Website builders are a practical solution to building an online presence with minimal time, resources, effort, and investment. Most of them have e-commerce stores, require zero knowledge to set up, and have several plugins covering most use cases.
Getting your brand or name recognized as a small business is essential for success and good profits. Having a website is a cheap and effective way to reach customers and spread your brand. So let’s dive into the reasons to pick or avoid website builders in the market and which are the best for your business.
Considerations When Choosing a Website Builder
Understanding what to look for in a website builder is as important as building the website itself. There’s no objectively best answer when choosing a website builder. Instead, a balance between desired features and the cost of plans is preferred.
Additionally, taking advantage of free trials and money-back guaranteed offers is recommended. It allows for hands-on experience with the builder, making it easier when picking between various choices. Also, the cancellation policy and customer support can be just as important for some.
Why Use a Website Builder
Visitors require good and frequent content with high engagement to appreciate a website and come back to it often. Website builders provide several tools to facilitate this process, like drag-and-drop website building, editing, embedding, streamlined e-commerce stores, in-depth analytical data, SEO optimization, 3rd-party integration, and marketing tools.
Website builders are especially beneficial to small businesses. They can be built with minimal investment while providing everything a business needs to thrive online. Here’s a list of the ten best website builders, their benefits, shortcomings, and pricing.
WordPress
WordPress became popular due to its flexibility, customization, and powerful plugins. It was created to facilitate building personal blogs. However, it’s now used by over 30 million live websites worldwide for e-commerces, marketplaces, portfolios, art galleries, and more.
To get the most out of WordPress, we recommend hiring a company experienced with WordPress. Ideally, the company can build ADA-compliant WordPress websites, make custom plugins, develop a completely customized WordPress website, configure your website, and allow you to use cheaper hosting options without losing quality. And at Idea Maker, we can build all that and more.
Features
While other builders can be difficult to work with, WordPress is easy to get into, install, and maintain. It has excellent customer support, thousands of plugins, plenty of depth for power users, and it’s easy to work with. Additionally, WordPress offers many free website templates and has an enthusiastic and growing community willing to help newcomers.
- In-depth customization;
- Open-source;
- Enthusiastic 3rd-party community;
- Thousands of plugins;
- Support for 3rd-party plugins;
- Easy installation.
Issues
WordPress’s backend is complex if you have no previous knowledge. Getting used to it on your own generally means watching hundreds of hours of guides and reading tutorials on configuration, building plugins, implementing integrations, and more.
- Steep learning curve;
- Limited plugins options;
- Restrictive theme options;
- Technical knowledge required.
Pricing
The differential of WordPress pricing is how much it offers for free. As an open-source Content Management System, it provides a powerful suite of content management tools and plugins at no additional cost. It’s currently the best and most used website builder in the market, with paid plans starting at $8/mo and going as low as $4/mo for the yearly plans, making it one of the most accessible website builders on this list.
Wix
Wix was originally built with Flash and currently has a vast user base of over 200 million users, making it one of the biggest website builders in the market. Wix is simple to use, gives you plenty of tools to work and create with, and supplements the building process with Wix-approved add-ons.
Wix developers work fast and frequently release updates to their platform, improve existing features, or create new ones. Wix strives to have a tool for every need, and if it’s not there yet, they’re probably working on it.
Features
Wix has hundreds of well-designed free templates to choose from. In addition, the Wix app market is extensive and makes it simple to implement add-ons like calendar, forum, Twitter feed, live chat, restaurant table reservation, hotel booking, and more. If you want to see how it compares with its main competitor, WordPress, check out our WordPress vs. Wix article for an in-depth look at their main differences.
- App market;
- Intuitive user interface;
- Frequent updates;
- Several Wix approved add-ons;
- Multiple mobile compatible themes.
Issues
If you’re looking to make a website with dozens of pages, Wix may not be the best option. The navigation is simplistic and doesn’t support complex structures. Also, themes can’t be modified entirely, and while they’re flashy, the heavy usage of animations and videos slows page load, leading to worse SEO.
