Before, having an online presence meant you had to build a website from scratch. For the not-so-tech-savvy, this was a huge obstacle to overcome. Thankfully, that’s when some of the best website builders came into existence.
Website builders are comprehensive tools for creating websites. You shouldn’t have to do any coding (even HTML and CSS) since nifty features such as drag and drop and the visual editor are now available. You can build highly customized websites in a few minutes complete with the typical functionality that a website might need: templates, photo galleries, web hosting, forms, and more, all with just a few clicks of a button.
Using a website builder is a quick and easy way to build a presence for your brand or online business. It simplifies your site management by combining domain registration, hosting, and site design all into one platform.
Any business owner will find website builders useful in building an online presence for their newly set-up business.
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A great website builder should offer features such as drag-and-drop functionality, plug-and-play templates, mobile accessibility, a variety of customization options, SEO tools, and reliable customer support. In short, they should have all the tools necessary to help you build websites even without any coding skills.
Ease of use, cost, third-party integration, and eCommerce readiness are other factors you should also take into consideration. Most of the names on this list have the same features but you’ll soon find out that not all website builders are the same. So, choose one that’ll meet your requirements.
Here are our picks for the best website builders to try:
Freedom to create the website you want.
Wix is our top choice for a website builder. Create a free and professional website using Wix. With over 500 customizable, eye-catching templates, free reliable web hosting, powerful SEO tools, and 24/7 customer care, Wix is more than just a website builder, it’s a complete online business solution.
Wix focuses on giving you the freedom to create, design, manage and develop you web presence how you want it even with little to no experience. Though its designed to get you interested in a more robust featured website they do give the opportunity to make a free website as well.
Sell your products with built-in eCommerce features, and take bookings for your services. Use the integrated marketing and customer management tools to help drive sales and conversions.
For a personal website, it starts at $14/month. Business essentials website starts at $23/month.
Everything you need to grow online.
With several templates to choose from and 1 year of a domain for free, Squarespace was designed so you can easily create your website add text and photos. Once the website is up Squarespace has tools to help you with marketing and promoting your business with social media and email marketing tools. Squarespace plans start at $12/month for a personal site or $18 a month for a business website.
Here’s how to get started:
An eCommerce powerhouse for the small business owner.
Shopify is a powerful eCommerce platform used by hundreds of thousands of businesses to sell their products online. They became a fast-favorite website builder for their easy-to-use interface and how many partners integrated with their apps as well.
You don’t have to sell something online to use Shopify, but if your business plan involves making sure your website has a map and appointment scheduling software you may want to consider this platform. This will allow you to expand into selling products down the road if needed.
Just like other tools they offer different plans with a range of features however a Basic Shopify Plan should give small business owners everything they need to get started to grow their business presence and eCommerce sales.
Build a website that grows with your business.
Weebly is a great option and can be used for a free personal website or its eCommerce platform powered by Square, a credit card and mobile payment processor.
Weebly is designed with eCommerce in mind and comes integrated with Square, but other payment providers will work too should you already have one in place.
One thing that is a little different is that not only are your options tiered but so is your customer service. On the higher end, you can expect live chat, email, and phone support.
Weebly’s paid plans range from $6 to $26 per month. For the more expensive plans, you get advanced eCommerce tools and Google Ad credits.
When trying to decide, which builder to go through Weebly offers a trial period just like many other website builders.
Designed to be as easy as 123.
SITE123 is a drag and drop builder for the unexperienced website designer. No coding or previous website-building knowledge is necessary.
Site123 boasts being the most intuitive and easy-to-use website builder on the market. They handle everything from website structures to design to make sure you focus only on your content. There are only 3 simple steps to follow to have a website up and running in no time.
They offer many features including a website editor – no coding required, responsive and mobile-friendly website templates, free web hosting, SEO tools to optimize your website, and free domain registration to get started.
There are tiered options as well but once you are an advanced user then you may start to consider other options. If you want free and speed then you need SITE123.
The Best eCommerce Website Builder
BigCommerce is a website builder that offers a powerful eCommerce platform coupled with excellent website functionality and zero transaction fees.
We included BigCommerce on this list because of its very advanced feature set, such as cutting-edge SEO functionality (URL structure, site speed, uptime), themes that specifically help improve your conversion rate, and 600+ product options.
Offers a 15-day free trial option for all its plans. Their paid plan starts at $29.95 per month.
The Most Affordable Website Builder
Zyro is perfect for both those who have tried building their websites and those who haven’t. It comes with intuitive and user-friendly web design tools that make it easy for anyone to build attractive websites in a few minutes.
