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9 Best Writing Portfolio Websites of 2026
This list is for freelance writers, journalists, copywriters and content writers who need one link that shows editors and clients their published clips. We compared documented features and published prices for nine services in three groups: portfolio builders made for writers (Journo Portfolio, Authory, Clippings.me, Pressfolios), a free journalist database profile (Muck Rack) and general website builders that work well for writing samples (WordPress.com, Squarespace, Wix, Carrd). Scores weigh features at 40 percent, ease of use at 30 percent and value at 30 percent.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 12, 2026 · 9 tools compared · Prices checked on vendor pages, latest November 12, 2026
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
Mojolin is self-funded How we score
Journo Portfolio is our top pick because it is built around clips: paste an article URL or upload a PDF and it pulls in the title, date, image and publication, and paid plans back articles up as PDFs or screenshots. Authory is the stronger choice for writers with hundreds of bylines, because its Standard plan monitors unlimited sources and adds new work on its own. Muck Rack is the free profile every working journalist should claim, and Clippings.me is a simple, low-cost clip book. Pick WordPress.com, Squarespace or Wix when you want a full website with a blog, newsletter or shop, and Carrd when one page of links is enough.
Top picks
Best overall
Journo Portfolio
8.8 / 10
Freelance writers and journalists who want a clip-first site
Read the review →Also great
Muck Rack
8.4 / 10
Working journalists who want a free, discoverable profile
Read the review →Comparison table
| # | Tool | Pricing | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Journo Portfolio | Freelance writers and journalists who want a clip-first site | Free plan to build (publishing needs a paid plan); Plus from $7 per month billed annually or $9 monthly | 8.8 |
| 2 |  Authory | Prolific writers with hundreds of bylines | Free plan with 10 content items; Lite from $9 per month billed yearly ($12 monthly); Standard $15 billed yearly | 8.6 |
| 3 | Muck Rack | Working journalists who want a free, discoverable profile | Free for journalists; PR team plans are quote-based (USD check pending) | 8.4 |
| 4 |  Clippings.me | Writers who want a quick, low-cost clip book | See vendor pricing (USD check pending); free plan and a Professional plan billed monthly or annually | 8.2 |
| 5 |  WordPress.com | Writers who also blog or publish a newsletter | Free plan; Personal from $4 per month billed yearly ($9 billed monthly) | 8.1 |
| 6 |  Squarespace | Established freelancers who want a polished personal brand site | See vendor pricing (USD check pending); 14-day free trial, Basic, Core and Advanced plans | 8.0 |
| 7 |  Wix | Writers who want design freedom and a free start | Free plan; paid plans from $17 to $159 per month billed yearly | 7.9 |
| 8 |  Carrd | Writers who need one page of links on a tiny budget | Free plan; Pro Lite from $9 per year; custom domains on Pro Standard at $19 per year | 7.8 |
| 9 |  Pressfolios | Reporters who mainly want clips saved and listed | 14-day free trial, then $14.99 per month | 7.3 |
Scoring weights
Every tool gets three editorial scores out of 10, from vendor documentation, product pages and the published price. The overall score is the weighted average below, the same method on every list. Full method
The full ranking
Rank 1 · Best overall
Journo Portfolio
A portfolio website builder made for journalists, copywriters and other writers, with clip import, article backups and built-in analytics.
journoportfolio.com8.8
out of 10
Best for: Freelance writers and journalists who want a clip-first site
Journo Portfolio is the most clip-centered builder on this list. You paste the URL of an online article and its extractor fills in the headline, date, image and publication, or you upload a PDF of print or offline work and it does the same. Work is arranged into pages and blocks across 8 themes, and built-in analytics show visitors, page views and traffic sources without third-party trackers. Plus at $7 a month billed annually ($9 monthly) is the cheapest way to publish, on a journoportfolio.com subdomain. Pro at $10 a month billed annually is the plan most working writers will want, because it adds a custom domain, automatic import of new articles from other sites or feeds, backups of online articles as PDFs or screenshots, and password protection. The trade-off is that the free plan is only a workspace: it holds 25 items and does not publish until you pay.
Standout feature
Journo Portfolio is the best choice for writers who pitch editors because it turns an article URL or PDF into a portfolio item automatically, from $7 a month billed annually.
