Top 15 Best Website Builders for Small Businesses in 2024

 

Top 15 Best Website Builders for Small Businesses in 2024

You’ve got a website name and a vision. It’s time to bring your website to reality. In this guide, we’ll look at the top 15 website builders for small businesses, as well as the features to look for.

By: Melanie Clarke

own — your small business needs a website to build trust, credibility, and visibility. 

If you are an entrepreneur, content creator, online vendor, or artist, a website is essential. It serves as your online identity, allowing you to showcase your talents, products, or services to a global audience. Whether you're a photographer looking to display your portfolio, a blogger sharing your thoughts and expertise, or an online store owner expanding your customer base, a website opens up a world of opportunities. I

Yet, we find a quarter of small businesses still don’t have a website. According to the same Digital.com study, 24% of small businesses without a website say it’s because they don’t know how to create one. Setting up a website from scratch requires more than just a web builder – you'll also need web hosting and a domain. Luckily, most of the web builders featured in this guide have got you covered on the web hosting front.A website development expert from Fiverr can get your site up and running fast and within budget. 

But now the big question is: Which site builder should you choose?

In this guide, we review the top 15 website builders for small businesses. We’ll also look at how to choose the right website builder – according to your business needs, conversion goals, and industry type.

15 Best website builders for small businesses:

1. Wix: Best for small businesses

2. Hostinger Website Builder: Most Affordable Website Builder

3. Squarespace: Best website builder for in-built SEO

4. Duda: Best website builder for international small businesses

5. WordPress.com: Most customizable and versatile platform

6. Shopify: Best website builder for eCommerce

7. GoDaddy: Best website builder for static websites

8. Webflow: Most powerful website builder

9. Gator Website Builder by HostGator: Affordable Wix alternative

10. IONOS Website Builder: 

11.  BigCommerce: Best cloud eCommerce website builder

12. Weebly: Best freemium eCommerce website builder

13. Site123: Easiest website builder

14. Jimdo: Most affordable ADI website builder

15. Strikingly: Website Builder in under 30 minutes

Build your successful website

Website Builders FAQs

1. Wix: Best for small businesses

Wix is a responsive website builder that allows users to build their own websites without coding knowledge or prior design experience. The builder is intuitive, clean, and easy to use.

Wix is a popular option for small businesses,  The majority (31%) of website-builder sites are created with Wix. 

“I ended up choosing Wix for its affordability, user-friendly interface, and customization options,” says Dmytro Kondratiev, CEO of LLC services. “Since launching my website, I’ve seen a 40% increase in sales thanks to high site traffic.”

Wix has over 900 templates in its library, with drag-and-drop functionalities. 

Even though Wix is a no-code platform, custom code functionalities can be enabled to make source code changes. However, you’ll need HTML or CSS knowledge for this.

If you need advanced customizations like an API integration or third-party payment gateway, you can hire a Wix development expert.

Wix Pros

In-built SEO and analytic tools for higher-tier plans

Import an existing website into Wix with the site transfer tool

Customize the look of your site by using pre-made themes already optimized for mobile devices

Build your own theme with HTML/CSS code

eCommerce functionality if you want to sell products online

Appointment booking and social media integration

Free domain name and web hosting package included in paid plans

Wix Cons

Limited storage options, not great for very heavy websites

eCommerce plans are expensive

Loading speeds are slower than some competitors

No in-built SEO or analytics for basic plans

Who is it best for?

Wix is a perfect all-rounder for small businesses looking to build a website quickly without too much outsourcing. 

Thanks to Wix’s templates and customizations, it’s great for creative businesses that want a unique presence.

Pricing

Free plan: $0/month (with ads)

Combo plan: $16/month

Unlimited plan: $22/month

Pro plan: $27/month

VIP plan: $45/month

Tooltester score: 4.5

Build your website with a Wix expert

2. Hostinger Website Builder: Most Affordable Website Builder

Hostinger Website Builder, originating from Lithuania, is a swiftly growing platform worldwide. Whether you're crafting a minimalistic website or setting up an ecommerce site, this would be a perfect builder to check out. It's an excellent choice if you are already a Hostinger web hosting user.

