The best website builders for 2026 are Wix (the strongest all-rounder for creative freedom), Squarespace (the cleanest output for portfolios and brand-led sites), Shopify (the default for serious e-commerce), and Hostinger Website Builder (the best budget pick, with AI generation built in). Below those headline names, IONOS covers tiny budgets and the European market, SITE123 and Webador prioritise speed over flexibility for true beginners, BigCommerce handles larger online stores, and WordPress.com is the right pick when long-term ownership and platform portability matter more than the simplest possible setup. This list is independent: HostList earns nothing from any builder mentioned, and the order is what we would actually recommend, not what pays the highest commission.
What a website builder actually is
A website builder is a hosted tool that lets you design and run a website by editing inside a browser, without writing or managing code. Templates, drag-and-drop layouts, hosting, SSL, a domain, sometimes e-commerce, all bundled under one monthly fee. The convenience comes with a tradeoff: the site usually lives only on that platform, so leaving means rebuilding. For most non-technical owners this is a fair deal; for anyone who wants total control of the underlying files, a content management system like WordPress on a real host (browse the best WordPress hosting) is still the better long-term home.
How we judged them
Six things matter when picking a website builder, and only three of them ever show up in marketing pages:
- Ease of use. Can a non-designer ship a credible site in a weekend? Most claim yes; few actually deliver.
- Design quality. The default templates and the look of the output, not the dashboard. Some builders make beautiful sites; others make sites that always look like they were made on that builder.
- Real total cost. The renewal price, not the introductory headline. Many builders advertise a low first-year price and double on renewal.
- E-commerce capability. Whether the cart, payments, taxes and shipping are built in or bolted on, and what each costs.
- Ownership and lock-in. Can you export your content if you decide to leave? Some yes, many no.
- AI features that actually help. Generation that produces a useful first draft, not just brand language for a template.
"Free for a year" is not a feature. Affiliate-driven comparison sites lean on it because it inflates conversion; we treat it as a flag that the renewal needs checking.
The best website builders, ranked
1. Wix, best for creative freedom
Wix is the strongest all-rounder in 2026, mostly because of its drag-anywhere editor. You can place anything anywhere on the canvas, which is also why it is the easiest builder to make ugly with if you have no design eye. Templates have improved sharply, the Wix Studio editor (its newer professional mode) closes the gap with Webflow on responsive control, and Wix AI now drafts a competent first version of a site from a few prompts. The catch: you cannot move a Wix site off Wix, the output is proprietary. For a brochure, portfolio or small-business site that does not need to outgrow the platform, that is a reasonable trade.
2. Squarespace, best for polished, professional sites
Squarespace produces the cleanest default output of any mainstream builder. Templates are restrained and editorial, typography is good without effort, and the result usually looks like a designer made it. The editor is more constrained than Wix (sections and blocks rather than free placement), which is the source of both the polish and the frustration. Strong on blogs, portfolios, restaurants, and brand sites; capable but not class-leading on e-commerce. Squarespace also locks you in: there is no real export path off the platform.
3. Shopify, best for serious e-commerce
Shopify is the default for stores that take money seriously. The admin, checkout, payments, taxes, shipping, inventory, multi-currency, multi-channel selling and the App Store ecosystem are built around the job of running a real shop, not bolted on. It is also the most expensive builder on this list once apps and transaction fees are counted, and the storefront editor is fine but not as design-forward as Wix or Squarespace. For anyone whose website is mainly an income stream, Shopify is usually the right answer. For a content site that occasionally sells things, it is overkill, look at WooCommerce on a real host instead (see the best WooCommerce hosting).
4. Hostinger Website Builder, best budget pick with AI
Hostinger bundles a capable AI-led builder with the cheapest hosting plans in the market, which makes the all-in price hard to beat for someone starting out. The AI generation is unusually decent, it produces a styled, populated first draft rather than empty boilerplate, and the editor is fast and modern. Templates are fewer and less ambitious than Wix or Squarespace, and the platform is younger, but the price-to-capability ratio is the best on the budget end. The usual Hostinger renewal-price caveat applies: confirm the renewal rate before committing to a long term.
5. IONOS MyWebsite, best for tiny budgets and the European market
IONOS pushes very cheap intro pricing and is the dominant SMB host across Germany, Spain and the wider EU. The builder is functional, the AI version (MyWebsite Now) generates serviceable starter sites, and EU customers benefit from local data centres and GDPR-aware defaults. Output is less stylish than Squarespace and less flexible than Wix, but for the price and for anyone explicitly wanting an EU-based platform, it is a reasonable starting point.
6. SITE123, best for sheer simplicity
SITE123 strips choice down to almost nothing, you pick a category and the platform makes most decisions for you. That is a feature for genuinely non-technical users who want a site online today and a frustration for anyone with a specific design in mind. Free tier is real but ad-supported; paid plans are inexpensive. Suitable for a small local business or community page, not for anything that needs to look distinctive.
7. Webador, best for solo creators on a small site
Webador is a quieter European builder that punches above its weight for hobby sites, club pages and very small businesses. The editor is simple, prices are low, and a small e-commerce package is built in. Templates and capability are limited compared with Wix and Squarespace, so it suits the bottom end of the market rather than ambitious projects.
