The best website builders for small businesses, often also the best website builders available, offer users business-specific features and tools for building a website for their company. These platforms enable any business to simply, quickly, and cheaply build a website that’s professional and meets company requirements.
Our picks for the best small business website builders also offer functionality and tools for enhancing a business’s online presence, such as ecommerce, bookings, subscriptions, and marketing. For those on a budget, many platforms rank among the best cheap website builders too, offering cheaper, professional site creation that enables you to save for other projects.
There’s no one builder that works for all business use cases, and you might be overwhelmed by the choice available. We’re here to help: we review all builders by creating custom sites, testing uptime and response times; examining specific small business tools; comparing builders to competitors; discussing and exploring pricing in detail; and trialing customer support and service responsiveness
Read on to see who we considered the best small business website builders.
The top 3 website builders for small businesses right now
The best website builders for small businesses of 2023 in full
Wix is a regular feature at the top of lists of the best website builder, and it’s top of the best small business website builders for good reason, too. Take advantage of the Wix ADI (artificial design intelligence) tool to get online fast, or use the more powerful Wix Editor to harness the full power of the platform.
One thing that stands out is the template library, which contains more than 500 attractive designs that you can base your site on. There’s also a great selection of add-ons available via the Wix App Market, and the free-forever plan is up there with the best we’ve seen.
Wix is a little confusing to start with, though, so expect to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the platform. It’s also at the expensive end of the spectrum, so it’s not a great choice on a tight budget. There are four business-specific plans, with Business Basic – at $23 a month, with 20GB storage – more than enough for most small or medium businesses.
Read our full Wix review and view our Wix promo codes.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Business Basic | Business Unlimited | Business VIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $23 / $276 | $27 / $324 | $49 / $588 |
| Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | Priority |
| SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 800+ | 800+ | 800+ |
If you’ve heard of website builders, the chances are that you’ve heard of Squarespace. It’s one of the most popular site creation platforms in the world, and it’s easy to see why.
For one, it offers a neat selection of modern templates that you can use to start your small business site. All plans come with unmetered bandwidth and storage, and there’s a range of great ecommerce tools. The cheapest business-focused plan is the Business package, starting at $26 a month, with Basic and Advanced Commerce plans for those with online sales at $35 and $54 a month.
The editor is relatively powerful, but it doesn’t offer the pixel-perfect design flexibility that some of the other options on this list do. It’s also a little confusing, so you should expect to spend some time familiarizing yourself with it when you’re getting started.
Read our full Squarespace review and view our Squarespace promo codes.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Business | Basic Commerce | Advanced Commerce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $26 / $216 | $35 / $312 | $54 / $480 |
| Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 110+ | 110+ | 110+ |
If your main priority is getting a basic site online as fast and efficiently as possible, the GoDaddy website builder could be your best option. Although it’s quite basic, the editor is simple and intuitive.
In addition, GoDaddy boasts a selection of basic ecommerce tools, a full analytics portal, and excellent support resources. There’s also a great free plan that you can use to test the platform, and three premium plans ranging from $19.99 to $29.99 a month, increasing after renewal. The Standard, Premium, and Ecommerce plans are ideal for businesses starting out, growing, or selling online.
On the downside, design flexibility is very limited. You won’t have access to any advanced tools whatsoever, which can make it hard to personalize your site. The templates are also quite basic, which can make it hard to build a business site with any sort of size or complexity.
Read our full GoDaddy website builder review and our GoDaddy hosting review.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Standard | Premium | Commerce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $19.99 / $125.88 | $24.99 / $167.88 | $29.99 / $209.88 |
| Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 100 | 100 | 100 |
With its powerful yet intuitive editor and selection of beginner-friendly site creation tools, Strikingly is another great option for website building newbies. It’s designed specifically for landing pages and one-page sites, and it comes with a suite of unique features.
The standouts among these are the simple store and blog modules, which you can use to add ecommerce and blogging functionality to your one-page site. The template library is a little limited, and the free account comes with a one-page restriction, but overall, there’s a lot to like here. When it comes to paid plans, the Pro and VIP packages are best for businesses, at $20 a month and $59 a month respectively.