- Poor SEO capabilities;
- Slow page speed;
- No custom add-ons;
- Simplistic navigation structure;
- Limited theme customization;
Pricing
Wix has a free plan with ads that includes thousands of free templates. The cheapest paid plan starts at $14/mo, which is pricier than WordPress but still worth considering if your website doesn’t need a lot of space or extensive customization. However, they offer an e-commerce plan starting at $23/mo, which is considerably cheaper when compared to WordPress.
Squarespace
While Squarespace is still trying to catch up to Wix, it’s not far behind. According to data from BuiltWith, over 13% of solution-built websites are made with it. However, it’s worth noting that Squarespace’s website is by far the most modern and clean on this list.
The company’s main draw is its focus on design, with many stunning themes available, all compatible with smartphones and tablets. If you wish to learn more about how it compares to WordPress, be sure to check our WordPress Vs. Squarespace post for a detailed breakdown between the two.
Features
Squarespace has excellent support for e-commerce, Google workspace, and mobile. They even offer themes optimized for mobile browsing. Their support is stellar and makes sure you have a positive experience with their platform.
- Google workspace integration;
- Mobile optimized themes;
- Fast support;
- Attractive themes;
- Design focused.
Issues
Squarespace’s user interface has a lot of room for improvement and isn’t as intuitive as others options in this list like Wix. Its focus on design slows down page load speed and SEO, which negatively affects search engine ranking. And if you need 3rd-party support, you’re better off with WordPress.
- Confusing user interface;
- Slow page loading speed;
- Little 3rd-party support;
- No backup and restore;
- No free plans.
Pricing
Squarespace is a little cheaper than Wix, starting at $12/mo for annual plans. However, the company doesn’t have a free plan. Instead, they offer a 14-days free trial period with no credit card or personal info requirements.
Weebly
Weebly is an excellent option for anyone that appreciates simplicity. Its page editor and creator are some of the most intuitive in the market. This straightforwardness made it popular and helped build over 50 million websites.
Weebly constantly adds key features. One of its biggest successes is its online store feature, making it a competitive e-commerce option. Weebly is especially interesting for users that need big websites, as it supports hundreds of pages and complex layout structures.
Features
Weebly themes are responsive and customizable. In addition, most themes work well on tablets and smartphones, improving your website’s reach.
Weebly’s App Center has tools for marketing, SEO, branding, blogging, analytics, and more. If something is missing from your website, you can easily find and implement it using the App Center or request a new app on their support page.
- App market;
- Mobile optimized themes;
- Easy to customize themes;
- Frequently updated app market;
- Straightforward website editor.
Issues
While you can request new apps, the development speed for apps and the platform is slow. So if you ever need support, you may be waiting for a long time unless you pay for one of the pricier plans, including support by phone.
Migrating from Weebly is unforgiving, as they don’t offer access to the website’s source code. If you plan to change hosts in the future, you’re going to need to remake your website.
- Few add-on options;
- No source code migration;
- Slow support;
- Slow development;
- No page management.
Pricing
Weebly has a serviceable free plan, but we do not recommend it if you intend to use the website for business. There are Weebly ads, the URL will be website.weebly.com, and many key features aren’t available.
Upgrading to the professional plan costs $12/mo. The upgrade offers access to a fully functional e-commerce store with no limits for products listed, free domain for one year, and unlimited storage, which is unusual as far as website builder plans go.
Domain.com
Domain.com does more than register domains. They spread their services across hosting, website building, business e-mail, and more. They also offer a straightforward drag and drop style of building that supports blogs, e-commerce, and small websites. Every template presented works flawlessly on mobile, tablets, and desktops.
Features
They offer an excellent e-commerce plan. It makes your work easier with tax management, inventory administration, and support for coupons and dynamic price changes. The support is helpful and offers e-mail, live chat, and telephone options, guaranteeing you always have a way to reach them.
- Easy to reach support;
- Excellent e-commerce plan;
- Cheap starting plans;
- Mobile optimized themes;
- SEO optimization tools;
- Unlimited storage;
- App Market;
- Money-back guarantee.
Issues
The number of add-ons is small, and new ones are generally added once a year. Being a completely proprietary platform, you won’t be able to develop your own add-ons, nor can you export the website source code if you need to migrate in the future. While considerably cheap, their cheapest plan only allows six pages per website.
