Searching for the cheapest website builder to create a great-looking website on a budget?
There are billions of websites that you can visit, and not all of them were created by professionals. A lot of those sites (even the good ones!) were created by people with no web development experience. Cheap website builders are everywhere, and they include a lot more features than you might expect.
In fact, some of the cheapest website builders cost as little as $5 per month or less. In this article, we’ll compare the five top options for those on a budget. We’ll discuss what features they offer, how much they cost, and who should consider using each option.
First, let’s have a quick chat about what constitutes a ‘website builder’!
What is a website builder?
Any service or software that helps you create websites is technically a ‘website builder’. However, the term usually refers to platforms that offer you drag-and-drop tools and pre-built elements for building simple sites:
Website builders enable anyone to create modern-looking websites that aren’t just static pages. You can use elements such as forms, buttons, galleries, social sharing features, and more.
Keep in mind that most website builders work on a subscription basis. You’ll need to pay a monthly or annual fee to use them and to keep your website online.
What’s the cheapest website builder? Five options compared
We’ve talked about our top choices for website builders before. However, today we’re going to focus on helping you find the cheapest website builder for your needs. For each option, we’ll concentrate on its entry-level plans and what those tiers offer.
1. Webnode
Webnode is a budget-friendly website builder that offers basic ad-supported plans. The service enables you to choose from a broad collection of templates (over 90 options in total), and edit those designs using an intuitive drag-and-drop builder.
In our experience, however, we found Webnode’s selection of page sections to be a bit lacking:
Webnode offers a free plan, and its premium options start at $3.90 per month. On the Limited plan, you get 100 MB of storage and 1 GB of bandwidth. You receive access to all of Webnode’s website builder tools, and the platform doesn’t limit the number of websites that you can set up with a free or Limited plan.
However, note that these plans don’t include a domain. You’ll need to register one through Webnode or connect your own.
⚙️ Features of Webnode’s Limited plan:
- 100 MB of storage
- 1 GB of bandwidth
- Support for multiple websites
- Over 90 templates to choose from
- Limited form builder capabilities
- Access to basic website analytics
Who should consider using Webnode’s Limited plan?
The primary advantage of using Webnode is that its starter plan is remarkably cheap, and it’s more than good enough for a personal blog or a portfolio. However, its bandwidth and storage limitations make it a poor choice for websites that receive moderate to high traffic.
? Pricing:
Webnode’s cheapest plan starts at $3.90 per month.
2. Zoho Sites
Zoho Sites is part of the Zoho family of tools. With Zoho Sites, you can select from a limited library of templates and modify them using an intuitive site builder.
This solution includes a broad selection of pre-built sections and elements. Moreover, its page builder is among the most intuitive that we’ve tested:
Zoho Sites’ Starter plan costs $5 per month, and for that price you get great value. The plan supports up to five pages with 500 MB of storage and 10 GB of bandwidth. It’s ad-free, enables you to add custom code to your site, and integrates with the Zoho CRM and SalesIQ tools.
One downside of the Starter plan is that you don’t get access to Zoho Sites’ full suite of templates or pre-built elements. You also can’t use Zoho Sites for online stores – for that, you’ll need to use Zoho Commerce instead.
⚙️ Features of Zoho Sites’ Starter plan:
- Support for up to five pages
- 500 MB of storage
- 10 GB of bandwidth
- Limited selection of templates to choose from
- Limited support for custom forms
- 10 MB max file size and up to five photo galleries
- Ad-free website
- Integration with the Zoho CRM and SalesIQ tools
Who should consider using Zoho Sites’ Starter plan?
Zoho Sites’ Starter plan offers great value when it comes to bandwidth. However, its five-page limitation means that we can only recommend Sites if you plan on creating a very small-scale website.
? Pricing:
Zoho Sites’ cheapest website builder plan starts at $5 per month.
