An online portfolio platform is a website or web-based application where freelancers can showcase their work and skills and share their portfolio, contact information, and other relevant details with potential clients.
A strong online portfolio is essential for freelance writers in today’s competitive marketplace. Online portfolio platforms provide tools and features that make it easy to create and customize a professional-looking portfolio that effectively highlights your strengths and expertise.
A well-executed online portfolio enhances your credibility, improves visibility, and puts you front and center for potential clients looking for hires.
This article reviews the best paid and free online portfolio platforms. We give you valuable advice on what features to consider when choosing an online portfolio platform and explain how to build one to advertise your skills and experience.
Keep reading to learn how to put yourself in the best position to boost your online presence and attract the best clients.
What Are the Best Portfolio Platforms for Writers?
Below, we introduce the best free and paid online portfolio platforms for writers, including their pros and cons.
Free
Starting out as a freelancer can be daunting, and your income might be modest initially. So, let’s start with these helpful reviews of free online portfolio platforms.
Contently
Contently is a popular content marketing platform that connects businesses with freelancers.
Visit ContentlyPros
Cons
- Easy-to-use interface
- Access to top-tier writers and editors
- Built-in workflow tools that streamline the content creation process
- Content strategy consultation service to help businesses define their goals and create compelling content plans
- Free to create a portfolio
- Analytics is slow and cumbersome to set up
- Difficult to schedule articles for publication
Clippings.me
Clippings.me is a platform that allows freelance writers to create online portfolios of their work, experience, and expertise.
Visit Clippings.mePros
Cons
- Simple and easy-to-use interface
- Customizable portfolio design
- Unlimited storage
- Facility to add multimedia elements to your portfolio
- Lacks some of the advanced features found in other portfolio-building platforms
Pricing
- A premium option, which offers additional features such as a custom domain and Google Analytics integration, costs $9.99 monthly.
Journo Portfolio
Journo Portfolio is an online portfolio platform aimed at all creatives, not just freelance writers.
Visit Journo PortfolioPros
Cons
- Simple and easy-to-use interface
- Customizable portfolio design
- Facility to add multimedia elements to your portfolio
- Doesn’t offer many of the advanced features you get with other portfolio-building platforms
WordPress
WordPress.com is a popular online portfolio platform used by many freelance writers and other creatives. Its features and tools allow users to create visually appealing, professional-looking portfolios.
Visit WordPressPros
Cons
- Ideal for beginners due to its easy-to-use and user-friendly interface
- Customizable templates for portfolio creation
- Advanced features available, like custom CSS and HTML editing
- Reliable hosting and security features
- Limited customization options compared to the self-hosted version of WordPress
- Limited storage and bandwidth on the free plan
- Premium features can be expensive
- Some of the more advanced features are tricky to use
Pricing
- WordPress.com offers a free plan with limited features and storage.
Behance
Behance lets you showcase your work and connect with other freelance writers and creatives. The platform offers customizable templates that allow you to create an attractive and professional-looking portfolio to impress potential clients.
Visit BehancePros
Cons
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Customizable templates for impressive portfolio creation
- Advanced features offered, such as custom CSS and HTML editing
- Reliable hosting and security features
- Limited customization options compared to a self-hosted website
- Limited storage and bandwidth on the free plan
- Some advanced features are not user-friendly
Pricing
- Free
- Subscription plan at $20.99/month to access some of the premium features
Wix
Wix is a cloud-based website development platform that enables you to create a website using a simple drag-and-drop interface.
Visit WixPros
Cons
- Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface
- Huge selection of professionally designed templates for different industries and sectors
- Has various third-party apps available in the Wix App Market, offering additional functionality
- Built-in SEO tools to help improve website visibility on search engines
- Limited in terms of design flexibility
- Free plans display Wix ads on your portfolio
- Expensive premium plans
Pricing
- It’s free but with Wix branding on your site.
- Wix offers premium and e-commerce plans, costing up to around $50/month.
Crevado
Crevado is an online portfolio builder specifically designed for artists, photographers, designers, and writers to showcase their work online.
Visit CrevadoPros
Cons
- Wide range of customization options
- Portfolios optimized for various devices
- Provides options for users to protect their images with watermarks and disable right-click downloads
- Includes basic SEO features
- Offers limited advanced features
- Limited template selection
Pricing
- It has a free plan with basic features, allowing you to create a portfolio with limited images.
- An affordable premium plan billed monthly or annually offers extra features such as a custom domain, unlimited images, advanced customization options, and access to priority support.