- Few add-on options;
- No source code migration;
- No 3rd-party support;
- Six pages per website;
- Limited scalability;
- No analytical data;
- No free plan.
Pricing
Domain.com offers the cheapest plan across all options mentioned, starting at only $1.99/mo for its website builder. It offers over five hundred thousand images to build your website with, unlimited storage, and no additional costs for hosting. They also have one of the cheapest e-commerce plans, starting at only $12.99/mo.
GoDaddy
Many don’t know, but GoDaddy does more than just web hosting. They have a competent website builder that heavily focuses on marketing and SEO options.
Recently, they’ve changed their website builder to offer a free building option equipped with analytics tools, protected pages, and social media content management.
Features
GoDaddy offers features to help with social media, blogs, and SEO optimization. You can build on top of their easy-to-modify templates, all optimized for mobile and tablets. Their main feature is the extensive marketing tools.
- Mobile optimized themes;
- Mobile-friendly website editor;
- Easy to customize themes;
- Free marketing tools;
- Intuitive interface.
Issues
The main issue with GoDaddy is how limited their marketing features are on the free and basic plans and that they’re a little lacking on SEO even on the more expensive plans. However, even though their free plans are limited, they’re still serviceable and free to use.
Also, themes aren’t as good-looking or smooth as some competitors, but they’re still fully functional.
- Bland themes;
- Limited SEO tools;
- Limited marketing tools;
- No app store;
- Slow feature updates.
Pricing
GoDaddy offers much lower prices for the first year with discounted plans starting at $6.99/mo. However, it’s a good idea to wait for discounts and promotions, as they last the whole year and can make plans up to 70% cheaper. They also allow negotiation to keep the discounted price. Otherwise, the price goes up for the second year with GoDaddy.
Additionally, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee when hired for over a year, making it a risk-free investment.
Webflow
Webflow is highly flexible yet quite different from the competition. Instead of offering a drag-and-drop interface, they provide a powerful and intuitive visual editor focused on aiding designers build their website with zero coding knowledge. Additionally, they allow users to re-use its interface elements while building websites, saving time and maintaining design consistency.
If you’re interested in Webflow for building your website, be sure to check our post on WordPress Vs. Webflow for an in-depth look at their main differences.
Features
Webflow is structured to allow as much freedom over design as possible. With their tools, you can modify nearly every visual aspect of your website when coupled with the hundreds of hours of video tutorials and documentation provided to users.
In addition, Webflow offers multiple accessibility options such as smooth scrolling, alt text implementation, vision preview tool, audit panel, and more.
- Fast support;
- Several video guides;
- In-depth visual customization;
- Various accessibility options.
Issues
While simplistic, Webflow may be difficult to grasp if you have never made a website before. Its greatest advantage is how much you can customize with it. Unfortunately, the customization can get overwhelming and demands a lot of extra work and time to customize every aspect of your website manually. It also doesn’t help that there aren’t many widgets included to help streamline the building process.
- No app store;
- Hard to learn;
- Few widgets;
- Time-consuming.
Pricing
Webflow’s pricing is flexible. They offer different prices for e-commerce, single or multiple sites. Site plans are cheaper and made for single websites, starting at $12/mo.
Account plans start at $16/mo and are ideal for businesses that need multiple websites. This plan also unlocks code exporting and team management, allowing websites to be built and hosted elsewhere with multiple people working on the same website.
Webnode
Webnode offers a cohesive editor that makes building your website easier. Its drag-and-drop technology is easy to grasp, and its multi-language function is scarce amongst website builders. However, it lacks some of the technology to support blogging functions.
Features
Webnode’s biggest feature and selling point is its multi-language feature included in standard or premium plans. In addition, they have outstanding mobile compatible themes, powerful SEO tools, and the option to add nested menus for larger websites.
- Easy multi-language website building;
- Mobile compatible themes;
- SEO tools;
- Complex menu nesting.
Issues
Their e-commerce option is underdeveloped and lacks basic tax calculation and shipping integration functions. Interactive blogs won’t have tags to help with search or a basic commenting system, limiting interaction with visitors. There is no app store, so it’s better to look elsewhere if you need something that can’t be found during creation.
- No commenting system;
- Missing e-commerce features;
- No tagging system;
- No add-on store.
