WordPress v Wix v Squarespace

The Insider Website Secret Sauce of 2024 so far

WordPress (and WooCommerce) v Shopify, WordPress v Wix v SquareSpace v Hostinger v Weebly…

What is the best Website Builder or Web CMS to use for your next website: WordPress v Wix v Squarespace?

When deciding between WordPress v Wix v Squarespace (and others) for your website, there are a quite a few major factors to consider first that will affect your decision. Here’s how I figure them out in terms what best for the client, first, and for me as a designer, second.

This is my personal opinion, WordPress v Wix v Squarespace from my vast experience working with primarily WordPress (plus the WooCommerce plug in for ecommerce for online shopping and carts etc) and Wix, as well as Squarespace, RocketSpark and even SilverStripe etc. I always seem to be comparing the WordPress v Wix v Squarespace features, usability, SEO and designability to the others in thinking that WordPress is the best. Moreover, what suits the customer best, what platform is the best performer in the crowded internet in terms of the best website builder that will get found faster (which means, the best Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) features), and what is intuitive to use for both me as a Website Maker and the client for occasional small editorial changes (to avoid the hefty ad agency invoices for small changes), all the while thinking about scalability in the future. These are my thoughts from a professional Graphic Designer, Website Designer, and SEO specialist point-of-view. I confess I am not the best web guru in this world – there’s always someone out there who knows more than me – but just so you know, I have been working within the industry since the 90s! I feel like I have limited knowledge of web development or coding or CSS (like most of us Graphic Designers, we are not full-on Developers, well actually, I have a good knowledge being a seasoned designer or front end web designer. I hate the code (the back end data), but I love the back end SEO, go figure!?). So here is my ‘take’ from a regular business owner and Front-End Graphic Designer and Web Designer (not as a web developer) point-of-view. So here goes, WordPress v Wix v Squarespace this is a big read!

No matter what type of business or brand you have, a professional website is absolutely essential for success. Customers want your online presence to be informative and visually appealing. And from my point-of-view, visually appealing, professional and modern looking creates trust, therefore more business. That’s why it is very important to use a web builder and platform that lets you build out your website and easily customise the details, so that business clients can make minor changes by themselves. WordPress is the industry leader (and has been for some time), but Wix and SquareSpace are two of the most popular alternative options for website building, and both are solid choices for anyone looking to create their own site if you have the time to learn, or experienced as Graphic Designers and Web Designers like me, to build a beautiful website that works well, is Mobile Friendly / Mobile Responsive and of course first and foremost works best with SEO (how potential customers find you)! That’s what a websites’ main goal is right!? To get customers to find you faster. To rank higher on Google’s Search pages. I know how Google works – and this article has this bias – the best website builder that is best suited to Google’s way of finding you out there on the interweb. What’s the point of a nice new shiny website if no one can find it?! Here’s how these website builders compare so that you can decide which is best for you, or as a Graphic Designer, is the best choice for your clients’ business, or as a Website Designer, which platform has the best client facing performance. For me, so I can professionally design it to the best of my ability and effectively and market it for you. You want to be on Google’s Page 1 right!?

 

WordPress v Wix v Squarespace

The overwhelming response in favour of WordPress is from developers as it is unlimited and has many business integrations. Developers are likely someone you may want to hire to maintain your site when it goes sideways (and it definitely will) due to update incompatibilities… and plug-in updates… and  security updates… and design changes… and… and… and… from the plugins themselves to server side upgrades. With the WordPress sites that I design, you just pay for the hosting and I run a 30-minute performance audit on your website every month, and have multiple back ups to maintain it, and if employed to, I can add advanced SEO into the bits of the website you cannot see but Google can see, to increase your rankings on Page 1 of Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS), the page customers see when searching for something. A feature-set or service I provide on a monthly basis that sounds more and more attractive to clients since they would like to focus on their own core small-to-medium business activities which is not web development and do what they do best.

I personally now favour WordPress, Wix and SquareSpace for Design. #1 is WordPress for Design & Integrations for your business and SEO, Wix is easy, has a great Marketing Suite and is #2 at SEO, SquareSpace is easy too, best for the initial design and has the more polished “designer” templates to start with off the shelf, good for no-coders in a number of ways, but mostly being, it saves time. But there is a price to pay for that, see more on the SEO problems below.

I won’t say SquareSpace trumps WordPress, I won’t say Wix trumps WordPress in any way, WordPress offers FTP access, hundreds of plugins, and much more in… in terms of business integrations with Xero for example, but that’s also part of its problem – you can enter an area that gets complicated. Update a plugin? Break a part of your site. Upload too many images? Now your site is slow, and you need to further compress and use another plugin to optimise. Depending on how deep you get into it, it can turn into a real chore. Remember, Google penalises websites that are slow loading, potential customers get frustrated and move on with slow loading sites.

Wix v SquareSpace, on the other hand, are very simplified. Other features are built in without having to install any plugins, and if you want to (which many people don’t know about), you can install plugins on SquareSpace too. HTML, CSS, and Javascript are also supported. If you plan on building sites for clients, I’ve found the SquareSpace dashboard is much more user friendly, and easier to teach than WordPress v Wix. SquareSpace is more for Designers in essence as there is no code involved in making a website.

