The Best Website Builders for Small Businesses of 2024

Website builders are popular because they’re easy to use, affordable, and typically offer a high level of customization. In fact, the website building industry is projected to reach a value of $2.62 Billion by 2027—up from the already impressive $1.46 Billion in 2019.

It’s not hard to understand why that is: for those without the necessary coding skills, website builders are a fast and dependable solution that gets the job done. Yet there are so many of these tools available that it can be challenging to know where to start.

The best website builder for small businesses though has to tick a lot of boxes–from features to cost, ease of use to efficacy. So we’ve assembled a list that covers everything you need to know.

What Are The Best Website Builders for Small Businesses?

You can find our top seven picks of the best eCommerce website builder for small businesses below:

1. Wix

Best Overall

Wix is the perfect website builder small businesses because it’s straightforward and very easy to use. It’s a site builder that creates beautiful websites and is known for its simplicity, allowing you to drag and drop text boxes and images to where you need them—it’s as effortless as that, with a free plan you can use for as long as you need too.

The template library is a highlight and contains over 500 designs you can use to build your site. You’ll be able to give your website a memorable custom domain, and each is mobile-optimized, so you don’t have to worry about how it looks across multiple devices. With new and updated templates each month, there’s something here for everyone.

Wix can integrate with a number of key tools, including Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Facebook Pixel, as well as HubSpot, Mailchimp, Yandex Metrica, and Crazy Egg. There’s a vast selection of add-ons available at the Wix App Market.

Key Features

Some of the essential features of the site builder include:

• Wix editor: Drag and drop functionality allows you to move things around quickly, and each design element is customizable.
• Mobile optimized: Optimized for mobile, you can add a welcome screen, new layouts, and use built-in features.
• SEO tools: SEO tools enable you to use advanced features such as custom meta tags, canonical URLs, and bulk 301 redirects.
• Analytics: Analytics allow you to view your site’s traffic, see where your visitors are coming from, and learn how they behave.

Wix Pricing

Wix features eight pricing plans—four plans for websites and three for e-commerce-specific sites, in addition to the free base plan. One of the main differences between the non-e-commerce plans is the storage space you get and the number of video hours, as follows:

• Combo: $14 a month, 2 GB of storage, 30 minutes of video hours
• Unlimited: $18 a month, 5 GB of storage, 1 hour
• Pro: $23 a month, 50 GB of storage, 2 hours
• VIP: $39 a month, 100 GB of storage, 5 hours

2. Squarespace

Best for Professional Templates

Squarespace is the best small business website builder for eye-catching designs due to its professional templates. While you’ll find templates across most site builders, these go beyond the basic website look and appear as if they’ve been designed from the ground up. It’s fair to say you could mistake them for fully coded sites created by full-time developers, and that’s a very good thing for your business.

Each template is also fully customizable—you’ll be able to choose everything from the fonts and colors to the width of the sidebar and background images, and redesigning your site later on, if required, is straightforward. The editor to customize your site is relatively easy to use, too, considering the quality of the site you’ll have at the end.

Squarespace integrates with Zapier, Dropbox, and Instagram, as well as GoDaddy, Google Workspace, LinkedIn, and Unsplash. Services are built into a finished site design, too, so you can quickly connect to payment providers, social media, and more.

Key Features

Some of the essential features of the site builder include:

• Blogging tools: Easy-to-use tools enable you to categorize, share, and schedule posts as required.
• Leading templates: It features some of the best website templates you’ll find with the ability to customize them completely.
• Mobile editing: You can manage and edit your site while on the move through the free app.
• Portfolio designs: You can display projects in customizable galleries with password-protected pages to share work with clients.

Squarespace Pricing

Squarespace features four main plans, and you can pay either annually or monthly. Each tier offers more advanced features, including full access to the Squarespace video studio app on the last three. Below you can find some of the standout features of each level:

• Personal: $14 a month, 24/7 customer support, and unlimited bandwidth
• Business: $23 a month, professional email from Google, and fully integrated e-commerce
• Basic Commerce: $27 a month, checkout on your domain and products on Instagram
• Advanced Commerce: $49 a month, sell subscriptions, advanced discounts, and abandoned cart recovery

3. Zyro

Best for Ease-of-Use

Zyro is an extremely easy-to-use website builder and ranks as the overall easiest to use on our list. The template editor features sections and allows you to add and remove different page elements within a few clicks—a grid will help guide you, and you can drag elements like text boxes and images and slot them where needed. It’s as intuitive as you can get.

