5 Best Portfolio Websites for Writers in 2024
Written by Monica Shaw
When I first launched our online writing portfolio website builder in 2008, we were one of the only portfolio websites for writers of its kind. Nowadays, there are literally dozens of options out there for writers wanting to create an online portfolio for promoting their work. The agony of choice!
You have your generic website builders like Squarespace and Wordpress, then you have portfolio websites like Writer’s Residence and Clippings.me with tailor made offerings specifically for journalists, copywriters, content writers, freelance writers, ghostwriters, authors, you name it. People are also increasingly using sites like Medium.com to curate their writing samples.
In this post I’m covering writer portfolio sites like ours that specifically provide portfolio websites for writers. All of these services are tailor made for writers, but not all are made equal. I’ve trialled and tested all of these options to get the low down on the pros and cons of each, and which service might be best for you.
What are the best portfolio websites for writers in 2024?
In my research, the five best places currently on the market for writers to create an online portfolio are as follows.
- Writer’s Residence - Best for writers who need a platform for their brand and a straightforward means to share their work
- Journoportfolio - Best for tech-savvy digital creators (not just writers) who seek a stylish portfolio
- Authory - Best for writers who publish heavily online and want to aggregate their content from various sources
- Clippings.me - Best for writers looking for a free option with basic functionality
- Copyfolio - Best for design-conscious copywriters looking for a full featured website and blog
Yes, there are other portfolio websites out there (I mention a few below). But my goal is to help you narrow down the options. In my trials of numerous options, these are the five very best writing portfolio websites out there at the moment. Now before we get to the comparisons, let's cover what all of them have in common, and the key areas where they differ. This should help you narrow down your options.
Features that all of these portfolio websites share
Here’s the challenge. All of these writer portfolio sties share a lot of the same features… this is good in a way because you KNOW that whatever portfolio website you sign up with, you're going to get the essentials. This includes:
- ✅ A portfolio of your writing samples - duh! All of these portfolio websites are based on the premise of providing a reposity for your writing samples alongside other useful info like your resume, client testimonials, contact details, and pretty much anything you want. But those focus is on writing samples and showcasing your best work. (Learn more about how to create an impressive writing sample.)
- ✅ Password-protected options so you can keep your portfolio private, accessible by a unique password you create. This is handy if you're not quite ready to share your portfolio with the world, or you have proprietary published pieces that need to be kept private.
- ✅ Custom domain - That means you can use your own URL like monicashaw.com instead of monica.writersresidence.com or clippings.me/monica. I'd argue that a custom domain is essential for a portfolio website - it speaks to your professionalism and your investment in your brand. All of these portfolio websites support custom domain names, but some at a cost (more on that below).
- ✅ Multiple themes with customization features. This is where we see some major differentiation in terms of complexity and sophistication. Some portfolio websites offer elaborate theme options, while some are fairly simple - but straightforward. This is where you can let your technical acumen guide your choice in a writing portfolio website. More on this when I get into the specific examples below.
- ✅ SEO features. This is really important if you want to be found in search engines on phrases like "chicago B2B copywriter". All of the services allow you to edit key SEO areas like page titles and meta descriptions so you can increase your chances of being found. Learn more in SEO Basics and Best Practices for Online Writing Portfolios.
- ✅ Analytics options. All of these services integrate with Google Analytics so you can track visitors to your website.
- ✅ Customer support. Need help? All of these services have customer support available via email, and some by live chat and telephone.
Ok, so how do you ultimately choose the best portfolio website for you?
Your deciding criteria: Price and Usability
The key areas where these portfolio websites for writers differ are price and usability. Only some of these services have a free option. And they all work differently. So for most writers, the choice will depend on your level of tech-savviness and how far you want to go with the design. So bearing this in mind, let’s get down to the comparisons…
Portfolio Websites for Writers: How much do they cost?
| Monthly cost for all features | Free Version? | Free Trial? | |
| Writer's residence | $9/month | No | Yes |
| Journoportfolio | $12/month | Yes | Yes |
| Authory | $18/month | No | Yes |
| Clippings.me | $9.99/month | Yes | No |
| Copyfolio | $15/month | Yes | No |
How do the different portfolio websites for writers compare?
Writer’s Residence
Best for writers who need a platform for their brand and a user-friendly means of sharing their work.
- Cost - $9 / month
- Free version - None
- Trial - 30 Day Free Trial
Pros of Writer’s Residence
- Easy step-by-step setup
- Generous 30-day free trial
- Themes are not excessively stylized, with a focus on readability - handy for sharing writing samples with editors and clients in a way that makes them look good but also read well
- Attentive and personal customer support, largely delivered by the founder of the platform
Cons of Writer’s Residence
- No free option
- Focused purely on writing portfolios so not the ideal choice for designers and other creative professionals
- Although it benefits from being very user-friendly, this does mean fewer extra features and design options than other services
Examples of Writer’s Residence Portfolios
- http://monicashaw.com
- https://zacharyquangmills.writersresidence.com/
- https://bobpickard.writersresidence.com/
- https://thenotedwriter.writersresidence.com/
- plus more examples of freelance portfolio websites built with Writer's Residence.
Build a portfolio with Writer’s Residence
Journoportfolio
http://journoportfolio.com
Best for tech savvy digital creators who seek a stylish portfolio.
- Cost - $12/per month (or $8/month when paid yearly)
- Free version - Limited to 10 portfolio items, 1 page, and no custom domain
- Trial - 7 Day Free Trial
Pros of Journoportfolio
- 50% discount for students
- Attractive themes with lots of personalization options
- Versatile portfolio for writers as well as artists and photographers
- It can generate PDF or JPEG backups of writing samples which is pretty cool!
Cons of Journoportfolio
- Changing themes deletes your pages and content (though writing samples are saved)
- The themes look great (or can look great in the right hands!) but the wealth of theme and design options are impressive but could be overwhelming for anyone who's never worked with a website builder
Examples of Journoportfolio portfolios
- https://www.ahausten.com/
- https://www.katherinewittsjournalism.com/
- https://leahfinch.journoportfolio.com/
Authory
http://authory.com/
Best for writers who publish heavily online and want to aggregate their content.
- Cost - Standard tier is $15 month (or $12/month when paid annually)
- Free version - No
- Trial - 14 Day Free Trial
Pros of Authory
- Attractive themes
- Auto-aggregation makes it easy to automate updates to your portfolio
Cons of Authory
- Mainly geared towards content writers, journalists, and other writers who primarily publish online
- Not as great for copywriters, business writers, technical writers whose samples don't live somewhere with an RSS feed
- May be over complex for non tech-savvy users
- Themes are attractive but homogenous
Examples of Authory portfolios
- https://authory.com/ColleenFisherTully
- https://authory.com/BrandonHill
- https://authory.com/AnneliseKelly
Clippings.me
https://www.clippings.me/
Best for writers looking for a free option with basic functionality.
- Cost - $9.99/month (or $8.25/month when paid yearly)
- Free version - Yes, limited to 10 pieces of content and no custom domain
- Trial - No free trial
Pros of Clippings.me
- Free version
- Easy setup
Cons of Clippings.me
- Basic themes with limited options for personalization
- Free version only allows for 10 writing samples
- Free version is heavily laden with Clippings.me branding
Examples of Clippings.me portfolios
- https://www.clippings.me/jakebleiberg
- https://www.clippings.me/caitlinreid
- https://www.clippings.me/naomiconrad