3. Wix
Wix is one of the most innovative and cheapest website builders you can use. You can either choose a template and edit it to create your own custom site or Wix can help you automatically generate a website that fits your needs based on a series of basic questions:
When it comes to the website builder itself, Wix offers a great selection of pre-built sections and elements that you can add to any of your pages:
Wix’s Connect Domain plan costs $4.50 per month and comes with ads. At that price, you get 500 MB of storage, 1 GB of bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, and unlimited pages. However, you don’t get access to eCommerce functionality.
⚙️ Features of Wix’s Connect Domain plan:
- Support for unlimited websites
- 500 MB of storage
- 1 GB of bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate
- Over 900 templates to choose from
- A website creation wizard
Who should consider using Wix’s Connect Domain plan?
Wix offers one of the best website builders at the “under $5 per month” price point and is second to none in terms of templates. However, you’re rather limited when it comes to storage and bandwidth. In addition, this plan is region-locked and may not be available depending on where you’re located.
? Pricing:
Wix’s cheapest plan starts at $4.50 per month.
? If you want to use Wix, you can follow our full Wix tutorial.
4. One.com
One.com offers both regular hosting plans and an additional website builder. The latter enables you to choose from among dozens of templates, which you can then edit visually.
In comparison with the other cheapest website builders, One.com offers very limited sections and pre-built elements:
One.com’s website builder comes for free with all of its hosting plans, and it enables you to build up to five pages. However, a lot of its best features are locked behind a Premium website builder plan that costs $7.49 per month, and it’s only free during your first year.
The service’s cheapest hosting plan costs $2.49 per month and supports one website, with 50 GB of storage and unlimited traffic. At that price, you also get free daily backups.
⚙️ Features of One.com’s free website builder:
- Access to a limited template selection
- Support for up to five pages
Who should consider using One.com’s website builder?
One.com’s website builder is primarily an add-on for its hosting plans. Moreover, the free version is rather limited. Overall, if you’re looking for the cheapest website builder that you can find, we recommend looking elsewhere, unless you’re planning to sign up for One.com’s hosting services as well.
? Pricing:
One’s website builder comes in both free and premium versions, and its hosting plans start at $2.49 per month.
5. Sitebuilder
Sitebuilder is a unique choice among website builders. It isn’t as flashy as the other options we’ve seen so far, but each of its elements includes a broader range of customization options than you’ll see from many similar tools:
Unlike other cheap website builders, Sitebuilder doesn’t rely much on templates. Instead, you’re encouraged to build your website from scratch.
Sitebuilder’s cheapest plan is called Pro, and it starts at $5.20 per month. With that tier, you get unlimited bandwidth, storage, and pages. Plus, every Sitebuilder plan includes booking functionality for your websites, as well as analytics.
⚙️ Features of Sitebuilder’s Pro plan:
- Support for unlimited pages
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- Built-in booking functionality
- Access to analytics
Who should consider using Sitebuilder’s Pro plan?
Sitebuilder’s website builder isn’t as intuitive as some of the other options we’ve seen so far. However, if you can look beyond its interface, you’ll find a robust site builder at a decent value. Plus, Sitebuilder isn’t as limiting as many other options in terms of bandwidth or storage.
? Pricing:
Sitebuilder’s cheapest plan starts at $5.20 per month.
Which is the cheapest website builder for you?
There’s a lot of competition for the title of the cheapest website builder on the market. If you go by price alone. One.com would be your top choice. However, if you don’t mind spending a couple of extra dollars, our top recommendations are Zoho Sites and Wix,
Zoho Sites offers the best value in terms of bandwidth and storage, but it limits you to only five pages. Wix, on the other hand, supports unlimited pages and offers one of the most enjoyable site builders you can use. Both platforms offer plans that start at below $5 per month (depending on your region), so pick whichever one suits your needs the best.
Or, if you’re willing to go the DIY route, you can always consider using the popular self-hosted WordPress software, which can be very cheap if you choose budget web hosting.
Do you have any questions about which website builder to use? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!
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Keep reading the article at ThemeIsle Blog. The article was originally written by John Hughes on 2021-05-20 05:06:11.
The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.