7 best website builders for small businesses in 2024 You can't build a small business website without a builder. Using the results from our in-depth user testing, we'll outline the top picks for design, features, and overall value. Written by Ross Darragh Updated on 11 December 2023 Our research When reviewing website builders, our expert team of writers and independent researchers focuses in on the most important factors for small business owners. We look at the range of templates and designs available to choose from; how easy it is to get started building your site and customising it; the help and support options available; the range of available plugins, apps and extensions; the ability to customise a mobile design, and above all, the value for money – including any hidden pricing, ongoing fees, and initial setup costs. Written and reviewed by: Ross Darragh Writer Robyn Summers-Emler Digital Growth Editor Our independent reviews are funded in part by affiliate commissions, at no extra cost to our readers. Your company's website is your digital storefront and what helps lure new customer into your business. So when you're searching for your website builder, you want to ensure it's highly functional, offers beautiful designs, loads quickly, and equips you with all the analytics tools you need to help your website traffic grow. But which website builder is right for your business?From our first hand user testing, we found that Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify are the best providers to choose if you want to create a professional site.In this comprehensive ranking, we give you all the details about what each provider offers in terms of features, user friendliness, value for money, customer service, pros, cons, and more. Our recommendations are fruit of hundreds of hours of in-house product research and testing. With our focus on what small businesses, this guide should give you the confidence to choose the website builder that works best for your brand. 7 Best Website Builders for 2024 Wix – Best all-round website builder for small businessesSquarespace – Best for design flexibility & businesses looking to scaleGoDaddy – Best for ease of use and simplicityShopify – Best for selling onlineSite123 – Best for site speed and storage spaceWordPress.com – Best for SEO featuresHostinger – Best cheap website builder We also collaborated with real-life small business owners to find out the common pain points, such as social media integrations, page loading time, and which platforms were the best at helping them overcome these obstacles.Alternatively, you can use our handy comparison page that will break down four of the top web builders so you can easily work out which of our approved picks suits your needs. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward BEST ALL ROUND BEST FOR ONLINE STORES Wix Shopify Squarespace GoDaddy Site123 WordPress.com Hostinger BEST FOR Best all-round website builder for small businesses BEST FOR Best for dedicated sales features when selling online BEST FOR Design flexibility & businesses looking to scale BEST FOR Ease of use and simplicity BEST FOR Help and support BEST FOR Blogging tools BEST FOR Cheap builder Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.8 Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.0 Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.6 Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.4 Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 3.7 Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 3.6 Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 3.6 Price £7.50-£119 per month£6.75-£107.10 with code “GET10!” Price £5 – £259 per month, billed annually£1/month for 3 months Price £12-£35 per month, billed anuallyUse code “STARTUPS10” to receive a 10% discount on all Squarespace plans Price £6.99-£12.99 per month, billed annually (first term discounts available) Price $0 – 12.80 per month (about £10.22) Price £3-£20 per month, billed annually Price £2.59 – £8.99 per monthUp to 81% discounted with code “STARTUPS” Visit Try Wix Visit Get Shopify Visit Get Squarespace Visit Get GoDaddy Visit Get Site123 Visit Get Wordpress Visit Get Hostinger Prices correct as of January 2024Our research shows that the best website builder for small businesses is Wix. It boasts an unbeatable range of website features, has over 800 templates, and offers free 24/7 phone and live chat support. Plus, it's a highly affordable product – its full premium plans start from just £7.50 per month, and you can save 10% of any annual or monthly plans using the code “GET10!” at checkout.Squarespace is close behind, offering users design flexibility and stunning templates that certainly give Wix a run for its money. Wix Squarespace GoDaddy Shopify Site123 Wordpress.com Hostinger How does a website builder work? What types of businesses are website builders suitable for? How do I choose the best website builder for my business? How we test website builders for small UK businesses Our verdict: the best web builder FAQs What is a website builder?Website builders are used to design and build a website from scratch. They tend to be no-code, which makes them easy for novice business owners to use.Downloading a website builder is also a great solution for individuals, entrepreneurs, and small businesses owners that want to launch a website without hiring an expensive developer.The DIY-approach has made them particularly popular among new entrepreneurs or those running a side hustle. With them, you can create a professional-looking online website for as little as £5 per month. 