Top 11 Website Builders for 2023

Every business needs a website.

A strong web presence is one of the most important investments you can make.

But not every business has thousands of dollars handy to pay a professional web designer.

And that’s where website building software comes into play.

If you are a complete beginner, you can use website-building platforms to build a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge whatsoever. But with so many options out there, making the right choice might seem daunting.

That’s why we’ve compiled this resource of the best website builders on the market today.

How we review website builders (our review process):

• We found the 11 most popular website builders
• We signed up with each of them (become paying members)
• We used each tool to create a small business website
• We evaluated ease-of-use, features, and customization options
• We monitored their performance (reliability)

Comparison Table

Top Website Builders in 2023 (From Best to Worst)

1. Wix

What we liked

• A drag and drop feature that truly has no limitations, you can move anything anywhere
• Very simple to use
• Great SEO options
• Great app market (250+ applications)
• Huge list of unique features
• Both iOS and Android mobile applications for their editor

What could be better

• Help Center is great, but we would have liked to see a live chat support option as well
• Not great for large websites

By far their biggest stand-up feature is their flexibility with their editor. You can drag and drop elements where ever you want on your page without any limitations with great ease. Combine that with their immerse selection (800+) of themes and you got yourself a builder that truly makes making a website a breeze.

Another great stand-out feature was their app store. With over 250 different apps to choose from, you can be sure to find that feature that you’re looking for. Be it a restaurant menu, photography portfolio, or advertising features for your new product you can be sure you’ll find it there.

But there were a few things that also bothered us.

Because of their high customization options, their navigation menus are really crowded and unless you’re a long-time user it can be hard to find what you’re looking for. And they aren’t best suited for bigger (30+ pages) websites. And it would have been nice to see a 24/7 live chat, but at least they have an extensive help center with videos and the ticket system is at least 24/7 and pretty fast.

Wix Features Include:

Plans & Pricing:

You can get started with Wix for free without needing to add a payment method. The free plan has some limitations though. You can’t connect to a domain (instead you have a URL yourwebsite.wix.com), they display ads on your website and there are a few limitations with the builder. Nevertheless, it’s still a great way to test them out.

They also provide a 14-day moneyback on all of their premium plans.

Website plans

• Combo: $16/month
  You get: a custom domain name, no ads, an SSL certificate, 2 GB of storage
• Unlimited: $22/month
  You get: analytics statistics, a $300 ad voucher, 5 GB of storage
• Pro: $27/month
  You get: event calendar, logo maker, brand-related social media images, 50 GB of storage
• VIP: $45/month
  You get: priority support, 100 GB of storage

eCommerce plans

• Business Basic: $27/month
  You get: secure online payments, subscriptions & pricing plans, customer accounts, custom domain, unlimited products, abandoned cart reminders, 50 GB of storage
• Business Unlimited: $32/month
  You get: multiple currencies, advanced shipping, sell on social channels, sell on marketplaces, customer reviews, 100 GB of storage
• Business VIP: $59/month
  You get: priority support, unlimited video hosting, unlimited storage

See all plans: www.Wix.com

2. Hostinger Website Builder

What we liked

• Very affordable
• AI tools
• Great security
• Drag and Drop builder with grid function
• 24/7 support

What could be better

• Not as many themes as larger builders
• Can’t swap themes without starting over

Our Review

Even though Hostinger as a hosting company has been around for a while, they are still a newcomer among website builders. But don’t be tricked by its ‘newbie’ status. This site builder already has many of the same features as more established players.

The premade website templates are very modern and attractive. The codebase is clean and optimized for speed and performance standards both users and search engines require. Head straight to the grid editor or use a drag-and-drop website builder for rapid page prototyping. Once you are done with the design basics, you can set up one-click integrations with popular digital marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Tag Manager, HotJar, Facebook Messenger, or Facebook Pixel. Finally, take a pick at some tool AI tools — an AI writer, blog post title generator, logo maker, and Slogan Generator. During our test, all of them produced unique and engaging copies.

But there are some downers with Hostingers website builder. There are no premade plugins/extensions beyond the aforementioned marketing/analytics integrations. Also, you can’t swap themes midway into the design process. When adding a new theme, all your design progress will be gone. That’s frustrating if you forgot to save your files.

Hostinger Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

Hostinger is shockingly affordable. They’ve gone with a relatively new approach to pricing compared to the rest of the industry. Instead of having multiple tiers of plans, they have simply one, which gets you access to all features. Their pricing still ranges but instead of limiting features theirs is based on for how long you sign up with them. The longer the term the cheaper the monthly cost. The prices range from $2.99 per month for 48 months to $11.99 per single month. But do note that all of the plans have a slightly higher renewal rate.

