With a lot of business tools, it doesn\u2019t matter what you pick. We can\u2019t say the same for website builders. <\/p>\n
It matters. And it matters a lot. Once you pick one, you won\u2019t be able to easily switch to another if you decide you don\u2019t like it\u2013you\u2019ll likely have to rebuild your entire website from scratch. That\u2019s really the biggest downside of website builders in general. <\/p>\n
So, Should You Use a Website Builder?<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019re starting a simple website that doesn\u2019t depend on traffic or performance for its success, a website builder is a good <\/em>choice. <\/p>\n Local and small business, service providers, ecommerce stores, portfolios, and similar types of sites will do just fine as long as you pick a website builder you\u2019re going to stick with for the long-term. <\/p>\n Blogs and any other type of site that relies on traffic for ads, affiliate marketing, or anything similar will do much better with traditional hosting + WordPress instead. WordPress\u2019s flexibility, mobility, and scalability are critical as your traffic grows. If you\u2019re building a site like this, you don\u2019t want to get stuck with something that can\u2019t handle your growth. <\/p>\n If that sounds like you, we recommend Hostinger\u2019s WordPress hosting<\/a>\u2013it\u2019s cheap and comes with everything you need to get started. <\/p>\n Otherwise, keep scrolling. You\u2019re in the right place. <\/p>\n Many traditional hosting providers, like Hostinger<\/a> and Bluehost<\/a>, offer a free website builder with their hosting plans. <\/p>\n They\u2019re not as feature-rich as dedicated website builders. But this could be a good route if you want to keep the option of traditional hosting open. Hostinger lets you host up to 100 websites on the cheapest plan<\/strong>\u2013you could use the website builder for some and another platform, like WordPress, for others\u2013all without needing to purchase another plan. <\/p>\n Bluehost lets you host up to five websites<\/strong> on a single plan and includes a website builder that works with <\/em>WordPress so you don\u2019t have to choose between the two. <\/p>\n If you don\u2019t care about traditional hosting and want a more feature-rich website builder, our top picks include:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not building a simple four- or five-page website, an ecommerce store, or a site that relies heavily on visuals, Wix is the best there is<\/em>. <\/p>\n Hostinger\u2019s the cheapest option on our list\u2013it starts at just $2.99 per month (1\/5 the cost of most of the others). <\/p>\n Despite the low price tag, it lets you host up to 100 websites on a single plan\u2013you likely won\u2019t actually be able to host that many (you get 100 GB of storage in total). But it\u2019s a great deal, even if you want to create a few sites. <\/p>\n But the best part is that you can use Hostinger\u2019s website builder for some of your site and a platform like WordPress for others. <\/p>\n With that said, you won\u2019t be able to transfer a website builder site to WordPress or vise versa. If you start with Hostinger\u2019s website builder, you\u2019re pretty much stuck with it. So, that immobile aspect of website builders is still present. <\/p>\n However, it gives you options and leaves doors open\u2013something you won\u2019t have with the other providers on our list. <\/p>\n In terms of actually building a website with the website builder, it\u2019s one of the simpler and more approachable solutions on the market. <\/p>\n We interviewed a Hostinger user who needed a professional-looking website when she started her freelance writing business. She wasn\u2019t technically inclined but noted that Hostinger is \u201cgreat for anyone intimidated by the web.\u201d Even with no experience, it took her under 24 hours to build her site. <\/p>\n The drag-and-drop functionality means great design is just a few clicks away. Plus, pages are automatically optimized for mobile or desktop, so your site looks great on every device with no extra work on your side.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to start from scratch, either. Hostinger includes more than 100 professionally designed templates for you to customize. A major downside is that you\u2019ll be locked into the template you choose\u2013it\u2019s not really possible to try another without rebuilding everything from scratch. <\/p>\n Wix and Squarespace give you more customizability, but Hostinger nails the basics. <\/p>\n If you get stuck on anything, there are plenty of resources available on its website, plus 24\/7 customer support to get you back on track. Hostinger customers seem satisfied with both. \u201cThey\u2019ll give you a canned response in some cases,\u201d one user told us, but it \u201cwasn\u2019t a big deal\u201d most of the time because the resource library on the Hostinger website is quite robust. <\/p>\n Bluehost<\/a> isn\u2019t as cheap as Hostinger, nor does it let you host as many websites. But it\u2019s the only website builder on our list built on top of WordPress. You\u2019ll get the benefits of WordPress\u2013easy content creation, scalability, portability, and flexibility\u2013with Bluehost\u2019s builder added on. <\/p>\n If you decide you don\u2019t like the website builder later, you don\u2019t have to use it. You can switch to a different theme without starting over. <\/p>\n While getting started with WordPress isn\u2019t quite as easy as a traditional website builder, it\u2019s worth learning and you\u2019ll