Shopify and WordPress using WooCommerce are the best for E-Commerce. I think WordPress is great (and free using WooCommerce if you want a shopping cart), a near enterprise level result with great detail, but Shopify is more scalable, more global and has many more integrations, but you pay for that! That said, here’s the goss’ and the inside intel…

 

Budget, Technical Skills, and Long-Term Goals

Assess your budget, technical skills, and long-term goals for your website. SquareSpace offers unlimited storage capacity and charges per month, while WordPress, as an open-source platform, offers flexible pricing plans available from a variety of web hosting providers. I use a local New Zealand WordPress hosting company for ease of access and good security. Plus it’s faster. They are actually at the end of a phone if something goes pear-shaped. A lot like where or what is the best place to buy your Domain Name (URL) from. That’s easy, go local, trust me! You pay a couple of dollars extra, but they are only a phone call away. This is particularly important when Microsoft suites and email are involved. Most of the time you need features that are not offered by some of the cheap Domain players out there. Pay for what you get and forget about it. It’s easy to transfer your domain to a local provider. Just let me know. I am keen on this idea as it makes the website set up even easier and pain-free! I strongly recommend to transfer the Domain Name to your favourite Domain Name Provider in the beginning for the best possible start.

 

Specific Needs and Requirements

Outline the specific needs and requirements for your website, such as the type of website (E-Commerce, blog, portfolio, etc.) and features needed (customisation, third-party integrations, templates, etc.). You can even integrate Xero and POS software from your tills. If you have these type of technical integrations on the wish list, go for WordPress, period/full stop. You probably need a developer to set it up, but it is worth it. You cannot get that personalised integration any other way I have found. Much like a football club for example. Start with a basic WordPress site. Update the integration for e-commerce in the near future to sell merch, even memberships. Then upgrade in the far future to integrate Xero invoicing and inventory to make admin life easy! Roughly about $1,000+GST each time you want to add an integration. WordPress is the most scalable up to an enterprise level.

 

WordPress v Wix v Squarespace Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Platform

Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each platform. SquareSpace offers high-quality designer-like templates, easier E-Commerce tools, and a simpler user interface, while WordPress offers more flexibility, customisation options, and thousands of plugins, widgets and design themes – scalability! WordPress’s E-Commerce (WooCommerce plug in) is free as opposed to Shopity’s E-Commerce monthly charges, but you may need a developer to add the E-Commerceability to set up in WordPress depending on what you are selling etc. Yet as a designer I can upgrade and zshoosh Wix and WordPress sites to look extremely professional and stunning looking. Wix’s E-Commerce is all integrated, but again, you need to pay for it on top of a Premium plan per month. WordPress has more flexibility if your clients are into DIY and can learn a few things like Variable Products (E-Commerce Products that are small, medium or large etc that have different pricing or colours etc).

 

Detailed Comparison of WordPress v Wix v Squarespace 

Create a detailed comparison of WordPress v Wix v SquareSpace that provides a clear picture of which platform that is suitable for your project. Consider ease of use, customisation options, templates, and third-party integrations, who in the end will be using and updating the website. Make a wish list so it is very clear what platform will best suit as every website is so different. Especially I terms of how you want to use it.

 

Now for the big ugly hairy beast, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

The best, most transparent to Google, I mean the best website platform for Google to pick up and rank your website higher is a WordPress site. Wix is a very close second place. You want people to find you faster right?! WordPress has the best selection of templates and open source code off-the-shelf. An enterprise-level builder when a Web Developer and Web Designer are involved. I get a Developer to set it up and I Design it and Style it from there to a highly professional level, then add basic or advanced SEO while I am in there. Additionally I deploy advanced SEO for gaining higher Google ranking faster. Wix is better in this case as you are using it as it submits the website (indexes the website) as you save it, whereas with WordPress you have to go out to Google’s tools to get it to look at the new changes and reindex the site. Which means a wait for up to 72 hours or so each change for WordPress v Wix is instant. I have used WordPress for many years and have poo-pooed Wix for so long, as well from a Design point-of-view, BUT, latest comparisons in 2024 v Wix v WordPress v SquareSpace may surprise you…

 

WordPress v Wix Contenders

#1. Wix: Best Overall.

#2. Squarespace: Easiest, best looking out the box.

#3. Shopify: Best for E-Commerce.

#4. Hostinger: For Great AI Tools.

#5. GoDaddy: Cheap.

 

 

#1. Wix: Best Overall Website Builder

Wix Pricing: Free – $159 per month, get 10% off with the code “TAKE10”.

Wix is the best overall website builder and second best for SEO.

OUTSTANDING at 4.8 out of 5!

Caters to all industries.

For new businesses.

For building invoices.

Free plan available for clubs and back yard garage businesses.

A variety of Paid Plans for different integrations: $17 – $159 / month.

 

PROS

Best website features.

Easy drag-and-drop editor.

