Best Website Builder Tools: Which One Actually Makes Sense for Your Business?

Let's cut to the chase: website builders have gotten really good. You don't need to hire a developer to get a professional-looking site anymore. But picking the wrong one can cost you time, money, and a lot of frustration.

I've tested all the major players, dug into their pricing pages, and dealt with their quirks. Here's what you need to know to make the right call.

Quick Comparison: Website Builder Pricing at a Glance

Squarespace: Best Looking Templates, Period

If design matters to you (and it should), Squarespace is hard to beat. Their templates look like they were made by actual designers—because they were. Every site has that polished, modern aesthetic that makes portfolio sites and creative businesses look legitimate.

Pricing breakdown:

• Basic: $16/month (annual) - Full website, 30 min video storage, 2% transaction fee if selling
• Core: $23/month - Recommended plan, 0% transaction fees, unlimited contributors
• Plus: $39/month - Lower card processing rates, more video storage
• Advanced: $99/month - Enterprise features, API access

For a deep dive, check out our Squarespace pricing guide or grab a Squarespace coupon before signing up.

What's good: The templates are genuinely beautiful. The grid-based editor keeps things aligned and professional. Built-in booking tools are solid for service businesses.

What sucks: Less design freedom than Wix. The structured grid means you can't place elements anywhere you want. Can feel restrictive if you have a specific vision.

Bottom line: Pick Squarespace if you want a beautiful site without hiring a designer and you're okay working within their structured templates. Perfect for creatives, photographers, restaurants, and small service businesses.

Try Squarespace →

Wix: Most Flexibility for DIY Builders

Wix gives you more control than any other drag-and-drop builder. You can literally put any element anywhere on the page. For some people, that's amazing. For others, it's a recipe for messy layouts.

Pricing breakdown:

• Light: $17/month - Custom domain, no ads, 2GB storage (no e-commerce)
• Core: $29/month - E-commerce enabled, 50GB storage, payment processing
• Business: $39/month - More storage, better marketing tools
• Business Elite: $159/month - Unlimited storage, priority support

Wix also has a free plan, but your site shows Wix ads and uses a Wix subdomain. Fine for testing, not for a real business.

What's good: Massive app marketplace. True drag-and-drop freedom. Over 900 templates. AI website builder is surprisingly capable. Free plan lets you test before committing.

What sucks: That freedom can backfire. Mobile responsiveness can get wonky when you move things around. The cheapest paid plan only gives you 2GB bandwidth—hit that limit and your site slows down.

We've compared Wix head-to-head with competitors if you're torn: Squarespace vs Wix.

Bottom line: Choose Wix if you want maximum control and don't mind spending time perfecting your layout. Good for businesses that need lots of third-party integrations.

Shopify: The E-commerce Powerhouse

If you're primarily selling products, stop reading the other options. Shopify is built for e-commerce from the ground up. Everything else is an afterthought on other platforms—on Shopify, selling is the main event.

Pricing breakdown:

• Starter: $5/month - Sell on social/messaging apps only (no full store)
• Basic: $29/month (annual) or $39/month (monthly) - Full online store, 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
• Grow: $79/month (annual) or $105/month (monthly) - Better reporting, lower fees
• Advanced: $299/month (annual) or $399/month (monthly) - Custom reporting, calculated shipping
• Plus: Starting at $2,300/month - Enterprise level

Note: Shopify often runs a promo where you get 3 months for $1/month. Worth waiting for if you're not in a rush.

What's good: Best checkout conversion in the industry. Inventory management actually works. Multi-channel selling (Instagram, TikTok, Google). Massive app ecosystem for any feature you need.

What sucks: Expensive compared to adding e-commerce to Squarespace or Wix. Transaction fees add up (unless you use Shopify Payments). Apps can balloon your monthly costs quickly.

Bottom line: If e-commerce is your primary focus and you're serious about scaling, Shopify is worth the premium. If you're just adding a small shop to an existing site, consider Squarespace or Wix instead.

Webflow: For Designers Who Want Control

Webflow is in a different category. It's a visual website builder that outputs clean code, giving you developer-level control without writing code yourself. The learning curve is steeper, but the results can be stunning.

Pricing breakdown (Site Plans):

• Basic: $14/month - Static sites, 150 pages, 10GB bandwidth
• CMS: $23/month - Dynamic content, 2,000 CMS items, blog capability
• Business: $39/month - 10,000 CMS items, 100GB bandwidth
• E-commerce Standard: $29/month - 500 products, 2% transaction fee
• E-commerce Plus: $74/month - 5,000 products, 0% transaction fee

Plus you may need a Workspace plan if you're working with a team, which adds another layer of cost.

What's good: Incredible design flexibility. Clean, semantic code output. CMS is powerful. Great for building marketing sites that need to look unique.

What sucks: Steeper learning curve. Pricing gets confusing with Site Plans plus Workspace Plans. Not beginner-friendly. E-commerce features lag behind Shopify.

For context on Webflow vs. other platforms: Squarespace vs Webflow.

Bottom line: Webflow is for designers and agencies who need pixel-perfect control. If you're not comfortable with CSS concepts, look elsewhere.

Hostinger Website Builder: Best Budget Option

If budget is your primary concern, Hostinger's website builder starts at just $1.99/month—significantly cheaper than everything else on this list. They've invested heavily in AI tools to help beginners create decent sites quickly.

What's good: Incredibly affordable. AI tools speed up the process. 140+ templates. Multi-language support built in.

What sucks: Feature set is more limited than competitors. E-commerce limited to 500 products. Blog functionality is basic. Design options feel restricted compared to Wix or Squarespace.

Bottom line: Great for simple sites on a tight budget. If your needs are basic and you want to spend as little as possible, Hostinger works. But you'll likely outgrow it faster than the premium options.

Which Website Builder Should You Pick?

Let me make this simple:

• You want the best-looking site with minimal effort: Squarespace
• You want maximum flexibility and integrations: Wix
• You're running a serious e-commerce operation: Shopify
• You're a designer who wants complete control: Webflow
• You're on a tight budget: Hostinger

A Note on Free Website Builders

Several builders offer free plans (Wix, Webflow), but they come with limitations: ads on your site, branded subdomains, and restricted features. They're fine for testing, but don't launch a real business on a free plan. It looks unprofessional and you'll hit walls quickly.

Check out our guide to free website builder software if you want to explore that route first.

What About WordPress?

WordPress powers more websites than any builder on this list—over 30 million active sites. But it's a different beast entirely. You need hosting (separate purchase), you'll manage themes and plugins, and there's ongoing maintenance.

If you want simplicity and don't mind paying a bit more for an all-in-one solution, stick with the website builders above. If you want maximum control and don't mind the technical overhead, WordPress is powerful but requires more work.

See our comparison: Squarespace vs WordPress.

Final Recommendation

For most small businesses, Squarespace hits the sweet spot of design quality, ease of use, and reasonable pricing. Start with their Basic or Core plan ($16-23/month) and you'll have a professional site live in a weekend.

If you need e-commerce and plan to scale, bite the bullet and go with Shopify. The higher cost is worth it for a platform built specifically for selling.

And if you want to compare more options for your business specifically, check out our roundup of website builders for small business.