1. WixBest all-round website builder for small businesses Wix 4.8 Number one website builder for price, features and usability. Visit Wix Full review of Wix Free trial 14-day Price from £7.50 per month Flexible pricing plans Good balance of easy usability and complex features Customisable, 'drag-and-drop' templates Summary Wix is the most popular website builder in the UK. The platform has undoubtedly earned these accolades, with an unparalleled list of features and wide-ranging payment options for every budget. Whether you’re new to website building, or a seasoned expert looking for endless customisability, Wix is an excellent choice. Its pricing is also practical for small businesses, with the Business plan particularly good value at just £20 per month. Show moreless Pros Impressive range of features. It supports everything from extensive blog functionality to digital marketing Great solution if you're looking for creative freedom Preview feature allows you to see how your customers will experience the website Free 24/7 phone and live chat support Cons Editor is very clustered and overfilled, making website building a challenge at times Slow server response time Higher price point than other website builders Free plan site has ads Wix editor user interface. Image: StartupsWix is our highest-scoring website builder overall (4.8 out of 5) thanks to its intuitive set of features that were clearly designed with the end user in mind.Our research identified marketing integrations as a key area for small business website design, which is particularly powerful as you craft your strategy to reach your target audience as efficiently as possible. Wix integrates with multiple marketing apps, including Mailchimp, Hubspot, Privy, Hotjar, and Constant Contact. These integrations also make it easy to design your digital marketing as you can do it all from the same platform.Similarly, based on our first-hand user testing, we gave Wix a 5 out of 5 score for its SEO features (alongside Squarespace). The platform has a partnership with the SEO giant, Semrush. This allows users to access high-quality SEO keyword data directly through the Wix dashboard, which helps users identify effective keywords to target and possibly propel a website up the search rankings.However, keep in mind that Wix's Advanced SEO can be tricky and not friendly for beginners. We'd recommend SquareSpace for more user friendly SEO features.You can also integrate your Wix site with Google Analytics, allowing you to see how many people visit your site and where they are clicking. This is key to understanding how users behave on your site and how to optimise and maximise engagement. In turn, this can boost your chances of acquiring new customers – and retaining them.We also like that Wix is on trend with the times as its Wix ADI and Wix Studio functions let you build a website using AI within a matter of seconds. All you have to do is give the system some descriptions of your business and Wix will do the rest for you.The only big drawback with Wix is that once you've published your site, you can't change the template. This means that you can't make any large-scale or universal changes to your website at a template level once it's live. If you wanted to rework your template, you'd need to start from scratch. In a nutshell – Wix is easy to use, affordable, packed with features, and has an ideal template for most businesses. And if you need to sell online, it also offers industry-leading ecommerce functionality. Wix pricingClick any of the plans below to head straight to the Wix website and start comparing packages.Top Tip: Wix frequently runs deals and discounts in the form of limited time flash sales. Visit our Wix flash sale page for the latest deals. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Best Value Free plan Light Core Business Business Elite Enterprise Price Free Price £7.50 per month£6.75 with code ‘GET 10!' Price £14 per month£12.60 with code ‘GET10!' Price £20 per month£18 with code ‘GET10!' Price £119 per month£107.10 with code ‘GET10!' Price Bespoke Features Use and test Wix's featuresNo obligation to sign up for a paid planCan move your created website on to a paid plan option seamlessly Features 2 collaborators2 GB storage spaceCustom domainFree domain for 1 year Features 5 collaborators50 GB storage spaceBasic marketing suiteBasic eCommerceAccept paymentsBasic site analyticsAbandoned cart recovery Features 10 collaborators100 GB storageAccept paymentsStandard eCommerceStandard site analyticsAccept pre-orders Features 15 collaboratorsUnlimited storage spaceAdvanced eCommerceAdvanced developer platformAdvanced site analyticsLoyalty program by Smile.io Features Unlimited collaboratorsDedicated account managerCustom templatesCustom integrations Try Wix Try Wix Try Wix Try Wix Try Wix Try Wix For more information on how the different plans compare, check out our dedicated Wix pricing page. Get started with Wix today for free We think Wix is the best website builder you can choose for your small business - and you can start building for free Build a Wix Site for Free Your site can be live in minutes! Wix: The VerdictWix is an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder that creates beautiful, professional sites. Our research found it to be the best overall website builder and it's a great option for those new to website building. It's also the top website builder for features and ease of use; and the second best for design flexibility, narrowly beaten by Squarespace owing to its industry-leading template design and customisability. As a professional, flexible and easy-to-use website builder, we highly recommend Wix. It has over 800 stunning templates, robust ecommerce capabilities, and the best drag-and-drop tool we tested. This means that whether you're completely new to creating websites or keen to customise every inch of your online identity, we think you'll be pleased with Wix's offering.Read