Nowadays, any business, small or large, needs a website. It may be for providing customers with relevant information (e.g., business contact details, company terms and conditions, product lists, delivery terms, business culture, etc.), selling products and services, promoting marketing campaigns, sharing a portfolio, or creating a community. Regardless of the reasons, a business website is a must. However, small businesses don’t always have the budget to hire a website design company or build an in-house IT team. Here is where website builders come into play. With just a few clicks and no programming experience whatsoever, anyone can create a professional website. We’ve gone through the most popular website builders and selected those that check the boxes for a small business. Here they are.
Description: Wix promises your website will be ready in a few minutes due to its powerful AI algorithms and intuitive interface. However, if you are happy with a professional-looking template, you can choose one of the thousands that Wix offers and get started even faster.
The customization part is equally important, which is why Wix includes AI-based tools throughout the site-building process (think of generating and editing images, text, and layouts). It allows you to create effects, user interactions, and animations without writing a single line of code. It doesn’t matter if you want an online shop, a blog, a website for scheduling events, or one to exhibit your business portfolio; Wix has your back.
Pros: AI-based tools, free custom domain, thousands of templates
Cons: Fewer integration options than other similar builders
Pricing: Prices starting at $17/month
Description: Together with WordPress, Squarespace is a very popular website builder, and you probably already know about it. But what you probably don’t know is that Squarespace offers more than themes and templates you can build your site upon. It provides an advanced AI website builder, Blueprint AI, that handles all the work for you. Blueprint AI creates the design and the content of your future business website.
Squarespace website builder guides you through the entire process. It’s easy to use and understand, and very useful for making good business decisions. It suggests pages, sections, and styles, helps you draft your content, and all it asks for is answers to a few simple questions about your business.
Pros: Intuitive design process, unlimited storage, beautiful styles and themes
Cons: It doesn’t have a free plan; limited live chat and telephone support availability
Pricing: Prices start at $11/month
Description: Shopify is another well-known brand, especially for those in the e-commerce market. But, like other similar apps, they also offer a website builder to anyone looking to create a website for a small business on a limited budget. Shopify website builder remains focused on commerce and offers AI-powered tools and hundreds of templates for that purpose. The design process is straightforward, with mostly drag-and-drop actions and plenty of styling tools. In case you need to touch up your content, Shopify provides a built-in image editor.
At the end, you’ll get a SEO optimized website, mobile-ready, and with integrated SEO controls and built-in blogging options. Shopify supports using a custom domain, and you are in business.
Pros: Easy-to-use website builder, SEO optimization, free plan to start with
Cons: Additional costs to consider, mainly suited for large online stores
Pricing: Prices start at $19/month
Description: WordPress has been and remains the number one option for creating a blog or an online portfolio. It’s completely free if you don’t want a custom domain or paid themes. However, for a small business like yours, WordPress provides more than this. Its website builder is precise and effective, ready to store extensive image galleries, video, and audio content. You get to choose from more than 50,000 plugins that literally can do anything you have in mind, from SEO optimization to customer support.
In addition, WordPress is especially good at integrations. It works with Google services, email services, finance services (e.g., PayPal), stock libraries, social media channels, and more.
Pros: Almost unlimited themes, styles, and plugins, excellent integrations
Cons: It may require some basic website development knowledge and ongoing maintenance (e.g., compatible plugins, updates, etc.).
Pricing: Prices start at $4.9/month
Description: With GoDaddy, one can create a mobile-ready website without any programming knowledge and for free. The app includes AI-based tools that can create not only designs but also content, such as product descriptions and FAQs. Of course, you must edit and customize everything to provide authentic content, but you get a good draft to start from.
The building process requires only drag-and-drop actions and a lot of decision-making, as you need to choose from a wide range of templates. But you can give it a try for free, and if the website turns out the way you want it, you can purchase a plan and go from there.
Pros: Free plan to build a website, easy design process, AI-based tools for content drafting
Cons: Basic SEO support and limited functionalities
Pricing: Prices start at $9.51/month.
Description: The good news about Weebly is that it is a free website builder. You can start using it for free and continue to do so indefinitely. Like all website builders, Weebly provides templates for each business type, step-by-step guidelines for creating pages and sections, all-in-one ecommerce tools (e.g., shipping, payments), and built-in marketing tools. You can use it to generate automated email campaigns or create Facebook ads, which is excellent because, as a small business, you probably don’t have dedicated employees for each of these.
Because it is a Square product, payment management is extremely facile. Weebly is an innovative solution for building an online shop, for sure.
Pros: Free, unlimited plan, SEO tools, efficient payment tools
Cons: The interface may require a learning curve; changes at a later time may require rebuilding the site
Pricing: Free plan and paid plans starting at $10/month.