Other features Zyro offers include a logo maker, several ready-to-use templates, and AI tools to help you get started. Unleash your creativity by selecting from more than 1 million high-quality free images on Zyro.
Because it offers one of the cheapest plans among all the website builders out there, it’s ideal for artists and small business owners.
You can use Zyro for free but if you need access to Facebook Pixel Integration, Google Analytics, or Messenger Live Chat, their paid plan only starts at $1.99 per month.
A Powerful Website Builder with Tons of Integrations
Ucraft is a popular landing page builder that recently launched a great multi-functional website builder. They offer a lot of useful tools — a blogging platform, landing page creator, logo maker, and eCommerce functionality.
A small business could use Ucraft to create a logo, launch its new website, and start selling products online.
Ucraft has over 80 pre-designed responsive website templates that cover niches like fashion, photography, restaurants, eCommerce, agencies, sports, business, events, and plenty of others. They also have over 100 pre-designed blocks you can add to pages to include things like CTA buttons, forms, footers, testimonials, etc.
Offers a 14-day free trial option and their paid plan starts at $10 per month.
The Best Website Builder for Professionals
Webflow is ideal for professional website builders who are looking for functionality beyond the usual drag-and-drop. Webflow’s designer tool lets you customize your site according to your preference and requirements using HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. You can either drag and drop HTML elements or choose pre-designed elements like sliders, tabs, background videos, etc.
Users can also use a CSS-based system to edit multiple elements at the same time. It also lets you add custom codes to any page in the <head> or before the </head> of any web page.
The good thing is that if you don’t need these powerful customization features, you still have access to over 100 free and paid customizable templates for different business, portfolio, and blog types.
Webflow is available for free but with limited access to its features. Their basic plan starts at $15 per month while the eCommerce plan starts at $42 per month.
Best Website Builder for Photographers and Creatives
Flothemes provides customizable WordPress themes. These templates let you create websites within WordPress without any need for coding. It owes this powerful feature to Flex block, a powerful free-flow page builder, providing limitless customization options.
With Flothemes, you can register a domain name and hosting service provider for your site or choose Flothemes as a hosting service for a minimal fee. Flothemes also provide services such as page load speed optimization, SEO, styling, etc. Their customer support is also one of the best in the industry.
Their starter package starts at $29 per month if paid yearly.
Best Website Builder with Built-in CRM Tools
Hubspot took the term “all-in-one” to another level when on top of its popular CRM and marketing software, it also added a website builder into its fold. Through this platform, you can create website pages, blog posts, and landing pages either from scratch or using their wealth of templates.
What sets HubSpot apart from other names on this list is that it comes integrated with a wide range of marketing software, including tools to manage email marketing, get found online, and capture, engage with, and understand leads.
Hubspot is available free for use but if you need access to its premium features, it will cost you $360 per month.
The World’s Most Renowned CMS
WordPress is the best free website builder that gives you maximum control over your site. WordPress lets you have free reign over your website to build an online presence. Whether you’re building a website for membership, community forum, eCommerce site, landing page, social network, or anything more, WordPress can help you with it.
Our favorite feature is the abundance of high-quality WordPress themes to create your website design. It also has drag-and-drop functionalities such as Divi, Beaver Builder, and SeedProd. These page builders will allow you to create your very own page layouts.
WordPress has 58,000 free pre-installed plugins for you to access. These give you better functionality and let you add features to your website, such as Google Analytics, contact forms, live chat, social media tools, CSS customization, shopping cart, etc.
WordPress is available for free and their paid plan starts at $4 per month (personal) and $8 per month (premium).
The Most Affordable and Best option for Small Businesses
Hostgator is highly recommended for small businesses due to its simplicity and cost-effective pricing. With Gator Website Builder, you can build a website for your business with just a few clicks.
Beginners will find no trouble building websites through Gator. And since it also doubles as a web hosting platform, there’s no need to worry about losing your data just because you forgot to back it up.
Designing a website is easy and all you have to do is choose a theme from its library of over 200 professional web design templates. Then, use the drag-and-drop feature to customize the site with videos, images, Google maps, texts, contact forms, and more.
They have an introductory offer that starts at $3.46 per month.
The Best Website Builder for Businesses with Simple Needs
Jimdo has helped build over 20 million websites. This speaks volumes about its commitment to help you get that website you’ve been meaning to build up and running in no time.
Jimdo comes with a range of design templates for you to choose from. Once you’ve selected a design, the logo designer will help make the brand easily recognizable. Just enter the details of your business and pick a logo design. You can edit the layout and icon using your choice of colors and fonts.
Finally, you may include the logo on your website, social media platforms, and even your business cards.
