10 Best Website Builders for Beginners Compared (2018)

10 Best Website Builders for Beginners Compared (2018)

Want to build a website on your own without hiring a developer? Then you need to choose the best website builder out there that enables you to easily create a stunning website yourself.

You can find dozens of website builders that help you set up a website on your own with ease regardless of your skillset. With choice comes confusion, so in this post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best website builders for beginners. We’ll also help you decide how to choose the right website builder based on your unique needs.

Choosing the Best Website Builder- What to Look For?

There are a few things you need to consider when it comes to choosing the best website builder for your needs. Some of them are:

Skillset:

Your skillset is one of the important factors to consider when choosing a website builder.

If you’re an absolute beginner, you might consider a solution that comes with an easy-to-use drag and drop builder. Using the drag and drop, you can quickly get your website up and running.

On the other hand, if you can comfortably handle hosting, backup and security of your site by yourself, then you might want to choose a robust website builder, preferably a self-hosted solution such as WordPress.org. While a drag and drop builder makes it super easy to set up a website, the downside is that most builders provide you with a limited set of functionalities that hinder your website growth down the line.

Features:

Write down a list of desirable features you want on your website builder. To get an idea about the features you’ll need, ask yourself a few questions:

  • What’s the purpose of your website?
  • What third-party integrations will you need on your website?
  • What’s the budget you can afford to build a website?
  • Will you need a complete eCommerce storefront?

1. WordPress.org

wordpress.org

WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress, is the most popular website builder in existence. From hobby blogs to news publications and small websites to enterprise businesses, almost 30% of the internet uses WordPress.

WordPress is available in two different versions: WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress. It’s easy to get confused with both of them. For more details, you can check out the difference between WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress.

With WordPress, you can find dozens of website builder plugins that help you create a website with drag and drop such as Beaver Builder and Elementor.

Pros:

It gives you endless possibilities to create a website the way you want. You can easily extend your websites’ look and functionalities using WordPress themes and plugins. You also get complete control over your website.

Cons:

  • Setting up a website isn’t easy as other hosted solutions.
  • You can’t create a website with zero budget.
  • You’ll need to manage backup and security yourself.

Bottom line:

WordPress is a free software, but you’ll have to purchase a domain name ($14.99 per year) and web hosting ($7.99 per month) to start a WordPress website. If you need a drag and drop solution to build a website, all you have to do is install a page builder plugin.

Because the combined cost of both the domain and hosting can seem like quite a lot, we’ve worked out a deal with Bluehost for IsItWP users. You’ll get a free domain name, free SSL and over 60% off on WordPress hosting.

2. Wix

wix logo

Wix is a drag and drop builder that lets you build any type of websites easily. You can choose from hundreds of designer-made prebuilt templates for every kind of business. You can create stunning websites with parallax, animation, video backgrounds—all without having to touch a single line of code.

Pros:

  • Free: Wix comes with a free plan with limited functionalities to create a website with drag and drop.
  • Advanced features: You can easily integrate advanced features into your site such as eCommerce storefront.
  • Mobile friendly: Wix websites are mobile-friendly, meaning your site looks great on all devices.

Cons:

  • Your website will display Wix branded ads unless you upgrade to a premium version.
  • The ability to customize your site is limited.
  • Switching over to another platform is difficult.

Bottom line

Wix is best suited for beginner level users who need a drag and drop solution to create a website. With a premium Wix plan, you can use your own domain name, remove Wix ads, and integrate your website into Google Analytics and more.

If you want a website builder that gives full control over your site, then you might use a self-hosted WordPress website instead.

3. Shopify

Shopify is a fully fledged website builder built specifically for eCommerce businesses. It enables you to set up an online store in minutes without having to touch code. It powers over half a million businesses with 1 million active users.

Pros:

Despite being a complete eCommerce platform, Shopify provides a web-based website builder and blogging platform to help you scale up your eCommerce business. All Shopify themes are fully responsive, meaning your customers get a consistent shopping experience regardless of their device.

Without any third-party accounts, you can start accepting payments on Shopify. Additionally, it supports 100+ third-party payment gateways and provides seamless integration with your website, Facebook page, etc.

Cons:

If you need to add multi-level categories and more product details, Shopify might not be the right choice. If you use an external payment gateway, then you’ll be charged a heavy transaction fee, ranging from 0.5 to 2%.

Bottom line:

Shopify is one of the best eCommerce platforms to build an online store. Compared to other online store builders, Shopify is transparent in their fee structures.

If you want more control over your eCommerce store, then you might want to choose a self-hosted eCommerce platform, like WooCommerce. Learn more about building an online store with WooCommerce.

4. BoldGrid

boldgrid

BoldGrid is a website builder that works on top of WordPress. If you need a website builder that not only gives you the flexibility of WordPress, but also the drag and drop functionality to customize your website the way you want, then BoldGrid is the best choice.

Pros:

BoldGrid is shipped with a pool of WordPress plugins that provide an enhanced WordPress experience. In addition to drag and drop, BoldGrid helps you easily find and add content to your site that perfectly suits your industry.

Cons:

It’s bloated with too many options. If you need a simple drag and drop builder that works on WordPress, you might consider BoldGrid alternatives like Beaver Builder.

