Top Indie Web Tools for Creators in 2025

The indie web is thriving – and if you’re building your own little corner of the internet, the right tools can make all the difference.

This list isn’t about trends or shiny objects. It’s about the tools that help you stay independent, creative, and discoverable in 2025.

Each of these has been vetted for one thing: helping you create a digital home that feels like yours.

Site Builders & Hosts

Neocities – Free

No-frills, HTML-based hosting with a retro heart. Great for full creative control and web revival vibes.

Carrd – Free / $19–$49 per year

A modern, clean site builder that’s surprisingly powerful. Ideal for portfolios, landing pages, and tiny personal hubs.

WordPress.org – Free core / Hosting varies (~$4–$20/month)

The go-to if you want ultimate flexibility. Still powerful and deeply customizable – especially for long-term bloggers.

Bear Blog – Free / $60 per year Pro

A privacy-focused blogging platform with markdown support and minimalist design.

Framer – Free / from $5–$30 per month for Personal plans

Visual design meets web publishing. You’ll need a design eye, but the results are stunning.

Writing & Publishing Tools

Write.as – Free / from $6/month

Distraction-free writing, anonymous publishing, and fediverse support. Loved by minimalists and indie writers alike.

Notion + Fruition – Free

The beloved Notion hack that turns your workspace into a public-facing site. Great for zines, directories, and cozy digital gardens.

Substack – Free (with optional paid tiers)

Best if you want to build an audience with email-first writing. Newsletter + blog hybrid, with strong reach potential.

Buttondown – Free / from $9/month

A lightweight, indie alternative to Substack. Clean, privacy-first, and made for writers.

Discovery & Sharing

Mastodon – Free

The fediverse is growing. Mastodon is the social layer of the indie web – non-algorithmic and deeply communal.

Micro.blog – From $1/month

A beautiful platform that combines short-form posting, blogging, and social discovery without the chaos.

Webring Studio – Free

Curated webrings for creators who care about handmade sites and human-first discovery. Start or join a ring.

Creative & Experimental Tools

Tilde.club – Free

An old-school UNIX shell and community for sharing raw HTML sites and connecting with nostalgic weird web folks.

Blot.im – $6/month

Turn a Dropbox folder (or Git repo) into a blog. No CMS, just you and your files. Shockingly elegant.

Bonus Picks

RSS.app – Free / from $14.99/month

Create RSS feeds from anything. Great for curating custom feeds or syndicating content.

Archive.org – Free

Use the Wayback Machine to back up your site and explore the deep web archives. A timeless essential.

Fathom Analytics – From $15/month

Privacy-focused analytics that don’t track individuals. Great alternative to Google Analytics.

Your Choice

You don’t need fancy. You don’t need big. You just need the right tools to carve your own space.

And when you’re ready to help others find it? We’ll be here – connecting personal sites into something even greater.