our in-depth Wix review for more information 2. SquarespaceBest for design flexibility & businesses looking to scale Squarespace 4.6 Ideal for professional, creative website building and businesses that appreciate the best help and support available on the web builder market. Try Squarespace Free trial 14-day Price from £12 per month Use code "STARTUPS10" to receive a 10% discount on all Squarespace plans Over 100 stunning prewritten templates Best knowledge centre on the market Use code "STARTUPS10" to receive a 10% discount on all Squarespace plans Summary Squarespace scores extremely highly for creative professionals, and boasts impressive blogging tools. It features over 100 template designs which are fully adaptable to mobile devices, and visually, its websites are unmatched. Recently, vast improvements have been made in vital areas like UX, and the expanded feature list makes great value for money at £17 per month for businesses. However, these incredible designs and templates mean Squarespace's sitespeed can be affected and this is definitely an area that needs improvement. The customisation of the site's features and functions could also be further improved, particularly when compared to Wix. Show moreless Pros Over 100 flexible, design-focused templates Affordable pricing Email and social media support Great knowledge centre, providing a range of text, image and video guidance Cons Less easy to use than other website builders Only able to customise a slight portion of the site's features and functionalities Site speed needs improvement, poor results due to heavy designs Squarespace editor user interface. Image: StartupsOverall, it achieved the highest marks in our research alongside Wix, scoring a 4.8 out of 5. In particular, we think Squarespace stands out from the market for its website redesign capabilities. Technology is constantly updating and small business owners have told us they can struggle to maintain a competitive site if they don't consistently update their website with the latest tools or features, including AI features that speed up copywriting elements of your website. It also lets you build the text of your homepage by feeding Squarespace's AI tools prompts, just like you would with ChatGPT.Thankfully, with Squarespace you can easily make changes to your website using the platform's simple drag-and-drop editor. Its simplified back-end experience means you can reset style settings with the click of a button – without needing to create a new site. This amplified design flexibility gives it an edge over Wix, which gives you less room to play around with formatting and features after publishing your site.Although drag-and-drop is always helpful, we'd say Squarespace is a tad more difficult to use than other web builders, scoring a lower 4.4 out of 5 in our Ease of Use category. This is because although can drag and drop items, you don't just drag them anywhere (like with Wix). It's more section-based, which takes a little longer to get to grips with. In a nutshell – choose Squarespace if you’re after great search engine optimisation features. Squarespace pricing Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward BEST VALUE Personal Plan Business Plan Basic Commerce Advanced Commerce Price £12 per month Price £17 per month Price £23 per month Price £35 per month Read our dedicated Squarespace pricing page for an in-depth look at the different plans and to find out which plan will suit your business.Squarespace: The VerdictSquarespace is a dream for creative types, especially if you love playing around with different styles. The templates are stunning and are a huge reason why Squarespace is our top choice for the best website builders for photographers.But it's not all surface.As well as being the best for design flexibility (4.7 out of 5), our researchers found that Squarespace offers excellent help and support (receiving a near-perfect score of 4.8 out of 5); and it received the second best features and customer score (behind Wix for both), which measures how likely someone would be to recommend the provider to a friend.Read our in-depth Squarespace review for more information 3. GoDaddyBest for ease of use and simplicity GoDaddy 4.4 An easy-to-use website builder with good support for beginners Go to site Full review of GoDaddy Free plan Yes Price from £6.99 Great value for money Excellent SEO support Quick and easy to create a website Summary GoDaddy is known for making it easy for small business owners with little or no website building experience to start growing their business online. Whereas most website builders focus on giving users absolute freedom to create whatever type of website they desire, GoDaddy gets that for a website to be successful online, it needs to be optimised to ensure you're driving as much business as possible. Prices range from £6.99-£12.99 per month for a website. Show moreless Pros Quick and efficient website building experience SEO Wiz is excellent for SEO newbies, giving hints as to how to optimise content Comes with a wealth of 'must have' features which will set anyone up for success initially Cons More restrictive block elements e.g you can't resize or move image blocks outside of certain parameters Due to the AID function, no matter the industry or site, they can all look really similar and generic Not the best live chat support if you encounter an issue GoDaddy editor user interface. Image: GoDaddyAccording to statistics, 55% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. We tested GoDaddy's ease of us on mobile and found it to be very mobile friendly, which is thanks to its mobile app that lets you edit while on the move. You can use its app to keep testing the website on real mobile devices – dramatically increasing the number