If you’re on the exciting journey of building your own website, you know that choosing the right platform is like picking the perfect canvas for a masterpiece. Here are the top 5 best website builders to help turn your digital dreams into a stunning reality.
Dozens of website-builder platforms were tested using rigorous criteria that included pricing, ease of use and the number of website templates available. Each was given a score and then ranked them from highest to lowest.
So whether you’re a budding blogger, a creative entrepreneur or just want a little piece of the internet to call your own, these website builders can help you construct your online masterpiece.
Top 5 best website builders
1. Wix — For sites with beauty, function and that “something special”
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More than 900 templates to choose from
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Full-featured free plan
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Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop editor
When it comes to creating masterpiece websites, you can’t go wrong with Wix. Wix is a very easy-to-use website builder that allows you to launch your dream site with no hassle. The drag-and-drop editor allows you to tweak layouts, change colors, choose fonts and more. There’s no need to start from scratch if you have a specific idea — Wix hooks you up with 900-plus templates.
Wix has a template for every site imaginable, whether business, personal or a bit of both. You’re not stuck with industry-specific ones either. Wix lets you pick any template, giving you the freedom to customize your favorite design to fit your style.
Wix gives you all the extra features your site could need with a massive app market — 250-plus apps — and some are even free. You can create a unique, attractive site with just the functionality you need, even if you haven’t yet figured out how to get your laptop to talk to your printer. Whether you’re selling online, writing blogs or running a restaurant, Wix is a breeze to learn and extremely beginner-friendly. Best of all, the free plan lets you try it out and publish your site without spending a dime.
2: SITE123 — When all you need is a basic online presence
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Over 180 templates available
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Quick and easy to use
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Nifty automatic features
SITE123 is super easy to use — the name says it all, as it really does only take three easy steps to get up and running. SITE123 is ideal if you’re a beginner thanks to its straightforward point-and-click editor. (Note: point-and-click, not drag-and-drop.) With over 180 mobile-responsive templates and a variety of apps, your site can look terrific and function smoothly.
You use the editor by clicking buttons to arrange your page sections: text, media galleries, contact info and more. SITE123 isn’t, however, the best at building the complex sites Wix does. It excels at creating sites that are simpler, yet still attractive.
One word of warning — there’s a slight learning curve, especially if you’re used to drag-and-drop builders. It doesn’t take long, however. You can have a good-looking, functional website in a matter of hours.
3. Squarespace — Top-quality responsive templates
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Great for e-commerce
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Popular with artists and other creatives
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Similar to, but smoother than, WordPress
Squarespace shares similarities with WordPress.com, featuring a block editor and a navigation layout akin to other design platforms. Using Squarespace, you can build a beautiful, eye-catching site fairly easily and without hassle.
Unlike many website builders that force you to choose between content and e-commerce, Squarespace excels in both realms. Squarespace is popular with creative types, such as authors or artists, as it easily creates both portfolios and blogs. While other platforms offer similar functionality, Squarespace delivers a more robust experience, especially when compared to options like Wix.
While Squarespace lacks a free plan, it provides a 14-day free trial. Essential features are accessible on its lower-tier plans, competitively priced alongside other builders on this list.
4. Webador — When speed is your top priority
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Wide-variety of useful widgets
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Fast and easy drag-and-drop editor
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Tools for both blogs and e-commerce
Looking to build a simple website to boost your business without burning a hole in your pocket? Enter Webador. While it’s not the only builder promising a complete website in minutes, it’s among the rare few that truly deliver.
But it’s not just about speed. If you’re a beginner managing a small e-commerce shop or a blog, Webador offers a straightforward dashboard. Plus, it comes loaded with high-quality widgets to engage your visitors, like custom forms, product/service feedback tools and digital maps.
Webador stands out for its user-friendly interface, site-wide customization tools and neatly organized drag-and-drop widgets. When you need a simple site fast, Webador is a top choice.
5. IONOS Site Builder — For the site owner on a budget
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Most affordable e-commerce plan
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Choice of AI-generated or templated pages
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Simple, easy-to-use editor
IONOS’ MyWebsite Now builder is all about simplicity — choose from DIYing it using a range of well-designed templates or let the AI website generator create your site in less than a minute.
Either way, your IONOS website won’t look basic as it’s designed to handle the complex parts of site-building. And with the AI website generator, you can have a professional-looking site ready in mere seconds, but if you take advantage of the full customization options, it may take up to a minute.
Unlike builders with separate e-commerce plans, IONOS offers versatile online store packages that can be added to any plan. This flexibility makes IONOS one of the most affordable e-commerce choices, perfect for creating a simple online store with all the essential features. You can create a fast, affordable and highly functional ecomm store to fulfill all your website dreams.
