Report

Should I Use HTML5 UP?

html5up.net·Analyzed 15 hours ago·9/19/2026·Based on 10 sources

Responsive HTML5 and CSS3 site templates designed by @ajlkn.

Worth it

Free, well-designed static site templates — an easy yes if you can edit HTML/CSS yourself.

Free, polished HTML/CSS templates. Great for devs and simple static sites; wrong pick if you can't code or need a CMS.

Confidence: Medium

Starting price

All templates free under CC-BY 3.0

80+

Extended library

Via paid sister site Pixelarity

CC-BY 3.0

License

Attribution credit required

Carrd

Sister product

Same founder's $19/yr builder

Value for money

All templates free under CC-BY 3.0

Ease of use

Easy if you code; manual HTML/CSS edits otherwise

Feature depth

Static templates only; no CMS or backend

Security posture

No known vulns; no published security page

Pros

Every template is free under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0^²
Responsive designs widely cited as a go-to inspiration source^⁴
80+ additional templates available via Pixelarity sister site^⁸
Built by the designer who went on to create Carrd^⁷
Proven on real sites, from councils to universities^⁹

Cons

No visual editor — you edit HTML/CSS files by hand^⁶
Static only: no CMS, backend, or ecommerce built in
Free license requires keeping designer attribution^²
No official support channel found; users rely on forums^⁶

Gotchas

mediumNo public security page or published vulnerability handling process^³
mediumForms, CMS, or ecommerce require wiring up your own backend
lowAttribution credit must stay visible — read license terms before removing it^²
lowSome templates date back years; verify modern browser and mobile behavior first

Best for

Personal sites and portfolios
Quick static landing pages
Developers comfortable editing HTML/CSS
Designers hunting inspiration

Not for

Non-technical users — no visual editor exists
Blogs or apps needing a CMS or backend
Teams wanting drag-and-drop builders
Anyone unwilling to display attribution credit

Companies that use it

Warwickshire County Council^⁹
Gadsden State Community College
Space Telescope Science Institute (staff site)¹⁰

Pricing

HTML5 UP templates

All current site templates
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license
Attribution credit required

Pixelarity

Paid subscription (price not listed in sources)

Unlimited access to 80+ templates
Same designer as HTML5 UP

Security

No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Developer and hobbyist communities on Reddit and forums consistently praise the design quality and treat HTML5 UP as a default free resource for static sites.