Best Website Builders for UK Businesses in 2024

Website builders are a budget-friendly alternative to hiring a web developer to design your website. They don’t require you to know how to code and allow you to create your own website quickly and easily, thanks to AI tools and pre-built template designs. They also give you total freedom to edit your website’s design when you please, without having to pay a developer again.

But with ever-increasing options, it can be hard to find the right website builder for your business. The team at Expert Market has tested and researched 16 popular website builders and determined that Squarespace is the best website builder out there, dethroning Wix, which held the top spot for years. It achieved this by offering excellent website designs, being easier to use than Wix, and offering similar tools at a cheaper price point.

Here’s a look at what each website builder is best at, based on our testing:

Head to head: Best website builders

Rivalry is high between the major website builder brands. Although many contain really similar features, there are differences in the quality and performance of each. We’ll go into more detail in the individual reviews below, but for now let’s look at the overall comparison.

Click the left and right arrows to scroll the table and compare features:

Pricing is wildly different depending on what product you’re looking at. For instance, you’ll notice that Shopify is much more expensive than GoDaddy. The reason is they’re aimed at completely different people: if you’re a microbusiness, or focused more on services and appointments, then you should choose GoDaddy.

But if you’re scaling up a business selling products, (either online only or to support a bricks-and-mortar shop), Shopify is a better choice. Shopify’s sales features (including inventory oversight, order management and shipping options) are far more advanced than GoDaddy’s, hence the higher price tag.

1. Squarespace: Best for Design

• Strong value for money
• Unlimited storage space and bandwidth
• Focus on beautiful design
• Best suited to: photographers, visual artists

What do we like about Squarespace?

With the most mesmerizing design features of all the web builders we tested, Squarespace makes achieving your ideal website that much more realistic. Its intuitive, drag-and-drop interface and smooth backend integration mean that you don’t have to be a pro web developer to see beautiful results.

If you’re working in the creative industries and want a creative website to match, Squarespace fits the bill. Its variety of tools, such as accordions, carousels and scrolling banners make it well-suited for creative content-first websites.

Finally, if you’re seeking a website that supports booking appointments, Squarespace works in tandem with Acuity to make this easy both for you and your customers. This shows that this web builder allows you to make websites that both look great, but also perform highly in terms of functionality.

What could be improved about Squarespace?

If your business caters to an international customer base, it may require a multilingual website. Unfortunately, Squarespace may not be the easiest tool to create that. While it does support duplicated pages in various languages, you’ll have to manually translate the copy, which can be time-consuming. If this is an important feature for you, consider Wix as a more suitable option.

While we love its ease of use and variety of attractive templates, the AI site generator left us wanting more variation between designs. Furthermore, Squarespace didn’t perform well in our Site Speed Tests, perhaps due to its high volume of content and imagery. A slow site speed can be irritating for your customers but also negatively affect your SEO ranking due to a higher drop-off rate from site visitors becoming impatient while the site loads.

Squarespace pricing

Squarespace’s price plans come with a 14-day free trial, including its two ecommerce plans. Also, don’t forget you can save 10% on Squarespace by using code EM10 at the checkout.

How does Squarespace compare with its rivals?

Squarespace offers a higher-quality editing experience compared with GoDaddy. GoDaddy only allows you to move blocks up and down, and you won’t be able to drag and drop individual images or text boxes as you can with Squarespace.

That said, it’s a less sophisticated online shop option compared with Shopify. For instance, you can’t accept multiple currencies on your Squarespace shop but you can with Shopify.

2. Wix: Best All-Rounder

• Mid-price range
• Beginner-friendly website editing
• More templates than any competitor
• Best suited to: hospitality businesses and gyms

What do we like about Wix?

Wix’s breadth of website features is unrivalled in the world of web builders. It has all the essential features you need to create a fully functioning website, such as a social media bar, an app marketplace, the choice to add affiliate links, page duplication and support for multilingual sites.

On top of that, there are more complex features, such as a coding platform to insert your own code on your website, and an AI text generator to speed up the creation of copy for your site. Talking of AI, Wix is renowned for its capability to deliver AI-driven sites in only three simple steps, in under 60 seconds.

Wix’s help and support options are second to none, thanks to the offering of not only its help centre and chat options but also the possibility to ‘hire a pro’. Wix’s marketplace offers a range of professional help, including SEO support, web development and graphic design, to ensure you can master the digital side of promoting your business.

What could be improved about Wix?

If you’re indecisive when it comes to design, you may appreciate a website builder that supports flexibility a little more than Wix. Once you hit publish, you won’t be able to switch to another template.

While we were impressed with the wide range of features on offer, some users during our testing process were overwhelmed by the sheer amount on offer, indicating Wix is potentially not the most user-friendly option.

We love that Wix offers a free domain option, as it allows users to try before they buy, and also supports smaller businesses looking to create a website. That being said, the steep pricing jump from £20 to £119 for business websites may pose a challenge for businesses that need to scale up to a more suitable plan.