Use cases
Freelance journalists pitching editors
Collect bylines from many outlets on one site
Outcome: One link with every clip, imported by URL
Copywriters with offline work
Show brochures and reports delivered as PDFs
Outcome: PDF uploads become portfolio items with title and image
Key features
- Import articles by URL, or upload a PDF and it extracts the title, publication date, image and description
- 8 themes to choose from
- Built-in privacy-friendly analytics with visitors, page views, location and traffic source
- Pro ($10 per month billed annually) adds a custom domain, article backups as PDFs or screenshots, and automatic article import
- Unlimited ($14 per month billed annually) adds 240 minutes of video or audio upload and a built-in store
Pros
- Plus publishes on a yourname.journoportfolio.com address from $7 a month billed annually
- Pro and Unlimited email subscribers a weekly digest of your new articles
- Students get 50% off the first year of any paid plan, and you get a full refund if you cancel within 14 days
Cons
- The free plan holds 25 portfolio items and your site is not published until you upgrade
- Custom domains start on Pro, not on Plus
- Multilingual sites and selling are still in beta
Rank 2 · Runner-up
Authory
A self-updating portfolio and archive that finds a writer's published articles, podcasts and videos and backs them up automatically.
authory.com8.6
out of 10
Best for: Prolific writers with hundreds of bylines
Authory works differently from a website builder. On Standard and Professional it monitors the sites where you publish, finds new articles, podcasts and videos under your name, and adds them to your portfolio and a private, searchable archive with full backups. That matters for staff writers and freelancers with large back catalogs, since nothing has to be pasted in by hand, and it notifies you when it finds newly published work. Collections let you group pieces by beat or client, and Smart Share links tell you whether an editor clicked the samples you sent. The pricing is the catch: Lite at $9 a month billed yearly is updated manually and caps you at 50 items, so the self-updating portfolio that defines Authory starts on Standard at $15 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly). The free plan holds 10 items and is not indexed by search engines.
Standout feature
Authory is the best choice for writers with hundreds of bylines because its Standard plan monitors unlimited sources and adds new work automatically.
Use cases
Staff writers at a daily outlet
Keep a complete record of every byline
Outcome: New articles appear in the portfolio and archive without manual entry
Freelancers sending samples
Share a set of clips for one pitch
Outcome: A collection link that reports when it was clicked
Key features
- Standard and Professional monitor unlimited sources and auto-archive past and future work
- Searchable archive with full backups on every plan
- Smart Share links that show whether a shared work sample was clicked
- Collections that group work by topic, beat or client
- Social Media Impact shows engagement your articles received on social media
Pros
- Free plan with up to 10 content items and no credit card required
- Standard includes unlimited content items, custom domain support and a free domain for 12 months on yearly plans
- Supports articles, PDFs, podcasts, videos, newsletters, social posts, images and books
Cons
- Automatic import starts on Standard at $15 a month billed yearly; Lite is updated by hand and capped at 50 items
- The Free plan is not indexed by search engines and shows Authory branding
- Zapier, API access and Google Analytics need Professional at $24 a month billed yearly
Rank 3 · Also great
Muck Rack
A media database for PR teams that gives journalists a free profile and portfolio built from their published coverage.
muckrack.com8.4
out of 10
Best for: Working journalists who want a free, discoverable profile
Muck Rack is a paid media database for PR teams, and that is why its journalist side is free: the more reporters keep accurate profiles, the more useful the database is to the people who pay. For a writer, that means a free profile and portfolio where Muck Rack indexes your reporting across the web and pulls new digital coverage in by byline, plus free tools such as Who Shared My Link and news alerts. Journalists who meet the editorial team's criteria can request verification, which adds complimentary advanced search and media database access. The limits are the ones you would expect from a database profile: you do not control the design, matching by byline sometimes attaches someone else's article, and freelancers who do not meet the verification criteria get a plainer listing. Use it next to a portfolio site rather than instead of one.
Standout feature
Muck Rack is the best free option for journalists because, in its own words, journalists never pay to use it and their coverage is pulled in automatically.