Paid
Paid online portfolio platforms can offer more advanced features and versatility than free ones. Here are some of the best subscription sites you can consider.
Squarespace
Squarespace is an effortless drag-and-drop website builder that offers a stellar visual experience. While this isn’t a traditional portfolio website (nor is it targeted solely at writers), it’s a perfect choice if you incorporate design or graphics into your work.
Visit SquarespacePros
Cons
- You don’t need coding experience to create stunning portfolios with the site’s user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality.
- Professionally designed, customizable templates help you showcase your work effectively.
- All templates are optimized for mobile devices.
- The site includes built-in features like blogging tools, SEO optimization, analytics, and e-commerce functionality.
- Reliable hosting is guaranteed.
- Customization is limited.
- Monthly subscription fees can add up quickly if you’re on a budget.
- Transaction fees are charged on sales made through your website.
Pricing
- Personal Plan: $12/month (billed annually) or $16 month-to-month—suitable for basic websites and portfolios
- Business Plan: $18/month (billed annually) or $26 month-to-month—includes marketing tools and professional email from Google
- Basic Commerce: $26/month (billed annually) or $30 month-to-month—has e-commerce functionality
- Advanced Commerce: $40/month (billed annually) or $46 month-to-month—has advanced e-commerce features
Format
Format offers website building and portfolio services tailored specifically for artists, photographers, designers, and other creatives.
It provides customizable templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and tools for showcasing and selling artwork or photography online. Users can create professional-looking websites without needing to know how to code and easily update and manage their content.
It offers e-commerce integration, client proofing, and marketing tools to help users promote and sell their work effectively.
Visit FormatPros
Cons
- It is specifically designed for creating portfolios.
- It provides professionally designed, customizable templates.
- It has tools allowing you to share galleries with clients for review and feedback.
- It offers e-commerce functionality.
- It has built-in SEO tools.
- Although the templates are customizable, they might offer fewer options for personalization than other platforms.
Pricing
- Pro Plan: $12/month (billed annually) or $15 month-to-month—includes unlimited pages, galleries, and blog posts, access to all templates, and e-commerce functionality
- Pro Plus Plan: $18/month (billed annually) or $25 month-to-month—includes all the Pro plan features plus additional customization options
- Unlimited Plan: $25/month (billed annually) or $30 month-to-month—includes all the features of the Pro Plus plan and advanced e-commerce features
WordPress.org
WordPress.org is a free, open-source content management system primarily used for website creation and blogging. However, you can also subscribe to premium plans to access its advanced features.
Visit WordPress.orgPros
Cons
- High level of customization with thousands of themes and plugins available
- A large and active community of creatives, including a handy forum
- SEO-friendly, with customizable permalinks, easy content management, and numerous SEO plugins available
- Self-hosted
- Some technical knowledge is necessary for setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
- Vulnerable to security threats if not properly maintained with updates and security measures.
- Plugins might not always be compatible with each other or with WordPress updates.
Pricing
WordPress.org is free to use. However, there are some associated costs, including:
- Hosting fees
- Domain registration fees
- Premium themes and plugins
Carbonmade
Carbonmade has been building portfolio tools for creatives since 2005. Fifteen years later, they offer hundreds of features specifically built for creatives. They can personalize your starting point layouts specifically for your profession.
Carbonmade is automatically responsive and optimized for all devices. You can link your own domain or choose from the ones included in all plans: name.carbonmade.com, name.portfolio.site, or name.gfx.work options.
Visit CarbonmadePros
Cons
- It offers audio and PDF upload support.
- It allows you to design your website using dozens of flexible layout blocks—just drag and drop to create your dream portfolio.
- There is a free trial version, but you have to pay for the more advanced features.
Pricing
Monthly membership costs range from $8 to $18.
Fabrik
Fabrik is designed for creative professionals. Through its features, Fabrik aims to streamline the process of building and maintaining a professional online portfolio for creatives.
Visit FabrikPros
Cons
- It provides customizable portfolio websites with sleek designs and intuitive interfaces.
- It offers customizable themes, drag-and-drop functionality, and responsive design.
- It has tools for managing and organizing projects, collaborating with clients, and promoting work through social media integration and SEO optimization.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
- Personal Plan: $9/month (billed annually) or $12/month (billed monthly)—includes custom domain support, unlimited projects, basic design customization, SEO tools, responsive design, password protection, SSL security, and basic analytics
- Pro Plan: $19/month (billed annually) or $24/month (billed monthly)—includes all Personal Plan features plus advanced design customization, custom CSS/HTML editing, priority support, integrations, faster loading times, and a 30-day revision history
Pixpa
Pixpa is an all-in-one, DIY website-building platform designed to empower creative professionals, freelance writers, and business owners by helping them build feature-rich, professional websites without touching a single line of code.