Finally, like Squarespace, Wix’s platform also proved slow to load during our testing, which can negatively impact your site’s SEO ranking.

Wix pricing

Wix offers a 14-day free trial on its premium plans, with several plans to choose from. Only three of these offer the chance to sell online, so look carefully at the features included in each one. Here’s the full breakdown of Wix’s pricing:

How does Wix stack up to the competition?

Wix beats rival platforms in many key areas, scoring 4.6/5 in our ‘Website Features’ category, its nearest competitor, Shopify, scored 4.3. This is simply because Wix provides the widest range of tools of almost any website builder, from ecommerce and reservation and appointments management to email marketing.

But Wix lacks unlimited storage space, unlike GoDaddy, and almost all other competitors that offer this as standard.

3. GoDaddy: Best for Speedy Set-Up

• On the cheaper side
• Easy to use
• Send hundreds of marketing emails monthly
• Best suited to: time-poor entrepreneurs

What do we like about GoDaddy?

If you’re seeking a free domain, GoDaddy offers a free plan that is suitable for smaller businesses looking to create an online presence without too much financial investment.

Another point that earns GoDaddy some bragging rights is its speedy customer service, reportedly offering help in under 10 seconds, meaning wasted time on hold is a thing of the past.

Finally, GoDaddy is the one for users with limited technical knowledge who want to get a functional website up and running in no time. This is made possible by its generative AI tools, which work in just two steps to create a site in less than 30 seconds – even more impressive than Wix’s 60-second AI site. That being said, speed doesn’t always imply quality, but it does earn GoDaddy a top ranking for ease of use.

What could be improved about GoDaddy?

While AI generation can earn points for efficiency, it doesn’t always produce the most high-end results. Your website may lack originality and can look outdated if you don’t give it that personal touch. However, for those looking for a fast and functional fix, this might not be a worry.

Furthermore, a limitation of GoDaddy is that it’s not possible to edit your site from your mobile device. You can only view it. This could cause frustration for busy entrepreneurs or digital nomads who want to be able to update their website or blog on the go, without having to set up their laptop.

Although it’s convenient and simple, GoDaddy has some limitations in its features for business, such as the fact that it doesn’t have an app market, making it difficult for you to integrate vital business features into your website.

GoDaddy pricing

GoDaddy has a 30-day free trial, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind after buying it. That makes it pretty low-risk, financially. Here are the price plans (only the most expensive one is for selling online):

How does GoDaddy fare against its foes?

GoDaddy has less precise design options than Squarespace, fewer business features than Wix and limited selling options compared with Shopify. But GoDaddy is faster and simpler to use than all of them. And definitely lighter on the wallet than Shopify.

But GoDaddy doesn’t come with the perks of its near-priced competitors. While Wix and Squarespace come with a year’s free domain, GoDaddy (surprisingly, as it’s a major domain registrar) does not.

4. Shopify: Best for Selling Online

• More expensive than most
• Variable transaction fees
• Sync inventory across multiple locations
• Best suited to: SMB retailers looking to scale

What do we like about Shopify?

If you run an ecommerce website, we strongly recommend Shopify above the other contenders to help your store run smoothly. With more than 8,000 apps to choose from in its App Store, Shopify helps create a solid ecommerce ecosystem. It can manage high volumes of stock, assist in shipping, promote your products and link with review sites to showcase your customers sharing the love about your brand.

Plus, it’s always making tweaks to make running an online store easier. For example, Shopify has launched an AI tool called Sidekick, designed to be a commerce assistant. It can carry out various tasks, such as adding discounts or creating reports you request. This AI tool makes it a lot easier to run an online store because you can have it carry out some of your to-do list for you.

You can also diversify your ecommerce website’s offering with Shopify’s large collection of native and third-party apps, such as the Shopify Subscriptions app.

The Shopify Subscriptions is a free app that can be used to select specific products for subscription and customize delivery frequencies. Your customers can set up a subscription, pause or skip orders. The subscription app opens up another revenue stream for your business and encourages customer loyalty.

What could be improved about Shopify?

While it’s wonderful for sales-focused businesses, Shopify would not be the first choice for those looking to create a blog or creative portfolio. It works best for those with something to sell. This is because it’s not as design-focused as it is functionality-focused.

Also, since its ecommerce platform is very advanced, switching between the back and front end of your website can be confusing. The appearance of your site is not Shopify’s main focus.

Unlike Wix and GoDaddy, Shopify does not offer a free plan, again making it better-suited to more developed businesses. You can try before you buy, but only for a measly three-day trial. In our opinion, this is not long enough to fully explore the range of features.

Shopify pricing

Shopify used to offer a 14-day free trial, but this has now shrunk to three days. It has a £5 per month Starter plan, but it doesn’t give you access to a full website builder, since it only lets you build a product page used for selling on social media. Shopify’s actual website builder plans start at £19 per month.

