Top 10 Best Website Builders 2021: Compare Top Rated Builders

Most Commonly Asked Questions About The Top Website Builders

Website builders have become an increasingly popular way for people and small businesses to build basic websites and develop their online presence. This is a much easier way for average people to design websites rather than learning complicated code and specialized software programs. While it’s no substitute for a professionally-designed website, it’s ideal for start-ups and individuals to gain visibility at little to no cost. In this guide, we’ll provide you with all of the important information on website builders, and highlight some of the top website builders that are available today.

What is a Website Builder?

Put simply; website builders allow anyone with basic computer skills to design a website. Most of them use a library of tools to enable drag-and-drop style functionality. This lets you design a website in plain, visual terms rather than through code or other tools.  

You can choose what elements go where, and provide your content, choosing from a number of pre-existing templates, stock photos, icons, layout elements, and much more.  Then, they take care of the domain registration, hosting, and other tech aspects of running a website.

So, what are some of the most popular brands? The top website builders include Squarespace, Bluehost and Network Solutions.  

What Are Some of the Top Website Builders?

Below, we highlight over a dozen of the best website builders. Specifically, we look at their price and value, functionality, level of service, bandwidth, storage, and speed.  

Squarespace

Squarespace is all about designing websites and is considered one of the best website builder platforms available today.  They have a library of designer site templates and all the tools you need to make your own personal or business site. Plans range from $12/month for a personal site to $40/month for an advanced e-commerce site.  

SiteBuilder.com

SiteBuilder is a solid entry in the website builder space, with domain name, email, e-commerce, analytics, and a library of templates available. The basic plan starts at $3.84/month, with premium and e-commerce plans at $5.99/month and $9.22/month, respectively. All include free hosting, drag-and-drop editor, domain names, and statistics, with better support and speed in the higher-tier plans.  

GoDaddy

While GoDaddy used to be a domain registration company, they’ve expanded into all related web services, including website builders. Like most companies, they offer a drag-and-drop builder platform, free hosting, SSL certificate, and support, with additional features and greater speeds in higher tier packages.  Plans range from $5.99/month to $19.99/month.

Web.com

Web.com offers hosting, SEO, marketing, and lots of other web services, in addition to having a powerful website builder platform.  You can have them build a site for you, or do it yourself. Templates, drag-and-drop elements, free domain, e-mail, and support are included.  The basic website builder is available for $1.95/month for the first month, and $22.95 thereafter.

WordPress

WordPress is well-known as the standard in blog and micro-site publishing software.  They also offer hosting and various editor software to let anyone create a site. The basic plan offers a WordPress domain only, with higher-tier plans offering custom domains. Blogger (basic) plans start at $3 per month, with 4 additional tiers available, up to e-Commerce for $45 per month.  

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is focused on e-commerce sites, providing an interface to let companies build their own online stores.  It includes the ability to accept payments, lets you build on one of nearly 100 templates, and much more. Plans range from $29.95/month to $250/month for enterprise-level accounts.  

Site123

Site123 offers free and paid website builder solutions.  The free account is limited, with paid options providing a domain, storage, e-commerce functionality, and reasonable bandwidth limitations, for $10.80/month.

Weebly

Weebly also offers free and paid services using their drag-and-drop software. Free, Pro ($12/month), Business ($25/month), and Business Plus ($38/month) offer more advanced features and e-commerce support, marketing, ad credits, and more.  

Jimdo

Jimdo uses smart AI technology to select templates and elements for your site. Jimdo offers five plans, starting with a limited free plan that lets you try things out, up to a $39/month plan that gives you access to everything they offer. Bandwidth, storage, and functionality increase as the plan prices increase.

Webs

Webs has a super-simplified, drag-and-drop website builder. Free accounts are limited and have Webs branding on them, but a $5.99/month option removes that and gives you much more features. Plans for business and e-commerce increase in price, but the max option is $22.99/month, which is quite reasonable.  

uCraft

Like most other website builders, uCraft uses templates and plug-and-play apps to let you design a perfect site with ease.  Free sites are available, as well as 3 additional paid plans which offer more features, these start from $10/month to $39/month.  

Shopify

Another website builder focused on e-commerce stores, Shopify accounts range from $29 to $299/month depending on the features you need for your online store.

Simvoly

Focused on sales lead and generation sites/e-commerce, Simvoly has 4 plans, from $12/month to $149/month depending on your needs.  All come with a simple, easy-to-use editor, free hosting, SSL, site membership, app integration, and analytics.

Choosing the Top Website Builder

The vast majority of the website builders around today use a drag-and-drop style interface.  Some offer more functionality than others. Many offer free trials or free plan options that you can use to try things out before you commit to a paid plan.  

You need to look at your present as well as the future, to be sure that whatever option you choose is capable of growing with your business and supporting the features you may need in the future, even if they are beyond what you require today.  The top website builders will have multiple plans available with different levels of services in order to accommodate your needs.

Website Builders vs. Hiring a Developer

Having a custom website built from scratch can be very costly, easily several thousand dollars.  Every time you want to make changes or add content, it can result in additional charges. Using the top website builders, you can do this for just a few dollars per month, without having to hire a developer, and without any great technical knowledge or skills.  It’s a great choice for companies and individuals that are just starting out, and don’t have thousands to spend on a website or online store.

What are the Pros and Cons of Website Builders?

The best website builders offer a lot of bang for your buck, without a ton of drawbacks.  They are fast, easy to use, inexpensive, and feature-rich. That covers a lot of the needs of many people and businesses.  

Still, even the top best website builders can’t do everything.  If your site needs custom code, special functions, your own templates and themes, dedicated hosting, regular site backups, and other, more demanding functions, you’ll need to look for another option, such as a designer and dedicated hosting.

Who are Website Builders For?

The top website builders enable ordinary people and small businesses to get a professional web presence at low cost and with great ease. While almost anyone can use a website builder, they are ideal for:

• People who need to get a website up and running in a short amount of time.
• Those who lack technology skills and are budget-conscious.
• People who feel overwhelmed or intimidated at putting together a website.
• People with a limited or no site design budget.
• The best website builders provide multiple plans and options for all different kinds of users, from individual bloggers up through online retailers and professional companies. The choices and features are all up to you, depending on what you are looking for and what you are willing to pay
   

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