of potential customers that will interact with your site.Plus, you'll be able to manage your products, find a domain, and start a website from your phone. Users also gain access to GoDaddy Studio, a free content creation tool that can be used via the mobile app or on your desktop.That being said, like the other website builders on this list, our independent tests found that GoDaddy has a slower page loading time on mobile than on a desktop (3.8 seconds longer, on average). If you want a site that is faster, we'd recommend looking at Site123, which responds in an average of 1.3 seconds.The app’s advanced image editor is designed to help small businesses create professional looking content quickly and effortlessly. This includes promotions, business announcements, logos, and ads across multiple platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter). It's a great tool for businesses that are still getting off the ground. It also scores 4.5 out of 5 in value for money, hinting that it's a good option for businesses that are cash strapped. In a nutshell – GoDaddy is a simple website builder with limited but useful features and reasonably priced plans GoDaddy pricing Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Basic Standard Premium GoDaddy Ecommerce Price £6.99 per month Price £8.99 per month Price £11.99 per month Price £12.99 per month For a deeper insight into the different GoDaddy pricing plans and what they offer, visit our GoDaddy pricing page.GoDaddy: The VerdictGoDaddy has grown in leaps and bounds since we last rated the best website builders for small businesses a couple of years ago.Back then it was our lowest-ranked website builder overall, as well as our lowest-ranked for several key metrics, including help and support, value for money, and customer score.It is now our third best overall, and our third best for design flexibility, value for money, help and support, and customer score, and our second best for ease of use! The latter means getting a site up and running with GoDaddy will be quick and easy for small business owners who are short on time — and tech or coding skills.The web builder has seen a huge improvement in quality since our last round of research, and we'd now highly recommend GoDaddy for anyone who wants a thoroughly decent, affordable, and easy-to-use website builder. However, if you'd like something that takes functionality and features to the next level and there's some room in your budget, we'd recommend Wix.Read our in-depth GoDaddy review for more information Wix and Squarespace are our top two highest-rated website builders. But how do they compare with each other? Read our Wix vs Squarespace for small businesses guide to find out. 4. ShopifyBest for dedicated sales features when selling online Shopify 4 Shopify is the ideal platform for small retail businesses that want to build a website and start selling right away. Try Shopify FREE TRIAL 3-day PRICE FROM £5 per month Best range of apps and extensions Preempts and predicts what a merchant might need next in all aspects of creating a website Easy drag-and-drop functionality allowing you to design your website with limited fuss Summary Shopify is perfect for users looking for that all in one online store solution. Its ability to predict what a merchant will need next when creating a website is a brilliant feature, and its countless apps give you complete control over your business, enabling you to grow through diverse multi channel integration options and automated SMS and email marketing. It is definitely better suited to store owners with complex, larger inventories and because there are fewer built in features, using the platform can get expensive compared to other feature-filled competitors like Squarespace and Wix. As a web builder, it offers reliable website hosting, domain name registration, and stock photos. And to top it off, you'll get access to a 24/7 customer support team. Show moreless Pros Offers the highest number of sales features, averaging 61/65 across the 13 sales specific areas evaluated - perfect for businesses selling products and services Shopify is an entirely customisable platform – should you require a bespoke feature it can assist, directly within the builder, on the template you choose, or through its app market Access to over 8,000 apps - including integrations with CRM systems to improve customer journeys, as well as with order fulfilment and dropshipping plug ins to ensure sales go smoothly. This is unlike other providers like Jimdo and Weebly, which offer limited integrations Have the option to hire a Shopify Expert that specialises in building websites, should you want to hire a developer to build an open source, entirely custom website. Cons Although it has brilliant sales features, Shopify imposes transaction fees if you don't use its own payment gateways - meaning it's not the best for value for money Pick your template wisely, as you will need to reformat your entire site if you decide to switch themes once your website has gone live Only scored 3.5 out of 5 for help and support. Has limited online resources to help its web builder customers compared to the likes of Squarespace and Wix. Shopify editor user interface. Image: ShopifyShopify is our fourth highest scoring web builder for small businesses, achieving an overall rating of 4 out of 5. This is thanks to its incredible sales features, which enable you to build your website and get selling online in minutes.It was, after all, originally created with one purpose: to help you build an online shop. If this is your goal, we strongly recommend this provider.Its industry-leading range of sales features, includes abandoned cart recovery, unlimited products, and professional sales reports, all of which will help you