900+ template designs.

Great SEO #2 (WordPress v Wix).

Website Builder Wizards that steer you around and tell you what you have missed/what to do next and hold you accountable.

Has an app on the smartphone for the website which is awesome! You can chat to customers in real time. WordPress doesn’t have that!

Has a marketing suite which is awesome! WordPress doesn’t have that either!

 

CONS

Can’t switch template once live.

Overwhelming choice of options.

Expensive upgrades when scaling.

Wix is the best website builder, offering a great range of designs, features, and support for people looking to build a website and grow online. Wix takes the top position in my website builder research and experience. In many other places, I feel it has a rating of 4.8 out of 5. So, why is Wix my favourite website builder? And who should use it?

 

✔️ Use Wix

If you’re looking for a variety of options, including templates and features that accommodate a diverse range of needs.

If you’re finding your feet – Wix is a user-friendly platform, suitable for personal sites and businesses launching online.

If you don’t want to spend too much money right away – you can build your website on Wix’s free plan before upgrading (but you have Wix branding on the URL which is not a good look, like @hotmail.com or @gmail.com for a business email).

 

❌ Avoid Wix

If you’re going to make regular changes to your design – Wix doesn’t let you swap your template once your site is live. You need someone like me to rebuild it/transfer it to a new template for a new modern look.

If you run a large-scale business or you’re looking to expand – you’ll need to pay more to unlock advanced sales features, like product reviews.

If you want to build a niche website – I recommend going with a website builder that’s more focused on your needs and is more customisable like WordPress.

 

My Experience With Wix v WordPress 

I had no trouble getting set up with Wix – the onboarding process took less than a minute with the help of Wix’s AI chatbot, creating a tailored website and dashboard based on my responses for the type of client’s business category. If I wanted to choose a template myself, I could filter the 900+ professionally designed templates by industry, such as “Cranes” or “Candles”, or simply browse the entire library.

Once in the editor, I had complete creative control – Wix let me drag and place elements wherever I wanted them to go (the Layers feature is awesome). This can be overwhelming at the start, especially for individuals who don’t feel confident designing. Also too, in Wix you need to design three websites at once, Desktop/Tablet/Mobile by way of clicking on the three icons top/middle/centre. I find, work on the Desktop version for full control, then swap to the Mobile view to nail the Mobile Responsive design for smartphones as that is where probably most of your customers will view the site from.

While it can be easy to go overboard with the design elements using Wix’s editor, the drag-and-drop format is really easy to get to grips with, regardless of your skill level. I found Wix to be very user-friendly, providing more freedom and opportunities to customise than the likes of WordPress, SquareSpace or GoDaddy. In saying this, you need to plan the exact detail of a layout. You need to build out multiple rows just to split long text titles the way you want it to look in sub rows and columns.

To complement its impressive design options, Wix includes a vast number of built-in features with its plans – these are the best features of any website builder I’ve tested. For example, you can sell online with Wix E-Commerce, take appointments from customers with Wix Bookings, and grow your online presence with Wix’s Advanced SEO tools. Additionally, you can download third-party apps if you need further enhancements, such as Klaviyo for email marketing.

While you might need a higher-tier plan to access certain features, like unlimited storage space (available with the Business Elite plan), the majority of Wix’s features are included with the cheapest Core plan.

 

How Much Does Wix Cost?

You can get started with Wix’s free plan, but it does come with limitations, such as your URL will have wix@ in your domain name and ads that to your site which oozes a lack of professionalism. That being said, you can stay on the free plan for as long as you’d like, so it’s a great place to familiarise yourself with Wix’s editor and dashboard before spending any money.

To unlock Wix’s full catalog of features, you’ll need to upgrade to one of Wix’s Premium plans. Wix’s pricing ranges from $11 to $159 per month (billed annually). If you want to sell online, you’ll need at least the Core plan which costs $29 per month.

Wix Pricing 2024: Which Pricing Plan Is Best?

 

 

#2. Squarespace: The Easiest Website Builder

SquareSpace Pricing: $16 – $52 per month, get 10% off with code “WBE10”.

 

Squarespace

Easiest website builder to use.

EXCELLENT 4.6 out of 5.

For creatives and designers.

For visual sites.

For beginners.

Free trial available.

Paid Plans: $16 – $52 / month.

 

PROS

Easiest website builder with big features.

Best looking templates out the box.

Includes E-Commerce functionality.

 

CONS

Grid structure limits creative freedom.

No autosave when editing (tough if you have an annoying hungry cat walking over the keyboard).

No free plan.

SquareSpace is the easiest website builder to use. Its editor is incredibly user-friendly, and the available templates are stylish and aesthetically pleasing – all customisable to suit your brand. And, like Wix, SquareSpace caters to a wide range of users with its built-in features, offering tools to support individual portfolios as well as businesses. So, who do I recommend SquareSpace for?

 

✔️ Use Squarespace

If you want to create a design-focused website thanks to SquareSpace’s templates and aesthetic options, without design knowledge or ability. Remember you can Design-Up a WordPress and Wix site to very professional levels with time or use me who knows what they are doing to get a faster result with added SEO benefits.