Description: BigCommerce is exclusively focused on e-commerce. It may not be the solution for an online portfolio or company description website, but it sure works for online shops. The app provides all the details your store needs, from a stylish appearance to support for any device, multiple-language interfaces, live product catalogs, a personalized UX, and multiple payment methods.
BigCommerce provides high mobile responsiveness. SEO tools, and 24/7 customer support to improve both your and your clients’ experience. Thanks to its advanced analytics, you’ll know exactly what to do to increase your revenue and make your clients happier.
Pros: Multiple payment tools, high data security, versatile and customizable website interface
Cons: Works only for online stores
Pricing: On request
Description: Webflow is the website builder you want when you are looking for a high-performing solution to create a powerful brand. You don’t need a large business to create an authentic brand and an optimal user experience. Webflow aims to offer more than a good-looking style. They focus on collaboration, creativity, impact, and a more dynamic experience.
Webflow encompasses AI-based tools, content management, and SEO optimizations. The building process is mostly visual and heavily assisted by AI, making your experience very pleasant. Due to the built-in tools for SEO and AEO, you don’t have to know and do everything manually. And as your team grows, you’ll appreciate the real-time collaboration features and site management controls.
Pros: Advanced design, visual site builder, SEO optimization, and AEO tools
Cons: Steep learning curve
Pricing: Free starter plan and paid plans from $14/month
Description: Zyro and Hostinger joined forces last year, so now you have an even more powerful and easy-to-use option in Hostinger Website Builder. The app lets you create a website in just three steps. First, you instruct the AI builder on what you need or choose a template, then you customize and style it as you like, and finally, you go live by choosing a domain and publishing your website.
Hostinger’s templates cover online shops, blogs, business showcases, online portfolios, and more. It works on mobile and desktop devices, includes marketing and SEO tools, and integrates with popular services, such as Google.
Pros: AI-based website builder, covers all sorts of businesses, straightforward to use
Cons: Not easily scalable or changeable
Pricing: Prices start at $12/month
Description: HubSpot has put together a website builder and CMS (content management system) solution so you can have everything in a single place. Once you get through the website-building process, you have a complete platform at your disposal, including a theme library to change the website’s aspect, analytics, a cloud hosting service, and marketing campaign tools.
The building process is very intuitive, all drag-and-drop actions are supported, and it’s flexible. You can change the theme and styles after creating the website without redoing the entire process. HubSpot can assist you with website migration if you already have one.
Pros: CRM integration, marketing tools, built-in analytics
Cons: May not be ideal for large, complex websites, limited template library, and more challenging to figure out than other similar products
Pricing: Free plan and paid plans starting at $9/user/month.
Description: Square Online is a perfect solution if you need an online store because it assists you in creating a website with product catalogs, payment methods, shipping details, delivery options, and anything else your store needs. It comes with built-in SEO tools, integrates with Google and Meta services, runs marketing campaigns, and allows you to create a personalized shopping experience for your customers.
Square Online is definitely product-oriented. You can highlight products, create promotions, schedule sales, and provide an easy navigation experience for end users. The theme library spans many domains, including restaurants, events, online classes, and retail, offering versatile options and ample customization.
Pros: On-point features for selling goods and services
Cons: Limited themes and design capabilities
Pricing: Free plan and paid plans starting at $49/month
Description: Web.com and Network Solutions offer an all-in-one suite with tools for building websites, managing domains, hosting, online marketing, and more. Their AI-powered website builder is intuitive and easy to use, suiting both beginners and professionals. With hundreds of templates for all industries and topics, customizable elements, AI-generated content drafts, and even an AI Domain Name Generator, this app really leverages the benefits of new technology.
To help you even more on your way to creating a professional website for your business, web.com includes a built-in web hosting platform, which means you don’t have to look any further for domain names and hosting services. You have all you need in one place.
Pros: Friendly interface, suited for beginners, AI-powered tools for many aspects of your website
Cons: Lacks SEO optimization tools
Pricing: Prices start at $16.99/month
Description: Although it incorporates a lot of AI power, Duda is not for beginners. The app provides advanced tools, including client management, AI SEO assistance, traffic analysis, custom CSS and HTML capabilities, eCommerce options, AWS hosting, and collaboration tools. It allows you to use third-party tools (e.g., Google Business Profiles, Hubspot, Yext, etc.), control everything programmatically via a REST API, and use internal or third-party databases
Duda is definitely a time-saver when it comes to building a website. However, it is also extremely versatile and extensible, allowing you to write code if you feel like it and customize every single detail of the website. You’ll appreciate the automated backups and SSL encryption that keep your data safe.