streamline the sales process, increase conversions, and make selling to your customers as simple and easy as possible. You gain access to all of these on Shopify's cheapest plan. This is in contrast to builders like Squarespace and Jimdo, which offer little to no sales functionality on equivalent plans. This is why it scores a respectable 3.3 out of 5 in our website features category.With Shopify, you have access to hundreds of store themes that are designed for businesses wanting to sell their products and services online. While other web builders, like Squarespace, certainly have beautifully crafted design templates, their themes aren't designed with as much of a focus on sales.Another benefit to Shopify is that once your website is set up, you'll have access to more than 8,000 apps. These include integrations with CRM systems to help improve the customer post purchase experience to plug-ins with dropshipping platforms.Despite its third-place ranking, Shopify does have its drawbacks. It only receives a value for money score of 3 out of 5, largely because its basic plan offers many of the same features as Wix's unlimited plan, but for a substantial amount more (£19 compared to £11). This is quite a large jump in price, particularly for a small business owner who wants to build a website while keeping costs low. Nevertheless, the good news is that Shopify does have a deal where you can may £1 for a 3 months deal. Shopify's sales features are unrivalled. This is why it is ranked as our second best ecommerce platform for small businesses. For more information on its ecommerce offering, visit our dedicated Shopify review. Shopify pricingShopify isn't the most affordable web builder available for small businesses, which is why it scored 3 out of 5 in the value for money category. This is because other website builders still allow you to sell online for cheaper plans – the difference is that Shopify is oriented towards those who are seriously looking to scale their business and want to access more advanced ecommerce features.Click any of the plans below to head straight through to the Shopify website and start comparing packages. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Starter Basic Shopify Shopify Advanced Plus Price £5 per month Price £19 per month Price £49 per month Price £259 per month Price From £1650 per month Features Sell your products through social media, email, SMS, and WhatsAppUnlimited, design ready product pagesContact page for customer inquiries Features Unlimited productsAbandoned cart recoveryOnline credit rates: 2.2% + 20p Features Professional reports and analytics5 staff accountsOnline credit rates: 1.9% + 20p Features Advanced reportsCalculated shipping ratesOnline credit rates: 1.6% + 20p Features Fast replatforming compared to other vendors18% higher conversion with Shop Pay and a 60% faster checkoutMultiple currencies and languages Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Shopify: The VerdictBecause Shopify was originally built as an ecommerce platform, online store considerations have been factored into every feature, every theme, and every design tool.This makes it unique from other website builders on our list. Platforms like GoDaddy and Squarespace were created as web builders, with ecommerce functions added afterward. This resulted in a rather clunky, awkward sales experience for your customer. Whereas with Shopify, the customer purchase experience is seamless.But its customer score also needs to be mentioned, achieving an impressive 4.9 out of 5, only 0.1 points behind Wix, our top website builder.One Shopify user summarises why the platform is regarded so highly: 5. Site123Best for site speed and storage space Site123 3.7 Generous in storage and speedy Try Site123 Free trial Free plan with up to 250MB storage Price from $12.80 per month 10GB storage Connect your domain Free domain for 1 year Summary Site123 scored a perfect 5 out of 5 in our research into website builder storage space, as you can access 30GB for just $12.80 per year on the professional plan. For the amount you're paying, you get a good return on your investment compared to others like Squarespace or Wix, which score just a 4 out of 5 and 3 out of 5 respectively. It also has Speedy-Gonzalez like speed when it comes to loading. It scores the highest performance score (92/100) in our speed research, with a speed index of just 1.1sec. Show moreless Pros Robust help and support features, with an 4.5 out of 5 score in this category Good value for money High site speed, with just a 1.1 second speed index time Cons Very few plans on offer so it's difficult to scale Low design flexibility, scoring an unimpressive 1.9 out of 5 in this category Low customer score of 2.6 out of 5 Site123 editor user interface. Image: StartupsSite123 is in our top five best website builders, scoring an overall 3.7 out of 5.While it may not score a home run in most categories of our research, it stands out with a 4.4 out of 5 score for value for money. This is due to its generous offering of storage space and fast loading speed for its price point.Its professional plan gives you access to 30GB for $12.80 (around £9.88) a year. In comparison, Wix's Light plan offers you only 2GB. Our site speed analysis shows that Site123 earns the highest score out of all the website builders we tested with a speed index time of 1.1 seconds and its response to user interaction is 1.3 seconds.It also scored an impressive 4.5 out of 5 for help and support as it comes equipped with live chat, a knowledge centre, a community forum and onsite editor help.However, when considering whether to go for Site123 you need to be aware that its website features menu is quite limited and it's handicapped by its poor design functionalities. Its range of templates is slimmer than other providers like Wix, which could make it harder to get a professional end product you're happy with. Overall, this makes it a difficult website builder to scale.Site123 pricing Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Most popular Free Premium Price $0 per month Price $12.80 per month Site123 VerdictIf you're after a website builder that has high loading speeds and is generous with storage space, Site123 might be the solution for you. Do keep in mind that choosing Site123 comes with a risk as it has poor design functionalities and only one pricing plan. This might make it harder to scale and make your website look aesthetically pleasing.If the poor design functionality is a deal breaker for you, we'd recommend looking at Squarespace, which takes home an impressive 4.7 out of 5 in this category in our research. 