be able to figure it out with a bit of elbow grease. It seems more complicated than it is. <\/p>\n \u201cWith no knowledge of WordPress when I started, it was a bit of a steep learning curve, but I figured everything out quickly enough,\u201d said one user we interviewed. \u201cWordPress is very intuitive, and if you can\u2019t figure something out, you just have to Google it or check on YouTube, and you will likely find an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n Another user we talked to loves how flexible WordPress is. It\u2019s an open-source application, so the back-end code is widely available\u2014allowing developers and creators to make their own themes, widgets, and plugins<\/a>. <\/p>\n As such, there\u2019s an infinite number of possibilities. Want to change up the look and feel? Switch your theme. Need a specific function, like a contact form, SEO guidance, an image optimizer, or something else? There\u2019s probably a plugin for it. <\/p>\n And, if you want to get your hands dirty, you can jump into the backend yourself and customize to your heart\u2019s desire.<\/p>\n \u201cWordPress gave me everything I needed to create the blog I wanted,\u201d one user told us. \u201cIt gave me an easy interface to post my blogs, as well as everything I needed or wanted in my blog: a subscription box, an author area; just the look I wanted and the flexibility to change things as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Bluehost plans also include helpful WordPress tools, like WonderSuite, WonderBlocks, step-by-step guides, video tutorials, and more, that make customizing your site as easy as possible. <\/p>\n However, the folks we interviewed all agreed on one thing: It\u2019s not the most beginner-friendly website builder.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re willing to put in the work, learning even just the basics of WordPress can result in a massive return on investment. Not only will you be able to create a fully customized website, but you\u2019ll have a valuable skill you can use going forward. <\/p>\n If you don\u2019t need the extra flexibility and mobility that Hostinger or Bluehost offer, Wix<\/a> is truly the best, most feature-rich, and comprehensive website builder out there.<\/p>\n We typically try to avoid saying anything is \u201cthe best overall\u201d because it\u2019s usually not true. But it absolutely is in this case. <\/p>\n It\u2019s the only true drag-and-drop builder on our list\u2013others lock you in to a grid system to ensure your site always looks good, but Wix lets you place elements anywhere you want. It\u2019s true customization freedom. <\/p>\n There are a few different places to start\u2013one of the hundreds of templates or the AI creation tool. If you go the AI route, it\u2019s like taking a Buzzfeed quiz\u2013just answer a few questions and get a full website based on your answers. Either way, you can use it as a starting point and customize it as much as you want. <\/p>\n It\u2019s truly as easy as it gets, while still allowing you ultimate freedom to do what you want. All the users we spoke to attest to how easy Wix was to use\u2014without sacrificing the quality of the final product.<\/p>\n \u201c[Wix] is very intuitive, and they give you great tools to create great websites,\u201d one user told me. They also spoke highly of the hundreds of templates the builder offered, praising the variety of great-looking designs along with \u201cits easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder.\u201d<\/p>\n Aside from the builder itself, you\u2019ll also get tools for bookings and appointments, marketing tools, lead capture forms, basic ecommerce functionality for small stores, restaurant management, and event management features on certain plans. <\/p>\n The catch? It\u2019s expensive. <\/p>\n Especially after your promotional period ends. One of our interviewees said, \u201cthe price per month tends to be quite high.\u201d In fact, it\u2019s more than 5x the cost of something like Hostinger at the cheapest level. <\/p>\n Many of the features are also only offered as a a free trial. You can play around with it for a limited amount of time or uses to see how it works, but you\u2019ll have to pay extra if you want to keep using it. It\u2019s not really all that clear what\u2019s free and what\u2019s not once you get in and start building. <\/p>\n However, you can try the entire platform for free and build an whole website before paying. This gives you a chance to see if you like it. <\/p>\n Web.com<\/a> is a great choice if you\u2019re building a site with just a few pages. Small businesses, local service providers, and similar types of websites will do fine. Anything more than that and you\u2019ll quickly wish you\u2019d went elsewhere. <\/p>\n It\u2019s straightforward, streamlined, and refreshingly simple. You won\u2019t find (or have to pay for) advanced customization or hundreds of features\u2013which is perfect if you don\u2019t need those things anyway. <\/p>\n There are around 150 templates you can use to get started. All you have to is update the colors, fonts, text, and images to match your brand. It truly takes just a few minutes to build an entire professional-looking website. <\/p>\n There are also free marketing tools, including a QR generator, an AI copywriting tool, a lightweight CRM, and a basic photo editing build in. <\/p>\n Over time, you can scale up to higher tiers to add more features, like an online store, appointment scheduling, email marketing, analytics, and more. You even have the option to cross-sell products on