“Hostinger Website Builder is a terrific tool for creating personal blogs, professional sites, and online stores without special technical skills.” - TechRadar.

Hostinger Website Builder Pros:

Lowest premium subscriptions available at  $2.99/month.

Each subscription includes a free domain for a year, Unlimited SSLs, and free hosting.

High-quality templates and a simple drag-and-drop interface

The ability to construct multilingual websites, using its language switcher and translation features

Real-time customer support via live chat or email.

AI Tools - Writer, Heatmap and Business Name Generator

Global Data Centers.

Hostinger Website Builder Cons

Limited blogging functionality, especially when compared to competitors

No ability to build a member’s area

App and integration is lacking compared to Wix and Shopify

Who is it best for?

Hostinger Website Builder is best for creating websites with minimal content, making it an ideal choice for individuals who want a straightforward and user-friendly website-building experience. It's also a great option for those who are already using Hostinger hosting services, as it integrates seamlessly with their hosting infrastructure, providing convenience and compatibility.

It's ideal for:

Personal Websites: Create portfolios, blogs, or personal pages with ease.

Small Businesses: Establish an online presence with essential information and contact details. What is more, Hostinger offers a Referral Program, where you can join and earn a 20% commission for all of your clients' purchases. Your referrals will receive a 20% discount as well.

Startups: Quickly build a website to showcase your startup's products or services.

Freelancers: Display your portfolio and services online for potential clients.

Events: Create event pages or invitations for gatherings, parties, or conferences.

Niche Websites: Develop websites with minimal content requirements, such as landing pages or single-page sites.

Supplementary Sites: Complement an existing website or online store with additional pages or information.

Pricing

$2.99/month when paid annually

Tooltester score: 4.0

3. Squarespace: Best website builder for in-built SEO

Squarespace is a website builder with 100+ templates and a drag-and-drop interface for quickly building a visually appealing website.

Why is Squarespace the best website builder for in-built SEO? Because of these technical SEO features: 

Google Search Console integration: Analytics dashboard shows keyword performance and traffic sources

SEO Page settings: Customize page titles, descriptions, URLs, and images 

Sitemaps: XML format sitemaps are already added

Search engine indexing: Automatic markup on product and event pages

Mobile optimization: Mobile responsiveness is an SEO best practic

Squarespace also offers a free custom domain, SSL certification, and eCommerce features.

“I chose Squarespace because I wanted a straightforward and intuitive website builder so I could start quickly,” says James Beattie, founder of We Tested. “The customer service was super responsive whenever I ran into issues while designing, which sealed the deal for me.” 

Squarespace Pros

100+ templates, easily find one that fits your brand perfectly

Easy-to-use dashboard

Great value for money, especially when compared with other website builders

Wide variety of features such as email marketing, SEO, and social media integration

AMP formatting (accelerated mobile pages) for fast speeds on mobile devices

Squarespace Cons

Bare bones eCommerce capabilities

Fewer add-ons and integrations with apps than similar website builders

Custom code features available only for Business plan

Who is it best for?

Squarespace is an affordable option that requires minimal effort on your part. The only downside is Squarespace isn't as customizable as other platforms. If you want something more unique or complex than their free template offer,  this might not be your best option.

Squarespace is also great option for photographers or graphic design artists that need a visual-heavy portfolio website.

Pricing

Personal plan: $16/month

Business plan: $23/month

Tooltester score: 4.3

4. Duda: Best website builder for international small businesses

Duda — an easy-to-use content management system (CMS) — lets you build your website in minutes. It has the same creators as WordPress and contains many similarities with its predecessor.

For example, Duda offers a powerful system to create a website in 55+ languages, with multi-language responsiveness. 

“Duda is superior in every way. I can't imagine how our company would be able to manage building as many sites as we do daily with another platform.” Paul Altobelli, Website Product Lead at Hibu.