Use cases
Staff reporters
Keep a public record of bylines with no setup
Outcome: A profile that adds new coverage as it is indexed
Beat journalists
Be findable by PR teams covering their beat
Outcome: A verified profile in the database PR teams search
Key features
- Free journalist profile with a portfolio of your articles
- Monitors your publications to pull in new digital coverage automatically
- Profile verification reviewed by Muck Rack's editorial team
- Who Shared My Link shows who shared a story, free for journalists
- News alerts and trending stories
Pros
- Muck Rack states that journalists never pay to use it
- Verified journalists get complimentary access to advanced search and the media database
- PR professionals search Muck Rack to find reporters, so the profile doubles as a pitch magnet
Cons
- Layout and branding are Muck Rack's, not your own site
- Verification follows criteria set by the editorial team, so not every freelancer qualifies
- Automatic matching by byline can pull in wrong articles that you then need to dispute
Rank 4
Clippings.me
A simple online clip book for journalists and writers, with a free plan and one paid Professional tier.
clippings.me8.2
out of 10
Best for: Writers who want a quick, low-cost clip book
Clippings.me is a straightforward clip book for journalists and writers. You add your articles, and they appear as a single portfolio page under a clippings.me address that you can send to editors. The free plan is aimed at writers who want to show a small selection of clips, and Clippings.me says it will always be free. The paid Professional plan, billed monthly or annually, removes the limit with unlimited clippings and adds a custom domain, Google Analytics and password protection, with a 14-day money-back guarantee on premium plans. It is less automated than Authory and has fewer design and backup options than Journo Portfolio, so it fits writers who want to set up a clean clip page in one sitting rather than run a full website. Our checker could not load the pricing page from our location, so the USD price is marked pending.
Standout feature
Clippings.me is the best choice for a quick, simple clip book because its free plan publishes a small selection of clips and one Professional plan unlocks unlimited clippings.
Use cases
Journalism students
Share their best student-paper clips with internship editors
Outcome: A free one-page clip book
Part-time freelancers
Keep a short list of recent samples online
Outcome: A portfolio link set up in one sitting
Key features
- Free plan for showing a small selection of clips
- Professional plan with unlimited clippings
- Custom domain on Professional
- Google Analytics integration on Professional
- Password protection on Professional
Pros
- Clippings.me says its free plan will always be free
- One paid tier keeps the choice simple, with monthly or annual billing
- 14-day money-back guarantee on premium plans
Cons
- The free plan is meant for a small selection of clips, not a full archive
- Custom domains need the paid plan
- Our checker could not load the pricing page, so the USD price is pending
Rank 5
WordPress.com
A hosted website and blogging platform with a free plan and low-cost paid plans for writers who want their own site.
wordpress.com8.1
out of 10
Best for: Writers who also blog or publish a newsletter
WordPress.com is the natural choice for writers whose portfolio is also a blog. Every site has posts and pages built in, so you can publish your own essays or a newsletter archive next to a page of links to published clips. The free plan runs on a wordpress.com address and shows WordPress.com ads to visitors. Personal, at $4 a month billed yearly ($9 monthly), removes the ads, adds a free custom domain for the first year and raises storage to 6 GB, which makes it one of the cheapest ways to get a writer site on your own domain. A guided builder can draft the site by chatting with AI. The downside for a clip portfolio is that WordPress.com has no article importer or backup of published work, so samples are added by hand.
Standout feature
WordPress.com is the best choice for writers who blog because its Personal plan adds a free domain for a year and removes ads for $4 a month billed yearly.
Use cases
Essayists and bloggers
Publish new writing and link past clips on one site
Outcome: A blog and portfolio on their own domain
Writers on a tight budget
Get a custom domain for little money
Outcome: Personal plan with a free first-year domain
Key features
- Free plan on a wordpress.com address
- Personal adds a free domain for one year, 6 GB of storage and no ads for visitors
- Guided website builder that creates a site by chatting with AI (usage limits apply)
- Premium ($8 per month billed yearly) accepts payments on your site
- Built-in blog, so new writing and clips live on the same site
Pros
- Personal costs $4 a month billed yearly, or $2.75 a month on a 3-year term
- Free domain for the first year on Personal
- Personal removes WordPress.com ads for visitors
Cons
- Free sites display WordPress.com ads to visitors
- No clip import or article backup; you add samples as posts or links
- Payments need Premium at $8 a month billed yearly
Rank 6
Squarespace
A general website builder with portfolio templates, contact forms, email campaigns and selling tools in one subscription.
squarespace.com8.0
out of 10
Best for: Established freelancers who want a polished personal brand site
Squarespace suits writers who have moved past a clip page and want a personal brand site: services, rates, testimonials and samples in one place. Its portfolio templates give each project its own page, which you can publish right away or schedule, and built-in contact forms and resume or About pages turn the site into a lead tool. Because it is a general builder, the same subscription can run Email Campaigns for a newsletter, invoicing for clients and scheduling for discovery calls. Annual plans include a free domain for the first year, and every site starts with a 14-day trial with no credit card. The downsides for writers are that there is no article importer or clip backup, so each sample is added by hand, and there is no free plan. Our checker saw only local currency on the pricing page, so the USD price is pending.