Pricing
Paid plans without ads start at $7.50/mo and are cheaper when compared to its main competitors, Duda and Wix. However, they only offer 500MB storage and 3GB of monthly bandwidth, which is problematic compared to the competitors.
Jimdo
Jimdo is probably the fastest website builder on this list. It can use your existing online information to speed up the building process. So if you already have a Twitter, Instagram, or a presence on Google maps, it can automatically use that data to build your website within a few minutes.
Once it generates a skeleton website from the data provided, you can adjust colors, theme, and add images. It also comes with a basic e-commerced store, responsive themes, and an editor that allows code to be edited.
Features
Jimdo’s main feature is the building speed. With it, you can build a promotional website in just a few minutes. It offers thousands of images from their library, and creating your website is done with drag and drop menus. So adding images, videos, or changing elements around becomes simple.
- Mobile optimized themes;
- High-speed website building;
- Thousands of images;
- Drag and drop interface;
- E-commerce without fees;
Issues
If you’re looking for something more complex, try Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress. There are no plugins, app marketplace, or key blogging features on Jimdo. Templates are stiff, the online store lacks many essential features, and there’s no room for scalability.
- No app market;
- No 3rd-party support;
- Missing blogging features;
- Bland themes;
- No scalability;
- Missing e-commerce features.
Pricing
Plans start at $9/mo and include all free tier features, a domain name, and remove ads. However, to take advantage of Jimdo’s speed, we recommend its GROW plan for $15/mo. It has quick support, lots of SEO tools, and better visualization of your website’s traffic data.
For another $15/mo, you can also have a fully functional store, which is relatively cheap compared to most website builders in the market. It even allows you to export orders if you want to change them to another e-commerce builder in the future.
Duda
If you ever want to tweak your CSS, integrate some custom code, or add an API, Duda makes it possible. It’s complete with great-looking templates, many SEO tools, blog support, and a basic e-commerce add-on. It also allows something rare amongst website builders, full control of the code.
If you’re building many websites or working with them daily, Duda makes the creation process easier with reusable websites. It allows you to save blueprints with themes, widgets, sections, and configuration, so future projects take just a few clicks to load up and modify.
Features
Duda is one of the few builders that offer conditional website customization, allowing you to show different content based on the time of the day or visitor’s geographic location. They also provide an option to build multi-language websites with ease, a feature few website builders have.
- Conditional website customization;
- Easy multi-language website building;
- Drag and drop editor;
- Backup and restore;
- Access to source code;
- Great SEO tools;
- Scalable.
Issues
While attractive, Duda’s features come with high costs. And their app store is quite limited, lacking many essential add-ons offered by competitors like WordPress and Wix.
- Few app store options;
- High price;
- No 3rd-party app support.
Pricing
When competitors offer significantly lower prices with additional features, the high costs can be a severe drawback.
Plans start at $14/mo and only include website building and hosting. Options like website search, SEO tools, free domain, support, and custom e-mail are not included. You have to put down an even bigger payment if you want them.
Prices Overview
| Provider | Starting Price | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | $4/mo | Yes |
| Wix | $14/mo | Yes |
| Squarespace | $12/mo | No |
| Weebly | $12/mo | Yes |
| Domain.com | $1.99/mo | No |
| GoDaddy | $6.99/mo | Yes |
| Webflow | $12/mo | Yes |
| Webnode | $7.50/mo | Yes |
| Jimdo | $9/mo | Yes |
| Duda | $14/mo | No |
Final Verdict
If your business needs a simple, straightforward, constantly updated website builder with attentive support, Wix is a great option with many add-ons, fast updates, and an intuitive drag-and-drop building interface.
For smaller websites with few pages, low prices, and cheap hosting, Domain.com offers a competent website builder and hosting at only $1.99/mo, making it an excellent option for promotional sites that will be used for a short while and discarded. And if you need more website pages, the upgrade to unlimited pages is inexpensive.
If you need a complete website builder capable of in-depth customization, custom plugins, custom themes while keeping usage simple, WordPress is undeniably the best in the market. However, learning WordPress from scratch can be quite challenging and time-consuming, so we recommend hiring Idea Maker, a reputable company specialized in WordPress websites, custom plugins, and configuration.
