Finding the best cheap website builder is all about balancing price and functionality. After all, just because a website builder is cheap doesn't mean it will let you create the website you need.
In this guide, we list some of the best website builders on the market, whilst focusing on which offer great value for money. Each provides an easy and quick solution that requires no coding knowledge, simply drag and drop what you want, where you want, and there you have it, a stunning website.
Although there are plenty of free website builders out there, these come with limitations. For example, the majority of free website builders do not allow you to connect a custom domain and force you to display branding or ads on your website. This makes them unsuitable for professional purposes.
So, if you are looking for the cheapest website builder without frustrating limitations, this guide is for you.
The cheapest website builder
Want to learn how we pick the cheapest website builder? We explain here.
Cheapest website builder
If you’re looking for a no-frills website builder that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, Hostinger might be your perfect match. Previously known as Zyro, Hostinger is not the most famous site builder out there, but it offers a lot of potential.
Pricing
Hostinger’s pricing is quite competitive, starting at just $2.99/month if you commit for a year or more. This low rate can be locked in for several years, giving you significant savings. Plus, if you subscribe for a two-year term, you can get up to 75% off the price, which means three months free before renewal. When it’s time to renew, the price goes up to $11.99/month, but that’s still more affordable than options like Wix and Squarespace. Hostinger also offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out risk-free before deciding.
Features and tools
Hostinger provides a wide variety of features that simplify site building. Its AI tools, including an AI logo maker and AI writer, can create unique content and visuals effortlessly. The drag-and-drop editor and over 150 templates are user-friendly, although beginners might find the interface a bit overwhelming at first. While the number of templates isn't vast, they are visually appealing and suitable for various types of sites, including blogs, portfolios, and web stores.
While Hostinger’s cheapest plan covers hosting basics with a free SSL, unlimited bandwidth, 100 emails, and a free domain, the business-focused plan unlocks all the AI tools and essential ecommerce features including analytics through Google and Facebook.
However, there are a few drawbacks. You can’t switch templates once your site is set up, and the image editing options are basic compared to competitors like Wix. The cheapest plan also has limited AI and ecommerce tools, making the business plan more attractive for those needing advanced features.
Overall, Hostinger is a solid site builder, ideal for budget-conscious users, especially those with ecommerce aspirations.
Explore Hostinger's latest deals and discounts on our Hostinger promo codes page.
Best for beginners
If you’re new to building sites and want a straightforward, hassle-free experience, Weebly is a smart choice. With plans starting at $10/month, Weebly offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor that allows users to create professional-looking websites without any coding knowledge. All of its templates are mobile-responsive, ensuring your site looks good on any device.
Pricing
Weebly’s pricing starts at $10/month for the “Personal” plan if you opt for annual billing, saving you a couple of bucks compared to the $13 month-to-month rate. However, it comes with pretty basic features. For more advanced functionalities, consider the “Professional” plan at $12/month when billed annually or the “Performance” plan at $26/month. These plans offer additional tools and capabilities, making them a great choice for users needing more robust functionality.
Features and tools
Weebly excels in simplicity and functionality. Its integrated ecommerce features enable easy inventory management, shipping setup, and support for popular payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal. The platform’s app center offers a variety of apps and integrations, enhancing your site with tools for marketing, CRM, and much more.
Despite being easy to use, Weebly has its limits. Its blogging tools are basic, and you might find the customization options somewhat limited if you want a truly unique design. For those seeking more extensive customization capabilities and additional features, Wix presents an amazing alternative, albeit at a slightly higher cost.
Nonetheless, Weebly excels as an ideal platform for beginners looking for an easy, hassle-free method to build and oversee their site.
Best AI website builder
Looking for an AI-powered website builder that's easy on the wallet and simple to use? GoDaddy could be just what you need. Like Wix and Hostinger, GoDaddy offers an intuitive site builder with AI features, allowing you to create a site swiftly and effortlessly.
Pricing
Starting at just over $10.99/mo, GoDaddy offers a budget-friendly option for businesses seeking to build an online presence. This price is valid with one-year commitments, which include a 30% discount off the first term.
GoDaddy's plans provide flexibility, often requiring additional fees for features such as SEO, booking, or ecommerce tools. It's worth noting that while these introductory prices are attractive, they do increase after the first year. For example, a “.com” domain name costs $11.99 for the initial year but rises to $17.99 per year thereafter.
Features and tools
One of the standout benefits of GoDaddy is that it bundles essential tools together, including email marketing, a content creator tool, and appointment scheduling, all included in every plan.