8. BigCommerce, best for larger online stores
BigCommerce is Shopify's main direct rival. It includes more functionality in its base plans (so fewer paid apps), supports headless storefronts cleanly, and is built for stores doing meaningful volume. The editor is less friendly than Shopify and the ecosystem of designers and apps is smaller, so it is rarely the first pick for a brand new store. For an established store under app sprawl on Shopify, or one outgrowing it, BigCommerce is worth a serious look.
9. WordPress.com, best for long-term ownership
WordPress.com is the hosted version of WordPress run by Automattic. It is the only builder on this list whose underlying engine you can leave with: export your content, move to any WordPress host, keep the design system and the content model. That portability matters more than most people think when choosing a builder. The trade is that WordPress.com is less of a "drag and drop and you are done" experience than Wix or Squarespace, and the cheaper plans constrain plugins and customisation. For a serious content site, blog, or anything you expect to run for years, this is the right structural pick.
10. Network Solutions, included only because it ranks
Network Solutions is an older brand with a builder that is functional but conservative, and pricing that is uncompetitive against any of the names above. It is on this list because it ranks for the head term, not because it would be in the top ten on merit. There is no reason to choose it over Wix, Squarespace, Hostinger or IONOS in 2026.
What to avoid
- "Free" builders with renewal traps. A year free then a multi-hundred-pound renewal is not a free builder. Check the renewal price before you start moving content over.
- Locked-in content. If a builder will not let you export your pages, treat the site as effectively rented. Some platforms are explicit about this; others bury it.
- AI branding hiding template fillers. Generation that just pastes your business name into a template is not AI; it is mail merge. Test the output before paying.
- Affiliate listicles disguised as reviews. The top result for "best website builder" is almost always commission-driven. Cross-check verdicts on independent sources before committing.
When a website builder is the wrong answer
If the site needs to outlive the platform, run on custom code, integrate deeply with internal systems, or rank seriously in search, a website builder usually is not the right tool. Three alternatives:
- WordPress on a real host: the most flexible long-term home, with full ownership and the largest plugin ecosystem. Pick from the best WordPress hosting or use HostMatch for a shortlist.
- Webflow or Framer: closer to design-tool than builder, with code-quality output. Better for design-led brand sites and product marketing pages.
- Static site or Jamstack: developer-led, fastest, cheapest at scale. See Jamstack hosting and the Vercel vs Netlify comparison.
How to actually pick
- Building a brand or portfolio site? Squarespace first, Wix Studio second.
- Selling at any meaningful volume? Shopify by default, BigCommerce if you have grown out of it.
- On a tight budget? Hostinger Website Builder, then IONOS.
- Want creative freedom and AI help? Wix.
- Want to keep the site portable for the long term? WordPress.com (or self-hosted WordPress).
- Need a site online tonight? SITE123 or Webador.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best website builder in 2026?
Wix is the best all-round website builder for creative freedom, Squarespace produces the cleanest output for portfolios and brand sites, Shopify is the default for serious e-commerce, and Hostinger Website Builder is the best budget pick with AI generation built in. The right choice depends on what you are building: pick by the type of site, not by which builder advertises hardest.
Is a website builder better than WordPress?
Neither is universally better. A website builder is faster to start, requires no technical skill, and bundles hosting, security and updates. WordPress gives you full control, total content ownership, and a far larger plugin and theme ecosystem, at the cost of more setup and ongoing maintenance. For a small brand or portfolio site, a builder is usually the right answer; for a serious content site, store you want to deeply customise, or anything you expect to run for many years, WordPress on a managed host is the better long-term home.
Are website builders really free?
The free plans on Wix, Squarespace and others are real but limited: they show platform branding, use a subdomain rather than your own domain, and constrain features. Paid plans range from a few pounds a month for very basic sites to twenty or thirty for serious e-commerce, with renewal prices often higher than the headline introductory rate. The honest cost is the renewal rate over two to three years, not the first-month price.
Can I move my site off a website builder?
Mostly no. Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and most mainstream builders do not let you export your full site to a portable format, so leaving means rebuilding. WordPress.com is the exception: it is built on the same engine as self-hosted WordPress, so you can export your content and move to any WordPress host without losing it. If long-term portability matters to you, that is a meaningful structural advantage.
Which website builder is best for e-commerce?
Shopify is the default for any serious online store: checkout, payments, taxes, shipping, multi-channel selling and the app ecosystem are built around the job. BigCommerce is a strong rival for larger stores that need more in the base plan and fewer paid apps. Wix and Squarespace both sell things capably but suit smaller catalogues, and for content-led sites that occasionally sell, WooCommerce on managed WordPress hosting is usually a better fit than a builder.
Do I own my website on a builder?
You own your content (text, images, products) on every reputable builder. You do not own the underlying site structure, design or code, those belong to the platform, and that is why you cannot pick the site up and move it elsewhere. WordPress.com (and self-hosted WordPress on any WordPress host) is the exception: the engine is open-source and the site is portable from day one. If ownership of the full stack matters, that is the lane to pick.