If you’re a complete beginner to building websites – SquareSpace is the easiest website builder to use.

If you want to offer services – SquareSpace’s Acuity Scheduling tool is a great way for clients to make appointments or sign up for courses.

 

❌ Avoid Squarespace

If you want to build a global site – SquareSpace’s multilingual tools aren’t as impressive as other website builders, like Shopify.

If you run a large online store – while you can use SquareSpace’s E-Commerce tools, you’ll be better supported by a dedicated E-Commerce builder like WordPress’s WooCommerce.

 

My Experience With SquareSpace v WordPress v Wix 

When I tested SquareSpace, the onboarding process was smooth and straightforward. The website builder is well-known for its stunning templates and design elements.

I could choose from over 150+ SquareSpace templates – less than Wix’s 900+ themes. However, SquareSpace’s designs are of a similar quality to Wix and cover a wide range of industries, including “Weddings” and “Food”. Remember, as a Designer, I have a slight bias and an extreme DIY sense. I can make WordPress v Wix templates look better by up-styling them (CSS). So, in that case, with a Designer like me, Wix v WordPress are the same if not better in many ways.

Because of SquareSpace’s focus on exceptional visuals, I highly recommend the website builder for creatives and design-focused websites like portfolios like Behance. Thinking about building an artist website, for example? SquareSpace’s templates provide a solid foundation for users to build on and enhance. I that case, you may want to look at Behance for an online portfolio (CV).

SquareSpace’s overall interface is intuitive and beginner-friendly – the drag-and-drop editor means you can customise your pages to your liking. Plus, the grid-style framework will help you avoid cluttered or messy-looking sections.

I was impressed by the range of built-in features to help you market your business and sell online, such as SquareSpace Email Campaigns to target your audience effectively and branded invoices for client engagement. Wix has email as well. You can also elevate your website with add-ons – Acuity Scheduling lets you offer bookable services to clients and its plans start from $16 per month. Wix has this feature too.

The seamless journey between the editor and backend dashboard makes it easy to monitor and manage your SquareSpace website. That said, if you do feel like you need an extra helping hand, SquareSpace provides 24/7 live chat support and a Knowledge Centre full of tutorials and guides. As does Wix v WordPress.

I can get my domain from SquareSpace’s CMS. This includes an official email. I rather like the ease of use of SquareSpace but Wix is the same. No coding and everything is fairly drag and drop and quick . I really like the iOS app which gives me 80% of web design on my iPhone / iPad. Wix can add social media and blog content straight from the site. Squarespace is easy for web design so I can recommend it. The only issue is that some of the SEO stuff could be better.

 

How Much Does Squarespace Cost?

Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial, but you’ll eventually need to subscribe to one of four premium plans, ranging from $16 to $52 per month (billed annually). To sell online, choose the $23 per month Business plan (SquareSpace’s best value plan) or one of its more advanced commerce plans which start from $28 per month.

 

Latest SquareSpace News

SquareSpace has announced new service-based tools for businesses looking to offer services and appointments online. These include branded invoices and contracts for a professional look, as well as updates to SquareSpace’s client intake forms. This is a really good feature if you don’t want to pay for Xero for business. Remember, Xero does accounting and invoicing the best. The likes of SquareSpace and Wix’s invoicing is a cool way to get a vey professional look without paying for yet another month fee.

Squarespace Pricing 2024: Is Squarespace Good Value for Money?

 

#3. Shopify: Best E-Commerce Website Builder

Shopify Pricing: $29 – $299 per month.

Read the Shopify Review for a detailed look at the website builder.

 

Shopify

Best E-Commerce website builder.

GREAT 4.5 out of 5.

Ideal for online stores.

For big inventories.

For expanding businesses.

Free trial available.

Paid Plans: $29 – $299 / month.

 

PROS

Better for experienced builders.

Expanding suite of AI tools.

Huge app store.

 

CONS

Reliant on third-party apps.

Limited customisation.

Handful of free templates so you will need an experienced designer.

Are you looking to sell products online? Shopify is the best E-Commerce website builder on the market, providing a dedicated platform for online stores to get started and expand. So, if E-Commerce functionality is a key priority for you and your business when choosing a website builder, consider Shopify first if you can afford the monthly merchant fee. WordPress is a close #2.

 

✔️ Use Shopify

If you’re looking to sell products online since Shopify is the best website builder for E-Commerce functionality.

If you want the best sales features – Shopify’s constantly rolling out new features to support your online store, as you can see from its recent Shopify Editions Winter ‘24.

If you have some prior building experience – Shopify isn’t the most user-friendly builder with its section-based editor.

 

❌ Avoid Shopify

If you don’t have any products to sell and want to build a design-heavy website, because Shopify’s customisation options are limited.

If you’re budget-conscious – Shopify’s plans are expensive, and there’s a short free trial and limited free templates.

If you’re a novice or beginner builder since you’ll struggle to dive right into Shopify’s editor and will be more comfortable with builders like SquareSpace or Wix.