Bottom line:

BoldGrid is the right choice for WordPress beginners who need a drag and drop builder with minimal setup. BoldGrid is a product of InMotion hosting, and it works best with selected hosting providers.

5. Weebly

weebly logo

Weebly is yet another website builder that allows you to build a beautiful website with drag and drop. Weebly makes onboarding easy with its tailored, step by step guidance. With Weebly, you can easily add a blog or integrate a storefront into your website.

Pros:

Weebly comes with powerful tools to create a beautiful website including drag and drop, pre-designed layout options, website stats and more.

Weebly also has a free plan that allows you to use a free subdomain of Weebly.com. Users can easily upgrade to a premium plan for more features, including custom domain support, site stats, site search, etc.

Cons:

  • The built-in features are limited.
  • It offers only a limited number of integrations.
  • Exporting your Weebly site to another platform can be quite difficult.

Bottom line:

If you need a drag and drop solution to quickly build a WordPress site, then you might want to give Weebly a try.

6. Squarespace

squarespace logo

Squarespace is a full-featured website builder that comes with all the set of tools you’ll need to build a beautiful website. You can also choose from dozens of website templates for your site. Each template comes with hundreds of customizable features. You can also register a domain name for free with an annual Squarespace subscription.

Pros:

  • Choose from an extensive collection of built-in site templates.
  • With any plan, you get unlimited bandwidth and unlimited storage.
  • No transaction fee is charged for eCommerce transactions with eCommerce basic or advanced plans.

Cons:

  • Unlike most website builders, Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan.
  • The starting plan is a bit expensive compared to other builders.
  • No third-party apps or extensions are allowed.

Bottom line:

If you’re after an all-in-one website builder that lets you easily build a website from scratch without having you to sign up for a third-party service, then Squarespace could be the best choice. Since all necessary tools come out of the box, you don’t have to pay extra for templates, addons or any other services.

7. iPage Website Builder

ipage website builder

iPage Website Builder is an addon sold as a part of iPage hosting. It’s a drag and drop builder that helps you create stunning websites with mobile-friendly themes.

Pros:

A limited version of the builder is available with your iPage hosting account without any extra cost. The builder is shipped with over a hundred professionally designed website templates. All elements of your web pages can be edited by simply clicking on it in the live preview.

Cons:

In order to use the builder, you need to subscribe to iPage hosting. While some hosting providers offer a complete website builder as a part of your hosting plan, iPage only allows you to use a limited version of the builder.

Bottom line:

If you want to use a website builder as an addon service of your hosting account, then iPage builder could be a good option.

8. GoCentral Website Builder

godaddy website builder

GoCentral Website Builder is a simple builder by Godaddy, a leading domain registrar and hosting service provider. GoCentral helps you create a beautiful website with ease. It comes with a suite of marketing tools including SEO and email marketing to spread the word out about your online presence.

Pros:

By default, all websites you create from GoCentral will be mobile-friendly, meaning your website will look great on all devices. It also lets you easily add a blog and eCommerce storefront to your website.

Cons:

It’s not as feature rich as most other website builders in the market. It offers only a limited set of features with fewer design options.

Bottom line:

If you think building a website is an intimidating task, you might give GoCentral Website Builder a try.

9. WordPress.com

wordpress.com blogging platform

WordPress.com is a free blog and website hosting service run by Automattic, the same folks behind WordPress.org. WordPress.com enables you to focus on your content without having to worry about the technicalities of handling a website, such as hosting, security or backup. This way WordPress.com makes it easy for anyone to publish online, regardless of their budget.

Pros:

WordPress.com is an SEO friendly publishing platform. It enables you to create a free website with a WordPress.com subdomain. Out of the box, it comes with all the essential features to build and grow your website. If you want enhanced functionalities on your site, like Google Analytics tracking, custom domain name setup, plugins support, etc. then you might consider upgrading to a premium plan.

Cons:

While you get many enhanced features with their premium plans, they still lack functionalities that you can avail from self-hosted WordPress. Even if you’ve subscribed to a premium plan, you abide by WordPress.com’s Terms of Services.

Bottom line:

If you prefer building a website on a reliable publishing platform over a drag and drop builder, then WordPress.com is the best choice for you. If you want to get complete control over your site, then you might want to use WordPress.org instead.

10. Webs.com

webs

Webs comes with a drag and drop interface and professionally designed templates that help you build a beautiful website with ease. With any premium Webs plan, you can claim a free domain name for your site.

Pros:

It comes with an easy-to-use drag and drop builder with an extensive collection of built-in templates to choose from. You can even integrate a basic eCommerce storefront into your website. Based on the industry you’re in, you’ll be shown a tailored list of website templates to choose for your site.

Cons:

It offers only a limited set of features, compared to other website builders. If you create a free website, then you’re required to log into your site at least once a month to ensure your site will remain live for free.

Bottom line:

Webs is best suited for non-tech savvy users who need to quickly build a website without having to hire a developer. They offer several built-in tools so you can focus more on your business and less on your website.

We hope this article helped you choose the best website builders for your needs.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also check out how to create a website.

The post 10 Best Website Builders for Beginners Compared (2018) appeared first on IsItWP – WordPress Technology Lookup Tool.

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