Best website builder in 2022

The best website builder platforms make building your first website or your latest simpler and quicker, via user-friendly drag-and-drop editors. In next to no time, you can create professional, visually-stunning personal, ecommerce, or business sites, whether you're experienced or a beginner, at competitive prices.

However, a fast-growing market means finding your ideal builder can be a challenge: we're here to help. First of all, bear your experience and intentions in mind: for novices, easy website builders are ideal; experienced users can choose flexible, customizable platforms or WordPress plugins via the best web hosting.

Plan ahead and take scalability into account if your site is likely to grow; consider customer service and support levels you require too. If you've got no budget, free website builders are appealing, but we recommend them only for trials or free-forever plans for testing due to limitations: they're ideal for simple personal sites, though. 

Below, we've evaluated and analyzed the best website builders against all these key factors: read on, and find the top builder for your site.

The top 3 best website builders right now

What are the best website builders? 

Wix is the best website builder, thanks to its a large template library, excellent design flexibility, third-party app integrations, and leading artificial design intelligence site editor. 

Shopify is a leading ecommerce website builder offering advanced tools for creating and publishing online stores quickly and simply. Editor X, a relatively new entrant to the market, offers developers and those with advanced-level experience to create highly customized, flexible, and top-level websites.

It's also worth considering BigCommerce, Webflow, Bluehost's WordPress website builder, Squarespace, GoDaddy, Elementor, Zyro, HostGator, Weebly, 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite, and Constant Contact. All feature below thanks to specific focuses including visually-appealing sites, ease-of-use, or connections to web hosts or CMSs.

The best website builders you can buy today

Wix is top when it comes to the best website builders, ecommerce website builders, and small business website builders. It offers a great selection of advanced features, including three editing interfaces—the Wix Editor, Velo Dev Mode, and Wix ADI.  

The Wix Editor is one of the most powerful available. It enables you to drag and drop different elements into pixel-perfect positions. It can be a little confusing to learn to use, but the rewards are worth it. Velo Dev Mode allows you to make changes outside of the template model, and add features that usually require developer input, like custom forms, dynamic pages, and databases. 

Wix ADI is much more beginner-friendly. To use it, simply work through a short questionnaire. A custom site template will be developed based on your answers, and then you can customize it to your heart’s content.

Standout features include Wix’s App Market, which contains numerous add-ons that add extra functionality; and an industry-leading template library boasting over 500 designs. The full website builder is included within the excellent free plan, though bear in mind it has restrictions and limitations, such as Wix ads on your site.

Each paid plan has a 14-day money-back guarantee, and pricing starts at $14 a month, ranging up to $49 a month on the business and ecommerce-level plans with more advanced resources and tools.

Read our comprehensive Wix review.

If you've any knowledge of ecommerce, you'll have heard of Shopify. Although not a website builder in the traditional sense, it’s one of the best options for building an advanced online store, and is the world’s leading store builder for good reason.

The tools on offer are excellent, and you'll benefit from an unbeatable range of management, marketing, and general online selling features. These include a built-in shopping cart and checkout manager, alongside marketing and security tools. Shopify is Level 1 PCI DSS compliant, providing top-level security for your customers.

On top of this, there are numerous templates you can base your store on when building an ecommerce website. The beginner-friendly editor is a little limited, but there's full code access if you need to fine-tune designs. 

Across three plans, there’s plenty of room to scale. Pricing starts at a relatively expensive $29 a month and ranges up to $299, with more excellent, additional ecommerce features unlocked as you move up.

Read our detailed Shopify review. 

With advanced developer tools and a highly customizable builder, Editor X (owned by Wix) is not only one of the newest, but one of the most powerful builders on the market. Released in early 2021, its top developer tools and advanced customization, including full code editing, custom API compatibility, and database creation and management, mean it's designed for those with experience: not beginners.

A drag-and-drop editor is stuffed with advanced design features and extras, while 28 extremely flexible templates offer a basic framework that can lead to endless combinations of designs. Fine-tuning is available via editing of base code files, while Editor X's access to the Wix App Market offers over 250 apps for integration. 

