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Creating a website is easier than ever, and you don’t need coding knowledge to build something that’s professional, functional and visually appealing. However, finding the best website builder for your business is crucial since different services offer different benefits depending on your needs and budget.

The best website builders offer a range of functionality alongside basic features, from e-commerce and marketing tools to SEO analysis and third-party integrations. To help you decide, we’ve reviewed over 15 different providers and over 50 different plans, comparing them by cost, features, how easy they are to use, user reviews and the level of customer support they offer.

Why trust our small business experts

Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of business products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.

  • 20 companies reviewed.
  • 3,121 data points analyzed.
  • 100+ hours of research.

Best website builders

  • Wix: Recommended for professional bookings.
  • Shopify: Outstanding website builder for global e-commerce.
  • Strikingly: First pick for promoting multiple brands.
  • WordPress.com: Top option for content monetization.
  • ClickFunnels: Geared toward high-growth digital marketers.
  • Weebly: Best temporary free site builder.
  • Squarespace: Ideal solution for visual storytelling.
  • Duda: Best for designing and managing client sites.
  • Square: Preferred choice for brick-and-mortar startups.
  • Web.com: Best for local small business owners.

Best website builders comparison

FREE TRIALFREE DOMAINUNLIMITED STORAGEUNLIMITED BANDWIDTH24/7 SUPPORT
Strikingly
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
WordPress.com
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
ClickFunnels
Yes
No
N/A
N/A
Yes
Wix
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Shopify
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Weebly
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Squarespace
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Duda
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Square
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Web.com
No
Yes
N/A
N/A
Yes

Methodology

We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.

We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the best website builders of 2024.

Expert score (10%): Our expert score summarizes everything we know about the best website builders. It assesses features, including any that distinguish the software from rivals (2.5%), value for the money (2.5%), popularity (2.5%) and ease of use (2.5%). The rating speaks to the vendor’s reputation and allows small businesses to assess site builders quickly.

Pricing and value (25%): In our evaluation of website building software, we prioritize factors that directly impact a small company’s bottom line. Vendors with longer free trials, better refund policies and no hidden fees score higher than others with less favorable options. We consider monthly and annual billing and determine how much the price increases upon renewal. Since many site builders offer e-commerce functionality, our rating also assessed transaction fees.

Features (55%): Site creation is only one aspect of your web builder plan, which is why our score looks at over two dozen general and advanced tools. We verify built-in features, like site security, e-commerce functionality and analytics. Our team also assesses any industry-specific templates and/or social media integrations. Since every small business has unique needs, we confirm specific capabilities, such as dropshipping, video storage, online appointments and subscriptions. This category is extensive, and we spend time making sure the software includes the features you need to run your company.

Service and support (10%): Reaching a live person is critical, especially when your online site suddenly becomes unavailable or a core feature fails. We give higher scores to vendors that meet customer communication preferences by offering multiple touchpoints, including live chat, phone and email. We also assess the community forums and knowledge bases for accessibility and comprehension.

What is a website builder and how does it work?

Website builders are software or programs you can use to create your own website, even without coding experience. These programs often feature pre-built templates and an intuitive interface that allows even beginner designers to build a clean and practical website.

After signing up for a site builder plan, account owners often can choose from pre-designed layouts or AI-generated pages. Some allow for more customization with add-on themes. You can drag-and-drop page elements, like image sliders or call-to-action buttons. In some cases, businesses connect online stores, add membership sites or configure booking tools.

Who should use a website builder?

Website builders can be useful for a range of applications, whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a business looking to scale up. If you’re wondering when to use a website creation platform, we’d particularly recommend one if:

  • You’re a creative professional and you need a portfolio.
  • You want to open an online shop.
  • You want to publish a blog.
  • You want to advertise your small business.

Benefits of website builders

If you have a business, there are many ways you can benefit from having a good website builder. Having a good website builder means you can create a professional, comprehensive website.

  • Can edit from anywhere. If you have a computer and an internet connection, you will be able to edit your website from anywhere. This can be beneficial if your business has a lot of moving parts.
  • Easy drag-and-drop functionality. If you choose a website builder that has a drag-and-drop editor, it can be extremely easy to learn. This is great for business owners who aren’t extremely tech-savvy.
  • Doesn’t have to cost a lot. There are many website builders that offer a range of features for a low monthly fee. This can help smaller businesses that are just starting or businesses that don’t have a large budget to create a website.

The better your business is, the more sales you can make, especially if you sell a lot of products online and market those products.

How to choose the best website builder

To find the best e-commerce platform for your business, consider its ease of use, security features, hosting capabilities, scalability, functionality, appearance and user experience. 

Key features to look for

There are several key features you should look for when choosing a website builder. Some of them you might not have thought of, like security and scalability features. Here are some of the few features to keep in mind: 

  • Security features. Protecting user data and preventing fraud is paramount when running an online business. It’s estimated that e-commerce fraud losses will reach $48 billion in 2023, and around 42% of global fraud by value will occur in North America. Ensuring your e-commerce platform has robust security measures, password protection and PCI compliance standards implemented can help protect your business from becoming a victim of payment fraud. 
  • Scalability. As you think about scalability, you should consider storage, bandwidth, uptime, products and pages, plan tiers and customer support. It is important to make sure your business’ website builder is well-equipped to help you scale up when needed. Keep your business goals in mind, and look for a platform that can match what you need now and as you grow.
  • Functionality. There are certain features you might need when looking for a website builder. Those can include omnichannel marketing, payment processing, inventory and shopping options, analytics, mobile-friendly applications and software integrations.
  • Appearance and themes. It matters how your website looks and feels for users. From visual appeal to navigability, it helps to bear your overall vision in mind when comparing website builders. Take note of customization options, pre-built templates, fonts and color schemes. 