• 1 month: $11.99/month
• 12 months: $2.99/month (renews at $8.99)
• 24 months: $2.99/month (renews at $7.99)
• 48 months: $2.99/month (renews at $6.99)

Moreover, Hostinger offers free hosting, a domain name for 1 year, unlimited storage, and an SSL certificate with all plans.

See all plans: www.Hostinger.com

3. Shopify (eCommerce Only)

What we liked

• Clean editor
• Blog feature
• Advanced eCommerce features
• Thousands of integrations

What could be better

• Expensive
• Not all templates are included

Our Review

Shopify is among the best website builders for eCommerce websites. With no code at all, you can set up an attractive online store in a matter of days. Just like other builders, you can choose a modern website template and then customize each page with a drag-and-drop builder. Whenever you need an extra feature, high chances are that you’ll find a relevant app or integration among some 5,500+ options in the Shopify app store. Or you can hire a web developer to build a custom integration for you since Shopify providers open APIs.

Managing a Shopify eCommerce website is easy too. The CRM system is intuitive and you have a host of store management tools to optimize routine tasks such as product catalog management, inventory management, shipping, and more. Also, you have a good content management system to run a blog. Overall, you have all the tools you need to run small-to-midsize eCommerce operations.

Still, there are several inconveniences we’d like to point out.

Then you can only use the proprietary payment processor if you operate out of the US, the UK, several European countries, Australia, Singapore, or Hong Kong. Small businesses from other countries will need to use a third-party processor and pay extra fees.

Shopify Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

Shopify is definitely one of the more expensive website builders that we’ve reviewed. But it’s only because they are among the best eCommerce builders on the market in 2022.

• Basic Shopify: $29/month
• Shopify: $79/month
• Advanced Shopify: $299/month

See all plans: www.Shopify.com

4. GoDaddy Website Builder

What we liked

• Great free plan*
• Easy to use
• Fairly priced
• Support and Tutorials included

What could be better

• Might be too simple for larger companies
• Not the best eCommerce platform

Our Review

With over 300 themes, native tools for image editing (Over), selling integrations with popular online marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, etc), and a native shopping cart solution, this website builder will appeal to many small business owners.

Once you’ve found a good-looking theme, you can customize it in the drag-and-drop editor. Add promo banners, embed contact forms, design attractive call-to-actions, and play with all the customization features. Next, set up integrations with your social accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business). We love that you can control all your marketing and activity from a single interface. The native analytics tools are very comprehensive.

The eCommerce platform is there, but it’s better suited for hobby sellers, rather than full-time eCommerce website owners. Since you cannot add third-party extensions to this builder, you may soon outgrow it.

GoDaddy Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

GoDaddy has a free plan that comes with a lot of services. This includes email and social media marketing, PayPal payments, SSL security, and 24/7 support.

• Basic: $6.99/month
• Standard: $10.49/month
• Premium: $13.99/month
• Ecommerce: $14.99/month

*Pricing and features are representative of the U.S. version of the product. Variations may exist in different regions and languages.

See all plans: www.GoDaddy.com

5. Squarespace

What we liked

• Easy to use
• Podcasting integrations
• Effective blog platform
• SSL security
• eCommerce on all levels

What could be better

• No drag-and-drop editor
• Expensive

Our Review

Squarespace focuses on quality, over quantity. The selection of website themes is modest — around 110 templates. But every design is high-quality, stylish, responsive, and SEO-optimized. You have a good selection of tools to make your website on brand — tweak page layouts, customize grids, change website theme colors, and more. All of the design tools are very easy to use!

To create an attractive website page, you can use pre-made design elements or third-party integrations with other services e.g. social media websites, payment processing software, or a shipping services provider if you run eCommerce operations. You can choose among 20 pre-made integrations with popular business tools and 30+ connected services. In either case, you are getting an add-on feature to your website in a few clicks.

But convenience has a price. In the case of Squarespace, it’s quite high. After a 14-day free trial, you’ll have to pay a minimum of $12/mo for your website. The pricing plan includes a hosting plan, domain name, access to the builder, and all the design tools and connected services. However, you may be billed separately for using third-party extensions. For example, since Squarespace doesn’t have a native payment processing tool, you’d have to pay PayPal or Stripe fees on top.

Squarespace Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

Squarespace is one of the more expensive builders on this list.