Real-time collaboration tools allow for multiple users on a site at once, while special ecommerce elements include subscriptions, memberships, integrated bookings, and full live chats. Slow customer service response times mark it down a little, though representatives are knowledgeable and helpful. Top-notch self-help resources include a help center, a training academy, and a community forum.

A basic free-forever plan is ideal for testing Editor X, while three website-specific options range between $22 and $49 a month, and three Business and eCommerce plans cost between $29 and $219 a month; there's also a custom Enterprise option for larger stores.

While not ideal for beginners, Editor X is one of the best and most powerful website builders currently available for developers.

Read our full Editor X review.

BigCommerce regularly competes with the top ecommerce website and store builders, and differentiates itself with its powerful ecommerce-focused editor, a comprehensive suite of online sales tools, and scalability alongside design flexibility.

Top features include an app library, SEO tools, advanced mobile management, third-party marketplace integrations, and much more. It can be said that it offers nearly everything needed for creating and managing a new online store, with inventory management, analytics, and much more creating this advanced interconnected platform's ecommerce credientials.

Regularly updated and offering responsive, quick sites and load times, users can test BigCommerce out via a no-obligation 15-day free trial, while four further subscription options offer a growing list of leading features as prices increase. Starting at $29.95 a month, BigCommerce isn't cheap, but it offers an impressive store editor despite a quite-cluttered interface that takes time to get to grips with.

However, if you're struggling, the platform is known for its excellent customer support across live chat, phone, and email, with a friendly and knowledgeable team providing enhanced services. All in all, for top-level online-store focused site creation, BigCommerce is hard to beat.

Read our full BigCommerce review.

Webflow's extremely capable builder offers much flexibility and customization for web developers and experienced designers, across custom sites and online stores. Best suited for devs, design agencies, and experienced site creators, it utilizes drag-and-drop tech for every aspect of site design, with CSS and JavaScript accessible via an integrated development environment.

The platform's in-built CMS is a big plus, while editing access for breakpoints is an advantage for designers looking to take total control over site look and feel. Ideal for large and data-heavy websites, Webflow also provides a suite of ecommerce tools and the ability to sell physical and digital products, as well as set up shipping, offer digital downloads, and much more.

However, if there's a drawback, it's the complex and expensive pricing. You'll require an Account plan and a Site plan to get the full package, with both priced separately. A free plan is available that covers two sites with two pages, with pricing and features increasing with site complexity through to enterprise and ecommerce levels.

It's worth bearing in mind that Webflow is aimed at those with experience and the time to utilize its complexities and steep learning curve. Despite this, it's incredibly straightforward once you've got your head around it: customer support is only offered via email for most lower-priced plans, but an online directory of tutorials and videos is an excellent additional help.

Read our comprehensive Webflow review.

Bluehost's WordPress website builder is brand new to the market having been released in August 2021, and it's gained popularity as a beginner-friendly option.

Designed for fast, streamlined website creation, its tidy, section-based editor is very easy to use for those with limited design experience, offering a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) interface.

An excellent introductory tour helps familiarize you with the interface, while a top-notch knowledge base and 24/7 live support provide further assistance. For more advanced users, there's support for custom HTML, CSS, and Javascript code, added by dropping simple code elements into the editor.

Various SEO tools, meta text popups, and a series of ecommerce features including online store design are on offer. One limitation is an inability to switch templates, while performance also poses concerns: if you opt for a high-end shared hosting or WordPress hosting plan, your experience will likely be better.

The builder is available with Bluehost’s hosting, with its shared hosting plans, which range from $2.95 to $13.95 a month for an initial 36-month subscription, or managed WordPress hosting, which starts at $9.95 a month. There are three specific builder plans, which are similar in terms of pricing to hosting packages. 

While still a newcomer, it’s poised to become an industry leader thanks to streamlined site creation solutions backed by WordPress.org's powerful CMS. It's an excellent option for beginners, and for those wanting to take full advantage of WordPress.

Read our comprehensive Bluehost WordPress website builder review.

