Are Wix and Squarespace good enough for a UGC portfolio?
Yes, they can do the job. Wix, Squarespace and Carrd can each put your videos on a page a brand opens with one link. They're general website builders, though, so the portfolio itself is yours to design, and the version you'd send usually sits on a paid plan.
So the real question is how many evenings you want to spend building pages instead of pitching. Your portfolio has one job: a marketer taps the link and is watching your best 9:16 clips within seconds. Hold every tool up to that, Ninefolio included.
What website builders do well
Quite a lot, honestly.
- Wix. Wix says creating a site is free, and its free plan lists a drag-and-drop editor and thousands of templates. A mobile version of your site is created automatically.
- Squarespace. Its pricing page lists designer templates and says all Squarespace websites are optimized for mobile. Good news for 9:16 clips: Squarespace says its video blocks detect the aspect ratio of an uploaded video, vertical ones included.
- Carrd. Carrd describes itself as simple, responsive one-page sites, free for up to three per account. Its Video element can embed a clip from a TikTok or YouTube Shorts link, or play a file you upload on a Pro plan.
All three let you use your own domain on a paid plan, and Wix and Squarespace leave room for a blog or a shop later. Not sure you need a full site? Here's whether UGC creators need a website.
Where a website builder falls short for a UGC portfolio
Video limits aren't the issue: Wix and Squarespace each say you can upload up to 30 minutes before you need a bigger plan, plenty for short clips. (Wix notes its allowance is changing, so check the current figure.) The gap is everything around the video.
First, the free version isn't the one you'd send. Wix says free sites show Wix ads on every page and use a wixsite.com address. Squarespace says it doesn't offer a free plan; a site starts as a 14-day trial and stays private during it. On Carrd, removing the "Made with Carrd" branding and uploading your own videos are Pro features. So the clean link a brand should see means a paid plan with any of them.
Second, the structure is yours to build. Which sections a brand expects, what order they go in, how nine vertical clips sit together on a phone — that's your call and your work. The layout is what quietly eats the week you meant to spend pitching.
Third, changes cost effort. Wix says it's not possible to switch to a different template on a site you've already created; you'd start a new one. And on a hand-built page, every new clip means reopening the layout.
A dedicated tool like Ninefolio makes the opposite trade: less freedom, and a structure you don't have to build.
Website builders vs Ninefolio for a UGC portfolio
Ninefolio is a portfolio builder made for UGC creators, so it does one narrow job where a website builder does many. Side by side:
- Structure and video: Ninefolio's sections are ready to fill — videos, photos, services, testimonials, optional rates and contact — and your uploaded videos play directly on the page, in a grid made for vertical clips.
- More than one niche: Wix says each site you upgrade requires its own plan, and Squarespace says you pay for each site separately; Carrd allows up to three sites free. On Ninefolio, one plan covers up to five portfolios, each with its own link.
- Your own domain: the website builders win this row. Ninefolio doesn't offer a custom domain; your page lives at ninefolio.com/yourname.
- Design freedom, shop, blog: theirs too. Ninefolio has 20 templates you can switch between without losing content, but the sections are set.
- One extra: once your Ninefolio page is live, you can download it as a PDF media kit that matches the page.
Building and previewing a Ninefolio page is free, and a paid plan is what makes it public. Wix and Carrd can put a page online at no cost if you're comfortable with their branding on it. If the portfolio is how you win work, the purpose-built page gets you there with less building; if you need a whole website around it, a website builder is the right tool.
Which should you pick?
- You want the portfolio on your own domain: a website builder. Ninefolio doesn't offer one.
- You're building a wider creator business with a blog or a shop: Wix or Squarespace.
- You enjoy design and want to control every detail: a website builder — Carrd if one simple page is enough.
- You want a portfolio that's ready to send this week: a dedicated page such as Ninefolio.
- You pitch more than one niche: Ninefolio, for the separate portfolios on one plan.
- You have no videos yet: neither, for now. Film two or three spec clips first — here's how to build a portfolio with no experience.
Staying with Wix or Squarespace? How to set up a portfolio that works
If a website builder is your tool, three choices decide whether the portfolio works.
- Upload your clips to the page and put them first. Six to nine of your strongest, the best one on top, a one-line label under each. See how many videos a UGC portfolio needs.
- Test it the way a brand will see it: on your phone, in a private tab. Every clip should play on tap, with sound, and nothing should ask for a password. Squarespace says its sites are private by default, so check yours is set to public.
- Send one page, not a whole site: videos, what you offer, proof, contact, in that order.
For what goes in each section, here's how to make a UGC portfolio — it applies in any tool.
Wix and Squarespace UGC portfolio FAQ
Can you make a UGC portfolio on Wix for free?
Yes, with trade-offs. Wix says creating a site is free, but free sites show Wix ads on every page and use a wixsite.com address. Plans change, so check Wix's current details first.
Does Squarespace have a free plan?
No. Squarespace's pricing page says it doesn't offer a free plan; every site starts with a 14-day free trial. A trial site is private unless you add a password, so a brand can't simply open it.
Can Carrd play my UGC videos?
Yes. Its Video element can embed a clip from a link or play an MP4 you upload. Carrd's docs say uploading requires Pro Lite or higher, and its Pro plans list videos up to 64MB, so check your file sizes first.
Do I need my own domain for a UGC portfolio?
No. What a brand checks is whether the link opens and the videos play — here's how brands choose UGC creators. If you want one anyway, a website builder on a paid plan is the way to get it.
Is Ninefolio better than Wix or Squarespace for a UGC portfolio?
For the portfolio itself, yes. It's built for that one job, so your videos play on the page and the layout is already done. Wix and Squarespace are the better choice when you want your own domain, full design control, or a blog or shop around your work.