• Personal: $14/month
• Business: $23/month
• eCommerce: $27/month
• Advanced Commerce: $49/month

The base Personal subscription starts at $14 per month, and it comes with website metrics, enhanced support, templates, SEO features, unlimited storage, and bandwidth, plus SSL security.

On the other side of the coin, the Advanced Commerce subscription is $49 per month with an annual subscription. It grants you unlimited contributors, the ability to sell subscriptions, includes premium integrations, and lets you customize your site with Javascript and CSS

See all plans: www.Squarespace.com

6. Carrd (One Page Only)

What we liked

• Extremely affordable
• Free option
• Easy to use
• Functional Templates

What could be better

• Small Template Selection
• No eCommerce
• Can only build single page websites

Our Review

Looking for a no-frills tool to create your own website or host an online portfolio? Check out Carrd. This one-page website builder is minimalistic, yet yields professional-looking websites for free.

Pick among 100 one-page themes or drag and drop a custom page layout. Browse and try out some 100 design elements. Sprinkle in some personality with custom color selection, fonts, and images. Then hit publish. It’s as easy as that.

If you want some extra features, you can pay $19/year and connect a custom domain, Google Analytics account, lead generation forms, and email marketing software.

Carrd is a simple website builder, so don’t expect much from it. The SEO functionality is very basic. Plus, you cannot embed many third-party apps or widgets (apart from the basics such as PayPal, Stripe, Typeform). Understandably, there’s no eCommerce functionality.

Carrd Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

When it comes to Pricing, Carrd redefines the word affordable.

It actually has a pretty good free plan that lets you do an awful lot. There are paid options, which can be seen below:

• Pro Lite: $9/year
• Pro Standard: $19/year
• Pro Plus: $49/year

As you can see, Carrd can be either free or up to $49/year. You can also try out their paid plans for free for seven days.

Yes, that’s right. Per year, not month.

See all plans: www.Carrd.co

7. Webflow

What we liked

• Unlimited Free Plan
• Excellent design customization
• Included tutorials
• Good range of templates

What could be better

• Expensive
• Difficult to use at first

Our Review

Those interested in learning the nitty-gritty of web and UX/UI design will love Webflow. A SaaS website builder with hardly any limits on customization, it’s the tool for people who don’t mind doing some learning along the way.

With a separate website area called Webflow University, you’d find a ton of tutorials, how-tos, and documentation for mastering different aspects of web design. Once you get a good grasp of those, there’s no limit to what you can build with Webflow — portfolio website, blog, corporate portal, or a robust online store.

A definite advantage is that Webflow comes with a lavish free plan. You can spend as much time as you want to develop and perfect a new website in the sandbox environment and only start paying for usage once you publish it.

As for the cons, Webflow also has somewhat confusing interfaces, icons, and terminology that even pro designs and coders find puzzling. Again, this makes the learning curve somewhat steep.

Webflow Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

Webflow has pricing plans for both regular websites and eCommerce sites. There is a free version that requires no credit card. It gives you full access to design elements and CMS control, along with more than 100 hours of tutorials.

• Basic: $12/month
• CMS: $16/month
• Business: $36/month

The premium plans range between $12 per month and $36 per month, with an Enterprise plan that is priced on a custom basis.

The eCommerce plans start at $29 per month. This plan is paid annually in one lump sum.

See all plans: www.Webflow.com

8. Gator Builder

What we liked

• Easy to use
• Very affordable
• Separate from Hosting services
• Good eCommerce features
• Blog feature

What could be better

• Wonky Drag and Drop editor
• No free plan

Our Review

A standalone product by HostGator — a popular website hosting company — this builder has some seriously good eCommerce and blogging features.

For starters, swipe through some nice website templates. The choice is really great, with loads of industry-specific designs. Then, customize it up to your liking. You can set a custom website background, style each element using a selected color preset, specify different font types and sizes for all text elements, and more. The customization options let you turn a generic website theme into a unique design.

Advanced blogging features are another boon. The editor has a familiar look of classic WordPress. So it’s pretty intuitive to use. You can add different in-text styling options, embed videos, add a custom post summary, and optimize your post for SEO. Once the post is published, you can pin it atop of your blog or mark it as ‘featured’.

Finally, pro users will love the extras: native email marketing suite (with a custom CRM and AI-powered email design kit), free logo maker, advanced analytics, and an appointments booking system.

The cons of Gator website builder are limited extensions. Since there’s no app store or plugin repository, you cannot add custom features to your website. Therefore, if you’re missing out on some functionality, you will have to wait till it becomes natively available.

Gator Builder Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

HostGator’s website builder is a very affordable service, with even the eCommerce option coming in at under $10 per month.