That said, GoDaddy does have its shortcomings. While it excels in user-friendliness and speed, sites built with its AI sometimes lack unique flair. Plus, without an app market, its features and customization options are limited, which might not suit those needing more advanced functionalities.
Despite these drawbacks, GoDaddy offers superb 24/7 tech support and clear subscription plans, making it a solid choice for users prioritizing simplicity and affordability in their site builder. GoDaddy's AI site builder is worth checking out if you're looking to get your business online quickly and without any hassle.
Discover special discounts and promotions on the GoDaddy promo code.
Best for ecommerce
If you're looking to dive into the world of online sales, Square Online is a superb choice. After merging with Weebly, Square offers a seamless and user-friendly experience, making it perfect even for beginners. With its simple drag-and-drop editor, you can quickly set up a stunning and functional ecommerce site without any technical know-how.
Pricing
Square Online offers a range of paid plans designed to provide excellent value for money. Their entry-level plan, “Plus”, priced at $29/month when billed annually, offers a significant step up from their free tier.
It includes essential sales features crucial for running an online store. You’ll get advanced features, including a free custom domain, an SEO toolkit, and a built-in payment processing system that ensures smooth and secure transactions without needing any third-party processors. Just be aware that with fees of 2.9% + 30¢ on each transaction, these can add up over time.
Features and tools
Square Online is particularly well-suited for small businesses needing a straightforward, affordable way to sell products online. The Square built-in point-of-sale (POS) system, appointment scheduling, email marketing, and team management tools are critical for growing businesses.
This site builder also stands out with its robust ecommerce features, including the ability to add unlimited products and automatic product categorization. Its fulfillment options are diverse, supporting curbside pickup, local delivery, and more. An automatic tax calculator saves you time by setting tax rates for different regions.
For those looking to grow their business, Square’s app marketplace offers a wide range of handpicked apps to enhance functionality. Whether you need marketing tools or accounting software, there's something for everyone. The platform also supports social media integration, allowing you to sell products directly on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
However, while Square Online excels in user-friendliness and ecommerce features, its customization options are somewhat limited, and the available themes may not satisfy those looking for unique designs. If you're seeking more advanced features and customization, alternatives like Shopify or BigCommerce might be worth considering. While pricier, these platforms provide richer design choices and advanced functionalities.
Best for agencies
Wix Studio is tailor-made for agencies and freelancers seeking robust tools to create and manage professional-grade sites. With an advanced development environment that includes a built-in code editor and API access, Wix Studio is ideal for those looking to build sophisticated sites and applications without extensive coding knowledge. It can empower users with the flexibility and capabilities to execute complex projects effectively and efficiently.
Pricing
The "Basic" plan is priced at $19/month and tailored for beginners looking to start their online projects. It includes 10 GB of media storage, supports up to 3 site collaborators, and manages up to 1,500 CMS items. Key features encompass detailed site analytics, a free domain for the first year, and integrated payment capabilities, ideal for new ventures or personal projects.
The pricing is set up for yearly subscriptions, which helps you budget clearly with straightforward details on extra charges. You can cancel anytime, but you'll only get a refund if you do so within the first 14 days.
Features and tools
Wix Studio excels in providing an intuitive user interface, AI-driven design tools, and extensive customization options. It supports multi-site management, custom CSS control, and integrates with Wix apps for enhanced functionality. Agencies benefit from responsive AI, a wide range of animation options, and collaborative workspaces, facilitating effective project management and scalability.
In addition, all Wix Studio plans feature intuitive, code-free CMS capabilities, robust SEO and marketing tools, expert support, and high-level security measures. With a global CDN, full DNS management, and unlimited bandwidth, these plans ensure optimal site performance for a global audience.
For agencies and freelancers seeking advanced web development tools without compromising on quality, Wix Studio offers a robust solution backed by Wix's reputation for innovation and support. While not the most budget-friendly option, Wix Studio provides some of the most affordable advanced tools available for agencies and freelancers. Alternatives like Duda offer rich features and e-commerce tools but at a higher price point, making Wix Studio a competitive choice for those prioritizing functionality and value.
Check out our Wix promo codes page for exclusive savings and offers.
Other cheap website builder deals
The website builders we review above offer some of the best standard prices on the market. In this section, we highlight some great deals and promo codes for other leading website builders on the market.
How we choose the cheapest website builder
Wondering what qualifies a website builder to be crowned the 'Cheapest Website Builder'? Here are some questions we answered when deciding...
Aren't there free website builders?