They have a free plan but if you need access to other features, their paid plan starts at $9 per month.
A Great Website Builder for Photographers and Artists
Pixpa is a website builder that is ideal for photographers and creators. It works the same as other website builders but the templates that Pixpa has were designed to highlight photographs and visual artworks.
If you aim to build a portfolio online to showcase your talent or share your passion with other people, then Pixpa is a great platform to work with. If you’re planning to sell your works then you can utilize Pixpa’s e-commerce integration; you don’t have to build another site for that.
The combination of competitive pricing and 24/7 email and chat support makes Pixpa a great choice for any artist or creator to build their website on.
You can check out Pixpa’s features with a 15-day free trial. Their paid plan starts at $7 per month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The Best Builder for Startups
Designmodo lets you create websites and aesthetically pleasing newsletters, all on one platform. Through its Postcards builder, you can create eye-catching newsletters while its Slide and Startup builders let you design your website.
You can also use their built-in website templates and slides. With over 200 slides, 118 website templates, and 30 panels, you can create professional-looking and functional sites in no time. Since adding elements like sidebars, dropdowns, Contact forms, navigation, pop-ups, and buttons is easy, you can elevate your website’s functionality too.
They offer a free plan for both Slides and Startup while the paid plan starts at $29 per month for Slides and $89 per quarter for Startup.
The Best Website Builder for Agencies
Duda’s builder is easy to use, and has drag-and-drop functionality combined with structured, stylish templates. This makes it perfect for anyone who cares about design but does not have the time to unleash their full creativity.
There are over 90 templates to choose from that cover various industries. Duda gives you a lot of room for customization as long as it’s within the limit of the template you chose.
They offer a free trial period and their paid plans start at $14 per month.
Another Great Website Builder for Photographers
Similar to Flothemes and Pixpa, SmugMug is ideal if you’re a photographer looking to build a website to showcase your portfolio. SmugMug lets you create websites that can display high-quality images and even videos with ease.
Organizing your portfolio is easy too! SmugMug lets you sort media files using keywords, captions, and titles as you want. It also gives you a wide latitude for customization options through color effects, photo rotations, and more. Overall, SmugMug is a brilliant website builder with various tools that photographers would find useful.
They offer a free 14-day trial period and then, their paid plan starts at $7 per month ($55 only if you pay annually).
Follow these 6 simple steps to create a website today.
It depends on the website builder you select. Some website builders such as Wix, Squarespace, or Weebly are all hosted on their platform. Others may require you to install and set up on your already existing website.
No, website builders exist in both online and offline formats, the main difference being an internet connection. An online website builder won’t require any software downloads; it’ll simply work through your internet browser.
Absolutely. Most website builders are user-friendly and make it possible to build a professional website without knowing how to code. Since most website builders are drag and drop, you can add any feature you want and customize it to match the look and feel of your site. Of course, if you do know how to code, most website builders offer advanced functionality to add your own code to the website.
The website builders’ features included here vary depending on their target market. However, a website builder should have at least the following basic features:
A domain name is the address of your website that people type in the browser URL bar to visit your website. Website builders do not act as a registrar. They are not the proper entities you can buy a “website name” from; that’s for some of the best domain registrars.
What we mean here is that whichever domain registrar you bought your website name from, should be enabled for use by the website builder when creating your website.
A website builder should not only allow you to build a website, but it should also be able to host the files (images, videos, and other pertinent material) used when building the same. Hosting simply means it acts as a storage for such files so that even if you’re offline, your website will continue to run.
The core feature of every website builder is site design, without which its existence would cease to exist. Website builders exist to help both experts and newbies alike to create professional-looking and functional websites without having to learn to code.
Choosing does not have to be a complicated process. Sure, there are many features to consider but to keep things simple, focus on those that you need immediately and those you think you might need in the future (you don’t have to choose one that has them all).
Among all considerations, we’d choose the one that’s the most user-friendly. The best website builders are straightforward to use and lets you produce amazing websites in a matter of minutes. You can only do this if the website builder already has a large collection of templates and a powerful drag-and-drop editor.
Customer support is key, as business owners who don’t have the technical know-how might find it challenging to identify and solve certain issues. It is important to choose the website builder that has good live chat and phone support to ensure your website runs uninterrupted.
Lastly, you should consider which website builder offers features that are perfect for the industry you belong to. Some of the names we mentioned are best for small businesses while others are the best fit for enterprises. With that, we hope that you’ve learned a thing or two in choosing the best website builder to partner with for your business.
If you’re looking for the best website builder, we recommend Wix and you can get started today for as little as $14/month.
Last updated on by Joshua Holdeman