Pros: Advanced features, endless customization, high-level data security, SEO optimization, and eCommerce capabilities
Cons: Switching to a different template may require redoing a lot of the website, and it is too complex for beginners
Pricing: Prices start at $19/month
Description: If you like the appearance of a WordPress website but building it seems complicated, SeedProd is the website builder you want. It promises to create a WordPress site in under 60 seconds. SeedProd relies on AI to guide you through the building process and help you choose from its templates, blocks, and themes. In the end, all you have to do is drag and drop different elements and customize them to match your brand.
SeedProd requires no coding or programming knowledge. It features SEO optimization, integrations with mail services and other third-party tools, subscriber management, spam protection, maintenance pages, and many more. It’s mobile-friendly and e-commerce-friendly.
Pros: Very easy-to-use builder, WooCommerce integration, no coding required
Cons: No free version, limited third-party integrations
Pricing: Prices start at $39.50/year
Description: If you already use Canva for design purposes, you’ll be glad to know you can build your business’s website using the same app. Canva’s website builder is as intuitive and user-friendly as the rest of its tools, and it offers endless templates and graphic content. The drag-and-drop process suits beginners and professionals alike.
Furthermore, Canva’s template library covers all industries, topics, and styles. You can keep an eye on traffic, draft your content with AI Magic Write, collaborate on design with your team, and publish the website for free using my.canva.site domain, and use AI to write code and customize your website.
Pros: Plenty of graphic elements to choose from, intuitive drag-and-drop building process
Cons: Limited SEO optimization and e-commerce capabilities
Pricing: Free plan and paid plans starting at $12.99/month
Description: If the main feature your website requires is easy publishing, Ghost is the website builder you need. Designed for professional publishers, Ghost pays close attention to style, functionality, and content management. It allows you to offer paid subscriptions, send newsletters, and publish content instantly. There are many themes to choose from, all tailored for the publishing industry; a built-in editor that supports any type of media; built-in newsletters; membership management; and extensive analytics.
Ghost takes your business to the next level, helping you monetize your content. Offer discounts and promotions, integrate your favorite social media or finance third-party apps, and boost your revenue.
Pros: Dedicated tools for professional publishers, advanced content editor
Cons: Not suitable for other industries
Pricing: Prices start at $15/month
Description: Like Ghost, Kajabi is a targeted web builder. More precisely, it is designed for creators and offers a code-free alternative to other website builders on the market. Kajabi makes building online portfolios and publishing effortless. You can choose from a diverse template library, customize the domain, manage your website from a mobile device, integrate with a wide range of tools, and process payments.
The built-in marketing tools and CMS will make your life easier. And if you want a website for online courses, you’ll love the builder’s modular structure and its AI-powered tools for generating titles and ideas.
Pros: All revenue comes to you (no processing fee), built-in marketing tools, built-in CMS
Cons: Limited design features, no e-commerce support
Pricing: Prices start at $71/month
Description: Site123’s free plan may be all you need because it includes storage space, subdomains, and all the tools you need to build and publish a website. For instance, the builder comes with plenty of styles and layouts to choose from, an image bank, SEO tools, online selling capabilities, a content management system, and free domain registration. It is intuitive, requires no coding, and is mobile-friendly.
If you find yourself in trouble, Site123 offers 24/7 support.
Pros: The free plan includes most of the things you need
Cons: Limited customization capabilities and marketing features
Pricing: Free plan plus a premium plan for $7.8/month
Description: Big Cartel is optimized for online stores. It takes four steps to build an online shop because the app handles everything: product list, design, payment options, and shipping. If you need more tools, you can install third-party apps, and if you need help with the design, you can choose a template from Big Cartel’s library.
If you move your shop from Shopify, Etsy, or Squarespace, you can automatically import the product catalog. Big Cartel lets you create discounts, promotions, and more, gather reviews, talk with your customers, and manage your shop on a mobile device.
Pros: Easy to build online shops or migrate from other similar platforms
Cons: Limited customization capabilities and SEO tools
Pricing: Free plan and paid plans starting at $15/month
Description: HostGator aims to deliver a complete solution for your business website. At the end of the building process, you should have a functional website with a professional look, a blog, a shopping cart and payment methods, social media links, and Google Analytics integration. The app provides templates and an image library, SEO tools, e-commerce capabilities, inventory management tools, and multiple payment processors.
Furthermore, your website will be mobile-friendly, integrated with social media, and closely monitored. HostGator provides walkthrough guides and tutorials to help you build your website in minutes.
Pros: Hassle-free website building for various industries and purposes
Cons: Lacks advanced features for e-commerce
Pricing: Prices start at $2.75/month for a 36-month contractual period
Description: IONOS provides an all-in-one solution, encompassing not only a website builder but also a domain, SSL, and email management. The building process itself is assisted by AI, making it faster and more efficient. AI handles the design and can help you with images and text. You can also take the traditional approach and start from a template. Then you can edit the layout, configure your online shop and payment methods, promote your business, and monitor traffic and audience reports.