marketplaces like Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and Etsy, too. <\/p>\n It has all the basic functionality you\u2019ll need for a simple website without the clutter. <\/p>\n However, it\u2019s not the builder for you if you want to get deep in the weeds tweaking settings, fine-tuning details, or adjusting the spacing between two elements to get it just right. It\u2019s also not all that great for blogging, either. If you try to do any of those things, you\u2019ll find yourself feeling extremely limited. <\/p>\n Another thing to keep in mind is that its domain names, while free for the first year, cost three times as much\u2013$37.99 per year\u2013as traditional domain registrars<\/a>. <\/p>\n So, you\u2019ll get a much better deal if you move your domain elsewhere after your free year is up. <\/p>\n Pricing starts at $4.95 per month, which seems incredibly affordable compared to Wix. But after your first year, you\u2019ll pay $15.99 per month for the same tier\u2013making it only $1 cheaper than Wix. <\/p>\n If ecommerce is going to be your main source of revenue, go with Shopify<\/a>. It\u2019s truly the best ecommerce platform on the market\u2013by a lot. <\/p>\n With it, you\u2019ll get everything you need to sell physical products, book appointments, schedule deliveries, manage shipping, handle multiple inventory locations, and a lot more. If you\u2019re thinking\u2026 \u201cthat sounds too advanced,\u201d it\u2019s actually deceptively easy to use. <\/p>\n Plus, you it\u2019s just as strong and approachable if you\u2019re starting small and expect to grow. <\/p>\n You can certainly do many of the same things with other website builders, but Shopify ONLY does ecommerce. It doesn\u2019t cater to regular websites or anyone other than folks selling stuff online. <\/p>\n Every product update, newsletter, tutorial, and guide is specifically for businesses like yours. <\/p>\n Plus, it\u2019s a true all-in-one platform: website, online store, payment processor, order fulfillment, marketing tools, discounts, product variations, inventory management, you name it. If Shopify doesn\u2019t have a built-in feature to do what you need, it offers the most diverse app marketplace in ecommerce.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shopify has very few limits. You can sell as many items, styles, and varieties as you like on any channel. <\/p>\n There are 11 free themes to start with\u2013or you can purchase one offered by Shopify or a third-party designer. From there, tweak a few elements, add all your pages, and you\u2019re good to go. You need not be a tech whiz to make your first buck on Shopify.<\/em><\/p>\n By the time you add your content and images, you\u2019ll already have a professional online storefront.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, Shopify is pretty basic in terms of point-and-click design. It\u2019s easy to make basic tweaks, but you won\u2019t be able to make a truly custom website without the help of a developer. <\/p>\n Most people will be more than happy with the look and feel of their site. <\/p>\n Shopify plans start at $29 per month, making it the most expensive starting point on our list. When you consider all that you get and how much room there is to grow\u2013you can\u2019t really put a price on that for ecommerce stores. However, if you\u2019re not selling products, it\u2019s not the builder for you. <\/p>\nThe Best Website Builders: Our Top Picks in <\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
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Hostinger<\/a> \u2013 Best Traditional Hosting + Website Builder Combo<\/h2>\n
![\"Hostinger](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/hostinger-logo-1.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Hostinger](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/hostinger-logo-1.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/figure>\nBluehost<\/a> \u2013 Best WordPress Website Builder<\/h2>\n
![\"Bluehost](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/bluehost-logo-1.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Bluehost](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/bluehost-logo-1.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/figure>\nWix<\/a> \u2013 Best Traditional Website Builder Overall<\/h2>\n
![\"Wix](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/wix-logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Wix](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/wix-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/figure>\nWeb.com<\/a> \u2014 Best Website Builder for Very Simple Websites<\/h2>\n
![\"Web.com](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/web.com-logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Web.com](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/web.com-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/figure>\nShopify<\/a> \u2013 Best Website Builder for Ecommerce Stores<\/h2>\n
![\"Shopify](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/shopify-logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Shopify](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/shopify-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/figure>\nSquarespace<\/a> \u2013 Best Website Builder for Creatives<\/h2>\n
![\"Squarespace](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/squarespace-logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Squarespace](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/squarespace-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/figure>\n