• Start Plan: $3.46/month
• Premium Plan: $5.39/month
• Ecommerce Plan: $8.30/month

As you can see in the image above, website builder plans start at $3.46 per month for a starter subscription. The eCommerce plan, which is the most expensive option, is only $8.30 per month, as of this writing. But beware, that the renewal prices are much higher than the initial sign-up prices.

See all plans: www.HostGator.com

9. Adobe Builder (Portfolio Only)

What we liked

• Free with Creative Suite
• Works with other Adobe platforms
• No coding required
• Can add text boxes

What could be better

• No third-party integrations
• Videos need an embed code
• No drag-and-drop editor

Our Review

As the name implies, this builder is great for creating portfolio websites without any coding skills. Using one of the pre-made templates and a drag-and-drop editor, you can pile up a fine-looking personal website to expand your online presence. If you are stuck, go to the Community area where you can browse website examples by others or get some feedback/critique on your current design.

Since this product is primarily targeted at creatives, you have native integration with a host of other Adobe Creative Cloud products such as one-click project integration from Behance, sync with Adobe Lightroom, access to Adobe Fonts, and other Creative Cloud services. But you cannot extend your website with any third-party apps.

What we also felt was missing is native video embedding. To add a video to your page, you need to write some custom code. Also, since most of the templates were created for portfolios, websites with more texts don’t look as nice.

Adobe Portfolio Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

Adobe Portfolio comes free with an Adobe Creative Suite subscription or their Creative Cloud – Photography subscription.

• Creative Cloud (photography): $9.99/month
• Creative Cloud (All apps): $54.99/month

See all plans: www.Adobe.com

10. Webnode

What we liked

• Drag and Drop interface
• Affordable plans
• eCommerce Options
• Organized selection of templates

What could be better

• No eCommerce on lower tier plans
• Some functions aren’t properly optimized

Our Review

Webnode provides a nice starter set of features for designing and publishing a website. The non-tech crowd will like how simple everything looks and feels. You can edit the website look either by highlighting individual elements or by configuring site-wide settings for fonts, colors, forms, etc, in the Settings menu. Try out different themes, page layouts, and styling options before settling on the final look. However, the free plan doesn’t come with automatic online backups and site recovery. So save changes frequently!

Another cool feature is multi-language support. Webnode can localize all the website elements to 20+ languages. But you’ll have to manually translate and upload any content you have added (e.g. product descriptions, landing page copy, or blog posts).

While Webnode ticks most of the boxes for website design, its website functionality is lacking. A limited set of eCommerce features is all that you are getting. There are no native newsletter or email marketing tools, online booking functionality, marketing, or analytics tools. Worse — you cannot custom-code these.

WebNode Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

Besides the free option, Webnode has four premium options, all of which are highly affordable.

• Limited: $3.90/month
• Mini: $7.50/month
• Standard: $12.90/month
• Profi: $22.90/month

The Limited plan starts a $3.90 per month and is the only Webnode plan that does not come with a free domain. You are, however, able to use a domain that you acquired elsewhere.

See all plans: www.Webnode.com

11. Weebly

What we liked

• Highly secure
• Free option
• Great app selection
• Easy to use drag-and-drop editor

What could be better

• Limited number of templates
• Upsells cost money

Our Review

Those concerned with the recent rise of website hacking and malware will appreciate Weebly’s staunch set of security features. We liked that every website gets a TLS certificate (an upgraded version of SSL) for free. Additionally, Weebly runs an advanced DDoS mitigation service to protect all hosted websites, so that no hacker could take you down.

Apart from security, we found Weebly to be user-friendly and jam-packed with some essential website tools such as a native image editor, custom fonts, on-site search, and integrated analytics among others. If you feel that something is missing, you can add custom HTML/CSS or JavaScript code snippets to your website. Or go browse the app marketplace with a good selection of integrations.

Finally, you can sell products on your Weebly website, using a native Square integration. (Square bought Weebly in 2018).

Despite Weebly’s great overall vibe, several issues made us place it lower on the list. Their customer support is ranked poorly by current users. Getting a hold of someone takes hours and agents are not fully qualified to help with troubleshooting. Live chat and phone support are only available to customers, located in the US. Users on a basic plan living elsewhere will have to wait till their query gets resolved via email.

Weebly Features Include:

Pricing and Plans:

Weebly has a free plan and three premium subscriptions. It is a low-cost website builder, with even the top plans falling under $30 per month.

• Personal: $6/month
• Professional: $12/month
• Performance: $26/month

Every level (even the free option) comes with SSL security for your entire site.

See all plans: www.Weebly.com