In addition, IONOS supports translations, customized design, updates and changes, SEO optimizations, and custom HTML code. It’s mobile-friendly, too.
Pros: Wide range of features from design to SSL and SEO
Cons: The interface is a bit too complicated and may require a learning curve
Pricing: Prices start at $6/month.
Description: One might argue that MemberPress is not a website builder, and they would be right. It’s not. MemberPress is a WordPress plugin, but it is here for a very good reason. MemberPress takes your regular WordPress website and transforms it into a membership platform without asking for a single line of code from you. In a few minutes, you’d be able to offer your customers members-only dashboards, subscriptions, customizable checkouts, payment options, customized content, online courses, and more.
If you want to build a community and all you have is a WordPress website, check out this plugin. Then manage your content like a pro with timed releases, access rules, customizable coupons and promotions, social media integrations, and more. You can integrate with thousands of other apps from now on.
Pros: Powerful membership features, multiple payment options
Cons: You need a WordPress website to begin with
Pricing: Prices start at $199.50/year
Description: If you’ve never built a website before, seriously consider Jimdo. It’s not just the easy-breezy website builder that gives you a few presentation pages. It’s a complete website solution with functionalities for managing bookings, receiving payments, and staying in touch with your customers. Jimdo includes data analytics and marketing tools and is fully SEO optimized. However, you don’t have to know about any of these to use them on your website.
Furthermore, Jimdo provides templates for business websites, online shops, and service sites, so you don’t have to worry about business type either. The building process is intuitive, AI-enhanced, and very fast. You can get a custom domain right from the start, include GDPR-compliant legal pages, and create as many pages as you need.
Pros: Straightforward building process, lots of page types, built-in optimization, and marketing tools
Cons: Fewer template choices than other similar builders
Pricing: Free plan without a custom domain and paid plans from $11/month.
Description: Building a website doesn’t get any easier than Webnode: no step-by-step process, no drag-and-drop, no coding. Just answer a few questions about your website and business, and let AI do its magic. At the end of what is best called a conversation, you’ll have a professional business website. And, for more good news, Webnode does this for free.
Of course, you choose the design, but AI drafts the text and comes up with images. Later, you can customize the design and content to your liking. Webnode provides templates for all sorts of businesses and website requirements, lets you add a custom domain, offers a professional mailbox that integrates with your email service, and features tools for creating an online shop.
Pros: e-commerce features, SSL certificates, custom domains, user-friendly site-building process
Cons: Fewer design and customization options than similar products
Pricing: Free plan and premium plans starting at $3/month
What is a website builder?
A website builder is an online platform that guides you to create a website. It may use a drag-and-drop interface, an AI question-and-answer process, or any other method to select the design and features you want for your website. The website builder lets you customize pages, sections, titles, and plugins, add images and text, choose fonts and color palettes, and include your brand’s visuals. More advanced website builders offer e-commerce, membership, payment, marketing, data analytics, and communication tools. They may cover SEO optimization and host your new website as well.
What can a website builder do for your small business?
A website builder can create a professional-looking website for your business with lower costs than hiring a website designer and/or programmer for the task. It can handle website hosting, maintenance, customer support, online shopping, marketing campaigns, inventory management, audience analytics, and SEO. Of course, prices differ from one website builder to another, so choose one that satisfies your requirements without exceeding your budget. Things to consider are:
Which small business website builder should you choose?
You should use the website builder that fits your knowledge level, business requirements, and budget. Website builders have paid subscriptions. If you choose to buy the domain and host your website using the same service, consider long-term costs. You should also consider the following features:
Which website builders are free?
Many website builders offer a free plan, but it typically comes with limitations. For instance, Wix and WordPress offer free plans that don’t include a custom domain, where your website is hosted on a platform-branded domain (e.g., wixsite.com, wordpress.com). Other free plans offer limited storage space or bandwidth (e.g., Webnode), lack advanced business features (e.g., GoDaddy), support a limited number of products (e.g., Big Cartel, 5 product listings, one image per product), or don’t have e-commerce capabilities at all (e.g., Site123).
How do website builders work?
The process of building a website with a website builder often starts with choosing a design template. More recent apps use AI algorithms to pre-select the design options based on your requirements. Then, the user can customize the template by deciding which sections are required, selecting fonts and color palettes, adding images and graphic design (e.g., the company’s logo), and including advanced features if needed (e.g., social media links, e-commerce tools, etc.). Finally, the website builder may assist with purchasing a custom domain, configuring a business mailbox, enlisting subscribers, and managing payments.
What key website builder features should you consider?
Amongst the website builder features to consider are:
There are also more advanced features to consider, such as:
Automate your Human Resources management with the easy to use core HR software.
Easy set-up ● No contracts required ● No credit cards