6. WordPress.comBest value for SEO features WordPress.com 3.6 The standout choice if you want access to endless apps or unmatched blogging tools. Compare website builder costs Free plan? Yes Price from £3 per month for WordPress Business (billed annually) Huge app marketplace for integrations Rare free plan Steeper learning curve than most web builders Summary WordPress is a powerful software that's less beginner-friendly than most website builder platforms. Favoured by blogging and journaling types, WordPress is a popular website builder option that comes with some quite sophisticated tools and integration capabilities, making your websites endlessly customisable. However, there is a competitive price tag of £20 per month attached. We recommend it for small businesses that need to host lots of content. Show moreless Pros Strong value for money (4.5 out of 5) as for £20 you get access to a respectable range of features Strong average customer score, taking home a 4.2 out of 5 Can buy a domain directly within the builder Can transfer over a pre-existing domain Cons Limited range of design functionalities, scoring a 2 out of 5 in our research Not the easiest system to wrap your head around. It scores a 2.7 out of 5 for ease of use Thin customer support features, missing out on email support and a community forum WordPress.com editor template menu. Image: StartupsWordPress.com is an industry giant when it comes to blogging and SEO. According to our research, it also promises great value for your money as it scores an impressive 4.5 out of 5 (the highest score we gave away in this category).The great part about WordPress.com is that it comes equipped with pretty much any SEO feature you might possibly want to get your hands on. You'll get SEO best practice prompts, keyword support, custom URLs, and more. These can help your website rank higher in the Search Engine Results Page and make it easier to reach new clients.Another plus is WordPress.com's high average customer score of 4.2 out of 5. This hints that customers have been pretty happy with their website builder experience on this platform, ranking it highly in places like Capterra and G2.However, if you're going for WordPress.com, you'll need to be aware that it scores pretty low in our design functionalities and website features categories. In the former, it has an unimpressive 2 out of 5 score as it has a thin offering of templates and theme designs. For website features, it only reaches a 2.6 out of 5 as it falters on its app market offering.However, if you're going for WordPress.com you'll need to be aware that it scores a low 2 out of 5 in design functionalities because it has a thin offering of templates and theme designs. It also scores an unimpressive 2.6 out of 5 for website features categories as it falters on its app market offering. Wix is a superior provider in both of these categories, so if a stunning website design is what you're after, we'd recommend look at it as a viable WordPress.com alternative.WordPress.com pricing Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Most popular WordPress.com Personal WordPress Premium WordPress Business Price £3 per month Price £7 per month Price £20 per month WordPress.com: The VerdictIf you're on the lookout for a powerful website builder that has a stellar offering of SEO features, WordPress.com could be the option for you. It comes equipped with virtually all the SEO features on offer in the market, so if your goal is to boost your organic reach through SEO, WordPress.com would be a logical choice.However, keep in mind that WordPress.com doesn't necessarily have the best range of website features or design functionalities, so you might feel a bit restrained when trying to scale your site. What does SERPs even mean? Short for Search Engine Results Page, the SERPs is the page on Google that ranks websites for the search term entered by the user. The idea is that the higher you rank on the SERPs, the easier it'll be for a user to find your page. The trick to snatching that first position on the SERPs? Outstanding SEO that signals to Google that your website will satisfy the user's intent. 