Duda Pros

Intuitive drag-and-drop feature to easily add content to your site. This makes it easy for people with no coding experience to add text, photos, videos, and other content to their sites.

There are no limits on how much content you can add to your site. No worries of running out of space or having too many pages for search engines to index — add whatever you need.

Duda’s Website Personalization Tool is a game-changer. It allows you to customize your visitors’ user experience based on their location or online behavior.

Duda Cons

Duda offers an app store, but the range of applications is somewhat restricted compared to Wix, Shopify, and Weebly.

There's no free plan (just a 30-day trial period), and Duda's premium plans begin at higher prices than most competitors.

Who is it best for?

Duda is slightly more expensive than other competitors. It’s ideal for small and medium-sized businesses that want a robust platform that allows them to design a multi-lingual website for an international audience.

Pricing

Basic plan: $14/month

Team plan: $22/month

Agency plan: $44/month

Tooltester score: 3.5

5. WordPress.com: Most customizable and versatile platform

WordPress is the content management system (CMS) of choice for 18% of marketers. WordPress.org is a versatile and customizable platform, making it a popular choice for a variety of websites, including blogs, portfolios, e-commerce stores, and news sites. However, its user-friendly interface and extensive plugin library can also make it an attractive option for individuals and organizations with limited technical expertise.



Note that Wordpress.org and Wordpress.com are not the same. WordPress.org is a free version of the WordPress CMS, but doesn’t include hosting services.

WordPress.com is a paid hosting provider and website builder that hosts WordPress-powered websites.

WordPress.com offers above-average design flexibility — at the cost of a higher learning curve. Beginners with zero technical background can accidentally ‘break’ by using incompatible plugins, outdated themes, and custom code errors.

Wodpress.com Pros

High level of control over site design

Thousands of WordPress themes (free and paid)

Create your own custom theme

Install WordPress plugins to customize your site's design and functionality

SEO optimization features

Social media integration

eCommerce capabilities

Accessible WordPress.com learning resources

Wodpress.com Cons

Steep learning curve — business owners typically hire a developer for troubleshooting

Free plan has limited 1GB and uses a subdomain (e.g., yoursite.wordpress.com)

Who is it best for?

WordPress isn’t the most affordable website builder for small businesses. Still, it’s a powerful solution for individuals familiar with the CMS and want greater control over their websites. Many business owners choose to use a third-party WordPress builder plugin. This way, they get an easy-to-use builder with all of WordPress’ advanced flexibility. 

Pricing

Free plan: $0/month

Pro plan: $15/month when billed annually

Tooltester score: 3.7

Top Wordpress Builders for beginners:

Using a website builder plugin can make it easier to work on WordPress and here are the top 3:

1. Elementor: Best WordPress builder plugin

Elementor is one of the highest-rated WordPress builders and is exceptionally easy to use. With drag-and-drop functionality and a full website design library, Elementor makes WordPress accessible to anyone. 

One of the standout features of Elementor is device responsiveness. This makes it adjust to any screen size and device for accessibility. Plus, it's an SEO best practice (good for ranking) and improves the user experience. 

Elementor also has live editing, so you can edit your website on-page without taking it down and re-publishing it.

Elementor Pros

Built-in WordPress hosting

100+ widgets that require no coding

Daily backups

Motion and animation effects

Create global font and color settings

Elementor Cons

Not compatible with some Wordpress plugins (namely WProcket — a plugin for better WordPress performance and caching)

Elementor is a heavy plugin, and if you have too many other plugins, it can impact site speed

Elementor Pricing

Essential: $49/year (1 website)

Advanced: $99/year (3 websites)

Expert: $199/year (25 websites)

Agency: $1,000/year (1000 websites)

2. DiviBuilder: Best WordPress visual builder plugin

DiviBuilder is an alternative plugin to Elementor, with a visual builder tool functionality. With this tool, you get drag-and-drop as well as live design and text editing.

Laura Roeder, Founder of Paperbell, needed a WordPress builder that didn’t require hiring a dedicated developer.