It’s worth mentioning the customer service too. Zyro includes everything from an online chat service to email ticketing, and the support team is both friendly and responsive. On top of that, the team is available 24/7, and a dedicated FAQ exists for additional help.

Zyro integrates with several essential tools, including Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. There’s no extra cost for using all of the direct integrations either—the app market can take things even further.

Key Features

Some of the essential features of the site builder include:

• 24/7 support: A dedicated team offers support around the clock, and the email and live chat is highly professional.
• Template editor: The easy-to-use template editor allows you to create sites effortlessly.
• Multiple payment options: Multiple payment options are available, from PayPal and Visa to Mastercard and more.
• AI logo maker: The AI logo maker lets you create a professional logo for your site without design experience.

Zyro Pricing

Zyro offers four main tiers, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee with every one of them. Each level provides enhanced features, although full access to 24/7 support is available regardless. Below you can find some of the standout features of each:

• Website: $8.99 a month, 24/7 customer support, and a free domain for one year
• Business: $11.49 a month, over 20 payment methods, and you can sell up to 100 products
• Online Store: $15.90 a month, over 70 payment methods, and advanced ecommerce tools
• Advanced Store: $25.90 a month, you can sell on Amazon and eBay and up to 2500 products

4. GoDaddy

Best for Fast Setup

GoDaddy is for businesses that need to get up and running as quickly as possible. Its ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) feature allows it to build the site for you; all the app needs is some basic information. You can edit the website it creates, too.

What’s more, GoDaddy allows you to switch templates at any time. While the designs aren’t as professional as something Squarespace would offer, they cover a variety of industries and serve as a reputable quick fix. If you prioritize ease of use and a speedy setup, there’s almost nothing that can match it—just don’t expect the most beautiful of sites.

GoDaddy integrates with Stripe, Rippling, LiveChat, and Jumbo. Third-party apps can extend this further, although they require some effort to set up.

Key Features

Some of the key features of the website builder app include:

• GoDaddy editor: Customize, edit, and add sections from your desktop or mobile device in a few clicks or swipes.
• Centralized dashboard: Manage reviews, orders, and social media with one dashboard.
• Online shop: Set up an online shop for free using specialized ecommerce templates.
• 24/7 customer support: Customer support is available 24/7 via email, phone, and live chat.

GoDaddy Pricing

GoDaddy provides four main plans, and you can get started for free with each. Every additional tier offers better features, although all come with an SSL security certificate. Below you can find some of the top features of each level:

• Basic: $6.99 a month, website chatbot and analytics dashboard
• Premium: $13.99 a month, online payments and text appointment reminders
• Commerce: $14.99 a month, online auto inventory and product sync
• Commerce Plus: $29.99 a month, automated sales tax calculation, and auto-populated tax forms

5. Weebly

Best Value for Money

Weebly is best for those that need affordable plans and the type of features you’ll find elsewhere, but for less. Weebly’s plans are typically cheaper than that of its competitors, and one of them is entirely free—you’ll get a website with SSL Security, inventory management, and lead capture for the price of nothing. Even the best free website builder for small businesses would be hard-pressed to compete with Weebly’s competitive pricing and incredible selection of features.

It’s easy to use, too, with a simple drag-and-drop website builder, intuitive dashboard, and low learning curve, and there are few noticeable cutbacks. While the themes aren’t always market-leading in their design—you wouldn’t expect it—for those that need a website at the most reasonable cost, Weebly doesn’t disappoint.

Being known as a website builder for small businesses, you can expect it to integrate with several essential tools, including Zendesk, Trello, and Slack, as well as PayPal and Mailchimp. The Weebly App Centre allows you to use third-party integrations on your site; new apps get added every month.