*The Bluehost WordPress website builder is available with a minimum 12-month subscription, and prices will increase on renewal.

Squarespace has long been known for its professional templates. Although its library is quite small compared to others, every single design is built with modern techniques and standards in mind. These excellent templates, alongside native tools, add-ons, and a versatile marketing suite, make it easy to see why Squarespace is so popular.

In addition, it offers ecommerce tools to rival the best in the industry. You can sell virtually anything, including digital content, services, and subscriptions. The product categorization tools are great, to say the least, and you'll be able to manage inventory and orders through the intuitive management dashboard. 

However, when it comes to site creation, Squarespace’s editor is far from the best we’ve used. It’s quite counter-intuitive and poorly designed, and you'll likely find it a little confusing to get started with. A free-forever version is also lacking, although a 14-day free trial allows you to test the platform. 

Across four paid plans, you get great features including a free domain for the first year, unmetered bandwidth and storage, and built-in SSL security. The Personal subscription is cheapest at $16 a month for an annual plan, while Advanced Commerce costs $54 a month.

Read our Squarespace review.

If your top priority is creating an online presence with minimal fuss and quickly, we’d recommend GoDaddy. It's grown rapidly to rank among the best, largely thanks to an extremely beginner-friendly, intuitive editor. You won’t have much design flexibility, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing. 

With GoDaddy, it’s not unrealistic to expect to get online in a couple of hours. There’s a neat range of tutorials if you run into problems, but the chances of this are low. Underpowered ecommerce tools will bother some, but you benefit from a free domain, 24/7 support, a free SSL certificate, and unmetered storage on all bar the cheapest plan.

There’s one free and four premium plans, ranging from $6.99 to $17.49 a month, scaling up to $9.99 to $24.99 on renewal. The free plan allows you to create a simple site with a branded GoDaddy domain, but is quite limited. 

Prices are higher for shorter subscriptions, but all allow you to connect a custom domain name, and offer a free business email for the first year, plus editing and analytics tools. More advanced plans add marketing, ecommerce, and business-related features too.

Read our full GoDaddy review, and our GoDaddy web hosting review.

Known more as a plugin, Elementor is one of the most powerful WordPress site builders. It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, and you can put together your new site without any coding. 

There are numerous third-party integrations, along with a neat free plan that provides access to the basics. This offers enough tools to comprehensively test the editor, including over 40 widgets, 30 templates, and basic support. However, you'll need to sign up for a separate hosting account before you can harness Elementor's full power, and purchase a domain name.

There are four premium plugin plans ranging from $49 to $999 a year, with the main differences being support and the number of sites you can create (one with an Essential plan, and up to 1,000 with an Agency plan). The three most expensive plans allow you to create an Expert Profile with which to showcase your portfolio. 

Read our Elementor review.

*Monthly billing isn’t available. All subscriptions must be paid on an annual basis.

Zyro, the website builder from leading web host Hostinger, is designed for those who want to build a simple site without spending much time or money. Start with one of more than 150 templates, add your own content, and hit publish. There are also a number of AI tools available, including an writer, brand name generator, and a logo maker, providing an affordable, straightforward site creation process. 

It doesn’t have a free-forever plan, which is a disadvantage if you wanted to try it out, but its paid plans are among the most affordable we’ve seen. You can sell products through your site, but keep in mind that ecommerce tools are basic at best. The blogging tools are decent, though, and all users benefit from 24/7 support.

Packages start at $8.90 a month, with ecommerce features available for $19.90, and all come with free hosting and a free domain name for one year, with plans able to be paid annually or monthly. When it comes to ecommerce, the most expensive plan (eCommerce Plus) costs $25.90 a month, but you pay no commission on sales. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans too. 

Read our comprehensive Zyro review.

If you want similar power to Wix without high prices, HostGator’s Gator Builder is a great option. Although there’s no free-forever plan, you can build a new site for just a few dollars a month. Note, though, that prices will increase when you renew your contract. 

One thing that stands out is its excellent drag-and-drop editor. This enables you to create the exact site you want, as you can position any elements with pixel-perfect precision. On the downside, templates are average at best. Many are outdated, and you'll need to do a significant amount of work to make them look professional.