Standout feature
Squarespace is the best choice for freelancers building a brand site because portfolio pages sit next to contact forms, email campaigns and invoicing in one subscription.
Use cases
Content writers selling packages
Present services, samples and a contact form together
Outcome: A branded site that collects client inquiries
Ghostwriters
Show samples and book discovery calls
Outcome: Portfolio pages and scheduling on one domain
Key features
- Portfolio project pages that publish immediately or on a schedule
- Customizable contact forms plus resume, CV or About pages
- Drag-and-drop editor and portfolio templates
- Email Campaigns, invoicing and scheduling available on the same site
- Annual plans include one year of free domain registration
Pros
- Every site starts with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required
- Core and Advanced allow unlimited contributors and charge no online store transaction fee
- Contact forms help clients reach you directly from a sample
Cons
- No free plan
- Basic allows 2 contributors and charges a 2% online store transaction fee
- No clip importer; our checker saw local currency, so the USD price is pending
Rank 7
Wix
A drag-and-drop website builder with a free plan, portfolio templates and an AI Portfolio Generator.
wix.com7.9
out of 10
Best for: Writers who want design freedom and a free start
Wix gives writers the most layout freedom of the general builders here, and it lets you publish for free. The AI Portfolio Generator drafts a starting site, and from there you drag text, images and project blocks wherever you like, with a blog that can also sell paid subscriptions to your writing. The free plan publishes on a yourname.wixsite.com address with Wix ads, which is fine for a student or first portfolio. Paid plans run from $17 to $159 a month billed yearly and connect a custom domain, remove ads and add storage, and selected yearly plans include a free domain for the first year. For a writing portfolio specifically, Wix has the same gap as Squarespace and WordPress.com: no article importer and no backup of clips, so you add samples yourself. At $17 a month it also costs more than WordPress.com Personal for a similar result.
Standout feature
Wix is the best choice for writers who want design freedom on a free plan because it publishes a portfolio at no cost and paid plans start at $17 a month billed yearly.
Use cases
Journalism students
Publish a first portfolio without paying
Outcome: A free site on a wixsite.com address
Writers who also design
Build a custom-looking site without code
Outcome: A drag-and-drop portfolio with a blog
Key features
- Free plan that publishes on a yourname.wixsite.com address
- AI Portfolio Generator for a first draft of the site
- Project pages, collections and galleries for samples
- Blog with optional paid subscriptions
- Selected yearly plans include a free domain for the first year
Pros
- You can publish a portfolio for free and upgrade later
- Premium plans connect a custom domain and remove Wix ads
- Booking and email campaign tools are available on the same platform
Cons
- Free sites show Wix ads and use a wixsite.com address
- Paid plans start at $17 a month billed yearly, more than WordPress.com Personal
- No clip importer or backup of published articles
7.8
out of 10
Best for: Writers who need one page of links on a tiny budget
Carrd builds single-page sites, which is all some writers need: a short bio, a headshot, a contact link and a list of your best clips. The free Basic plan publishes on a carrd.co address, and Pro plans are priced per year rather than per month. Pro Lite at $9 a year removes Carrd branding and the element limit across 3 sites, and Pro Standard at $19 a year adds custom domains, forms, embeds and analytics, which makes it the cheapest way on this list to put a portfolio on your own domain. Forms can feed a newsletter tool such as beehiiv, Buttondown, Ghost or Kit. The limit is the format: everything sits on one scrolling page, there is no blog, and every clip is a link you add by hand, so writers with dozens of samples will outgrow it.
Standout feature
Carrd is the cheapest paid option for a writing portfolio because Pro Lite costs $9 a year and custom domains start at $19 a year on Pro Standard.