How to choose the right website builder for your site
There are six criteria you should consider when choosing a website builder, and they are the same six elements used to rank this list. They are:
- Ease of use
- Design flexibility
- Pricing
- E-commerce capabilities
- Number of templates
- Number of apps and integrations available
Here is a look at each one in a bit of detail.
Ease of use
You’re probably looking for a web builder because you don’t want to need to learn how to code. The editors on all five of these top platforms are quite simple and easy to use. All of these top 5 best website builders offer point-and-click, drag-and-drop or AI website generator interfaces. It doesn’t get much easier to create a site using any of these platforms.
Design flexibility
Just as you want a website builder that’s easy to use, you also need one that allows for lots of flexibility and customization. It’s the only way you can create a site that is truly yours, as opposed to a cookie-cutter imitation. All of these website builders offer you a fair amount of flexibility and custom capabilities, with Wix undoubtedly offering the most.
Pricing
Your new website shouldn’t put a strain on your finances. To that end, you need to look at how much each website builder would charge for creating a small e-commerce site. Some website builders, like SITE123, offer free plans for respectable small sites. Others, like IONOS, are still reasonably low-cost but offer higher-end results. At any rate, all five website builders here are budget-friendly.
E-commerce capabilities
After the pandemic, the world saw a 200% increase in online shopping, and that number is expected to continue to climb. If your new site is for some sort of e-commerce venture. All five picks can help you create the online store of your dreams.
Number of templates
Not everyone has the time or talent to start building a website from scratch. That’s where the number and quality of available site templates becomes vital. And when it comes to templated sites, you don’t want your bakery’s site to look too much like the competing bakery down the street — or possibly worse, the attorney’s office next door. Wix wins this category, hands-down, by offering over 900 professionally designed templates to choose from.
Number of apps and integrations available
One way to customize your site’s functionality is through the use of apps and existing software. That means the number of apps and integrations a website builder offers should be important to you. And it was important to us when helping you decide on a website builder too.
See how these website builders compare to one another at a glance below.
| Ease of use | Design flexibility | Pricing | # of templates | # of apps and integrations | Free plan? | Time to build test site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | 10/10 | 10/10 | 9/10 | 900+ | 300+ |  |
90 minutes |
| Site123 | 8/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 | 180+ | 80+ | |
60 minutes |
| Squarespace | 8/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 140+ | 30+ | ✘ | 50 minutes |
| Webador | 10/10 | 6/10 | 10/10 | 50+ | None | |
10 minutes |
| IONOS Site Builder | 9/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 20+ | None | ✘ | 30 minutes |
What can be learned from all this?
There were four important lessons that came out of the website-builder-testing process:Website building is highly personal, so it’s important to choose the website builder that suits you best. Whether it’s the choice of templates, the freedom to customize, the platform’s ease of use or the price, each one has features you’ll like and dislike.
Free isn’t always better. The free plans all have critical limitations — the degree of customization, a placeholder URL instead of a custom domain name or the amount of storage and the number of pages allowed. To get the website of your dreams, it will reward you in the long run to pay at least a little up front.
Pre-made isn’t always a bad thing. The templates offered by these top 5 best website builders can allow you to create classy, professional and beautiful websites. There’s no need to DIY everything, spending hours tweaking and adjusting. Even some of the AI-generated stuff was respectfully decent, if not spectacular. Let go of the preconceived notion that templates or AI will create a cookie-cutter site, and give them a try.
At the end of the day, when it comes to the best website builders, Wix seems to be ideal for overall use. The template library can’t be beat. The drag-and-drop editor is so simple and easy to use. And the sites you can create will make jaws drop and eyes pop. And you might even find they are fun to use as well as being a truly creative experience.
FAQs
Are there any cons to using Wix?
Wix’s support team could use a lot of improvement. All the other website builders on this top five list, including SITE123, received better reviews for their support systems in our separate tests.
How difficult is it, really, to build my own site?
The test project used showed just how easy and fun it can be to build a nice-looking, fully functioning website. Even those who aren’t tech savvy will have little to no trouble using any of these platforms to create a site, especially with Wix’s beginner-friendly website builder and its large template library.
When should I upgrade to a paid website builder plan?
The short answer is: from the start. The longer answer is: whenever you start worrying about brand building. You need a paid plan with any of the website builders on this list to have your own brand’s custom domain name. If you begin with a basic plan from budget-friendly website builder Webador, you can avoid the hassle of upgrading later.
Isn’t it unprofessional to use a website builder?
No. Today’s website builders can create a professional-looking, fully functional site that can compete with most professional designers’ work. When big-name companies are building their sites on Squarespace’s platform, using a website builder is not only professional but a smart business decision too.
The news and editorial staffs of the Chicago Tribune had no role in this post’s preparation.