However, a free domain name and SSL certificate, plus unmetered storage and bandwidth, are attractive features. Three plans (Express Start, Express Site, and Express Store) range from $3.84 to $9.22 a month, though premium support is only available by phone and chat on mid- and top-range plans. 

Free analytics are available on all plans, which is handy for smaller businesses. Advanced users might find the lack of specialized tools disappointing, such as dedicated email marketing, while it offers relatively basic blogging. 

Check out our HostGator review.

Weebly is one of the world’s most popular website builders, and it’s easy to see why. It boasts a great selection of professionally designed templates, alongside some of the best ecommerce and online tools available via payment giant Square Online, which should give you confidence in its reliability and usefulness. 

Noteworthy features include advanced site stats, SEO tools, customizable email templates, and full inventory management. One downside is a somewhat limited editor, which constrains you to pre-coded element positions. You can still drag and reorder, but you won’t benefit from pixel-perfect editing other platforms offer.

It's worth noting that in the long-term, there'll be a pivot towards Square's own ecommerce store builder, with new Weebly customers funnelled to it. However, existing Weebly customers will still be supported with features and functionality.

There are six plans, including a free-forever package that allows you to create a site and online store, though you can't connect your own domain. The cheapest, Personal ($9 a month), adds custom domain support and more ecommerce tools, while Professional ($16) and Performance ($29) offer advanced ecommerce options. 

Read our Weebly review.

1&1 IONOS MyWebsite is an affordable, beginner-friendly builder backed by a great selection of templates, and the power of Europe’s largest hosting provider. It comes with one of the best template libraries available, where you'll find designs for virtually any type of site, including portfolios, ecommerce stores, and simple blogs. 

Additional tools include access to a range of stock photos to make your new site stand out from the crowd, alongside numerous SEO and marketing features, while the blog manager is one of the best available. The editor is also excellent, boasting an intuitive yet powerful interface. 

On the downside, there’s no free forever plan or free trial, but there's a paid trial for one month for new users. With prices starting at just $1 a month though, this is a relatively minor flaw. 

There are eight plans, including three for basic builders, ranging from $1 (Starter) to $10 a month (Pro), with ecommerce options (from $1 to $25). Three more offer design advice and consultation (from $30 to $60), while the MyWebsite Now and Creator plans offer marketing tools, emails, and a free domain for a year and free SSL certificate, and are free for the first month ($17 and $23 after).

Read our 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite review.

Constant Contact is one of the world’s most powerful email marketing platforms. However, it also comes with a neat little website builder, which makes it a great option for those who plan to focus on email marketing in their overall strategy. 

One particularly interesting feature is the AI-powered builder. To take advantage of this, simply answer a few basic questions, and then the platform will deliver a custom template based on your needs. Edit this, add your own content, and hit publish to get online in record time.

On the downside, Constant Contact doesn’t offer a free domain, and the editor is far from the most powerful. A free plan lets you try it all out, but doesn’t let you publish your site. 

Two premium plans are available across a different price structure to most builders, as these all focus on email marketing primarily. All website building tools, including ecommerce, are available with Email ($20), while Email Plus ($45) adds more advanced email marketing tools. 

Read our full Constant Contact review.

*Email subscriptions use tiered pricing, and you will pay more with more contacts on your marketing list.

The benefits of the best website builders

The best easy website builders for beginners

Easy website builders offer streamlined site creation, and can be used with little to no coding or technical experience. Some of the best website builders are easier to use than others, or are more suited to creating business sites. Most have different focuses, while certain builders are aimed at different audiences.

Look for advanced online store creation tools that enable you to sell online, creating avenues for increased income. Keep an eye out for marketing tools, which are always a bonus. The ability to accept online bookings will be crucial for many, and high-quality SEO is important to help people find you online.

Platforms like Wix are excellent, but complicated editors can make them a little difficult to use. On the other hand, builders like Site123 are extremely easy to use, but don’t always have a lot more to offer. After testing countless options by creating our own basic sites, below is our list of the best easy website builders available. 