7. HostingerBest cheap website builder Hostinger Website Builder 3.8 Great first term discounts make this a very affordable website builder. Visit site Free plan No Renewal price from £1.49 Affordable first term deals Easy to use for beginners Free domain Summary Hostinger is a simplistic and low cost website builder with decent first term discounts. However, it's features are not as sophisticated as rival website builders and it doesn't offer much in the way of design flexibility. If you sign for any subscription between 12 and 48 months in length and use our code "STARTUPS" you can get up to 81% off, which includes a free domain, and a free 3 months! Show moreless Pros Low prices Three months free when you sign up Strong additional functionalities like AI writer, heatmaps and logo maker Cons Limited features compared to other web builders Lacks creative flexibility, making it hard to build a truly unique website No app market Hostinger editor user interface. Image: StartupsHostinger is still a relative newcomer to the website builder market. However, that doesn't mean it should be disregarded.The platform's biggest pull factor is undoubtedly its low-cost pricing plans – a great option for startups looking for minimal overheads.Hostinger also offers users a substantial list of advanced functions, which means it can play the role of multiple people in your organisation. Users can build a logo in Hostinger, there's an AI writer tool that can create content for your site in an instant.There are drawbacks to the low cost. You won't be able to implement a members' area on your website, so it's not great for large businesses that want to build a community of customers. Similarly, the blogging tools leave much to be desired with no ability for users to add comments. It also is not the best for scaling with only one plan on offer. Additionally, from our first hand testing we found that the section and grid layout of Hostinger's editor limits your overall creative control. In a nutshell – Hostinger makes it cheap and easy to get a business website up and running with minimal fuss, though that does come at the expense of in-depth features and unique designs. To see how Hostinger compares to the granddaddy of all website builders, take a look at our Hostinger vs WordPress.com head-to-head comparison. Hostinger pricingHostinger offers excellent deals for the first term. And, when you use our exclusive code “STARTUPS” at checkout, you can get it for just £2.33 per month (saving 10%). Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Hostinger Website Builder Price Single £1.49 per monthPremium Hosting £2.59 per monthBusiness £3.99 per month Free trial? Visit site To see how Hostinger stacks up against our top rated website builder, take a look at our Hostinger vs Wix comparison page. Hostinger: The VerdictIf you want to get your website up and running with minimal fuss (and with plenty of support should you need it), Hostinger is the website builder for you. Instead of offering you a bewildering array of templates, Hostinger just chooses one of its simple but effective website designs for you based on your answers to a few questions.However, this simplicity does come at the expense of in-depth features and design flexibility – businesses after a more complex website may want to look elsewhere. How does a website builder work?There are two types of website builder: offline and online. Online is the most popular, and it can be opened on your computer as easily as starting a new search tab. On the other hand, offline website builders are for apps you can download meaning you don't have to be ‘online' to be able to edit your website. We recommend the online version simply because it requires no coding, is more user friendly, and doesn't take up space in your software from having to download an app. Keep in mind all of the website builders on this list are online.Website builders typically use a simple drag-and-drop interface so that every aspect of the website is flexible and adaptable. It then converts every change you make on the front end (the part that users will see) into code for the backend (the part that controls a site's structure, data, logic).To make things even simpler, online website builders offer templates or themes based on the type of website you are trying to create.For example, if you are a dentistry firm, Squarespace (our number one platform for templates) will give you a suitable, clean-looking theme to edit from – saving you time and therefore money. What types of businesses are website builders suitable for?Website builders offer users a DIY platform, helping them avoid the need to hire a third-party web designer. This means they tend to be favoured by small or microbusinesses that just need a simple virtual shopfront to start selling or advertising from.Another appeal for this group is that you can get set it up quickly. Wix is an example of a website builder that is very easy to use and is great for those wanting to launch a side hustle or don't have a lot of free time.Ecommerce website builders are a specific subgenre of website builder. These tools allow you to set up an online store and control things like product inventory, sales, and promotions from one space. This makes them a popular choice among online retailers or dropshipping companies. How do I choose the best website builder for my business?Our first tip would be to use our website builder comparison page, so you can compare the builders side by side, and click through to their sites to find out more.Alternatively, here are a few key notes to consider: 1) Price vs. ValuePrice is the most important factor for many businesses. However, rather than cutting costs, what you really need to find is a provider that will offer you the most value.There’s no point downloading a free builder that’s keeping you from impressing your customers or achieving sales targets. Instead, ponder which added features could make a real difference to your business.2) TimeThankfully, website builder templates allow businesses to create beautiful websites in a matter of hours, but look into each one to find one that suits your business and which one is the easiest to use.3) GoalsPinpoint what you want your website to do both now and in the future to help you find the web builder that's the right fit for you. Will your customers be looking for an online store? Will you need 24/7 support? Will the site be able to grow and be customised over time? These are just a few questions to ask yourself before choosing a website builder