 

My Experience With Shopify v WordPress v Wix

When I first got set up with Shopify, it immediately directed me towards adding products to my inventory, as opposed to the usual instruction of designing a website first. I highly recommend following this instruction because it’ll help to have products readily available when you start editing your pages. WordPress you tend to build first and get products to sell last.

The product page form is simple to fill out, and I made the most of Shopify Magic – Shopify’s AI tool which helps with text generation for product descriptions. This helps you save time during setup, and it’s easy to tweak if your products evolve.

Unfortunately, the design process with Shopify is a little complicated thanks to its section-based editor and limited free templates. Shopify and SquareSpace are closely matched in a lot of my research areas, but when it comes to ease of use, SquareSpace takes the lead without question since Shopify isn’t the most user-friendly builder.

Plus, Shopify has a heavy reliance on third-party apps, meaning additional costs can add up quickly, especially if you’re having to pay for a premium template as well.

Shopify offers a huge variety of payment options and unmatched sales features, such as multichannel integration so you can start selling on platforms like TikTok, as well as abandoned cart recovery to improve customer retention. WordPress’s WooCommerce can do this as well. Shopify’s suite of quality tools makes it ideal for businesses looking to sell online.

If you don’t want to sell products, you don’t need to shell out for a Shopify plan. But if you have a complex or large inventory – more than 10 products or so –  Shopify’s sales features and dedicated E-Commerce resources that are worth the price point.

And, as I already mentioned, Shopify’s app market is used to bolster its in-house offering, meaning merchants can pick and choose which features they need to grow and support their business.

 

How Much Does Shopify Cost?

Shopify’s three plans range from $29 to $299 per month (billed annually). This is considerably more expensive than other website builders, but that’s a consequence of Shopify’s E-Commerce focus. For example, SquareSpace’s E-Commerce plans start at $23/mom WordPress’s WooCommerce is a free plugin.

Fortunately, you can try Shopify’s 3-day free trial to help you get to grips with the builder, and you can get your first month for just $1. Shopify is built with businesses in mind, so it won’t be the right fit if you don’t need to sell products. I recommend it for growing or expanding businesses, especially given the higher price point.

https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/E-Commerce-website-builders/shopify-pricing/

 

 

#4. Hostinger: For Time-Saving AI Tools

Hostinger Pricing: $2.99 – $3.99 per month (48-month contract), get 10% off with the code “WBE”.

Hostinger is another easy website builder to use, sitting just behind SquareSpace in our user experience tests. Hostinger offers a plethora of AI tools, including an AI website builder, to help users get online quickly and easily. Plus, Hostinger’s pricing is the most affordable of the bunch, starting from just $2.99 per month.

 

Should you use Hostinger’s website builder? 

✔️ Use Hostinger

If you’re after a user-friendly builder – Hostinger’s AI tools and drag-and-drop editor make it ideal for beginners.

If you need support in building a site – you can let Hostinger handle content and image creation.

If you want to build a simple site or small online store – it’s ideal if you don’t need all of the bells and whistles of larger website builders, like SquareSpace or WordPress v Wix.

If you want an affordable website builder – Hostinger’s plans only cost a few dollars.

 

❌ Avoid Hostinger

If you’re after advanced creative control – Hostinger targets beginners with its editor and AI tools.

If you want to build a complex website – you can’t add third-party features so you’re stuck with the features Hostinger provides.

If your website needs to grow – Hostinger lacks scalability, with only two plans to choose from.

 

My Experience With Hostinger

Hostinger gave me a range of options to get started, but the three step AI website builder got me up and running in less than under 60 seconds. The form requested basic information like “Brand name” as well as a brief description of the website, and following a quick loading screen, Hostinger presented me with a tailored template to edit. Wix does this now as well!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed by what Hostinger’s AI created – it lacked the quality and sleekness of SquareSpace’s templates. That being said, it’s a great option if you’re looking to get online quickly (cheap and nasty style, a backyard or startup business).

Within the editor, I could add new elements or sections, such as galleries and contact forms. And, like SquareSpace, Hostinger has a drag-and-drop editor that features a smart grid. However, the grid framework is only there to guide, so you still have the freedom to move elements anywhere you like, similar to Wix.

Hostinger has improved considerably since I last looked, securing its new position in this top five thanks to its ease of use and AI features. I tried a few of these out for myself when building my test website. The AI Heatmap can give you a great visual indication of where visitors or customers are engaging with your site (much like HotJar), and the AI Blog Generator is a beneficial resource if you want to boost your site’s content.

While its AI tools are fairly well-developed, it’s clear that Hostinger has prioritised these developments over other core functionalities or design options. For example, there are no email marketing tools which is surprising when that’s a standard website feature available from the other website builders in this list. You’ll have to use MailChimp in this case.

 

How Much Does Hostinger Cost?

Hostinger’s the cheapest website builder on the list, with plans starting from $2.99 per month (for a 48-month contract). There are two plans to choose from, with the more expensive Business Website Builder plan ($3.99) having been introduced in early 2024.