UX and ease of use 

While you won’t need to have any real knowledge of coding languages like HTML or Javascript with most platforms, not all offer the same straightforward experience. Some website builders like WordPress offer greater degrees of customization, but novices might find it harder to learn all the tools available. 

On the flip side, based on our testing, services like Squarespace and Weebly are among the easiest to use of all providers. They each provide an intuitive interface and dashboard to manage your e-commerce business, with scores of templates and drag-and-drop components that make building your website relatively simple.

How much does a website builder cost?

SERVICECOSTCOST DESCRIPTION
Website designer
$2,000 to $5,000 (one-time fee)
A person or company that will design your website for you
Hosting
$30 to $500 per year
The cost of hosting your website on internet servers
SSL certificate
$60 to $1,000 per year
A digital certificate to verify your website’s identity and allows an encrypted connection using HTTPS
Domain name
$0 to $20 per year
The digital address of your website
Template
$0 to $100 (one-time fee)
Any pre-built page templates offered by your website builder
Maintenance
$35 to $500 per year
Ensuring your website stays running, search engine optimized and any bugs or errors are fixed promptly

The cost of hiring a web designer to build a website varies depending on their experience and expertise as well as your specific requirements. A good ballpark figure to start with is around $5,000, but remember to factor in other costs like content creation, analytics and maintenance when thinking about how much it costs to build a website.

Read more: Explore our list of the cheapest website builders available on the market and the best free website builders available on the market.

Is it worth paying someone to build a website?

This is dependent on how confident you feel using a website builder yourself. If you’re building a website for an individual, such as a portfolio or a personal web page, it’s likely to be more cost-efficient to create it yourself using an easy website builder like Weebly or Squarespace. 

Small businesses with more of a budget to outsource such tasks and that don’t have a website designer on staff might benefit from paying a web designer. However, many website-building services make the process of creating a website simple and straightforward, so it could be worth trying it out for yourself first.

Providers like Shopify and Squarespace offer free trials in which you can have a go at creating your website to see if it’s right for you.

What we don’t recommend

When choosing a website builder, it’s crucial to consider your skill level and desired future time investment. Our top picks may have met expectations, but certain subscriptions and aspects have drawbacks. Other website builders we evaluated but didn’t include in our review could have failed to meet certain pricing transparency or support standards. Ultimately, the software you choose should match your skill level and desired future time investment, ensuring your website building experience is efficient and productive.

The hidden costs of website building can set you back, primarily upon subscription renewal. Read the fine print to see if your plan includes a domain, hosting and an SSL certificate. Then, verify the renewal costs. Review support documentation for must-have features, as some vendors hide add-ons here. You may need to upgrade to send more emails or access specific tools.

Some vendors make migrating away from the platform challenging. Consider your long-term strategy before committing to a website building plan. Lastly, it’s essential to understand that site builders simplify the site design and update process, which saves business owners time. However, the convenience aspect also makes some platforms less customizable than using a content management system (CMS).

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Website builders work by giving users a simple and intuitive interface to build their website without code. They offer useful tools like drag-and-drop components, content editors and pre-made themes, templates and forms. These services then convert your website design into code and host it on their servers or a third-party hosting provider.

Many website builders also offer extra functionalities like cloud storage for pictures and videos, marketing tools like newsletters and notifications, SEO tools and analytics to give you insights into your website audience and views.

One of the biggest perks of website builders is that you don’t need to know how to code. Even so, some providers offer much simpler and straightforward tools than others. Based on our testing, the easiest website builders to use include: 

  • Wix: Our pick for businesses that require appointments or bookings, it’s a powerful, well-rounded and simple website builder.
  • Squarespace: Known for its visually stunning designs and simple drag-and-drop interface, Squarespace offers a slightly more expensive alternative.

Professional web designers rarely use website builders. Instead, they generally have the skills and experience to code their own websites from scratch. This offers the benefit of being able to fully customize a website with fewer restrictions. It’s a complex process that requires real hands-on knowledge. As such, you might find that some web designers use website builders for smaller or quicker projects, or partially alongside their own code and components. 

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Jessica Elliott is a business writer specializing in technology, marketing, and operations. She dissects complex topics and empowers leaders to make informed decisions. Her work appears in Business News Daily, U.S News & World Report's 360 Reviews, and Investopedia.

Sierra Campbell is a small business editor for USA Today Blueprint. She specializes in writing, editing and fact-checking content centered around helping businesses. She has worked as a digital content and show producer for several local TV stations, an editor for U.S. News & World Report and a freelance writer and editor for many companies. Sierra prides herself in delivering accurate and up-to-date information to readers. Her expertise includes credit card processing companies, e-commerce platforms, payroll software, accounting software and virtual private networks (VPNs). She also owns Editing by Sierra, where she offers editing services to writers of all backgrounds, including self-published and traditionally published authors.