Here’s a breakdown of Shopify’s price plans:

How does Shopify match up to competitors?

Shopify is more expensive than any other website builder on this list. That’s because it’s designed to make you money through advanced retail operations; Shopify has far superior sales features (particularly when it comes to selling abroad) compared to Wix, GoDaddy, Squarespace or Hostinger. For a quick example, you can list limitless products with Shopify, whereas Hostinger only allows up to 500.

It’s a little light on templates, though – there are around 130 Shopify themes to choose from, and only 12 are free (Wix has 900 at no extra cost, and there are thousands for WordPress). If you need a pretty website more than you need excellent sales features, you should choose Squarespace over Shopify.

5. Hostinger: Best for User Experience

• Up to 100 websites
• No app store
• AI website writing tool
• Best suited to: entrepreneurs looking to scale up fast

What do we like about Hostinger?

When it comes to simple, seamless website-building – Hostinger is the winner, thanks to its generative AI tools, which outperform the competition.

Impressively, Hostinger’s AI tools perform a heatmap scan of your site to determine areas that your site visitors are more likely to gravitate towards, and those that need fixing to make your site more intuitive and navigation-friendly.

Furthermore, if your business has an international presence, these AI tools can come in handy when it comes to making multiple websites in a shorter amount of time. On top of that, Hostinger comes with a built-in AI translator, meaning you won’t need to manually translate your pages.

What could be improved about Hostinger?

Unfortunately, Hostinger does not offer a free plan and you don’t have the opportunity to try before you buy as it also does not offer a free trial. It also offers no built-in email marketing features or a third-party app market, like many of the competitors, including Wix and Squarespace.

Hostinger pricing

Hostinger only has three website builder plans. Starter Website Builder and Premium Website Builder are its website-only plans, designed for creating an informational website, and the Business Website Builder is its ecommerce plan, giving you access to ecommerce tools and advanced AI tools.

Pricing changes a lot depending on how long your contract is, but starts at £1.49 per month:

The way Hostinger displays its pricing on its website is a little confusing because it makes it seem like its three plans only cost £1.49, £2.59 and £3.79 per month, forever.

In reality, this is a discounted price you’ll get in your first term – if you sign up for a long-term contract – and pay for the whole term upfront, instead of monthly. Still confused? Let’s take a look at the £2.59 per month Premium Website Builder plan.

If you sign up for between a one- and four-year contract, you’ll pay £2.59 per month for your those terms. That means on a one-year contract, you’ll pay £2.59 per month for only the first year, but on a four-year contract, you’ll pay that for the first four years. After that, the plans renew at a higher price, but the longer the contract, the cheaper that price is.

Finally, pay attention to the terms – you’ll actually need to pay the entire fee upfront. That means on a four-year contract, you’ll be paying for four years upfront every time the contract renews.

How does Hostinger measure up to similar providers?

For a provider that specialises in hosting and web security, Hostinger’s design editor is surprisingly high quality. Far more flexible than GoDaddy, and easier to use than Shopify, Hostinger’s editor has a similar grid alignment to Squarespace. The unique “Add shape” feature gives you more creative freedom than GoDaddy.

Yet Hostinger lacks a couple of features you’d get as standard with Wix, Squarespace or GoDaddy; for instance, you can’t create and post social content from within your Hostinger site.

Hostinger’s website builder isn’t a good choice for bloggers or subscriber content, either. You can’t create a paid members area, and there’s no blog archive or comments. You’d be better off with WordPress, which has blog analytics and specific SEO tools (that Hostinger lacks).

Buying Guide: How to Choose a Website Builder

When looking for the right website builder to help you achieve your ideal website, we recommend you look at the following criteria to ensure your website plans can be materialised.

1. Pricing: Arguably the most important factor. Consider your budget restraints, and whether you prefer to buy domains and hosting separately, as well as any recurring monthly fees.
2. Ease of use: The platform should be intuitive and easy to navigate, even for non-technical users. You want something that allows you to create and edit pages visually without needing to know code.
3. Flexibility and customisation options: Look for a web builder that offers a broad range of templates, themes and the ability to customise elements such as fonts, colors and layouts. Ideally, you want to be able to tailor the design to your brand.
4. Built-in SEO tools: Choose a site builder that helps improve your search engine optimisation by automatically generating metadata, and more.
5. Ecommerce capabilities: If you plan to sell products or services, ensure the builder has robust ecommerce features, such as shopping carts, payment processing and inventory management.
6. Scalability: An ideal website builder grows with you, allowing expansion into more pages and bandwidth as your traffic demands increase.
7. Mobile flexibility: With more web browsing happening on phones, your site needs to be able to dynamically respond and reshape itself for mobile devices.
8. Support options: Look out for adequate online help resources, tutorials, chat support and knowledge bases when you need assistance.

How We Test Website Builders