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There are many routes to create a website for yourself or your business. A website builder is the best option for most since it’s fast and easy while still producing a beautiful website. The most challenging part is deciding on a website builder. You have plenty of options available to you — let us help you figure out which one is right for you.
Featured Partners
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If you value flexibility & versatility
Starts at $2.95 per month
- Guided onboarding
- Build whatever you want
- 24/7 expert support
If you value security & scalability
Starts at $3.75 per month
- All types of hosting
- Enhanced security tools
- Affordable as you grow
If you value ease of use & intuitiveness
Starts at $2.75 per month
- Great for absolute beginners
- Drag-and-drop website builder
- 150+ free templates
The Best Website Builder of 2023
We chose Web.com as the best website builder for beginners because it comes with more than 150 templates, an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, plus an hour of expert design support if you need help.
Our Top Picks
Best for Beginners
The Cheapest Option
Best Pre-Made Templates
Best All-In-One Ecommerce Platform
Best Free Website Builder
Digital.com dives deep into every topic it covers to offer trusted and reliable recommendations for the best business tools. See how we review beginner-friendly website builders.
Tips From an Expert
Website builders aren’t always the best way to go.
We typically recommend traditional web hosting + WordPress for anyone serious about starting, growing, and monetizing a website. That combo is versatile and flexible, but has a steep learning curve. On the other hand, website builders are great for local businesses, restaurants, freelancers, service-providers, events, absolute beginners, and temporary situations. The bottom line? If scaling and driving tens of thousands of visitors to your site aren’t your top priorities, a website builder is the easiest and most approachable way to create your first website.
The Top Website Builders for Beginners of 2023
Features
- Wide range of high-quality templates
- Ecommerce functionality on higher tiers
- Very easy to use and customize
#1 Top Pick for 2023
Web.com is one of the most affordable website builders on our list. Not only that, but it’s also incredibly easy to use, feature-rich, and ecommerce ready.
Starting Price
$4.95 per month
Templates
150+
Price for Ecommerce
$13.95 per month
Free Domain
Yes + domain privacy
Read More
Reasons to choose Web.com
- Built-in sales and marketing tools
- Incredibly intuitive and easy
- Over 100 templates
- Simple drag-and-drop editor
- Cheaper than most
- Free expert design help
Reasons to avoid
- Clunky in comparison
- Support could use improvement
- High renewal rates
Web.com was one of the first companies to offer website-building options, and it has done an impressive job keeping its services updated with the latest technologies. Its convenient drag-and-drop system makes creating your website faster and easier than other website creation methods, including other website builders.
While it’s not the most scalable, customizable, or streamlined site builder, it’s a great choice if you’re looking for the hands-down easiest option out there.
Web.com’s website builder plans also include a wide range of added functionality, including booking & scheduling, a link in bio builder, QR generator, a logo builder, social media scheduling tool, marketing calendar, and more.
Every plan also includes website analytics plus google analytics and tag manager setup for streamlined reporting.
Features
- Most cost-effective builder on the list
- Ecommerce features don’t cost extra
- Create up to 100 websites
Starting Price
$2.49 per month
Templates
150+
Price for Ecommerce
$2.49 per month
Free Domain
Yes + domain privacy
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Reasons to choose Hostinger
- Efficient AI-powered features
- Ecommerce doesn’t cost extra
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Build up to 100 websites
- Helpful customer support
- Free domain name
Reasons to avoid
- Support is slow
- Switching templates is a pain
Hostinger is incredibly cheap compared to all the other website builders on our list. You’ll also get a 30-day money-back guarantee so it’s entirely risk-free to try. Like the others, it’s very easy to use thanks to its drag-and-drop editor.
You can choose from more than 150 professionally-made templates, leverage AI to help you get started, customize just about every aspect of your site, and get it live in just a few hours.
With only one website builder plan to choose from, you don’t have to wonder which one’s right for you. You can simply sign up, snag your free domain name (and domain privacy), and get started building. Plus, Hostinger’s customer service team is friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful so you don’t have to do it alone.
Perhaps the best part is that you can build up to 100 websites, including ecommerce stores, without paying another penny.
Features
- The best free templates you’ll find
- Collaborative site building environment
- Built-in email marketing functionality
Starting Price
$16 per month
Templates
110+
Price for Ecommerce
$23 – $27 per month
Free Domain
Yes
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Reasons to choose Squarespace
- Free 14-day trial
- 110 professional templates
- Built-in AI content assistant
- Email marketing included
- Decent SEO settings
- Basic website analytics
Reasons to avoid
- More expensive than others
- Have to upgrade for ecommerce
Squarespace is known for it’s beautiful photography and video-forward templates, making it a great choice for anyone who wants to build a stunning, media-focused portfolio or website. There are more than 110 templates to choose from in various industries, each of which is optimized for mobile so your site will look great on every device.
