10 free platforms to showcase your creative work online
For years, Instagram has been the go-to place to share creative work — but it’s no longer your only option. There’s now a growing number of free and accessible portfolio platforms built with creatives in mind. Whether you’re building your first portfolio or refreshing an existing one, these trusted UK-friendly tools make it simple to showcase your work, connect with collaborators and reach potential employers – all without paying a penny.
Behance
Good for: All creatives
Cost: Free
Still one the most recognisable portfolio sites globally, Behance integrates seamlessly with Adobe Creative Cloud for quick uploads from Photoshop or Illustrator. Any work uploaded on the site has a chance to be featured on its ‘Best of Behance’ page, giving the work a large audience.
Notion
Good for: Writers, producers, strategists and multi-hyphenates
Cost: Free (with optional paid upgrades)
Notion has fast become a favourite among UK creatives looking for a clean, customisable space to share work. You can build your own site-style portfolio for free – embedding visuals, videos, case studies and text — without needing to code. Paid plans simply unlock more storage and team tools.
Figma Community
Good for: Designers, developers and creative technologists
Cost: Free
Figma’s Community hub is free to use and allows designers to publish interactive prototypes, UI kits and case studies. It’s especially useful if you want to show how you think and collaborate – a must-have for UX, product and digital design roles.
Cara
Good for: Illustrators, photographers and visual artists
Cost: Free
Cara is a free, artist-led platform built to protect creatives from AI scraping and algorithms. Founded by photographer Jingna Zhang, it bans AI-generated art and includes tools like NoAI tags to safeguard work. Blending an Instagram-style feed with a portfolio layout, it offers a growing, ad-free community where artists can share and connect safely.
Dribbble
Good for: All creatives
Cost: Free
On Dribbble, you can explore design portfolios from agencies and designers all across the globe and showcase yours alongside them. All disciplines and types of work are well represented here, from brand strategy decks to animation and even case studies. If you need some inspiration from in-house or freelance fellow creatives, this is a great place to have a thorough dig!
The Dots
Good for: All creatives
Cost: Free
On The Dots, creatives of all disciplines get the opportunity to connect and share their work. An account on the site lets you post your work, whether it’s visual or more text-based, as well as pose questions to the wider community, which also consists of creatives of all levels – from emerging talent to CEOs. And with many big name companies using the site to hire talent, hosting your portfolio on it could lead to your big break.
Substack
Good for: Writers
Cost: Free
Substack is a great way to monetise your written work – all via the medium of email. You can opt for different subscription tiers, offering each group different levels of access to your writing. Plus, the user interface is easy to get the hang of and the site is home to writing and criticism from writers all around the world on any subject you can think of – from rare sneakers to artisanal bread baking.
ArtStation
Good for: Illustrators, animators, motion designers and 3D artists
Cost: Free
ArtStation is home to a host of illustrators, animators and 3D artists showcasing their portfolio for industries such as gaming, film and illustration, just to name a few. The platform has partnered up with Unreal Engine to showcase the intricacies of motion design work in all its glory. It also serves as a learning platform, where you can get to grips with all kinds of software – from Blender to Substance Designer.
Vimeo
Good for: Filmmakers and videographers
Cost: Free for basic account, paid plans from £9-£57
The platform of choice for many websites’ in-built video players, Vimeo offers a sleek and professional interface for filmmakers, videographers and any creative using moving image to showcase their work. If you want features such as more than 500MB of storage – useful if you want to upload a high-res short film or showreel, for instance – then consider a paid subscription.
Medium
Good for: Writers, journalists and essayists
Cost: Free
Medium is a free publishing platform used by writers worldwide to share essays, features and creative projects. It’s easy to use, ad-free and highly searchable, making it ideal for building a public writing portfolio or sharing long-form ideas. You can publish for free and reach readers through tags and newsletters, or later join the Partner Program to earn from reads.
This guide was originally published in January 2023 and was updated by the Creative Lives in Progress team in October 2025. Five outdated platforms were removed and three new ones – Notion, Cara and Medium – were added to reflect the most relevant and genuinely free options for creatives today.