Website builder reviews: our comparison chart for 2013

This table provides an overview of the most well-established and easy-to-use site builders from around the world. We guarantee you won't need any special technical skills to use these.

The following online site builders are ideal for building both private and business websites. Most of them also include the option to add an online store. We update our reviews on a regular basis.

Not sure what an online website builder is? Learn more here.
 

Here are the best website builders:

Provider	Rating	Pricing (monthly)	Comments
Weebly review Try for free		Free: $0 Starter: $4 Pro: $8 Domain: $39.99 (yearly)	Best tool for classic websites + very flexible and easy to use + great designs + assign different access levels for editors
Jimdo review Try for free		Free: $0 Pro: $7.50 (£5) Business: $20 (£15) Domain included	Best all-in-one package + very easy to use + great online store + includes email account(s) + great for search engine optimization (SEO)
Squarespace review Try for free		Standard: $8 Unlimited: $16 Business: $24 Domain included	Top pick for online stores (US only) + sophisticated product + great for SEO + great blogging feature - relatively steep learning curve
Webnode review Try for free		Free: $0 Mini: $2.95 Standard: $9.95 Profi: $24.95 Domain: from $18.95 (yearly)	+ suited to larger (multilingual) websites + range of professional features + great for SEO - variety of designs
Yola review Try for free		Free: $0 Bronze: $4.17 Silver: $8.33 Gold: $16.67 Domain: $11.95 (yearly)	+ build up to 25 websites with one Silver package + great support + excellent e-commerce - Yola ad in Bronze plan
Webs review Try for free		Free: $0 Starter: $4.17 Enhanced: $8.33 Pro: $20.82 Domain included in selected packages	+ great number of features + modern designs + very flexible - negative customer feedback - cluttered backend
Wix.com review Try for free		Free: $0 Con. Dom: $4.08 Combo: $8.25 Unlimited: $12.42 eComm.: $16.17 Domain included in selected packages	+ impressive-looking designs + ability to add animations - mobile website has to be updated manually - once you’ve chosen a template it can’t be changed easily
1&1 review Try for free: US / Canada site UK site		Basic: $9.99 (£9.99) Plus: $19.99 (£19.99) Premium: $29.99 (£29.99) Domain inluded	+ unique sector focus + very easy to set up - relatively expensive
Go Daddy review   Try for free		Economy: $5.19 Deluxe: $7.79 Premium: $12.89 Domain included	+ smartphone-optimized layouts + email accounts included - clunky editor with a lot of inconsistencies - weak support
Homestead review Try for free		Starter: $4.99 Business: $19.99 Business Plus: $59.99 Domain included in selected packages	+ high number of features and templates - complicated editor that needs to be installed locally - relatively expensive

Prices are shown in monthly expenses for one-year contracts. Last updated: 02 May 2013
 

Find the right provider for your specific project

Even more website building tools (in alphabetical order)

Here you can find even more providers and further information about them.
 

Provider	Pricing (monthly)	Comments
BaseKit	-Free trial -Paid plans from $10	Website builder from the UK. Offers nice designs and is one of the most flexible providers. Our review.
Cubender	-Free trial -Paid plans from $9.95	Flash-based website builder that features some nice looking templates. Supports HTML5 as well.
CityMax	-Free trial -Paid plans from $19.98	A site builder mainly for small businesses with a focus on ecommerce.
Doodlekit	-Free plan -Paid plans from $14	Feature-rich site builder from the US. Offers e-commerce and a form builder among other things.
Ecwid	-Free plan -Paid plans from $15	Powerful e-commerce add-on for existing websites. Our full review.
Edicy	-Free plan -Paid plans from €6	Great support for multilingual sites. Offers a free plan as well. Review available here.
Lifeyo	-Free trial -Paid plans from $8	This website builder enables you to put text, images or other elements wherever you want. "Pixel perfect" as they say.
Moonfruit	-Free plan -Paid plans from $10.80	UK-based company that promises users full creative control of their website's design. Flash-based product.
Microsoft Office 365	-Free trial -Paid plans from $6	Microsoft's integrated web suite. Their old free product OLSB has been withdrawn.
Shopify	-Free trial -Paid plans from $29	Professional e-commerce solution used by more than 40,000 online stores. Our comparison of different online stores.
Sitekreator	-Free trial -Paid plans from $19.95	"Build a fully professional website in 30 minutes." A US-based tool with a hefty price tag.
SnapPages	-Free plan -Paid plans from $8	Strong design focus. Attractive templates, interesting widgets. Worth a look.
Ucoz	-Free plan -Paid plans from $3.09	This Russian company offers a wide range of advanced features through their control panel.
Virb	-Free trial -Paid plans from $10	Easy to use site builder with interesting templates for $10 per month.
Webstarts	-Free plan -Paid plans from $3.72	Simple editor that offers full flexibility. Phone support available in their Pro+ plan.
Zoho Sites	-Free plan -Paid plans from $3.25	New player on the market with a great free plan. It's flexible and full of interesting features. Find our interview with their product manager here.

FAQs

What kind of tools do you review?

We test website builders. Site builders or website makers are a kind of content management system (CMS) that are particularly easy to use and don't require any specialized technical knowledge. Some website builders are installed on your computer, while others are hosted by the provider and run completely within your browser (e.g. Mozilla Firefox). This means you don't need to install anything locally.
We've decided to test the builders that run through your browser only because we think these are the ones that will stand the test of time. And it doesn't matter if you are on a Mac or a PC!

Note: Rest assured, we don't allow kiddie toys in our test lab! We only test and review builders that will enable you to easily and quickly create clean, professional-looking websites.

Who uses site builders?

People who benefit most from website building toolkits are those who run small businesses such as freelancers, graphic designers, clubs, bands, or entrepreneurs who sell goods or services via online stores. Website builders are also used to create personal websites and blogs.

So why are these systems so popular? First of all, they allow you to get your website up and running very quickly. And second, they enable you to make changes to your website yourself - without having to pay extra for a programmer.

Learn more about the team behind WebsiteToolTester.com

Take a closer look

Is a website builder the right tool for my project?

More on the pros and cons of website builders

Why should you listen to us?

Simply because you'll have a hard time finding more detailed and up-to-date website builder reviews than ours. If you have any questions feel free to contact us!

Our reviewer: Robert Brandl