On top of that, Squarespace’s ecommerce plans include everything you need to sell physical and digital products as well as professional services.
While it’s more expensive than other options, the streamlined editing experience, professional templates, and high-quality customer service justify the price tag.
Features
- $1 per month for the first three months
- Built-in payment processor with fair rates
- Unlimited products, contacts, & automations
Starting Price
$29 per month
Templates
12 free, 153 premium
Price for Ecommerce
$29 per month
Free Domain
No
Read More
Reasons to choose Shopify
- Every ecommerce feature
- True scalability for serious stores
- $1 per month extended trial
- Lightweight POS
- Inventory management
- Shipping discounts
Reasons to avoid
- Very expensive in comparison
- No free domain name
- Most templates aren’t free
- Extra transaction fees if you don’t use Shopify’s payment processor
If you’re serious about building and scaling an ecommerce store, Shopify is the way to go. It’s expensive, but it includes every feature you’ll ever need to market yourself, sell your products, manage inventory, and handle fulfillment at scale.
It’s overkill for selling a few products or using ecommerce as a secondary stream of income. But it’s second-to-none for building a true, ROI-focused online store you plan to grow.
With discounted shipping rates, a wide range of templates, basic POS features, dropshipping integrations, and built-in inventory management, it checks every box for new, growing, and established online stores alike.
Features
- Build and publish your site for free
- Complimentary content creation tools
- Schedule one-time appointments at no cost
Starting Price
Free–paid plan is $9.99
Templates
100+
Price for Ecommerce
$20.99 per month
Free Domain
On paid plans
Read More
Reasons to choose GoDaddy
- Build your site for free
- Upgrade whenever you’re ready
- Schedule one-time appointments
- Included SSL certificate
- Excellent customer service
- Sell with GoDaddy Payments on the free plan
Reasons to avoid
- No custom domains on free
- Limited free customization
GoDaddy is a huge name in domain registration and has recently been moving into the web hosting and website builders space. While there are other places you can build a website for free, GoDaddy has plenty of room to upgrade and grow when you’re ready.
Plus, you can even start selling on the free plan using GoDaddy Payments. All you have to pay is a small transaction fee, which is a great trade for anyone just getting started.
Aside from building a website, you’ll get free access to tons of free marketing tools, including a logo maker, a photo editor, a marketing planner, and more.
If you want to start a website or store and grow it in the future but can’t afford a monthly fee, GoDaddy’s the way to go.
Compare Website Builders for Beginners
Web Builder
Best Features
Starting Price
Best for Beginners
- Wide range of high-quality templates
- Ecommerce functionality on higher tiers
- Very easy to use and customize
$4.95 per month
The Cheapest Option
- Most cost-effective builder on the list
- Ecommerce features don’t cost extra
- Create up to 100 websites
$2.49 per month
Best Pre-Made Templates
- The best free templates you’ll find
- Collaborative site building environment
- Built-in email marketing functionality
$16 per month
All-In-One Ecommerce Platform
- $1 per month for the first three months
- Built-in payment processor with fair rates
- Unlimited products, contacts, & automations
$29 per month
Best Free Website Builder
- Build and publish your site for free
- Complimentary content creation tools
- Schedule one-time appointments at no cost
Free
What You Need to Know
Where do I get started with a website builder?
All you have to do get started is sign up for one of the website builders above. They’ll walk you through the process. Aside from signing up, you’ll also need an idea, branding elements, content, visuals, and more.
How long does it take to build a website with a website builder?
It varies but can take somewhere between a day and a week, depending on your experience, the size of the website, the design, and other factors.
What are the advantages of using a website builder?
There are plenty of advantages to using a website builder, some of which include saving a huge amount of time, the fact that you don’t need to learn to code and that you don’t even necessarily need to have a sense of design — using templates, you can get a professionally designed website without hiring a personal designer.
What are the disadvantages of using a website builder?
The biggest disadvantage of website builders is that you can’t move your website somewhere else. You’re locked in to the platform you chose. If you ever want to move elsewhere, you’ll need to recreate your entire website from scratch. Aside from that, website builders are typically slower and less optimized for SEO.
How We Review Beginner-Friendly Website Builders
We looked at several factors of these website builders, including how intuitive the tool is, how many features it has, how quickly a site can be created, and more. The main criteria was whether someone new to setting up a website would have trouble with the service. We only featured sites and services we would be comfortable using ourselves.
All the website builders we discuss are reliable options. But keep the following in mind as you narrow down your options:
Learn more about our review methodology.