for your small business. How we test website builders for small businessesWe tested 10 website builders to evaluate them in terms of functionality, usability, accuracy, and aesthetics so we can make the most useful recommendations to small UK-based businesses.Our rigorous testing process means these products have been scored and rated in six main categories of investigation and 33 subcategories – in fact, we covered 251 areas of investigation in total. We then gave each category score a ‘relevance weighting' to ensure the product's final score perfectly reflects the needs of our Startups.co.uk readers.Our main testing categories for website builders are:Website Features: the capabilities and functionalities offered by a website builder, e.g. blog functionality, SEO capability, and marketing capacity.Design: the aesthetic appeal and visual layout of a website created using a website builder. It encompasses aspects such as page templates and customisable themes.Customer Score: external customer opinion; the feedback and ratings given by customers who have used a particular website builder – the market position and reputation a website builder holds.Ease of Use: how user-friendly and intuitive a website builder is for people with varying levels of technical expertise.Value for Money: the balance between the cost of a website builder and the benefits it provides. It considers factors such as pricing plans, subscription models, and available features.Help and Support: the assistance and resources available to users when they encounter issues or need guidance while using a website builder.The Startups product testing process Our verdict: the best web builderAlthough all of the website builders that feature on our list have their strengths and weaknesses, it’s Wix that comes out strongest with a stellar overall score of 4.8 out of 5. As a great all-rounder, it offers users a feature-rich, beautiful website builder at a great price.If you’re looking to build an artsy website, Squarespace certainly has the feature package for creative freedom and it has the best looking templates in the business. Interestingly, it also scored an overall 4.8 out of 5 owing to its exceptional help and support offering and design functionalities – scoring higher than Wix in both categories. However, it does fall slightly behind Wix for customer score, value for money, website features and ease of use.Shopify is easily the best platform for businesses that focus primarily on making sales. Even its basic website builder plan comes with some impressive selling features that you won't get on other platforms. This is apparent when you compare Shopify with providers like Squarespace, which offers zero ecommerce functionality on its first few plans.GoDaddy is a cheap website builder with fuss-free building. If you don’t already have a domain and you’re looking to set one up, GoDaddy offers cheaper paid plans than other providers on the market, like Weebly.Lastly, Hostinger is quite a simplistic website builder that may not have as many features as the other top providers, but it does have its benefits. Hostinger is pretty easy to use and has a great freemium plan.Whichever you choose, make sure it fits the needs of your business. Many website builders offer free plans and free trials, so it's easy to try out a few and find one that works.The good news is, you could have a site created and live today using any of the web builders in this article. Just click on one of the linked web builder names in this article to start a free trial or plan. Get started with Wix today We think Wix is the best website builder you can choose for your small business - try it for yourself with a free trial Free Trial To see why Wix is number one Website Builders for Small Business FAQs What is the cheapest website builder? The cheapest website builder is Hostinger, with plans going for as cheap as £2.59. Can I build a free website? Absolutely. There are free website builders, such as Wix, that you can use to design an online face for your business free of charge. However, there are drawbacks to any free software. This means it's may not the best choice if you want to grow into a successful small business. Wix's free plan mandates having a Wix-branded domain, for example yourbusinessname.wix.com. Is Wix reliable? Wix services are hosted on AWS and Google Cloud Platform cloud-based data centres, which provide a robust security for websites hosted on the platform. They also have industry standard security certifications like ISO 27001. In other words, your website is in safe hands. Which website builder has the best templates? Squarespace has the best templates, hands down. This style-conscious web builder offers a great variety of fully-optimised templates that are beautifully designed and will suit a variety of businesses. Is it better to build your own website or use a website builder? Building your own website is a tricky process that requires software development experience. Unless you're really confident with coding, we'd recommend that you use a website builder. Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews. Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags Recommendations Written by: Ross Darragh Writer Ross has been writing for Startups since 2021, specialising in telephone systems, digital marketing, payroll, and sustainable business. He also runs the successful entrepreneur section of the website. Having graduated with a Masters in Journalism, Ross went on to write for Condé Nast Traveller and the NME, before moving in to the world of business journalism. Ross has been involved in startups from a young age, and has a keen eye for exciting, innovative new businesses. Follow him on his Twitter - @startupsross for helpful business tips.