For core website features, including Hostinger’s AI website builder, you’ll be comfortable with the Premium plan. But, to unlock E-Commerce features and AI tools, including the AI Text Generator and AI Heatmap, then you’ll need the Business Website Builder plan.

Unfortunately, Hostinger doesn’t offer a free plan but you can test the AI website builder using Hostinger’s 30-day free trial. The cheapest pricing is only available if you choose the 48-month subscription, subscribing to the longest term will gift you three extra months for free.

 

Latest Hostinger News

Hostinger has introduced an additional plan to its website builder package, meaning customers will now need the Business Website Builder plan (from $3.99 per month) to sell online and unlock Hostinger’s suite of AI tools. These features were previously offered on the $2.99 Premium Website Builder plan.

 

 

#5. GoDaddy: Best Value for Money

GoDaddy Pricing: $10.99 – $20.99 per month

GoDaddy is the quickest and most cost-effective way to get online in 2024. From my pricing research, GoDaddy came out on top as the best value for money. Not only does it offer a free plan, but GoDaddy’s premium plans are very affordable, especially for beginners or businesses working with a limited budget.

 

Is it the right website builder for you?

✔️ Use GoDaddy

If you’re a beginner with limited experience – GoDaddy’s editor is simple to use so you won’t need to be a tech wizard to get started.

If you have basic website requirements and don’t need many design options – e.g. a blog that will largely be informational.

If you want to get online quickly – GoDaddy will have your website live in minutes, especially with its AI support.

 

❌ Avoid GoDaddy

If you own a complex business or large online store – these would benefit from a website builder that offers more dedicated E-Commerce resources like Shopify or WordPress.

If you want a unique website design – GoDaddy’s bland templates and elements will feel restrictive.

If you want advanced customisation brand options – GoDaddy’s section-based editor and beginner-friendly interface targets novices rather than designers.

 

My Experience With GoDaddy

When I tried building a website with GoDaddy, I managed to complete the onboarding process in under 30 seconds. This makes it the ideal choice if you’re looking for a speedy website builder to get online quickly.

GoDaddy’s editor is simple to use, using a section-based layout and offering users a variety of pre-designed elements to add. I could also use GoDaddy’s AI builder and AI content generation tools to support the design process.

However, the options are far more basic than the likes of Wix. There are 14 section categories in comparison to Wix’s 20. So, your choices are limited with GoDaddy. If you’re struggling to choose between Wix or GoDaddy, Wix is the better website builder overall, especially when it comes to designing a website.

While GoDaddy offers less creative freedom than Wix v SquareSpace, where you can drag items around anywhere, you can reach out to GoDaddy’s expert help team if you ever need a helping hand. Plus, GoDaddy has recently launched GoDaddy Airo to support small businesses getting online, an AI-powered free tool that can help with building a website, generating marketing campaigns, and more. Wix has some of these features also. Wix has a wizard similar to this. 

GoDaddy offers 24/7 phone and live chat support, so you can address any problems immediately. And, if you want to boost your website builder knowledge or brush up on a topic like SEO, then GoDaddy’s knowledge centre provides you with the reading material to get started. Wix has a cool chat now feature to solve problems also.

 

How Much Does GoDaddy Cost?

GoDaddy’s free plan is a good starting point, but it comes with ads and standard features, like website security. I recommend upgrading to one of the three premium plans to remove ads, ranging from $10.99 to $20.99 per month (billed annually).

Simple or informational websites will be content with the cheapest plan, Basic, which includes built-in SEO tools for website visibility and email marketing tools to connect with your audience. But, you’ll need to upgrade to the $20.99 per month E-Commerce plan if you want E-Commerce tools.

GoDaddy Pricing Breakdown: Is It Good Value for Money?

 

 

How To Choose the best Website Builder: WordPress v Wix?

Whether you’re looking to build a website for the first time, or you want to make the switch from your current website builder to another, it can be tough to know where to start and what to look out for. It depends on your needs and requirements – I recommend building a checklist of criteria that you want from a website builder – this will save time and energy up front and give you the best result from what you actually need, not a guesstimate from the designer.

Building a small business website? Look for E-Commerce capabilities with a website builder’s plans. What payment options are available? Is there room to grow your business if you’re successful? Are you limited by the number of products you can sell? Are there marketing tools to help promote your shop? Can you sell across other platforms, like social media? Want to showcase your work? If you’re building an online portfolio website, I recommend examining the design elements and features available to see how you can visually present your work best. Are there tools to help share your website with clients? What platform has the best SEOability? What SEO features are included with your plan? Can you install third-party apps or integrations? Are your creative needs met with a basic website builder? Remember, as a designer I can upgrade your chosen website platform in a Design-way to look and perform better, this is normally additional, but worth it if you get the feature set you are after from a particular website platform like WordPress or Wix or Shopify, the customised website design is the cherry on the top, and the sweet sauce on top of the cherry (the ability to add SEO) is the most important feature!

 

Looking for a cheap website builder?

Review a website builder’s plans to see what features are available for different price points and where you can get the best deal for your money. Is there a free website builder plan or free trial available? Does the price jump massively between plans if you need to upgrade?

