Real questions, plainly answered. If yours is not here, write to us at hello@commonstack.org and a person will get back to you.
Actually free. No setup fee, no monthly charge, no card on file. We design, build, host, and maintain the site at no cost to you. The only thing we ask is permission to feature your project as proof the model works.
CommonStack is a nonprofit in formation. Building free websites for other nonprofits is the mission, not a loss leader. Real projects also help us show funders and future volunteers that this works, which is how we grow to help more organizations.
No. There is no premium tier waiting to appear. Hosting, maintenance, and support are included and stay included. If we ever build new tools, existing partners get them offered honestly, never forced.
It helps, but it is not a hard line. Registered nonprofits, charities, community groups, and mutual-aid projects are all welcome. If you are pre-formation but clearly doing the work, apply anyway and tell us your story.
That is exactly who we are for. We give priority to small teams with no money for design and no one on staff who writes code. Small is not a disqualifier here. It is the point.
Usually about six weeks from our first call to launch: a week or two of design, a week or two of building, a week of testing, and launch. Your pace matters too, since the project moves at the speed of your replies.
About an hour a week during the build, and much less after. We need your words, your photos, and quick reviews of what we share. We do the heavy lifting and keep your part small on purpose.
You do. You own your domain, your content, and everything we build. It runs on a standard, portable stack, so nothing is trapped in a system only we can open.
You can, anytime, with no penalty. We hand you the full site and your data and help you move it. We build for your freedom to walk away, because a free service you cannot leave is not really free.
We do. Secure hosting, SSL, backups, and uptime monitoring are all on us, for as long as your mission runs. It never becomes a line item on your budget.
Security patches, software updates, fixes for anything that breaks, small content changes when you cannot get to them, and a yearly check-in to improve what has aged. When a link breaks on a Sunday, it is our problem, not yours.
Yes, and not as an afterthought. We build to WCAG AA: real contrast, keyboard navigation, screen-reader structure, and visible focus. Everyone your mission serves should be able to use your site.
Yes. We wire in and test a giving path, one-time and recurring, on the platform you already use or one we help you pick. Money reaches you, not a middle layer skimming a cut.
You keep everything. We build every site on a standard, portable stack with exportable content and clear documentation, on purpose, so it survives us. If we ever close, you can host your site anywhere and lose nothing.
Come talk to us. Some needs we can meet, some are a better fit elsewhere, and we will tell you honestly which is which. We would rather point you to the right answer than pretend we are it.
It is where we are heading. Today we build and maintain your site. Next, we are building trustworthy operators that handle the standing digital busywork: updating pages, answering routine email, drafting the recurring report. A human stays in the loop for anything that touches money, people, or the mission. Read the full manifesto on the future page.
Not at all. The free website stands entirely on its own. The future work is opt-in, built in the open, and shaped with the partners who want it. If you only ever want a great site, that is a complete, finished thing.