This is a SIMPLE list of resources that I'm putting together for those who need resources moving away from social media or just joining the personal web.
This will be updated CONSTANTLY
I will also include a download link soon. Suggestions WELCOME email me about it. You can also DM me on bluesky
This contains a lot of MY OPINION
I plan to make the wording a bit more professional in the future, I just wanted to get this out quickly
Reasons to have a personal website and not only social media
- Full control over how your content is presented
- People from the entire internet can find you, regardless of social media
- No restrictions, no file formats, no time limitations, no character limit
- Not keeping yourself in the hands of companies that can just decide to lock you out one day
- Never losing what you made
- IT IS FREE
Please read through the reasons why I recommend a tool to decide either or not that is for you, hope you enjoy!
if you have ANY QUESTIONS, don't be afraid to reach out.
Single page builders
These are linktree-style websites
Carrd
Carrd is very well known linktree alternative and one that I've used in the past and I can vouch for.
Pros
- Freemium
- Customizable
- Well known
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Doesn't let you download your website (you are tied to their service)
- Customization has limits
In my opinion the only real downside is that you don't have the freedom to move your website with you. If one day carrd decides their service is no longer profitable and close it, you gonna just lose access to anything that you put in there.
It's a good option overall
Linktree
Linktree is probably the most well known link redirect page on the web. I don't really like them lmao. I think it is very little customization and they are always trying to upsell you something and and their system annoys me.
That being said, they work and they are extremely well known so it is a good option
Pros
- Freemium
- Well known
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Doesn't let you download your website (you are tied to their service)
- Very limited customization
- Their marketing is very annoying
Linkstack
Linkstack is your open source alternative. You can self host it if you want or pay a dollar a month to use their host
Pros
- Open source
- Can be self hosted
- Easy to set up
- Reliable and secure
Cons
- Isn't free (but 1 dollar is pretty cheap)
My thoughts on linkstack can be a bit controversial. I think it's cool if you're paying them a dollar a month so you can have the kudos of saying "hey I'm actually using a open source software instead of random websites that can sell my data". If you care about your privacy, this is a pretty solid choice.
Now, I don't really see a pro in self-hosting. If you self hosting you can just make something cooler without using a premade code (?)
I like them overall, but I think you should just learn some html lol
Strawpage
Strawpage is a pretty new website builder that is extremely mobile friendly. Not as easy to setup than carrd but I'm a fan!
Pros
- Very mobile friendly
- Starting to get well recognized
- Have a few more features than linktree/carrd
- Pretty customizable
Cons
- Doesn't let you download your website (you are tied to their service)
I haven't actually used it myself (as I have my own website now lmao) but I've seen quite a few people dabble in it and I like it as an option!
It has the same problem of being tied to their servers but hey this one is pretty bubbly and fun
LINKHUB
Pros
- Safe
- Free
- Simple to setup
Cons
- their domain (lhub.to) isn't as well known
- Doesn't let you download your website (you are tied to their service)
This is like the less evil version of linktree but that the world doesn't really know about (?)
It's a good alternative overall
JUST MAKE YOURSELF A WEBSITE!!!
Pros
- You have FULL control over whats displayed
- No one can lock you out, you can just move your website to any places
- No restrictions
- It is FREE
- You get the bragging rights of saying "I made it myself"
- You get to learn HTML which is really cool!
Cons
- You gotta invest time in it
That's it, that's the best alternative! My resources on helping you do that are below
NOW MY REAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Look, having a linktree type of page is really important. Even if you do have a website, you want people to be able to find you everywhere that you are on the net but if you are on this page there is a HIGH change you came from my "here are some resources on building a website" so let's get to what's really important.
MAKE A GOD DAMN WEBSITE
With social media on its actual state, you have little to no control over the things you make. Every main social media and their mother is selling your data. X is making it easy to feed your work to AI. Algorithms stop your working from being shown to people. If one day a website gets suspended, your platform is just over just gone just like that.
Making a website allow you to take control over your internet presence. Hey, look at MY place! It looks like that because I want it to and I can just change it any time I want. There's no censorship, there's no algorithm and I'm just free.
I will be linking some resources to help you on your journey and, as I said before, suggestions and questions are more than welcome, don't be afraid of contacting me.
Where to host?
The first thing you need, is a website hoster. A host is who will guarantee that your website exists on the web, kinda like youtube is a video host.
Neocities
Neocities is where this website is hosted!
Pros
- Free
- Easy to navigate
- Welcoming
- Has a inbuilt code-editor
- Good storage space (1GB)
- Allows you to download your website
- Opportunity to upgrate to a paid plan
- Paid plan offers more file support
- Paid plan offers 50GB of storage
Cons
- The free plan doesn't support video or audio hosting (and some other more obscure files)
The reason why I chose neocities is because of how easy it was to set my website up. I like the inbuilt code editor that allows me to edit everything on browser rather than having to edit it locally. There are very little limitations.
I currently am I neocities supporter (paid support). It costs me 5 dollars a month.
I decided to upgrade it for the sole reason of being allowed to use my own domain (pocketbroto.com instead of the free pocketbroto.neocities.org) and I currently don't even use any of the other support functions (tho I will be hosting some video stuff soon)
I love neocities and I can't recommend it enough.
NEKOWEB
So, nekoweb is pretty much just like neocities. It is a neocities alternative and a great one.
Pros
- Free
- Welcoming
- Allows you to download your website
- Opportunity to upgrate to a paid plan
- No file restriction
- Paid plan is cheaper than neocities
Cons
- Free plan storage is lower than neocities (500MB)
The reason why I chose neocities over nekoweb, is mostly because I thought the cleaner look of the neocities dashboard is easier to navigate. Nekoweb is a GREAT option and since the paid plan is cheaper might be a game changer if you want your own domain or more storage. I'm gonna say tho, unless you're hosting insane gigantic files, you don't need that much storage.
Take a look on both of them and choose which one calls to your heart the most!
gitHub pages
Github pages is yet another host alternative that uses github to deploy web pages!
I cannot give you a list of pros and cons as I haven't really used it but it is also fully free and allow you full control over your website
I tried to use it but the whole deploying from my computer was giving me too much work and I already had liked neocities the best.
If you are a github pages user and want to suggest pros and cons I will be happy to link back to you!
Codeberg pages
So, this one is interesting. Codeberg pages is like github pages but hosted on codeberg which is a non-profit full open source github alternative that my free software buddies seen to really like :]
I haven't actually used it, so if you have your pros and cons let me know and I will link back to you!