 

Switching Website Builders

You can always migrate your assets over to another website builder if you’re looking to make a change. WordPress is the best at this. This will require some additional steps, such as backing up and transferring your work. Or in the case of Wix, a website scrape of the images and text, then rebuild the new website from scratch. This in itself will streamline the new site and make it rank higher in Google’s eyes for this optimisation. If you choose to do this manually, switching can be a long process and can require a lot of hard drive space. However, automatic migration services are available, but these can cost between $400-$500+gst each time.

 

How I Test Website Builders

I put several leading website builders through an in-depth testing process to determine my rankings and recommendations. My “hands-on”assessment aims to help you find the right website builder for your needs – sharing standout features, expert insights, and more so you can make an informed decision when the time comes. This is real-world usage.

Most of my research is sourced from my hours of “hands-on” building and reading research to bring you the shortlist of the top website builders, hopefully making sure my recommendations are accurately reflecting the builders and market at the time, so I regularly review the research to make sure I can offer my clients the best possible informed choices.

I look at six core categories when testing website builders, adding unique weighting to each area to reflect what the readers value the most:

 

Website Features: 30%

I examine the quality and quantity of website features, such as SEO first and foremost, Design second, storage space, AI, and scheduling tools are last.

 

Design Functionality: 30%

My research covers a website builder’s aesthetic capabilities and template options. As a Website Maker and Creator, trust me, I know what I am doing (not like Sledge Hammer from the 90s).

 

User Experience: 20%

I test each builder on myself all the time to assess its ease of use and accessibility – this helps me speak from experience when recommending a platform.

 

Value for Money: 10%

I review the pricing of each website builder to see what you get for the money you pay and compare the features required.

 

Customer Score: 5%

I test how a website builder performs in the wider market to see how it compares to competitors. Plus, keep my finger on the pulse of changes by way of reading reviews and forums etc.

 

Help & Support: 5%

Looking at a website builder’s support options and responsiveness with a bias of I am always here to help, so it has a slightly lesser importance.

Each website builder is then awarded a star rating out of five above, based on its performance in the six core research categories.

 

 

The Best Website Builders: WordPress v Wix – Which Do I Recommend?

The research process has determined the top five website builders of 2024, and Wix is the best website builder overall. When testing it myself, I found it offers high-quality features and beautiful design options that cater to a wide range of users, whether you’re looking to build a blog or start selling online and the big kicker is it’s great treatment of SEO. Two things to remember, Wix has an awesome app for remote control and interacting with visitors in real time for the website, WordPress is the best at SEO using the plugin Yoast or RankMath etc.

Each website builder has its strengths – and weaknesses – so I know Wix won’t be the right fit for everyone. I normally say don’t look for the best value, (in that case go with GoDaddy). Maybe you want to set up an online store? Shopify is the best option. Is WordPress’s WooCommerce feature set enough considering it’s free ongoing use (free to use but not free to set up, a developer does this for about an extra $1K). If you’re unsure of where to start, I recommend checking out a builder’s free plan or free trial (if available) to figure out what works best for you, and stay on that for a while, live with it to find out some idiosyncrasies or shortcomings.

Wix, Squarespace and even Weebly have all improved quite a bit recently. GoDaddy and Hostinger are still awful in my view. I’m very surprised that GoDaddy hasn’t improved more considering the size of the company. But you cannot beat WordPress for scalability. Shopify is for a medium or large online store that can afford the expense. WordPress with a WooCommerce addition is a close second or a match, using a developer to integrate third-party or customised integrations, and WordPress with a WooCommerce addition is an awesome almost free ongoing use option for a smaller online store. SquareSpace is for designers who do not know code (a pretty site, but doesn’t perform well with lesser SEO features). It is imperative to know that SEO is king! Which platform is the best at SEO and SEO additions later on down the track in the future, that actually work! Remember, you will need to change and adapt your SEO to suit Google’s ever-changing algorithm to keep ranking higher and maintain your place on Google’s Page one (where all the action is). WordPress v Wix, WordPress is the best at SEO I have found. Especially starting from the ground up, building a new website from scratch. 

There’s certainly a place for all website builders alongside web developers, and it’s very interesting exploring the pros and cons of web builders alongside designers when it comes to clients’ needs! In the most recent research I found that Wix and SquareSpace have indeed continued to progress at a fantastic rate, but that Weebly and even Joomla and SilverStripe have fallen behind its competitors. It’s very interesting seeing how these big players are adapting over time.

Personally I’d go with WordPress, Wix then SquareSpace in that order, not thinking about the sites’ goal. I’ve had websites on most platforms even Google Sites, and currently use WordPress and Wix for mine. However, SquareSpace is much easier to use if you’re new to it all. It’s cheap, has reasonable free themes, and super accessible. WordPress has a ton more options and a large community, but can bog you down in the technicality of it all if you don’t know what you’re doing, or leave that to me.