What are the best easy website builders? 

How to choose the best easy website builder

Before you decide, make a list of the tools and features you require. Price is an important consideration, and if you’re looking for something cheap, you'll want to go for a builder like GoDaddy. 

Consider whether online store support is required. Shopify is a clear leader here, although most builders come with ecommerce features. The ability to accept online bookings is also important for many businesses: again, most builders include this, but Wix and GoDaddy's excellent tools stand out. 

Design flexibility is crucial for those who'd like full freedom to customize their site. The Elementor/WordPress combination is great for this, and Wix doesn’t do too badly either. These two platforms are also great for blogging, another factor that'll be important to many business owners. 

Once you’ve listed your requirements, create a shortlist of the most attractive options. We’d recommend starting with the platforms we’ve outlined. Almost all of the best website builders have a free version or free trial, enabling you to test them before committing.

It’s worth putting in the time to test a few options before settling on your favorite. Everyone’s needs are different, and a large part of your choice will come down to simple personal preference. 

Website builder FAQs

Want to find out more about website builders? In our frequently asked questions below, we aimed to answer some of the most commonly-asked queries relating to website builders, to help you appreciate how they work and what benefits you can enjoy from creating your own site with one of these leading platforms. 

Building a website for the first time? Take a look at our video, which outlines our top 10 tips for creating your first website.

WordPress vs website builders: what's the difference?

WordPress and website builders help design, create, and publish sites. However, they have a lot of differences: for one, builders offer technical management, hosting, security, and often a domain. All you need to worry about is designing and maintaining your site. 

WordPress is an open-source CMS designed to help you create and manage your site, and can’t be used without a third-party web host. However, it provides more technical freedom and control, though you should ensure you don't fall into the trap of making the most common WordPress website mistakes.

In general, you should use a website builder if you’re thinking about creating your own site. Most require no coding knowledge, are ideal for beginners, and offer the fastest option, making them a great choice if you want to spend less time and money.

Free website builders vs paid website builders: what's best?

When comparing free website builders vs paid, it's worth noting free builders can be useful, but only in certain cases. You can build a website for free via trials or free plans, but even the best free website builders have limitations like branded subdomains, advertising, and heavily restricted bandwidth and storage. 

They usually aren't the best option for business or commercial sites, or for anything beyond small personal projects. However, they're a great way to test a platform before committing.

What is a good free website builder?

Wix is the best option for a free website builder, as the full website builder is included. Remember however that you will be constrained by very limited storage and bandwidth, and will have to have a branded Wix domain and advertising on your site.

How to choose from the best website builders

Selecting one of the best website builders can be hard. Plan your site's intended purpose, look, and budget, and consider the specific nature of your business. Research the best options, and take advantage of free-forever plans and trials to test different services. 

Builders are generally aimed at beginners, and are quite easy to use. Even complex services start off simply: select a template, personalize the design, and add content. Pay attention to tools included: most offer some form of online store, but choose specialists for strong ecommerce support and tools. Bear after-sales support in mind, especially if you're less technically-minded: look for live chat and phone support. 

Finally, most top builders have strong features and simple editors, so don't compromise on quality for ease of use.

How we review the best website builders

When reviewing the best website builders, we make sure to test the builder and editor on our own custom sites. That way, we can find out where these tools sit on the user experience scale, between overly simple or too complex. We also test site uptime and response times, because these are key to performance, and any issues might cost you dearly down the line. 

Additionally, we explore features and trial customer support responsiveness, and establish pricing details, as some initial term costs can increase later on.

Next steps when choosing a website builder

If you're just starting out, learn how to build a site from scratch. Wondering whether you need a website for your small business? Look at why you need one; see some top tips for creating a small business website; explore the top tools needed; and discover the foundations of a successful small business site. 

We've also reviewed a wide range of other website builders, including Web.com; Jimdo; Voog; and Strikingly. Want to know more about a given builder? Read our interviews with Wix's Head Product Manager Michal Bignitz and Zyro CEO Giedrius Zakaitis.