Visit PixpaPros
Cons
- It offers an all-in-one platform with website building, e-commerce, and client galleries.
- It offers professionally designed templates.
- It offers extensive customization options.
- It has client-proofing tools, allowing you to share your portfolio with clients for review, feedback, and collaboration.
- While Pixpa offers integrations with popular tools like Google Analytics and Mailchimp, it has fewer integration options than other platforms.
Pricing
- Basic Plan: $7/month (billed annually) or $10 month-to-month—includes hosting, unlimited pages, galleries, and blogs, e-commerce functionality for up to 3 products, and a Pixpa subdomain
- Standard Plan: $9/month (billed annually) or $12 month-to-month—includes all the Basic Plan features plus e-commerce functionality for up to 10 products, custom domain support, and priority support
- Plus Plan: $15/month (billed annually) or $20 month-to-month—includes all Standard Plan features, e-commerce functionality for up to 30 products, client galleries, and advanced e-commerce features
PortfolioBox
Portfoliobox is a website-building platform designed for creatives, including artists, photographers, designers, and other professionals who want to showcase their work online.
Visit PortfolioBoxPros
Cons
- It offers easy-to-use customizable templates.
- It has drag-and-drop functionality, responsive design, and customizable layouts.
- You have to pay a subscription to use the site.
Pricing
- $6.9/month (billed annually) or $8.9/month (billed monthly)—includes custom domain support, unlimited projects, advanced customization options, removal of Porfoliobox branding, priority support, and advanced e-commerce functionality for unlimited products
What Features Should You Consider for an Online Portfolio Platform?
As you can see, there are many online portfolio platforms to consider, so how do you choose one? First, you must consider what features the site offers.
Customization
Not all online portfolio platforms are created equal! Ideally, you want a site that allows you to choose from a wide range of pre-designed templates that fit your specialist niche.
Showcasing
As an accomplished freelance writer, you will have different examples of your projects. So, you want a portfolio platform that allows you to showcase as many diverse writing samples as possible.
Ease of Use
If you’re not familiar with coding and website design, you should choose a portfolio platform that’s easy to use with a simple, intuitive interface.
SEO Features
SEO features help improve your portfolio’s discoverability and visibility to search engines. These features include optimizing website content, using relevant keywords, adding meta descriptions and tags, improving website speed and performance, and building quality backlinks.
Integrations
Your chosen platform should work seamlessly with other platforms, including social media platforms, job boards, and third-party tools.
Pricing and Plans
Your preferred platform’s pricing should be within your budget, but also consider the value offered in each plan. Look for flexible pricing structures and features that align with your budget and long-term goals.
How Can You Build an Effective Portfolio?
Once you’ve chosen an online portfolio platform, you can start building an effective portfolio to attract clients.
When building your portfolio, showcase your skills and experience in a way that resonates with potential clients. Write compelling project descriptions and case studies to help provide context for your work and demonstrate your versatility in working in various niches.
Include your contact information on your About page to help potential clients reach out and learn more about your background and experience. Choose a professional and inviting headshot. If you can take a good image using your Smartphone, that’s fine, but a professional studio photograph is even better.
Beyond the Platform—What Next?
Building a strong portfolio is undoubtedly essential for a freelance writer to attract and secure new clients and showcase your skills and expertise. But simply creating a portfolio is not enough.
If you want to reach a wider audience of potential clients, you must promote your portfolio on social media and networking platforms. Some online portfolio platforms have features that will share your portfolio and writing samples across Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, which you should definitely do.
Networking platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr are also important for promoting your freelance writing portfolio. These platforms help you connect with clients from around the world and showcase your skills and experience.
Conclusion
As you can see, creating and maintaining a well-crafted online portfolio is a valuable investment for freelance writers. Your portfolio is your virtual shop window, where you can advertise and promote what you can offer clients and show how hiring you can add value to their business.
If you’re working on a budget or just starting out as a freelancer, you might want to choose one of the excellent free online portfolio platforms we’ve reviewed in this guide. More experienced writers with an established client base might prefer to invest a modest subscription fee for a portfolio that includes a wider range of functions and features.
Share your portfolio across social media and networking platforms to generate interest and get noticed by potential clients.
Once you’ve created your online portfolio, be sure to update it regularly with any new certifications you’ve earned, client testimonials, and examples of your latest work.