“We choose WordPress using the Divi builder for our website. It's a very design-focused choice that has robust support and offers all of the SEO bells and whistles that come with a WordPress site,” she says.

Since its launch in 2020, Paperbell has gone from zero traffic to significant growth, along with great search rankings. 

DiviBuilder Pros

Bulk editing features so you can edit multiple elements together

Layout library with 190+ layouts

Customizable animations and effects

Custom CSS control

Editing history

DiviBuilder Cons

No content management (you use WordPress CMS)

No free plan

Pricing

Yearly access: $89/year

Lifetime access: $249

3. BoldGrid: Best traditional WordPress builder plugin 

BoldGrid is another WordPress builder solution with a focus on backend page editing. It’s a very affordable plugin but isn’t as intuitive to work with when compared to Elementor and Divi builder. 

BoldGrid offers a long list of features, including block editing, custom CSS, and mobile responsiveness. It operates on WYSIWYG format (what you see is what you get), which means the editing format resembles the final result).

It doesn’t have live editing or an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, making it perfect for business owners with traditional building experience.

If you’ve worked with WordPress for years and want to quickly get a site up and running, you’ll find BoldGrid familiar and easy to work with. 

BoldGrid Pros

Most affordable WordPress builder plugin

BoldGrid block design

WYSIWYG format

Large community and knowledge base

Compatible with WordPress themes

BoldGrid Cons

No widgets

Has a slight learning curve (but less than Wordpress.com)

Not as intuitive as other builders

Pricing

$30/yearly

6. Shopify: Best website builder for eCommerce

Shopify calls itself an "all-in-one commerce platform to start, run, and grow a business," and it powers the websites and online stores of millions of enterprises worldwide.

Nineteen percent of the top 1 million eCommerce websites are made with Shopify, amounting to a total of 6.3+ million sites in 2023. 

Shopify comes with all the ecommerce features needed to run an online store. This includes inventory tracking, performance metrics, and customer payment subscriptions. Plus, it can handle high volumes of sales and traffic, with unlimited products, bandwidth, and storage. 

"We chose Shopify as a web builder for our small business because it helped us to get to market faster, and we didn't have the budget to hire a website developer to make the website from scratch,” says Sanjana Ragu, founder of Kosmic Rituals. “We also used Shopify hosting, and we're really happy with the site loading speed and analytics dashboard."

If you’re not setting up a full-blown online store, Shopify Lite might be a better option. With this, you can add a buy button to an existing website or blog

Users might find Shopify difficult to use since it uses point-and-click navigation over a drag-and-drop system. You can choose to use a Shopify app builder like PageFly or hire a Fiverr Shopify expert.

“I supplemented Shopify with PageFly for limitless customization. I've been able to improve my website's design and user experience, boost my conversion rates, and grow my business," says Ben Kuhl, CEO of Shelf Expression.

Shopify Pros

Built-in eCommerce functionalities

Easily scalable pricing plans — start with a free plan, then pay monthly or annually for more features or storage space

Great customer service, including 24/7 availability

Shopify app store is a marketplace with over 8,000 apps

“We're a small DTC company that chose Shopify. There are so many easy integrations with Shopify that make social selling, analytics, and order fulfillment easy,” says Ashley R. Cummings, CMO of Reading With RIK. “If I were giving advice to someone looking to build an e-commerce business, I'd tell them to start with a Shopify template." 

Shopify Cons

Transaction fees with third-party payment providers

Only eight templates to choose from (additional paid templates available) 

If you have an existing website, it may be hard to transfer all your information into Shopify

Who is it best for?

Shopify is a great option for small to medium-sized businesses who want to set up a website with advanced eCommerce capabilities.

Pricing

Shopify Basic: $29/month

Shopify: $79/month

Advanced Shopify: $299/month

Tooltester score: 4.

7. GoDaddy: Best website builder for static websites

GoDaddy is a website builder and hosting company founded in 1997. And is one of the oldest and largest around, hosting over 40 million websites globally.

“We chose GoDaddy for its flexibility and easy integration with other SEO tools we use” says Alvin Wei, CMO of SEOAn