How to build a website with Claude AI (free, 2026)
By Manan Agrawal, Founder · Updated July 19, 2026
Claude can build you a real, published website — not just code — through the free SitesPlaced connector: in claude.ai go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste https://sitesplaced.com/api/mcp, and sign in. Then just ask: Claude creates the site, edits sections on request, and publishes it free at yourname.sitesplaced.site. You pay only if you later want a custom domain. Setup takes about two minutes.
The two ways Claude “builds a website”
Ask a bare Claude for a website and it writes you HTML or a Next.js project — genuinely good code, but code: you still need hosting, a domain, deployment, and the confidence to debug it. The second way is a connector. SitesPlaced exposes its actual builder to Claude over MCP (the open Model Context Protocol Anthropic created), so Claude stops describing a website and starts operating one: creating it, editing it, publishing it on real hosting, under your account. This guide covers the second way, because for most people it’s the only one that ends with a live URL.
Connect SitesPlaced to Claude
- Create a free account at sitesplaced.com/start.
- In claude.ai: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
- Paste
https://sitesplaced.com/api/mcpand save. - Sign in to SitesPlaced when Claude asks, and approve access.
Authentication is OAuth — no API keys to generate or paste, and you can revoke access from your SitesPlaced account settings anytime. The connector you add in claude.ai is also available in Claude’s desktop app, which shares your claude.ai connectors.
Claude Code (terminal) users: the same server works there — claude mcp add --transport http sitesplaced https://sitesplaced.com/api/mcp, then run /mcp to sign in. Cursor and other MCP clients connect with the same URL; details on the connector page.
What Claude can build and edit
Create a full website from a brief
Claude writes real copy for 5–9 sections (hero, about, services, gallery, contact…), picks a theme and font, and creates the site in one call — with a preview link back.
Start from any template
It can browse the SitesPlaced catalog — portfolio, business, student, gym and wedding templates plus every store theme — and build on one you like.
Build an online store with products
Store theme, copy and real product records in one conversation; product images you link get rehosted automatically. Free stores take UPI, COD, card and WhatsApp orders at 0% commission.
Edit what's already live
“Change my hero headline to…”, “make the about section warmer”, “add a 20% off sale price to everything” — Claude reads your current sections and updates only what you asked.
Publish and unpublish
One sentence takes the site live at yourname.sitesplaced.site (free, small badge) or back to draft.
Check the practical stuff
Slug availability, your plan and its limits, which of your sites exist and their URLs.
What a real conversation looks like
You: Build me a website for my yoga studio, Stillpoint, in Austin. Morning and evening classes, first class free. Calm, airy feel. Don’t publish yet.
Claude: I’ve created it — hero (“Find your stillpoint”), about, a class schedule section, pricing with the free first class highlighted, and contact. Preview: stillpoint-yoga.sitesplaced.site. Want any section changed?
You: Make the pricing section friendlier and add a testimonials section before contact.
Claude: Done — pricing copy softened, and I added three testimonial slots you can fill with real quotes. Anything else before publishing?
You: Publish it.
Claude: Live at stillpoint-yoga.sitesplaced.site. It’s on the free plan — if you want stillpointyoga.com and the badge removed later, that’s the only paid step.
Every message maps to real builder operations — Claude reads SitesPlaced’s section vocabulary, authors the content itself (using none of your SitesPlaced AI credits), and edits the same sections the dashboard editor shows. For a bank of ready-made briefs like this, steal from these 7 copy-paste prompts — all of them work verbatim in Claude.
Honest limitations
- Your photos are still yours to add. Claude writes structure and copy; it can place image URLs you give it (stores rehost them automatically), but your real photography is best swapped in from the dashboard afterwards.
- Money matters stay out of the chat. Billing, plan changes, custom domain setup, tracking scripts and customer/order data are deliberately unreachable through the connector.
- Plan rules still apply. Websites and stores publish free; wedding/event invite sites are the one category with a one-time unlock, and if anything needs an upgrade Claude receives a pricing link to share with you rather than charging anything.
- It’s a builder, not a monkey’s paw.Deleting a site or product requires your explicit confirmation, and full-page rewrites replace the sections you send — so review Claude’s summary before saying yes to big changes.
Frequently asked questions
Can Claude build a website for free?
Yes. Connect the free SitesPlaced connector in claude.ai (Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → https://sitesplaced.com/api/mcp), describe your site, and Claude builds and publishes it at yourname.sitesplaced.site with a small badge — no payment required. You pay only if you later want a custom domain and the badge removed (from ₹199/month, $7.99).
Is Claude better than ChatGPT for building a website?
They're equally capable here, because both drive the exact same SitesPlaced connector with the same tools — create, edit, publish. Pick whichever assistant you already use daily. If that's ChatGPT, the same setup takes two minutes there too (Settings → Apps & Connectors → Developer mode → paste the URL).
Do I need a paid Claude plan?
The SitesPlaced side is free regardless. Whether custom connectors appear on Claude's free tier depends on Anthropic's current plan lineup — if you don't see Settings → Connectors in claude.ai, that's the constraint. Claude Code on the command line is another route: `claude mcp add --transport http sitesplaced https://sitesplaced.com/api/mcp`.
Does Claude write code for the website?
Not with the connector — and that's the point. Claude authors your content and structure, then calls SitesPlaced's builder tools, which render it on production-hosted templates. There's no code for you to copy, host or debug, and you can keep editing the same site by hand in the SitesPlaced dashboard.
What can't Claude do through the connector?
It can't touch billing, plan changes, custom domains, tracking scripts, or your customers' order data — those stay dashboard-only. It only sees sites owned by the account you signed in with, destructive actions like deleting a site require your explicit confirmation, and publishing follows the same plan rules as the dashboard.
Ask Claude to build it — free
Create your free SitesPlaced account, add the connector in claude.ai, and describe your site. Publish free; pay only ever for a custom domain and badge removal.