Key Features

Some of the key features of the site builder include:

• Site editor: Simple and powerful site editor with drag-and-drop functionality.
• SSL security: One-click SSL certificates along with DDoS mitigation.
• Domain management: Manage your site and domain in one dashboard. Domain transfer is also possible.
• Blogging tools: Create posts, manage comments, and schedule content.

Weebly Pricing

Weebly offers four main plans, with the first free forever. Annual and monthly plans are available. Although they all come with an SSL security certificate, every additional level offers better features. Below you can find some of the top features of each:

• Free: $0 a month, lead capture, chat and email support
• Personal: $9 a month, custom domains and shipping calculator
• Professional: $16 a month, phone support, and advanced site stats
• Performance: $29 a month, advanced ecommerce insights, and priority support

6. HostGator

Best for Small Businesses On a Budget

HostGator is relatively new to the website builder market, but don’t let that fool you: you’re getting a great site builder with an advanced drag-and-drop interface and top-notch design flexibility. Even better is the ADI functionality that, like some competitors, can convert the information you provide into a complete website design. To that end, it is arguably the best website building and hosting for small businesses.

HostGator allows you to upload your logo or use the dedicated LogoMaker to create one, provides an image library to use photos without extensive searching, and the customization is quick and efficient. For the latter, you can update fonts, theme colors, images, and navigation in a few clicks. There’s also 24/7/365 support for whenever you need it.

The website builder integrates with Google Calendar, Twitch, and Audioboom and provides 3-5 different layouts for each integration to fit your precise needs—a welcome bonus.

Key Features

Some of the essential features of the site builder include:

• Easy analytics: View metrics and understand visitor behavior without fuss.
• Mobile ready: Designs that are ready for whatever device, including various mobile formats.
• LogoMaker: A handy tool that helps you create a logo in a few minutes.
• ADI builder: An automatic builder that can make a site with basic information from the user.

HostGator Pricing

HostGator offers three central plans. Every additional tier delivers more advanced features. Below you can find some of the best features of each level:

• Express Start: $3.84 a month, three email campaigns, and an SSL certificate
• Express Site: $5.99 a month, priority support and appointment booking
• Express Store: $9.22 a month, ten email campaigns, and unlimited product online store

7. Shopify

Best for Ecommerce

Shopify is an e-commerce-dedicated website builder and offers a fully customizable editor with free designs and over 6000 apps to bolster your online store. Best of all, you can try out the site builder for 14 days and use free stock photos from the photo library to design your website.

If you want to take things further, you can: the option to edit HTML and CSS files is here so you can tweak designs exactly how you want them. If not, you can still achieve a lot with the drag-and-drop functionality, which is up there with some of the best on the market. There is a slight learning curve to keep in mind, however.

Shopify’s app store is where you’ll find your integrations, with everything from Google to Facebook and Amazon functionality. Apps are easy to install, and there’s an extensive library of them available that gets updated frequently.

Key Features

Some of the key features of the site builder include:

• Site editor: Fully customizable editor with the ability to edit free design themes as much as you want.
• Custom domain: Use free tools to find a custom domain for your online store.
• Top-notch security: Delivers fraud analysis and is Level 1 PCI DSS compliant for all financial transactions.
• POS: Integrate online and offline store sales with a point-of-sale system.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify provides three central plans, and a 14-day free trial is available. Every sequential tier offers enhanced features. Below you can find some of the features of each level:

• Basic: $29 a month, unlimited products, and 24/7 support
• Shopify: $79 a month, up to five inventory locations, and an 88% shipping discount
• Advanced: $299 a month, custom pricing by market, and 15 staff accounts

The Best Free Website Builders for Small Businesses

A few of the website builders on our list offer free versions. Of course, keep in mind these free versions are always limited in one way or another, such as the inability to connect to a custom domain of your choosing, the limited number of staff accounts, or the low storage space available. That said, they can be a smart choice for small businesses that just need a no-frills website.