Yes. There are several free website builder plans to choose from - in fact, we have an entire guide dedicated to the best free website builders. However, these all have considerable limitations such as limits on storage and bandwidth, onsite ads, and an inability to connect a custom domain. These limitations make them impractical for high quality, professional websites.
When picking the cheapest website builder, we only choose from plans that offer you everything you need to create a quality website.
Are there cheaper website builders?
Yes. There are certainly website builders out there that offer cheaper plans. However, we reserve our 'cheapest website builder' spot for those that already have an extensive user base, a trusted name, and are known for being reliable.
In reality, the top spot should be named 'cheapest of the best website builders'...but that doesn't really roll off the tongue.
Some website builders may also run limited time deals that beat the price of our top spot. We list all the best deals on this page, so you can check these out before deciding which is right for you.
How long will the 'cheapest' price last?
Some website builders offer really good deals for a very short period of time. For example, Shopify currently offers 3 months membership for just $1 a month. Others offer free trial periods for premium plans.
To earn our top spot, the plan must be available for at least 12 months or longer and give you the ability to cancel your subscription once the deal runs out.
Cheap website builder deals FAQs
How do I get the best deal on a website builder?
How to get the best deal on your website builder will depend on which website builder you pick.
Some website builders such as Wix rarely run money off deals for new users, but regularly offer money off as an incentive to upgrade your plan. Other website builders such as Hostinger and HostGator will regularly offer a great deal to get you signed up. Whereas website builders such as Elementor only tend to run deals once or twice a year, offering a small window to save.
One of the best ways to save on your website builder is to sign up for a longer period of time. The majority of website builders will offer you a higher percentage discount based on how you want to pay. Typically you will pay the most if you want to be billed month-on-month, but can save if you want to be billed every 1-3 years.
Of course, this is only a good way to save if you know you will be staying with that website builder for a longer period of time.
It is also important to remember that almost all website builder deals only run for a set period of time. So, before you jump at a deal, make sure what you will pay after the deal runs out is also an acceptable/competitive price.
Can I sell online with a cheap website builder?
Whether you can sell online with a cheap website builder will depend on which one you choose.
Most website builders will allow you to sell online, even on the cheapest plans.
However, many use a tiered approach to transaction fees, meaning you will have to pay more on each transaction you make when you opt for a cheap plan. In some cases, website builders will not allow you to sell online without paying for a more expensive plan.
It is worth checking the specifics of your website builder of choice before making a purchase.
How do I create a low-cost website?
Today's website builder tools include ultra-easy-to-use drag-and-drop editors, allowing you to create polished and professional sites at speed, absolutely no HTML coding knowledge required.
This page can help you take the next step, by highlighting the best cheap website builder to suit the type of website you are looking to create, and pointing you to their best deals.
Some website builders come with hosting, but if yours doesn't, pair the builder with a cheap web hosting provider and begin your website creation. Key hosting features to look for include free domain names, SSL certificates and of course, storage. The more you get for your buck, the better.
Finally, don't forget to check renewal costs. It's great to know you've created a low-cost website, but it's also important that the site stays cheap when your contract renews.
Are there any hidden fees with cheap website builder plans?
Whether there are any additional fees to your website builder plan will depend on what you want to get out of your website. For example, some website builders will not offer a free domain within plans, so if you want one, you will need to purchase a custom domain before connecting it to your site.
Other potential fees you need to consider are SSL certificates, premium templates, e-commerce functionality, and transaction fees on any sales you make on your website. It is important to check the details of the plan you are considering to better understand what is (or isn't) included.
Can I create a website for free?
Yes, you can build a website for free, but this won't be a good solution for everyone.
Some website builders and web hosts offer free plans, for instance, but they have many limits. You won't have much storage space, speeds may be poor, and important service features are often missing (many free plans have little or no support, for instance.)
Free websites typically won't allow you to use your own domain, either; instead of 'yourbusiness.com', you might have to point your users at 'yourbusiness.reallygreatfreewebsites.com', not exactly professional. And we've not even mentioned the ads that might plaster all your pages.
This won't be an issue for everyone. If you're building a website just for family, friends, a local group, or you simply want to create a site to learn how it works, a free option might be enough.
If you're looking to create a professional impression, though, perhaps for a business site, a web store, or any situation where you're hoping to impress visitors and need them to take you seriously, a free website is unlikely to deliver.
Can I connect a custom domain to a cheap website builder?
As a general rule, any paid website builder plans will allow you to connect a custom domain - even if it is cheap. This tends to be the reverse with free plans where you will typically be allocated a branded domain for your site.
However, each website builder plan is different, so it is worth checking the specifics before you sign up.