Use cases
New freelance writers
Put a bio, contact form and five best clips online
Outcome: A one-page site on their own domain for $19 a year
Newsletter writers
Send readers to a signup form and recent issues
Outcome: A landing page with a connected signup form
Key features
- Free Basic plan for one-page sites
- Pro Lite ($9 per year) covers 3 sites with no branding and no element limit
- Pro Standard ($19 per year) adds custom domains, forms, widgets, embeds and analytics
- Forms connect to newsletter tools such as beehiiv, Buttondown, Ghost and Kit
- Pro Plus ($49 per year) adds password protection, redirects and site downloads
Pros
- The cheapest paid option here at $9 a year
- 7-day Pro trial with no payment or credit card required
- Native cookie-free analytics, or Google Analytics, Plausible and Matomo
Cons
- One-page sites only, so long clip lists get crowded
- Pro Lite does not include custom domains; you need Pro Standard
- No clip importer, article backup or blog
Rank 9
Pressfolios
A portfolio and clip backup service for journalists, writers and PR professionals, sold as one monthly plan.
pressfolios.com7.3
out of 10
Best for: Reporters who mainly want clips saved and listed
Pressfolios is one of the older clip services for journalists, and its pitch is simple: clip your stories, add your profile, choose a URL and you are live. Every clip is stored so you keep a copy if the original page disappears, and you can show your whole body of work in order or choose only your best pieces. The company says more than 100,000 journalists use it. Pricing is one plan: a 14-day free trial, then $14.99 a month, and you are not charged if you cancel during the trial. That price is the weak point next to newer rivals, since Journo Portfolio Pro adds a custom domain, automatic import and backups for $10 a month billed annually and Authory Lite starts at $9. Pressfolios also publishes less detail about themes, domains and analytics on its site, so check those in the trial.
Standout feature
Pressfolios is a fit for reporters who want clip backup in one plan, at $14.99 a month after a 14-day free trial.
Use cases
Newspaper reporters
Save stories before an archive goes offline
Outcome: A stored copy of each clip in their portfolio
PR professionals
Show placed coverage to prospective clients
Outcome: A portfolio of press clips on one URL
Key features
- Clip your stories and keep them backed up in one place
- Portfolio website with your profile information and a chosen URL
- Organize your whole body of work in order, or pick only your best
- Built for journalists, writers, reporters, bloggers and PR professionals
- No coding required
Pros
- Pressfolios says over 100,000 journalists use it to back up stories
- 14-day free trial, and you are not charged if you cancel before it ends
- Clipping and backup are the core of the product, not an add-on
Cons
- No free plan
- $14.99 a month is more than Journo Portfolio Pro or Authory Lite
- Fewer published details on themes, domains and analytics than rivals
Frequently asked questions
+What is the best website to create a writing portfolio?
Journo Portfolio is the best website to create a writing portfolio for most freelance writers and journalists. It imports articles by URL or PDF, includes built-in analytics and publishes from $7 a month billed annually, with backups and a custom domain on Pro at $10. Authory is the better pick if you want new bylines added automatically.
+What is the best free website for a writing portfolio?
Muck Rack is the best free option for journalists, because journalists never pay to use it and it pulls in published coverage by byline. Writers outside news can publish free on Clippings.me, Wix, WordPress.com or Carrd. The Journo Portfolio free plan does not publish your site until you upgrade.
+How much does a writing portfolio website cost?
A writing portfolio costs $0 to about $15 a month for most writers. Carrd Pro Lite costs $9 a year, WordPress.com Personal $4 a month billed yearly, Journo Portfolio Plus $7 a month billed annually and Pressfolios $14.99 a month.
+Is Muck Rack free for journalists?
Yes. Muck Rack states that journalists never pay to use it, and creating or claiming a profile is free. Verified journalists also get complimentary access to advanced search and the media database, while PR teams pay for custom-priced plans.
+Which writing portfolio backs up my articles if a publication deletes them?
Authory and Journo Portfolio both back up published articles. Authory keeps a searchable archive with full backups on every plan, and Journo Portfolio Pro saves online articles as PDFs or screenshots. Pressfolios also stores each clip you add.
+Should a freelance writer use Squarespace or a portfolio tool like Journo Portfolio?
Use Journo Portfolio if clips are the main content, and Squarespace if you want a full brand site with services and a newsletter. Journo Portfolio imports articles from a URL, while Squarespace adds contact forms, Email Campaigns and invoicing but no clip importer. Squarespace has a 14-day free trial and no free plan.
+Do I need a custom domain for a writing portfolio?
No, but a custom domain looks more professional when pitching. Journo Portfolio Pro includes one, Authory Standard includes a free domain for 12 months on yearly plans, and Carrd adds custom domains on Pro Standard for $19 a year.
About this list
Updated November 12, 2026 by the Mojolin research desk. Mojolin is self-funded
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
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