For instance, on our list, you get a free plan with Wix, which allows you to create a site from scratch and access over 800 free templates. Weebly’s base plan is also free and includes site creation as well as chat and email support. Jimdo, which didn’t make our list, is also another good option with ADI and coding functionality.

The Best Ecommerce Website Builders for Small Businesses

You might specifically need a good e-commerce website builder above all else. E-commerce website builders allow you to create an attractive online store, and they don’t have to break the bank. With e-commerce site builders, you don’t need coding knowledge or have to sort out web hosting and security either.

Our top picks for the best e-commerce website builder are Shopify, Squarespace, and BigCommerce. The first two made our list, with BigCommerce a worthy alternative that just missed out.

Shopify features powerful tools, an impressive app market, and an inventory system that helps you manage your store. If you only need two or fewer staff accounts, you can start for $29 a month. A 14-day trial is also available.

Squarespace is great for social media integration, allowing you to promote your products and store across your channels. It also offers some of the best templates on the market, with considerable flexibility. You can get started for $27 per month on the cheapest e-commerce plan if you sign up for the year.

BigCommerce is perfect for scaling your business as your online sales grow and has the bonus of no transaction fees. The cheapest plan starts at $29.95 per month, and a 15-day free trial is available.

Website Builders for Small Businesses Buyers Guide

Below you’ll find the benefits of website builders for small businesses and what to look for while picking one.

What Are the Benefits of Website Builders for Small Businesses?

There are many benefits to using website builders, certainly if you’re a small business short on time or resources. Website builders allow those with limited technical or coding skills to create a site that looks the part. They almost always achieve this via drag-and-drop functionality and friendly UIs.

Website builders also allow you to edit your site at any time, both from your desktop and (typically) mobile devices. As they’re based online, you can log in and save when done, and the rest is taken care of—the only requirements are a functioning web browser and a solid internet connection.

Add the comprehensive collections of apps they provide, the pre-built templates, the speed you can start, and their cost-effective nature, and you can see why they’re so popular.

What To Look for In the Best Website Builders for Small Businesses?

The best website builder for you will depend on your specific requirements—not all builders are the same. Below we’ve listed the most important areas you need to consider before committing.

Ease of Use

A website builder that isn’t easy to use pretty much defeats the point of using one in the first place. Be sure to pick a site builder that offers a flexible and intuitive editing tool so you can design your website how you want. Look for drag-and-drop functionality as you can move parts of the page around regardless of your experience.

Pricing

Most small businesses don’t have money to throw away, and website builders typically use subscription models that charge annually or monthly. Consider the long-term costs, and keep in mind that most builders cost anywhere between $4-$40 a month. Evaluate the included services before engaging with the cheapest option.

Customer Support

Coming across issues while building a site can be a lonely experience, especially when everything breaks—trust us, we’ve been there. It’s best to look for site builders that provide 24/7 support and those with a solid reputation for helping customers. Even if you feel like you don’t need it, it’s always good to have it there, just in case.

E-commerce Options

When we say e-commerce options, we’re talking about the basics: site builders that offer a shopping cart and the ability to accept payment, including an inventory system. Not everyone will need e-commerce functionality, which will lower the overall price each month. For those that do need it, be sure to watch out for the limit on the number of items you can sell each month.

Website Builders for Small Businesses FAQ

Below we’ve answered three frequently asked questions about website builders.

Choosing The Best Website Builders for Small Businesses

Website builders are excellent tools and enable users—regardless of expertise—to build bold and beautiful sites that can propel a business to success even when you’re on the move.

Just be sure you’ve factored in the long-term costs, whether you need e-commerce functionality, the level of customer support, and how easy they are to use overall. A website created via a site builder is as successful as you want it to be.

Here are the top 7 tools on our list and what they’re best at:

• Wix – Best Overall
• Squarespace – Best for Professional Templates
• Zyro – Best for Ease-of-Use
• GoDaddy – Best for Fast Setup
• Weebly – Best Value for Money
• HostGator – Best for Small Businesses On a Budget
• Shopify – Best for E-commerce

Share your experiences of using these website-building tools in the comments section below, and let us know if there are any you think we’ve missed.