Website Builders

Forget coding and programming, building a website is now as easy as drag-and-drop. No designers or developers necessary.

These platforms have pre-designed templates, you just add your logo and colour scheme to make it your own. Here’s our pick of the most affordable,  customisable tools, and most loved tools by freelancers and small businesses…

One of the most popular website building tools, Wix has millions of users around the world. It’s a really simple way to build a website, and it works for loads of different sectors.

Who’s it for?

Freelancers will love how easy it is to make a fancy portfolio, and small business owners will find its low-maintenance editing tools really useful.

Good bits

• Over 500 stylish templates to choose from (and they’re made by real web designers).
• Customisation is easy, so you don’t need to be any kind of expert.
• You can add sophisticated features like .gifs, videos, animated banners, and more.

Not so good bits

• Works best for services, portfolio, and e-commerce sites. If you want to create something more complicated, it might not have the functionality.
• Some extras cost more, like creating a business email address.

Free-o-meter

1/5

Prices: £3-13 a month (it’s billed for the whole year in one go)

You can create a free Wix account and website, but it’ll have Wix.com ads on it and you can’t choose your own domain name or connect one you already have. Not ideal for a small business…

You’ve heard it advertised on all your favourite podcasts, but Squarespace has been around a lot longer than you might think. Since 2003, it’s been one of the most popular ‘all-in-one’ website building tools in the world.

Who’s it for?

This one’s got really broad appeal – freelancers, tradespeople, small business owners, and online sellers will all find something they like.

Good bits

• The sign-up process is slick. Tell Squarespace what you want to build and it’ll make helpful suggestions.
• The templates are uncomplicated and beautifully minimalist.
• There are lots of marketing tools included – email campaigns, analytics, and search engine optimisation.

Not so good bits

• Running an e-commerce site is pricier than choosing the normal business package.
• Some have had issues with page speed, which can be bad for your SEO.
• Like Wix, it’s not going to be right for you if you need something very specific.

Free-o-meter

2/5

 Prices: £15 a month for businesses, £20-£30 a month for e-commerce. You can pay yearly or monthly, but monthly costs more overall.

The 14-day free trial gives you time to get to know the premium features before you give them your card details. There are a few restrictions though and your site won’t show up in any Google search results.

 This is one of the most popular platforms for online sellers. Shopify’s dashboard gives you a clear view of everything in one place – orders, shipping, sales, and lots of insights into profit and growth.

Who’s it for?

Freelancers and small businesses with physical stuff to sell.

Good bits

• Shopify is purely for e-commerce businesses, meaning you’ll get features and functionality designed specifically for your kind of business.
• Subscription includes a directory of free stock images. They’re good ones too!
• You can process physical and online sales through Shopify. Great if you have a shop, pop-up, or market stall.

Not so good bits

• It’s more expensive than other website builders because it offers something a bit more specialist.
• If e-commerce is part of your business, but not your main thing, it probably won’t be useful enough.

Free-o-meter

2/5

 Prices: $29-$299 a month

There are three packages for different size businesses. The 14-day trial gives you time to get to know the platform before you sign up, but you can’t sell anything until you’ve chosen and paid for a plan.

Design and create an impressive site with simple tools. Webflow was created for business owners, designers, and developers to collaborate on the same platform. It works well for everyone, no matter how knowledgeable they are.

Who’s it for?

Freelancers and small business owners who sometimes don’t have a clue what their developer’s talking about…

Good bits

• Stylish business, blog, portfolio, e-commerce, and landing page templates to choose from.
• HTML and CSS code is automatically created, so it’s just as easy for you and your developers to understand.
• It’s easy to keep adding pages and content with the CMS.

Not so good bits

• It’s a bit more technical than other website building tools.
• Quite pricey for e-commerce.

Free-o-meter

3/5

 Prices: $12-$36 a month for a standard website. $29-$212 a month for e-commerce.

Get started for free. There’s no specific free trial, you can try out the design tools for as long as you want.