Read our full Strikingly review.
| Plan type/feature | Pro | VIP |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $20* / $192 | $59* / $588 |
| Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 64 | 64 |
* Price higher for monthly prices listed in review, because annual sign-ups work out at cheaper monthly payments
Weebly is a great choice for small businesses that want to add an online store to their website. It features an excellent range of ecommerce features, and its online store tools are controlled by Square, one of the world’s most popular payment gateways.
On top of this, Weebly boasts a selection of templates for sites of all shapes and sizes. Its free forever plan is a neat option for those who want to try the platform before purchasing a subscription, and the premium plans are very competitively priced. For small businesses, Pro, Business, and Business Plus packages (at $18, $35, and $46 a month) offer the best levels of website services as your business grows.
Note, though, that the builder is a little limited. You will be restricted to predefined element positions, and it can be hard to achieve the design that you want.
Read our full Weebly review.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Pro | Business | Business Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $18 / $216 | $35 / $420 | $46 / $552 |
| Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 50+ | 50+ | 50+ |
IONOS MyWebsite is a beginner-friendly website builder that’s very competitively priced and backed by a selection of great features. Every plan comes with a free domain, unlimited storage, and unmetered bandwidth. There isn’t any free forever plan, but the introductory prices are very competitive.
One standout feature of the MyWebsite website builder is its excellent multilingual site tools. There’s a built-in translator, which can be used to translate your content into 62 different languages. Individual sites support up to 25 different languages at a time, which makes this a great option for small businesses targeting different language groups.
When it comes to pricing, MyWebsite offers the Plus and Pro site builder plans at $10 and $15 a month, while for more advanced sites its Now & List Local Essential and Creator + List Local Essential packages (free for the first month, then respectively $17 and $23 a month) offer website builders with marketing and advanced ecommerce functionality.
Read our full IONOS MyWebsite review.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Plus | Pro | Starter & List Local Essential | Plus & List Local Essential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $10 / $120 (basic) – $20 / $240 (ecommerce) | $15 / $180 (basic) – $35 / $420 (ecommerce) | Free for the first month, then $17 | Free for the first month, then $23 |
| Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✔ (with ecommerce) | ✔ (with ecommerce) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 400+ | 400+ | 400+ | 400+ |
Now, WordPress isn’t technically a website builder. But it’s such a powerful option for building small business websites that we just couldn’t leave it off this list. WordPress.org, it should be mentioned, is the free blog and basic site builder, while WordPress.com is the paid website creation software and management tool.
At its simplest, WordPress.org is a free CMS that provides the dashboard and tools for you to create and manage your website. The design flexibility on offer is unrivaled, and you will have access to thousands of templates and plugins through the official WordPress stores.
Bear in mind that you will require one of the best website builders for WordPress, and then one of the best web hosting services (namely, one of the best WordPress hosting platforms) to get online, though.
WordPress.com’s pricing plans differ when it comes to paying annually or monthly, with the annual plans including a free domain among other features, but costing more. For businesses, the Pro plan is $18 a month and includes 50GB of storage space alongside a raft of features and tools.
You have full code access and complete control over every aspect of your site, enabling you to build exactly what you want. Note, though, that WordPress can be a little confusing to get started with, and it will take you some time to get your site online.
Read our comprehensive WordPress review.
| Plan type/feature | Pro |
|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $18 / $216 |
| Customer support | 24/7 |
| SSL certificate | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 31,000+ |
Although it’s a relative newcomer to the website-building world, HostGator’s Gator Website Builder stands out as excellent. All plans come with unmetered storage and bandwidth, as well as a free domain for the first year.
The builder is arguably the most powerful after Wix, and this is largely due to the advanced drag-and-drop interface. Unfortunately, there isn’t a free forever plan or a free trial, but prices are low and there is a 45-day money-back guarantee. Even the cheapest of the three plans, Express Start at $3.84 a month, features a free domain, three email campaigns a month, and a three-product online store.
Scaling up from there, the most expensive plan is Express Store at $9.22 a month, which offers 10 email campaigns a month, unlimited products on an online store, and no transaction fees should you choose to utilize ecommerce.
Read our full HostGator review.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Express Start | Express Site | Express Store |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $3.84 / $110.64 | $5.99 / $147.47 | $9.22 / $239.76 |
| Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 200+ | 200+ | 200+ |
Zyro is one of the most intuitive website builders in the world, from leading web host Hostinger. The designer is a little on the simple side, but it’s still more than good enough for those looking to get a simple site online with a minimum amount of fuss.
