Flickr
Undoubtedly probably the most well-known portfolio websites with billions of images and hundreds of thousands of members, Flickr is a wonderful web site to share your work, join with different photographers, and discover inspiration for future initiatives
Photographers who use Flickr as a portfolio ought to guarantee their images are set to “Public view” and are organized into folders or classes.
Some photographers suggest making a extra polished portfolio web site after which linking to that web site from Flickr for extra visibility.
What I like: Flickr is a traditional that I’ve used many instances to seek out nice photos for my initiatives. Flickr ranges the taking part in subject and permits newbie photographers to be found, supplied they share beautiful images.
Execs
Cons
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Restricted to GIF, PNG, and JPEG picture codecs
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Restricted to 1,000 images on the free plan
13. Portfoliobox
Portfoliobox is an internet site builder particularly designed for photographers, and it is a good possibility for crafting a professional-looking responsive gallery of your finest work.
Portfoliobox affords an ecommerce hyperlink that means that you can promote your prints or different paintings straight from the location (with out paying any fee). With the free plan, you’ll be able to create a weblog additional to draw guests and potential prospects to your web site.
Better of all, Portfoliobox does not make you utilize a typical theme — as a substitute, you’ll be able to combine any fashion for any web page to domesticate a novel, one-of-a-kind web site. With over a million customers, it is a good possibility for skilled and novice photographers.
What I like: Portfoliobox permits photographers to design their portfolios in a way that brings out the very best of their images. I like the deal with constructing consumer relationships. You may obtain suggestions, ship initiatives, and observe your consumer’s favorites in a single place.
Execs
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Preferrred for photographers at any ability degree
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Can promote prints on this web site commission-free
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You need to use totally different types for each web page
Cons
14. Krop
Krop is a artistic trade portfolio internet hosting web site utilized by proficient candidates in any respect expertise ranges and the globe’s most revered artistic manufacturers.
With Krop’s software program, creatives can spend much less time modifying and formatting and extra on their initiatives. Curating portfolio albums is finished shortly, and the software program affords highly effective customizations for private brandings like logos, shade palettes, and extra.
This web site additionally serves as a job board, serving to professionals community with each other throughout the globe. Customers can strategically place themselves in entrance of revered artistic manufacturers and discover work in any respect expertise ranges, too.
What I like: You may add as many photos as you prefer to your portfolio with out worrying about storage. I hate having to make robust decisions about what to characteristic. With Krop, you gained’t must agonize over which of your favourite initiatives to chop and which to maintain.
Execs
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Preferrred for artistic professionals resembling photographers, illustrators, or animators
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Password safety for particular person albums to share with purchasers privately
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Limitless storage for multimedia
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No HTML or CSS information is critical
Cons
15. YouPic
YouPic’s customers embody well-known photographers like Joel Meyerowitz and Julia Fullerton-Batten. This web site allows you to craft a free, beautiful portfolio to showcase your work. It additionally enables you to purchase prints from different photographers or promote your individual to earn additional revenue.
Moreover, the location affords interactive programs to enhance your images expertise and a Pinterest-style “Discover” web page that allows you to take a look at well-known images, new paintings, and tales to encourage your gallery.
And most attention-grabbing to notice, YouPic permits customers to copyright their images on the blockchain, — making it the primary decentralized images platform. Meaning YouPic is likely one of the few platforms that will not take any rights or possession of your work.
What I like: Whereas photographers can use YouPic to host their portfolio, the wealthy array of works displayed on the platform serves as inspiration. I like shopping the totally different photos on YouPic, even when I’m not within the throes of a artistic project.
Execs
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Can promote prints on this web site commission-free
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Can copyright images on blockchain
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Would not take any rights or possession of your work
Cons
16. Format
Format is a portfolio web site for photographers seeking to create and curate their digital gallery or retailer. Constructed with instruments that can assist you construct an expert web site, it affords options for supporting a images enterprise, plus cloud storage to guard your work.
Format has a collection of templates made to suit any aesthetic. It’s designed to serve specific skilled conditions finest, resembling for marriage ceremony images or to showcase your paintings.
It may additionally change how viewers navigate your work, from gallery codecs to extra interactive scrolling or slideshow choices.
What I like: I like the vary of choices on Format. The positioning has 90+ templates particularly designed to assist photographers present their work. You too can collaborate with purchasers from the platform and develop your on-line presence, too.
Execs
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Preferrred for skilled photographers
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Can assist high-quality images
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Can combine on-line shops with no charges for gross sales
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Creating Your On-line Portfolio
A web based portfolio offers proof of your work and expertise, which may set you aside from different candidates or professionals in your subject. Utilizing any of the instruments above, you’ll be able to create a free portfolio very quickly. What are you ready for?
Editor’s notice: This submit was initially revealed in April 2019 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