For something simple like hosting website brochure or portfolio or an online CV/resumē, I’d go with SquareSpace. It can even do E-Commerce if you ever decide to sell merch. It’s like furniture that comes pre-assembled. If you’re planning on expanding into more complex things in the future, then I’d go with WordPress. It’s like IKEA furniture you need to assemble but can modify.

This article is solely dedicated to website builders from a design, usability and mainly a SEO point-of-view, which I see as a tool that can help you set up online without any coding or technical expertise. On the other hand, WordPress.org is more of a CMS system that puts technical aspects (like code, design, and hosting) in the hands of its users, so it doesn’t quite fit this list. Additionally, the insights on this page are all backed by my in-house research to ensure that I’ve mentioned the best website builders possible for your needs, complete with user insights.

 

Features Worth Mentioning

All website builders have some sort of analytics feature. Normally a basic overview. However, I recommend adding the new Google Analytics code to whichever website/platform you choose and monitor users behaviours from the Google Analytics (GA) end, (it’s more powerful). Just google for the platform you think you may want to choose, and follow the instructions. It’s that simple. In WordPress it’s under Customise, in Wix it’s under Analytics from memory.

WordPress has a major learning curve. It just does. I am still learning. Of all the times I’ve made mistakes, it’s on WordPress. There are add-ons which can create backups. USE THEM.

If you’re a full-blown geek (my hand is raised) and love messing around with stuff, WordPress is for you. Wix is a close second.

If you are a junior designer, go with SquareSpace.

If you are an intermediate designer, go with Wix.

If you are a full-on designer with web design skills, go with WordPress as it can be pushed (with a lot of extra time) to look like Wix.

If you want the site to look good and work, I recommend WordPress v Wix and then SquareSpace in that order.

 

 

Summary: What is the Best Website Platform?: WordPress (and WooCommerce) v Shopify v Wix

Price: Is there a price difference between these website builders? Yes. And it’s not really the pricing. Price-wise they are approximately the same. All are relatively the same price. However, on Wix I can get first-year deals on the Premium Plan and pass the 50% saving onto the client.

Design-wise: WordPress v Wix v Squarespace: Aesthetically, I find SquareSpace superior. A little bit jealous there. The site templates are beautiful. And there is a community with plenty of answers. (WordPress community, for the record, makes SquareSpace (and Wix) communities look like family picnics in comparison). However, in saying that, I prefer to zshoosh up Wix or WordPress site as a designer to a very professional level of design which is the same if not better than a SquareSpace design. Remember with Wix you get ‘a design’ and you have to stick with that and can only slightly style it to update it (not a full design change), you cannot switch to a new look quickly. In actual fact, a whole new rebuild is the best option in this case. WordPress you can swap out a design theme in the blink of an eye, but that’s only an off-the-shelf look.

SEO: WordPress v Wix v Squarespace: My main Graphic Design business site XDC.NZ is on WordPress for the SEO (and Design) reasons (being a Designer). Just flat out owns search, SERPS and SEO. And that’s for such broad competitive search terms, it’s crazy. For another business I run, TheLogoDesigner.nz is on Wix. I am currently experimenting with Wix’s SEO tools to compete as a new website in a competitive market category (design, similar search terms) to test the website performance as if I was a customers site, to compare it against the dominant WordPress site. HOWEVER, it is my experience and my humble opinion, Wix is vastly superior to SquareSpace in terms of support and – this is very important – search engines. Google SquareSpace SEO problems. It’s a very deep rabbit’s hole with a can of worms at the bottom, if you even get to the bottom.

Lastly: WordPress v Wix v Squarespace: Something that makes me slightly jealous of the Wix site, is a built in feature that allows me to easily collect email addresses and message business customers directly from the site. (I have to use a gmail-mailchimp combo with my WordPress contact page data), same with their way of doing Social Media, one broadcast to multiple connected social platforms. Also too, their Wix Smartphone apps, I love them! However, Wix is slightly less polished in terms of aesthetics. SquareSpace is prettier. WordPress is geekier and has the biggest commitment to a learning curve (but biggest community).

My Choice: WordPress v Wix v Squarespace: For me, choosing WordPress has never been a problem. For my main website business AXDC.NZ, my coder or Web Developer partner specialising in WordPress, WordPress is the best. We have taken over, redeveloped and transferred many sites over to WordPress. The number one reason to move from WordPress is Shopify for a more expensive business savvy way of E-Commerce or, that the design gets old. At that point, if it’s about a design change, my question to the client is: make a new Wix site v update a WordPress site? Same cost. Which works best for that business? What has the best features for the client. What stand-out features are there as opposed to each other. For me Wix wins for monitoring the site in real time with a smart phone app, you can chat to visitors in realtime too. WordPress wins for many SEO reasons to get found faster and to stay on Googles Page 1 for longer, second in terms of design, but of course, that’s one of the main parts of my job, to make the WordPress sites look better than the rest. I love WordPress and I really like Wix. I have other stories that are the same. So, for strength in search rankings that I believe are the trump cards, currently, WordPress wins over Wix!

WordPress v Wix v Squarespace: Hope that clears things up!

Contact me on clint@xdc.nz for more!