One standout feature is the company’s excellent customer service, which includes online live chat and email ticketing. There’s also a neat set of AI tools, including an AI writer, logo builder, and blog title generator. Benefit from simple ecommerce tools if you want to add an online store, and select a design from the template library base your site on.
On the downside, prices are quite deceptive, and you can expect to pay significantly more than the advertised price when it comes time to renew your subscription. The Business plan is $11.49 a month, and offers unlimited bandwidth, storage, free emails for three months, and a free domain for a year, with more advanced plans offering ecommerce functions.
Read our full Zyro review and view our Hostinger coupon codes.
| Plan type/feature | Business | Advanced Store |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per month/year | $11.49 / $137.88 | $25.90 / $310.80 |
| Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ |
| Store builder | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of templates | 133 | 133 |
| Website builder | Cheapest business plan | Free version? | Free domain? | Storage | Bandwidth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | $23 a month (Business Basic) | ✔ | ✔ | 20GB | From 2GB |
| Squarespace | $26 a month (Business) | ✖ | ✔ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| GoDaddy | $19.99 a month (Standard) | ✔ | ✖ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Strikingly | $20 a month (Pro) | ✔ | ✔ | From 1GB | From 50GB |
| Weebly | $18 a month (Pro) | ✔ | ✔ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| IONOS MyWebsite | $10 a month (Plus) | ✖ | ✔ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| WordPress | $18 a month (Pro) | ✔ | ✔ | 200GB | Unlimited |
| HostGator | $3.84 a month (Express Start) | ✖ | ✔ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Zyro | $11.49 a month (Business) | ✖ | ✔ | From 1GB | From 3GB |
Small business website builder FAQs
What is a website builder?
A website builder helps anyone to build a website, regardless of experience level, by employing simple platforms all the way up to powerful editors utilizing drag-and-drop technology, template libraries, and additional further tools for site creation.
Many of the leading platforms offer small business-specific features and tools, which include ecommerce functionality; marketing and email tie-ins; business and SEO analytics; and much more. The top builders generally offer business-tailored plans and packages, so you won’t have to go far to find what you’re looking for.
How to choose the best small business website builder for you
Website builder comparisons
When you’re trying to choose one of the best small business website builders, it’s worth keeping key factors in mind to help make a good choice. First of all, decide why exactly you need a small business website and clearly identify your available budget, as well as the top tools you require.
If you want ecommerce tools, remember that not all builders offer ecommerce. Remember also to check if you require web hosting on top of your builder: this isn’t likely, but it’s important in particular if choosing WordPress.
Consider how much time you can spend building your site. Choose a beginner-friendly builder like Weebly or GoDaddy if you want a site finished quickly and easily; opt for a more powerful option like Wix if you want to spend more time finalizing your site’s look and feel.
What’s key to remember, however, is that most builders are available on free trials and some are free-forever website builders. As such, it can quite literally pay off to spend time researching builders before you choose; testing each out for free; and then opting for the paid plan from the provider you’ve earmarked.
How we review the best small business website builders
We review all website builders in similar ways, whether reviewing those focused on small businesses, ecommerce, or free blogs. First of all, we test the builder and editor by creating custom sites. In doing so, we can then say for sure where the platform resides on the difficulty scale, between beginners and advanced users.
We test our site’s uptime and response times once online, as these metrics are integral to website performance. If your business site is offline or slow to respond, you can lose custom, money, and time.
On a more specific, small business-focused site basis, we examine specific small business tools and features, which could be ecommerce-related or could be more targeted elements like AI tools or content creation. We compare builders to competitors and discuss and explore in detail what each pricing plan offers, so you know which one to invest in for your business site.
Other common areas of our reviewing process include examining platform-specific features, as well as trialing customer support and service responsiveness and knowledge. The last thing you want is to have a problem with your business site, and then have a slow-to-respond, less well-informed support service.
See our testing methodology page for more information.
Next steps with website builders and web hosting
Learn more about drag-and-drop editors, as most small business website builders utilize this technology. If you’re wondering about web hosting, discover the differences between web hosting, WordPress, and website builders and learn what web hosting is.
When it comes to the providers featured, check out our step-by-step guides outlining how to make a website with Wix, with Squarespace, and with GoDaddy.
